Smith suddenly appeared in front of Bai Shi, a kunai gleaming in his grip. Without hesitation, he drove it straight toward Bai Shi's heart.
> "Puff!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
But it wasn't a fatal blow—Bai Shi had managed to catch the kunai with his bare hand, stopping it inches from his heart. His palm bled profusely from the stab, flesh split open by the sheer force.
> "A fifth-level psychic… was actually able to sense my Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Bai Shi winced but maintained composure. "What a bizarre speed… You almost had me," he growled, his voice laced with pain and irritation.
> "Then let me finish the job now!"
Smith didn't flinch. The attack may have failed, but his expression remained calm. His eyes transformed—the Mangekyō Sharingan ignited with a red glow, spinning with intense pupil power.
> "Tsukuyomi!"
But just before their eyes could meet, Bai Shi decisively shut his eyes, severing the connection.
The Mangekyō illusion was rendered useless.
It was clear that Jinghai Academy had gathered intelligence on Smith's Sharingan through previous encounters. Between two powerful foes, knowledge of each other's abilities could shift the tide even before the battle began.
And Bai Shi was no fool—he knew Tsukuyomi required eye contact to activate.
In the same motion, he struck out with his free hand. A blue flame surged from his palm, instantly forming a massive fire tornado that threatened to engulf Smith.
> "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Smith made a one-handed seal and unleashed a torrent of water from his mouth. The sudden flood clashed with the flames, forcing Bai Shi to leap backward.
> "I must admit, you're far more talented than I expected," Bai Shi said coldly. "Wood element abilities, Spirit Eye evolution… Truly impressive."
> "If only you had joined Jinghai College, things might've been different."
> "Hmph. I'd rather die than join your twisted institution," Smith replied icily, eyes burning with defiance.
Bai Shi's face darkened. "In that case, I have no choice. A pity, really… A young genius must perish."
He clapped his hands together, releasing a deafening roar.
> "Fire Magic: Raging Inferno!"
> Whoooosh!
Green flames erupted from Bai Shi's body, expanding rapidly until they formed a monstrous fire tornado that towered into the sky. The oppressive heat blasted in all directions, instantly raising the temperature across all of Dark City.
Even seasoned warriors began to sweat under the suffocating heat.
This flame wasn't ordinary—it had transcended common elemental fire. Even Smith was reminded of the purple flames of the Burning Fire Clan.
> "What terrifying fire magic…"
Even Li Tuo's face fell.
Being a wind-type user, he was at a natural disadvantage. Normally, wind could suppress fire, but when the power gap was too vast, wind only served to amplify the flames.
> "Wind strengthens fire… I can't help here." Li Tuo clenched his fists in frustration.
As the inferno roared toward them like a sky-splitting blade, despair began to creep into the faces of everyone nearby.
But Smith stood tall.
His Mangekyō Sharingan shifted once more—this time, the pattern in his eyes evolved into a six-pointed star. His left eye, tightly shut until now, slowly opened.
Two streaks of blood-tears trickled down his cheek.
> "Amaterasu."
A black flame burst forth, appearing on the surface of Bai Shi's massive fire tornado. The Amaterasu fire quickly began devouring the green flames with a hiss.
But the tornado was massive. The black flames weren't spreading fast enough. At its current pace, the tornado would engulf them all before being consumed.
> "You think that cursed flame can beat mine?" Bai Shi scoffed. "Let's see whose fire devours the other first!"
He grinned, completely confident.
He had come to Dark City alone for a reason—he'd scouted out Li Tuo's wind element, and was sure of his elemental advantage. Even with Smith present, Bai Shi believed that his own flame outclassed Amaterasu.
And at first, he seemed to be right.
But Smith said nothing.
Instead, his right eye's pupil trembled violently.
> "Flame Style: Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto!"
> Whoooosh!
The once-small patch of Amaterasu suddenly exploded outward, rapidly spreading across the entire fire tornado like wildfire given gasoline.
The tide had turned.
Within seconds, a huge chunk of the green flame was eaten away by black fire. The spread was exponential—unstoppable.
> "What?! How is this happening?!"
Panic cracked Bai Shi's expression for the first time.
He desperately increased his spiritual output, hoping to overwhelm Smith before it was too late. But Smith responded in kind, unleashing every ounce of pupil power he had left.
> "Amaterasu—engulf him!" Smith roared inwardly.
When the tornado was less than two meters from his allies, the entire vortex collapsed. The black fire swallowed the green entirely.
> "Now… Die!"
Smith clenched his fist toward the sky. The massive black fire column imploded inward.
The Amaterasu flames converged, crashing down on Bai Shi like the wrath of a vengeful god.
> "No! This can't be happening! I refuse to lose!!"
Bai Shi screamed in agony. His body twisted and contorted within the flames. The green fire that once obeyed him now screamed alongside him, being devoured mercilessly by Amaterasu.
His figure shrank rapidly, charred into ash.
Then silence.
No more screams.
Only the crackling of black fire remained.
The stunned silence around Smith was deafening.
> "What… was that?" Red Queen whispered, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
Even Li Tuo, an elite warrior, was speechless.
> "That… that flame burned a fifth-level mutant alive," he said at last, his voice trembling slightly.
Amaterasu had once again proven its might.
Smith staggered slightly, breathing heavily.
> "He was overconfident," he muttered.
Bai Shi had believed his flames were stronger than Amaterasu, so he hadn't dodged. That arrogance had cost him his life.
Even the legendary purple fire of the Burning Fire Clan couldn't compete with Amaterasu—so how could Bai Shi's green flame have a chance?
It was already too late by the time he realized the truth.
> "Boom!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain, unlike anything Smith had ever felt, exploded through his right eye.
> "Ugh…!"
He dropped to one knee, clutching his eye as if someone had driven a hot blade into it.
> "This pain… it's in my soul!"
His entire body trembled.
Never before had his Mangekyō Sharingan caused such agony.
> [Ding! Warning: The host's right Mangekyō Sharingan has been used five times. Further use will result in irreversible blindness.]
Smith froze.
> "Five times already?"
His mind quickly flipped through the memories.
Once against Huo Liu, leader of the Burning Fire Clan's vanguard
Once against Zixie, during the confrontation with Wang Yan
Once when battling the Burning Fire Clan's chief, Youli
Once during the Tai'an City Beast Tide, while fighting Lei Xun Niu Wang
And now—Kagutsuchi against Bai Shi
That made five.
Five uses of Amaterasu.
> "Wait, System! You're counting Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi as the same eye ability?!" Smith shouted mentally.
> "That's not fair!"
There was no response.
The silence said it all.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, for all its power, came with a terrible price.
And Smith had just reached the edge of that price.
He wiped the blood-tears from his cheek and stood slowly, fighting the pain.
> "One more use… and I'll go blind in this eye…"
Smith knew what it meant.
From now on, he would have to be more careful than ever.
Because the next time he used Amaterasu...
It might be the last thing he ever saw.
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