BOOM!
A violent shockwave erupted from the point where their attacks collided, tearing through the training grounds and obliterating everything within a wide radius.
The earth fractured.
Chunks of stone were hurled in every direction.
A dense cloud of dust billowed upward, swallowing the battlefield beneath a veil of debris.
Charlotte, now completely under the influence of the Void Mind, continued her assault without the slightest hesitation.
Every movement she made targeted the most lethal points on her father's body, as though every instinct within her had been forged for the sole purpose of eliminating the opponent before her.
The girl understood the vulnerabilities of the human body with an instinctive familiarity that bordered on the unnatural.
There was no hesitation.
No mercy.
Only cold calculations operating with flawless precision.
Every defensive movement James made seemed to have been anticipated long before it occurred.
The trajectory of his arms.
The rotation of his shoulders.
Even the subtle shifts in his footing.
All of it had already been incorporated into Charlotte's terrifying calculations.
Sshh!
The air around James split apart repeatedly.
Charlotte moved so quickly that faint afterimages lingered behind her.
Her taijutsu had improved severalfold, forcing every ounce of physical potential from her body.
In this mechanical state, pain no longer held any meaning.
She did not fear injury.
The countless impacts she endured failed to disrupt her concentration.
Even the songs of birds echoing from the surrounding trees could not distract her.
Every one of her senses was focused upon a single objective.
Her instincts told her only one thing.
She had to kill James Wieser.
Sshh!
Another punch came.
Incredibly fast.
Her clenched fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning, driving directly toward her father's jaw without leaving the slightest room for evasion.
THUD!
Yet once again, James intercepted the attack just before her knuckles reached his face.
The collision sent a violent tremor through his arm, leaving behind a distinct numbness.
The raw strength contained within his daughter's fist was astonishing.
Powerful enough to make his bones ache from the impact alone.
Even so, not a trace of concern appeared on James's face.
His gaze remained calm.
His breathing remained steady.
As though the pain was insignificant compared to the situation rapidly spiraling beyond his control.
Amid the relentless exchange, James finally acknowledged a reality he could no longer ignore.
Their training grounds had become ruins.
Cracks spread across the earth.
Broken stone littered the battlefield from the continuous clashes of chakra.
Thus far, Charlotte had not used a single ninjutsu since entering the Void Mind state.
But that only applied for now.
There was no guarantee she would continue relying solely upon taijutsu.
If the Void Mind determined that ninjutsu offered the most efficient means of defeating an opponent, the destruction that followed would be far worse.
I need to move her into the Kamui Dimension.
This place won't withstand our battle much longer.
If things continued like this, the entire training ground would be destroyed.
A disturbance of this magnitude would inevitably attract the attention of Irene and the children inside the house.
Especially Irene.
As a mother, witnessing her daughter lose control in such a manner would be a devastating blow.
That could not happen.
And if they were to witness Charlotte's true condition...
It would become a nightmare no one would ever wish to see.
A nightmare impossible to forget.
Unfortunately, carrying out that plan was far from simple.
James had very few opportunities to transport Charlotte into the Kamui Dimension.
And the most realistic option required incapacitating her first.
His heart rejected the very thought.
He could not bring himself to harm his own child.
That was why James continued defending himself, despite the fact that every passing second made his situation more dangerous.
Time and time again, Charlotte targeted his chest.
Directly over his heart.
Sshh!
An instant later, her attack shifted toward the back of his head, one of the most vulnerable points on the human body.
The pattern changed constantly.
Without rhythm.
Without predictability.
Combined with the girl's Sharingan continuously reading his movements, the opportunities for a counterattack grew increasingly scarce.
If compared to something from a modern world, Charlotte's current state resembled the most advanced combat machine imaginable.
A machine designed for a single purpose.
To eliminate its target as quickly and efficiently as possible.
James narrowed his eyes.
In the next fraction of a second, a straight kick shot toward him like an arrow released from a bow.
The air screamed as it cut through the space between them.
Its target was his throat.
Danger.
For the first time since the battle began, James no longer had a choice.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
Kamui.
Instantly, space around James's body distorted.
Charlotte's deadly kick passed straight through him.
As though her father had become nothing more than a phantom.
A shadow that no longer existed within the same world as her.
