Silence followed the countdown's end.
The atmosphere fell into a slight stagnation.
The special ops officer pressed his lips together. A cold confirmation came through his earpiece. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger-
A violent gust erupted.
The helicopter jerked upward several meters, thrown off course. The officer swiftly adjusted his aim, centering the crosshairs back onto the suspect's head.
A shuriken whistled through the air, slicing past the cabin door. The officer felt a chill at his ear as the black blade grazed him before embedding itself into the fuselage above.
A silver thread flashed, and the officer instinctively squeezed the trigger. At the same moment, Logan yanked downward!
Bang bang bang...
Muzzle flashes flared as deafening gunfire roared through the sky. But the helicopter lurched violently to the side, as if something had yanked it off balance. The bullets veered off course, slamming into the tower.
With clanging sounds, sparks burst from the steel framework. The sound of shattering glass also rang out, as stray bullets had punctured the reinforced windows of the second observation deck, leaving gaping holes.
"What the hell is pulling us..."
"Cease fire!"
The pilot fought to stabilize the controls. The rotor blades roared as the helicopter struggled against the force yanking it off balance. With a snap, the silver thread severed, and the aircraft regained control.
The officer, still tethered to the safety rope, reeled from the abrupt motion. The moment he steadied himself, he raised his rifle again.
However, he never got the chance to fire again.
"What is that…?" The officer's eyes widened in shock.
The surrounding temperature suddenly increased, and crimson glow illuminated the helicopter's exterior. Logan took a deep breath and spit out flames towards the flying helicopter.
The raging dragon of flames burst forth! The inferno spiraled outward, coiling and expanding, its monstrous jaws tearing through the night, devouring ice and darkness alike.
The dimly lit Tokyo Skytree was suddenly drenched in searing red light. The sheer heat melted the snow, sending plumes of white steam billowing into the air, only to be consumed by the encroaching flames.
Everyone in the helicopter watched in stunned disbelief.
Until the fire lunged toward them.
The screams suddenly shouted, "Dodge it, dodge!" The pilot tried his best to dodge the fire, and the dragon's fiery tail whipped across the fuselage, licking the open cabin door. Several officers cried out as flames ignited their uniforms.
The fire dragon didn't stop. It writhed violently in the air, devouring everything in its path. Logan's sharp gaze locked onto the flames licking the side of the chopper as the panicked officers scrambled to extinguish the spreading fire.
He had intentionally refrained from unleashing the full destructive power of his Great Dragon Fire Technique directly on the helicopter, not only to avoid a catastrophic crash that could lead to an unmanageable situation but also because his Fire Release served a greater purpose.
Sizzle...
The scorching dragon rampaged through the sky, its immense heat melting the snow atop the tower. Droplets of crystal-clear water slid down the steel framework, only to evaporate in the relentless blaze. Amidst the howling snowstorm, steam visibly rose, swirling higher into the atmosphere.
This was the foundation of that technique.
Logan wasn't merely unleashing fire, he was manipulating the weather itself. Just as Sasuke had once done, he was accelerating the natural formation of storm clouds. A sudden and dense concentration of vapor condensed into thunderclouds, while his Chakra Nature Transformation would act as the catalyst to summon the true force of lightning…
Unlike the original technique, which required the precision of the Sharingan to strike a target with pinpoint accuracy, Logan's objective wasn't to attack an enemy.
"Fire dragon..."
"H-How is he..."
The police officers inside the helicopter stared in horror at the towering inferno. The night sky was gradually being dyed red by the glow of the rising flames. What they were witnessing defied all logic. Their minds struggled to comprehend the surreal sight unfolding before them.
The injured officers groaned as their comrades hastily extinguished the flames on their bodies. The radio crackled with the frantic voice of their superior, demanding an explanation… only to receive an answer that sounded like sheer madness.
Strong winds quickly scattered the residual fire clinging to the aircraft. The rotor blades roared to life once more, but those inside the cabin were shaken beyond belief.
Bathed in the eerie glow of the inferno, the elite squad of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police found their resolve completely shattered.
White steam billowed through the snowy night, making it hard to distinguish reality from illusion. Above, the sky had darkened further, the storm clouds thickening at an alarming rate. Logan's eyes lifted toward the pitch-black heavens.
