Two completely different, yet equally terrifying, forces surged wildly at opposite ends of the devastated canyon.
On one side was the concept of the spear, refined to its absolute zenith, compressing all known forms of energy into a single, infinitesimally small point of pure destruction. At the tip of the Third Raikage's right index finger, the blue-purple electrical light had become so dense that it had transitioned into a pure, blinding white, so brilliant it was impossible to look at directly. His entire being seemed to fade into the background, with only that single fingertip remaining as the center of the entire world.
On the other side was pure, unadulterated violence. It was a force overbearing to the extreme, an unreasonably savage power that defied explanation. Above Garp's right fist, there were no flashy special effects or glowing energies. But the very air around it was twisting and distorting, and the solid rock beneath his feet was silently, effortlessly being crushed into fine dust. An invisible, intangible, yet mountain-heavy pressure enveloped his entire being.
Outside the rapidly failing barrier, Dodai and the remaining Hidden Cloud ninja felt their hearts climbing into their throats.
"What… what level of battle is this?" one whispered in awe and terror.
"You have to be kidding me! Are they even humans anymore!"
"The barrier… the barrier is shaking apart!"
The Four Violet Flames Formation, a technique said to be able to withstand nearly any assault, was now emitting a high-pitched, strained hum, groaning under the sheer pressure of the two combatants' auras.
In the next second, the two titans moved simultaneously.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite!"
"Iron Fist of Love!"
*BOOM!*
A bolt of pure white lightning tore through the earth. A fist the color of burnished bronze crushed the very air before it. There was no evasion. There was no retreat. The strongest spear and the strongest fist clashed head-on in the most primitive, most brutal way imaginable.
At that moment, the entire world lost its color and all its sound. There was only an utter, profound silence.
And then…
—**BOOM!**
An indescribable shockwave of pure white energy exploded spherically from the point of impact.
*CRACK—!!!*
The supposedly indestructible Four Violet Flames Formation, its deep purple energy barrier, shattered like a pane of smashed glass the instant the shockwave touched it. A spiderweb of cracks spread across its surface in a nanosecond, and then, it collapsed with a deafening roar.
"Pfft!"
"Waaahhh!"
Every single Hidden Cloud Ninja outside the barrier, including the formidable Dodai, was sent flying by the violent, expanding shockwave. Like dead leaves caught in a hurricane, they were violently thrown into the air before being slammed heavily onto the ground, each one spitting blood before falling into unconsciousness.
The entire Cloud Gorge wailed. The colossal mountain walls on both sides of the canyon were literally shaved down by a layer, the rock face scoured clean. The clouds in the sky above had a huge, perfectly circular hole punched through them by the raw, upward-blasting power.
Smoke and dust billowed, obscuring the sky and sun. The entire gorge was transformed into a churning vortex of chaos, making it impossible to see the situation within.
Who knows how much time passed. Perhaps it was only a minute. Perhaps it was an entire century.
The choking dust slowly began to dissipate.
What came into view was a gigantic crater, over a hundred meters in diameter, carved into the floor of the canyon.
At the very center of that crater, a tall figure knelt on one knee. It was the Third Raikage. His Lightning Release Armor, the shield fabled as the strongest, had completely vanished. His body was a canvas of gruesome wounds, bleeding profusely from a dozen different places. And his proud right hand, the hand that formed the strongest spear, was twisted at a sickening, unnatural angle, hanging limply at his side.
Across from him, Garp was still standing. He was not faring well, either. The iconic "Justice" coat that had been draped over his shoulders had long since been blasted into shredded tatters. His bare upper body was covered in shocking bloodstains, and on his chest was a scorched, perfect fingerprint, from which wisps of smoke still curled. His own extended right fist was a bloody mess at the knuckles.
"Hoo… hoo…" Garp panted heavily, his massive chest rising and falling violently. He looked down at his own injured fist, then across the crater at the Third Raikage, who was kneeling on the ground. A grin split his face, revealing teeth stained red with his own blood.
"BWAHAHAHA…" His laughter was hoarse and ragged, yet it was still undeniably wild.
"You…" Garp looked up at the Raikage, who had completely lost his ability to fight, his eyes filled with the kind of profound recognition only found when a true warrior faces a worthy opponent. "You've got some skills!"
The victor had been decided. He had won this battle. Albeit, it was a narrow, hard-fought victory.