Yet Charlotte did not stop.
The leg that had just passed through her father's neck spun around once more with terrifying speed, cutting through the air as it swept toward another fatal point on James's body.
One attack flowed seamlessly into the next, granting no opportunity to breathe.
Fists, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes came in an almost uninterrupted sequence. Every movement was executed with ruthless efficiency, as though each swing of her limbs had been calculated to maximize the probability of elimination.
And yet, it was all futile.
Every strike simply passed through James without touching him.
The man appeared like a phantom standing within the real world—clearly visible to the eye, yet utterly impossible to grasp.
"Without physical contact, the damage to the training grounds won't worsen. But this accomplishes nothing if I continue defending forever."
His gaze never left his daughter.
His mind moved far faster than his body.
The situation would become far more dangerous if Charlotte suddenly decided to use large-scale ninjutsu.
At that point, the destruction would no longer be limited to the training grounds.
A significant portion of their residence could be destroyed.
But that was not what worried James most.
Charlotte was adapting.
Little by little, her speed and physical strength continued increasing in an effort to match him. Her body was forcing itself beyond limits that should have been impossible to surpass in such a short period of time.
If this battle continued...
It was entirely possible that her muscles, bones, and even her internal tissues would suffer permanent damage from the strain of such excessive adaptation.
"I have to incapacitate her with a single decisive blow."
James exhaled slowly amidst the endless barrage raining down upon him.
At last, he made the decision he had been avoiding from the very beginning.
There were no alternatives left.
The man stopped worrying about the bruises Charlotte might receive.
Stopped worrying about the marks that would inevitably appear after taking his punch.
Within his System Storage remained numerous healing pills capable of erasing bruises within a short time.
As long as those medicines existed, any injury she suffered could be treated.
James steeled his resolve.
But at that very moment—
Something completely unexpected occurred.
Puft!
Puft!
Puft!
"Kage Bunshin?"
Dozens of white puffs of smoke appeared almost simultaneously.
Roughly twenty Shadow Clones of Charlotte materialized around James from every direction, forming a tight circle that sealed off every avenue of escape.
Each clone possessed the same cold gaze.
The same expressionless face.
The same complete absence of hesitation.
Within the radius occupied by those clones, the air itself seemed to grow heavier.
A grim aura saturated with killing intent engulfed the entire arena, pressing down upon everything within it until even breathing felt difficult.
I'm too late.
My daughter has increased her threat assessment of me.
Physical attacks were no longer considered sufficient to bring him down.
As a result, the Void Mind had begun incorporating ninjutsu into its calculations.
If things had already reached this stage...
There was no point insisting on moving her into the Kamui Dimension.
James's eyes narrowed sharply.
The reluctance and hesitation that had restrained him until now gradually faded, replaced by unwavering determination.
He had to incapacitate Charlotte immediately.
His Mangekyō Sharingan rotated once more.
The intricate pattern within his pupils slowly contracted until it returned to the familiar form of three tomoe.
He was no longer considering continued defense.
The longer this battle lasted, the greater the chance Irene and the children would come outside after hearing the commotion.
Not to mention Charlotte's body was still forcing itself to adapt in order to keep up with his strength.
If that process continued, she could overload herself and suffer injuries far more severe than simple bruising.
I can't allow that to happen.
BLARRR!
A sonic explosion shattered the air where James had been standing only a moment before.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original position and appeared directly in front of one of Charlotte's clones.
THUD!
"...Forgive me, sweetheart."
As his hand was forced to strike his beloved daughter, James instinctively turned his face away.
His heart could not bear to watch the blow land.
Even if the figure before him was nothing more than a Shadow Clone.
His chakra-enhanced fist drove directly into the clone's abdomen.
Instantly, the clone lost its form.
Puft!
It burst into a cloud of white smoke, which the wind immediately scattered without leaving the slightest trace behind.
The entire sequence happened with overwhelming speed.
Everything was over in far less time than a single blink.
***
"Something is wrong," I muttered when I saw all of my daughter's clones suddenly leap backward in perfect unison, creating distance between us with movements that were completely synchronized.
The sight immediately set off every alarm in my mind.
Is her original body sending mental commands to all of them simultaneously?
