"Torch! (Taimatsu)"
As Satoshi drew his sword and slashed, an overwhelming wave of flames erupted.
Satoru tried to use the cherry blossom petals of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi to block it, but to his surprise, the petals couldn't resist the raging flames at all.
There seemed to be a transparent barrier between the fire and the petals.
This is...
Satoru's expression shifted sharply. A no-injury circle?
Satoshi's entire attack had been unleashed within the no-injury zone, and not a single flame leaked beyond it. The fire raged furiously, contained perfectly within the boundary.
"Satoru, if you wanted to trap me inside your no-injury zone and pull off a double KO, you'll have to work on your acting."
Centered around the wielder of Senbonzakura, there existed an 85 cm-radius circular area in which the petals would never strike—the "no-injury circle."
Satoshi had entered this invulnerable zone, and even though Senbonzakura Kageyoshi had wrapped around him, the petals couldn't attack.
Within this space, he could unleash his techniques without restriction.
As the flames of Ryūjin Jakka surged, they burned from within the no-injury zone outward. In the blink of an eye, the massive sphere of petals created by Senbonzakura Kageyoshi had been incinerated into nothingness.
Cherry blossoms aren't combustible, but before the flames of Ryūjin Jakka, even the unburnable can be reduced to ash.
...
To the spectators, they only saw a few sparks burst from the massive pink sphere in the sky. Then, in an instant, it was completely engulfed.
The pink cherry blossom sphere was now a blazing fireball!
In that moment, the pink "moon" transformed into a burning red "sun."
Everyone knew things had taken a drastic turn. These flames were undoubtedly the manifestation of Ryūjin Jakka.
The fireball burned violently and began to crack and fall apart piece by piece…
Satoshi and Satoru reappeared before everyone.
"Satoru, if that was your best, then this ends here."
"You know… after the Shikai, Ryūjin Jakka still has one more move that hasn't been revealed."
"I thought you might be able to force it out of me… but unfortunately, not even Gōkei could make that happen."
Satoshi spoke casually, standing face to face with Satoru, flames dancing across his blade as they cast a crimson hue over both their faces.
At that moment, Satoru knew he had lost.
Indeed, Ryūjin Jakka still had one final technique, one that Satoshi had used once before against Rainbow Dragon before falling into slumber.
Satoru hadn't yet fully mastered it, but he was determined to try.
Not just to defeat Satoshi—he wanted his younger brother to witness how much he had grown.
"Satoshi, try this!"
Satoru suddenly leapt back. The billions of cherry blossom petals that had just been turned to ash by Ryūjin Jakka suddenly reappeared in the sky.
Satoshi raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering in his eyes.
My brother should be near his limit. He still has enough energy left to use another technique after unleashing Senbonzakura's Bankai?
Could it be Senkei?
So far, Satoru hadn't used the Slaughterscape.
But even if he did, not even the stronger Gōkei had affected Satoshi. So something weaker wouldn't work either, right?
As he watched the pink petals in the sky gradually shift to white, then dissolve into radiant light that fused into Satoru's body, the corners of Satoshi's lips curved upward.
He was genuinely impressed.
To think Satoru had already mastered this move right after achieving Senbonzakura's Bankai.
So that's it. So that's what he was hiding.
Satoru, is this your trump card? I don't know how far you've developed this technique, but let me test it for you.
In a show of respect, Satoshi didn't sheath Ryūjin Jakka.
Even wielding Ryūjin Jakka, he couldn't afford to underestimate this move…
...
"Is the battle over? Satoru looks pretty beat up. Looks like Satoshi won."
"Yeah, the cherry blossom sphere was completely incinerated by Ryūjin Jakka just now…"
"Seems like Satoshi's the stronger one after all!"
"Wait, look! What are those white lights around Satoru's body?"
What the hell?
Some sorcerers who had recently been watching special effects films had strange thoughts but quickly shifted their focus back to the screen.
This battle between Satoru and Satoshi had long since surpassed the limits of ordinary sorcerers. No one wanted it to end just yet.
Give us more. Let it keep going!
Right now, Satoshi's heart was filled with anticipation.
Come on, let me see the true power of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's Final Scene. Is your Final Scene stronger, or is my Ennetsu Jigoku superior?
Satoshi had saved this technique especially for Satoru. He wanted to know—between his strongest move and his brother's ultimate technique—which would prevail.
...
Countless white lights gathered behind Satoru. Within seconds, the cherry blossoms scattered across the sky vanished completely.
Then, in full view of everyone, a blinding white light erupted from Satoru's body, extending in all directions.
The intense radiance lit up the entire forest, blanketing everything in a layer of silver light. In that moment, Satoru seemed to grow wings. He no longer simply stood in the sky—he flew.
Behind his head, a semi-circular halo slowly formed, adding an aura of divinity to his presence.
Success!
Satoru's heart surged with joy. Truth be told, he hadn't been confident in pulling this off. If he hadn't been cornered, he wouldn't have dared to use it.
Concentrating Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's full power behind him had been a gamble.
But he had won that gamble.
And the result… was the ability to activate Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's strongest technique.
Endscape: White Imperial Sword
The pair of white wings behind Satoru radiated intense cold, standing in stark contrast to the inferno of Ryūjin Jakka.
Would the flowing blade burn away the frost… or would the White Emperor extinguish the flames?
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how Satoshi would answer.
"Satoshi, does Senbonzakura's Endscape deserve your strongest move?"
As Satoru's voice fell, Satoshi calmly raised Ryūjin Jakka and replied, "Satoru, come on. Let's finish this."
(To be continued.)
***
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