The Third Raikage remained kneeling in the deep crater, panting violently as blood dripped from his twisted right arm. He looked up at the man who, though equally disheveled, still stood ramrod straight like a pillar of iron. He had lost. And he accepted it, wholeheartedly.
"Haha…" the Raikage's hoarse words had just left his mouth when a new voice intervened.
*"Dungeon Cleared"*
*"Mission Objective: Defeat the Third Raikage. Completed."*
A cold, mechanical prompt sounded directly in Garp's mind.
"Huh?" Garp was startled, looking down at his hands. His body was becoming translucent, transparent, at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Hey! What in the hell is going on?!" Garp roared in dissatisfaction. "I haven't had enough fun yet!"
He looked at the Raikage opposite him, a wild, battle-hungry laugh escaping his lips. "You, with the dark skin! Remember this! The next time we meet, let's have another good fight!"
The Third Raikage watched the gradually disappearing figure, his eyes complex and unreadable. He did not reply, only watched in silence as Garp's figure completely dissolved into motes of light, dissipating into the gorge they had so utterly destroyed.
*"Exiting Dungeon…"*
…
Meanwhile, back in the East Blue, in Foosha Village.
"You idiot! You believe everything he says?!"
"Mmmph… Ow! Ace, let go of me!"
Jack rested his chin on his hand, boredly watching the two little brothers wrestling on the ground. Just then, a series of blue virtual subtitles, visible only to him, began to furiously scroll across his vision.
*"Dungeon: The Strongest Spear Cleared!"*
*"Clearer: Monkey D. Garp"*
*"Clear Rating: S+ (Crushed the Strongest Shield and Strongest Spear head-on with pure, unadulterated violence, perfectly achieving the challenge objective)"*
*"Calculating Clearance Rewards…"*
*"Rewards Calculated!"*
The corners of Jack's lips curled slightly upward. Here it comes.
*"Congratulations! You have received Reward One: Lightning Release Chakra Mode (S-rank)!"*
The moment the words appeared, a violent and scorching torrent of energy materialized out of thin air within Jack's body, surging wildly through his limbs and bones.
*Crackle!*
Tiny blue arcs of electricity began to dance on the surface of his skin, and a faint, sharp scent of ozone permeated the air around him. Jack slowly raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. He could feel every single cell in his body singing, cheering with this newfound power. His speed, his strength, his reaction time… all had undergone an explosive, all-encompassing improvement.
"Finally some power to protect myself" he nodded in satisfaction.
Immediately after, the second prompt appeared. This time, the subtitles were a dazzling, radiant gold.
*"Congratulations! You have received Reward Two: Eight-Tails Perfect Jinchuriki (SSS-rank)!"*
*BOOM!*
Jack's mental world shook violently. He "saw" an endless, dark space. A monstrous beast, its body comparable to a mountain, with the tentacles of an octopus and the horns of a bull, was bound by countless thick, ethereal chains. It was the Eight-Tails, Gyuki.
It sensed a new presence and suddenly opened its crimson, giant eyes.
*"Yo! Kid! Are you my new host?!"* a rough thought, with a unique and bizarre rhythm, exploded directly in Jack's mind.
Jack simply raised an eyebrow. Oh, really? Quite the spirited one.
"Quiet down, big octopus," Jack transmitted his own thoughts back, his mental voice calm and unyielding. "Stick with me from now on, and you'll have plenty of good things to eat and drink. But if you're too noisy…" he paused. "I'll turn you into takoyaki."
Gyuki's boisterous roaring abruptly stopped. It was stunned into silence. In the next second, an even more furious roar echoed through his mental world.
*"What did you say?! You dare threaten to turn Lord Gyuki into takoyaki?! You bastard! You idiot!"*
Jack simply blocked the creature's thoughts, and the world instantly became quiet again. It's just taming a new pet, after all. What's the rush?
The last prompt quietly appeared before him.
*"Congratulations! You have received Reward Three: Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite (S-rank)!"*
A massive stream of information instantly flooded Jack's mind. It was everything: all the knowledge and techniques on how to condense chakra, how to train finger strength to inhuman levels, and how to focus the entire body's strength into a single, piercing point. He subconsciously extended his right hand and brought three fingers together. An invisible, terrifying sharpness condensed at his fingertips. The strongest spear.
Jack slowly lowered his hand, feeling the three distinct and incredibly powerful new forces residing within him. A playful, satisfied smile spread across his face.
Being the middleman really is the best job in the world.