Before I could find an answer, every Charlotte surrounding me slowly raised both hands at nearly the exact same moment.
Their fingers began to move.
They were forming hand seals.
Disaster.
A heavy weight settled in my chest.
I knew better than anyone how vast Charlotte's chakra reserves were.
Even compared to most gifted shinobi, my daughter's chakra capacity stood far above the norm.
More importantly, I was the one who had personally taught her numerous high-level ninjutsu over the years.
I knew exactly what existed within her arsenal.
If all of those clones unleashed large-scale area-of-effect ninjutsu simultaneously...
This place would become a disaster zone.
The training grounds would vanish without a trace.
The surrounding woodland would be consumed by raging flames, devastating winds, surging water, and collapsing earth.
No.
The destruction could easily spread to the main residence itself.
An explosion of that magnitude would awaken everyone in the house and trigger a panic that could no longer be contained.
Everything would become far worse than even the worst scenario I had imagined.
I could not allow that to happen.
Without wasting a single second, my hands immediately flew through a series of seals at full speed, attempting to move before they could.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Puft!
Puft!
Puft!
Clouds of white smoke erupted around me.
In an instant, dozens of my own duplicates appeared across the battlefield, nearly matching the number of Charlotte's clones.
"Stop every single one of them," I ordered sharply.
At once, my clones launched themselves forward.
Their speed was nearly impossible for ordinary eyes to follow.
Bodies crossed paths throughout the arena, creating a blur of motion that filled the battlefield.
While my clones intercepted Charlotte's, I continued surveying the entire field.
My eyes swept across countless identical faces.
Searching for one person.
Charlotte's real body.
Since creating her clones, my daughter had cleverly switched positions.
Now it was impossible to distinguish the original from the copies based on appearance alone.
I needed to find the smallest inconsistency.
A single movement.
A slight change in breathing.
Or even the faintest difference in chakra flow.
THUD!
One of my clones broke through his opponent's defense.
His fist struck just as a Charlotte clone was about to complete its hand seals.
Puft!
The clone instantly exploded into white smoke before it could release its ninjutsu.
I tilted my head slightly.
From the sequence of seals I had glimpsed...
I could already guess its intention.
It had planned to turn this training ground into a sea of fire.
Not merely the battlefield itself.
The trees.
The dense undergrowth.
Even the forest serving as a natural barrier around our residence.
Everything would have been consumed.
Judging from the hand seals and the amount of chakra it had gathered before being interrupted, identifying the technique was easy.
Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku.
A high-level fire technique capable of engulfing an enormous area.
Puft!
One by one, Charlotte's clones were forcibly dispersed.
Each time one of my clones landed a strike, another cloud of white smoke filled the battlefield.
Even though I was only destroying Shadow Clones...
My heart still ached.
Every punch felt as though it struck my own chest.
This truly was a father's nightmare.
Little by little, I began to understand the pattern the Void Mind was constructing.
Several ninjutsu were interrupted mere moments before completion.
They had not been preparing only fire techniques.
Other clones had already begun forming seals for Lightning Release, Earth Release, Water Release, and Wind Release as well.
From the hand seals I had managed to observe, their objective became increasingly obvious.
Large-scale Fire Release techniques would be used to restrict my movement.
Once my escape routes were sealed, the more focused Lightning, Earth, Water, and Wind techniques would be launched in succession.
All aimed at a single target.
Me.
It was an incredibly intelligent strategy.
Efficient.
Calculated.
And nearly flawless.
Within a very short time, only a handful of Charlotte's clones remained, locked in fierce taijutsu exchanges against my own.
From the very beginning, I had ordered my clones to rely solely on taijutsu.
I deliberately forbade them from using ninjutsu to prevent further destruction to the training grounds and surrounding area.
Because of that, they continued pressing their opponents relentlessly.
Punch after punch rained down.
Kick after kick forced Charlotte's clones onto the defensive.
They were given no opportunity whatsoever.
Not even enough time to complete a single hand seal.
Puft!
Puft!
Puft!
One after another, Charlotte's clones vanished into clouds of white smoke.
Having completed their tasks and defeated their respective opponents, my own clones gradually began dispersing as well.
With every passing breath, their numbers dwindled.