The seal on the back of his left hand gleamed with power.
The fire raged fiercer, consuming the last vestiges of restraint. Yet another massive dragon of flames roared into existence, its coiling body illuminating the night as it soared toward the heavens.
His Chakra drained rapidly, sweat soaking through his clothes, but Logan held his ground!
The inferno surged upward, merging with the churning storm clouds, as if igniting the sky itself.
Boom!
A deep, guttural thunderclap rolled through the heavens, accompanied by a lingering, fainter echo.
"Almost there."
Logan exhaled, dispelling the residual embers from his lips. Sweat poured down his face like rain. The bitter winds howled, snow and ice swirling in the high-altitude air. His legs wobbled, and he nearly lost his footing on the narrow tower spire, forcing him to crouch to stabilize himself.
He stole a quick glance at the distant helicopter, took a few ragged breaths, and gritted his teeth as he pushed himself back up.
Time was running out… Every second counted.
For all he knew, the aircrafts above might suddenly decide to drop a missile on him. He had no intention of gambling on their restraint, nor did he have the confidence to railgun a missile out of the sky if it came to that.
Though the odds of an airstrike on the Tokyo Skytree were slim, Logan wasn't about to take chances.
Forming the hand seals with his hands, he wants to use a Chidori to draw out the nature lightning.
Zzzzt… zzzt…
Just as the firelight dimmed, the lingering heat of his previous technique still shimmering in the air, piercing blue arcs of electricity erupted, casting their searing brilliance across the night sky.
Above, the thunderclouds churned, seething with barely-contained power.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ was in chaos. Furious voices spat expletives over the radio, issuing frantic orders. The helicopter that had cautiously pulled back a hundred meters was abruptly forced to reengage, reluctantly tilting its nose forward as it trembled back toward Logan's position.
The familiar crackle of Lightning Release surged through Logan's entire being, flowing through his limbs with an exhilarating intensity. But there was something else, something vast, something unfamiliar waiting beyond the clouds.
He could feel it.
"Let's get acquainted, then..."
Zzzt… Boom!
Suddenly, a blinding sliver of blue light sliced through the sky, splitting the darkness in an instant. The accompanying thunderclap followed half a breath later, striking with deafening finality.
And then…
The highest-flying helicopter was hit.
A plume of black smoke burst from its fuselage. The aircraft spun out of control, careening wildly as it tilted into a chaotic spiral. Its rotor blades stuttered, and the chopper lurched sideways, plummeting toward the city below.
"..."
The storm clouds overhead thickened further, their latent energy growing more palpable with each passing second. Logan steadied himself, composing his breath. His expression hardened.
He wasn't done yet.
His left hand shifted into a new seal formation—one prepared in advance, one designed specifically for what was coming next. His sharp gaze never wavered from the sky above.
"Come on, then. Let's finish this."
Even with all his preparation, tension coiled in his chest. Logan's heartbeat pounded in his ears. Seconds stretched into eternity as he waited for the lightning to respond.
But before it could…
A dark speck broke through the clouds. It was fast.
Faster than anything he'd seen tonight.
His eyes widened.
The black dot expanded, hurtling toward him with terrifying velocity. The gleaming metallic sheen of its streamlined frame came into focus, slicing through the night.
A fighter jet.
Booomm…!
With a shrieking roar, the aircraft ripped through the air, its sheer velocity hammering against Logan's eardrums.
Logan's heightened senses rang out a dire warning, like an alarm bell pounding against his very soul.
It was diving.
It had locked onto him.
And it wasn't just armed with missiles.
Suspended beneath its wings, along with its payload, was something even deadlier, which is a 20mm or larger aircraft cannon.
Resistance was meaningless, and at this speed, distance collapsed in an instant. There was no time to dodge. No time to think.
Blood surged. Adrenaline spiked.
His mind went completely blank…
No hesitation.
No excess thoughts.
Only pure, desperate instinct.
He unleashed everything.
Blinding light erupted.
A cataclysmic bolt of lightning, thick as a god's spear, roared down from the storm-wracked heavens…
"Lightning Release: Kirin!"
The atmosphere shattered, and a thunderclap of annihilation struck the tower with a force beyond human comprehension.