One of his eyes granted boundless absorption, allowing him to absorb any matter or energy. The other reversed time, but only for him, returning body and spirit to their starting point with a negligible expenditure of energy.
These two gifts, seemingly primitive at first glance, merged into a monstrous symbiosis. They gave birth to a creature that Isshiki Ōtsutsuki could not defeat. And so what if he had unraveled this mystery? Knowledge offered no key to victory. Every attack, every cunning plan—all were dashed against the impenetrable wall of Uchiha Yue's abilities. Even an attempt to seal him within a material object failed. This vicious cycle remained unbroken, and the monster before him only grew stronger with each passing moment.
"Where in this world could... something like this come from?!" the thought raced through Isshiki's mind as he clung to his teeth, hovering in the air.
He felt his strength fading. Ninety seconds. Just a minute and a half into the fight, and Jigen's vessel had lost a fifth of its chakra, not counting the rapidly dwindling life force. There was still enough power to kill Yue again and again, but Isshiki could already clearly feel his body fading, and an icy impotence brewing in his soul.
"You wanted to kill me, didn't you?" a mocking voice came from below. "Take my eyes? Come on, I'm waiting!"
Uchiha Yue raised his head, and a mad, triumphant laugh rang in his voice. Countless deaths and crushing blows had left no trace on him—not on his body, not on his soul. On the contrary, he longed for more, wishing Isshiki would stay here longer.
Oh, this colossal energy! Ninety seconds—too little, too little! A little more, and the scales would tip. Isshiki's strength would drain, and then the situation would reverse. The one who had just been killing him like a chicken would be crushed like an ant.
"Uchiha Yue..." Isshiki hissed. "I will remember you. And I will kill you. Absolutely."
He took a step back in midair, then gathered his remaining strength and lunged forward, delivering a crushing kick. Ninety seconds ago, such an attack would have torn Yue's body in half. Now, it merely crushed his insides, without even breaking his spine.
As soon as he touched the ground, Uchiha Yue instantly healed. He raised his head, and was enveloped in seething dark red chakra. He was about to rush into battle, but...
High in the sky, Isshiki took another step back. A pitch-black portal opened behind him. Realizing he couldn't defeat this monster, and that further combat would cause irreversible damage to his vessel, he decided to flee without hesitation.
"Thinking of running away?"
Uchiha Yue tilted his head. At that moment, a furious stream of chakra erupted from his body, weaving into the contours of a complete Susanoo. He swiftly formed hand seals, and the space around him distorted, rippling like the surface of disturbed water.
Spatial Interference Technique!
Chains erupted from beneath Susanoo's feet with a clanking sound. Like enraged dragons, they darted toward the portal and in the blink of an eye enveloped the retreating Isshiki.
Chains of the Evil Deity! A terrifying weapon that dug into flesh and spirit, greedily sucking out chakra and life force. If they weren't severed immediately, they would take root in the victim's body, draining them to death.
—UCHIHA YUE!!!
A roar, full of rage and—for the first time—genuine terror, erupted from Isshiki's throat. Half of his body had already disappeared into the portal, but it suddenly began to tremble, becoming unstable, threatening to collapse. At the same time, one of the chains bit into his arm, madly absorbing power and growing deeper.
The decision was instantaneous, driven by animal instinct. Without hesitation, Isshiki severed his own arm and unleashed the full power of Karma. The unleashed force stabilized the shimmering portal.
For a moment, a mad thought flashed—to return and strike. But it faded immediately. Attack him? Any energy technique would be nothing more than food for this monster. It's like trying to chase away a hungry wolf by throwing chunks of meat at it.
Run! Run away from here! Now!
At the last moment, before the Evil Deity's Chains swallowed him whole, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki vanished into the portal.
"Escaped," Yue clicked his tongue. "And I was hoping we could play for a little while longer. What a shame."
A quiet, satisfied chuckle escaped his lips. He approached the place where the portal had closed and, sensing the residual spatial vibrations, began to analyze the data. There was no emotion—only cold calculation. He closed his eyes and began mentally refining the Spatial Interference Technique.
The jutsu was still too crude. He had begun developing it only three days ago, when the evolution of his eyes allowed him to vaguely sense the very fabric of reality. In his mind, the perfected technique would wreak havoc on space-time with a minimal expenditure of chakra. Any attempt to use such ninjutsu here would require several times more strength than usual.
Exactly one hundred seconds had passed since his first death in this battle.
Somewhere in the shinobi world...