Soon, the arena was once again filled only with drifting dust and lingering wisps of white smoke floating through the air.
On the far side of the arena, my gaze finally caught a glaring difference among the many Charlottes battling my clones.
That was the real one.
Although her face and appearance were completely identical to the others, her movements were far smoother, far more precise, and carried an efficiency that Shadow Clones simply could not replicate.
Every step was devoid of wasted motion.
Every attack flowed naturally, as though her body already knew its next movement before her mind had even issued the command.
And that was not all.
Her physical strength existed on an entirely different level.
Slowly but surely, the momentum of the battle began to shift.
The clone that had previously managed to keep pace with her was now being forced backward.
Its room to maneuver shrank.
Its rhythm was being dismantled piece by piece.
Until finally—
CHIRRRRRR!
The sound of thousands of crackling sparks filled the air.
Lightning-attributed chakra, compressed to an extreme degree, gathered in Charlotte's right hand, radiating a blinding blue glow.
Then, in an instant, the lightning thrust shot forward.
It moved so quickly that it was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Sret!
The technique pierced straight through my clone's body, giving it no opportunity whatsoever to defend itself.
Puft!
The clone immediately dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.
Yet just before it disappeared completely...
My clone managed to utter a single word.
"Sweetheart."
To my complete surprise, my daughter's real body suddenly trembled.
The reaction lasted only a few seconds.
Yet it was so obvious that there was no way I could have missed it.
Her movements faltered.
Her gaze wavered.
As though something had reached the deepest part of her consciousness.
Damn it...
Why would that clone say something like that at a time like this?
Yet...
That thought suddenly reminded me of an old conversation.
Erna's words.
She had once explained the terrifying nature of the madness afflicting those who lost control to the Void Mind.
The reason that condition was so difficult to stop was not simply because another personality took over the body.
The Void Mind was not a stranger.
It was another manifestation of the owner's own personality.
Even while dominating consciousness, it remained completely connected to the original personality's memories, thoughts, and mental state.
Which meant...
Everything Charlotte saw while in the Void Mind state...
Everything her body touched...
Everything her ears heard...
Would remain preserved perfectly within her memories.
When Charlotte eventually regained control, all of those experiences would flow back into her mind without a single fragment missing.
As though she herself had truly done all of it.
It would not merely become a memory.
It would become psychological torment.
The image of every action she committed while out of control would haunt her day and night.
An unbearable sense of guilt would slowly consume her sanity.
Little by little.
Without mercy.
Until it eventually dragged the owner of the Void Mind into absolute madness.
"..."
The longer this battle continued...
The deeper the wounds left behind in my daughter's heart would become.
I could not allow that to happen.
Without wasting another second, I immediately channeled a massive amount of chakra into my legs.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
Blar!
In less time than a single blink, I appeared directly before my daughter.
I immediately reached out toward her.
A fraction of a second before the distance between us vanished entirely, my Mangekyō Sharingan spun once more.
My hands clamped firmly around both of Charlotte's wrists, sealing away her freedom of movement.
Now we stood face-to-face.
Close enough to feel each other's breath.
Our eyes met.
Mangekyō Sharingan: Genjutsu!
I unleashed every ounce of ability at my disposal.
A powerful wave of illusion crashed directly into her consciousness, attempting to penetrate the Void Mind's mental defenses before it could react.
Sssh!
For a moment...
I succeeded.
But only for a moment.
THUD!
A kick filled with terrifying force suddenly slammed into my chest.
The attack was so fast I barely managed to perceive it.
A direct hit.
Straight over my heart.
"Ugh!"
My body was launched backward.
I rolled across the ground several times before finally forcing my feet into the earth and halting my momentum.
Dust exploded around me.
My chest tightened painfully.
My heartbeat became irregular from the impact.
It felt as though the organ itself had nearly ruptured.
Had I not reinforced my chest with chakra moments earlier, the bones protecting my heart would likely have cracked—or even collapsed inward entirely.
I drew a deep breath while enduring the pain spreading throughout my body.
"That strength..."
My eyes narrowed as I stared at my daughter.
"It's far greater than before."
Not merely greater.
The explosive force behind that kick had increased dramatically in an astonishingly short amount of time.
The growth no longer felt natural.
How was she able to do that?