**Chapter:98
Title:The Shadow's Gambit
The battlefield was a chaotic symphony of motion and power, the air thick with tension as the clash between Headless and the group reached its peak. Rajesh stood at the center, his body trembling as he forcefully pushed against his physical limits. Flames erupted around him, his Shen flaring like a beacon of defiance. Jayesh, ever the strategist, called out to him, his voice calm but urgent.
"Don't worry, Rajesh! I'll go after Sakamoto and Headless myself!" Jayesh declared, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to launch himself into the fray.
Above them, Sakamoto hung mid-air by headless grip, Headless's grip tight against his throat. His transformation had dissolved, leaving him vulnerable and struggling to breathe. His mind raced, searching for a way out. Then, an idea struck him—a desperate gamble. If he could swap places with his shadow by doing this with others? What about doing it to himself by replacing him
With his own shadow, then he could escape Headless's grasp. And if he could do the same with Rajesh , he might just turn the tide.
As these thoughts crystallized in his mind, Jayesh and Dinesh moved into position. Jayesh's weightless technique activated, allowing him to step on the air itself, using it as footing to propel himself upward. Dinesh followed closely by getting atop of Jayesh back, his movements precise and calculated. Together, they closed in on Headless, their combined energy a force to be reckoned with.
But Sakamoto was already one step ahead. Just as Jayesh and Dinesh prepared to strike, Sakamoto dissolved into smoke, the grip Headless had on him vanishing in an instant. Headless's eyes widened in confusion, but before he could react, Sakamoto materialized a shadow beside Rajesh—a shadow only he could see. In a flash, they swapped places, Sakamoto now free from Headless's grasp and standing safely beside Rajesh.
Headless, disoriented and momentarily off-balance, had no time to process what had happened. Jayesh and Dinesh were already upon him. Jayesh's hand glowed with energy as Dinesh placed his own hand on top, amplifying his strength with his One Thousand Weight effect. The combination of Jayesh's lightness and Dinesh's crushing weight created a devastating force, which Jayesh unleashed in a single, earth-shattering punch.
**BOOOOOOM!!!**
The impact sent Headless flying downward, his body crashing into the ground with such force that the entire battlefield shook. Dust and debris erupted into the air, the shockwave rippling through the floating island and beyond. Jayesh and Dinesh landed gracefully, their eyes locked on the crater where Headless had fallen.
Sakamoto stood beside Rajesh, his breathing heavy but his expression determined. Rajesh glanced at him, a flicker of pride in his eyes. "You're grasping the shadow clone technique faster than I expected," he said, his voice tinged with admiration. "It's almost perfect."
Sakamoto nodded, his mind already racing with new possibilities. "There's something I want to try," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "I think I can use whatever I send to my shadow plain as my own."
Rajesh raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate. "Give it a shot."
As Headless struggled to rise from the crater, Sakamoto closed his eyes, accessing his shadow realm. His consciousness delved into the darkness, searching for the connection he needed. When his eyes snapped open, Headless was already staggering, a look of shock on his face.
Unseen by anyone else, Sakamoto's shadow had materialized behind Headless, wielding the very sword Sakamoto had swapped into the shadow dimension earlier. The blade struck true, piercing Headless's chest from behind. Blood dripped from the wound, but the blade itself remained invisible, a phantom weapon from another realm.
Headless coughed, his hand instinctively reaching for the injury. "What… what kind of power is this?" he muttered, his voice strained but laced with a grudging respect. "Dangerous… very dangerous."
Jayesh and Dinesh exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and awe. Sakamoto, however, simply smirked. "I knew it," he muttered under his breath.
But the battle was far from over.
Headless dropped to his knees, his body trembling not from pain, but from the sudden surge of energy coursing through him. The time lapse for the Shen-blocking technique had ended, and Headless could feel his full power returning. Despite the wound in his chest, his Shen erupted outward in a wave of pure domination, the force of it scattering dust and stones into the air.
Behind the floating island, deep below, a dark, mummified statue began to crack. The sound was faint at first, but it grew louder with each passing second—**crack… crack… CRACK.** Rajesh's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what was happening.
"No!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "He's releasing too much Shen! If he keeps this up, he'll—"
His words were cut off as the ground beneath them began to tremble violently. The mummified statue shattered completely, its fragments dissolving into the air as Headless's Shen reached its peak with rage. The battlefield was engulfed in a storm of energy, the sheer force of it threatening to tear everything apart.
The chapter ends with the group bracing themselves against the overwhelming power of Headless, the outcome of the battle hanging in the balance as the floating island itself begins to crumble under the strain.
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End Chapter.