Though the soul flames in Ryoma's eyes now burned more fiercely, Kaito—wielding the Rinnegan—could see that he was already a spent force.
"Burning your soul to unleash greater power? That's even more extreme than the Eight Gates. But I wonder how strong it really is?"
Of course, Ryoma had no idea what Kaito meant by the "Eight Gates." All he wanted was to push his strength to the absolute limit.
And the path of the swordsman was often driven by the heart.
Having twice faced death, Ryoma's swordsmanship seemed to break through to yet another realm.
He placed his black blade, Shusui, at his waist, lowered his stance slightly, and took a sword-drawing pose.
Kaito knew the next strike Ryoma was preparing wouldn't be simple, so he instantly activated his ROOM, swapping himself and Ryoma out of the current space.
Because Kaito's technique wasn't hostile in nature, Ryoma didn't resist. He simply followed Kaito outside.
He paid no attention to the shifting environment. All of his concentration and power were now focused on the Shusui in his hands.
Ryoma abruptly looked up at Kaito, his voice low and solemn.
"Dragon-Slaying Style!"
The roar of a dragon burst forth. A massive dragon formed of blue energy let out a furious cry and surged toward Kaito. Wherever it passed, space itself seemed to tear with countless blade marks, leaving behind deep fractures.
If Dracule Mihawk were here, he'd know at a glance that this strike went beyond the realm of flying slash attacks. It was infused with the spirit of a true swordsman—a power of the heart and soul.
Kaito finally got serious. His Susanoo blade immediately manifested a destructive armor; black markings crawled along its surface, radiating a devastating aura.
The Rinnegan in his eyes glowed with intense violet light. As he stared at the charging blue dragon, he raised his Susanoo blade high and brought it crashing down.
A slash shaped like a shark fin collided with the energy dragon. The impact erupted into a whirlwind of slicing gales, tearing open massive trenches in the earth.
A wave of destruction swept across the area. Countless zombies were torn apart in the aftermath, their black shadows sinking into the ground and returning to their original masters.
As the storm raged, Kaito and Ryoma stood opposite one another, their swords still drawn, faces calm.
This standoff didn't last long. Ryoma knew he was out of time. He raised his sword again and unleashed a second strike.
This time, three even larger blue dragons lunged from both sky and ground toward Kaito.
"Almighty Push!"
Buzz!
A terrifying repulsion burst from Kaito's body, halting all three dragons mid-air. Though they let out thunderous roars, they couldn't move an inch closer.
Kaito looked up at the writhing, furious dragons caught outside the sphere of his Almighty Push, a look of admiration crossing his face.
To be able to hold off his current Almighty Push to this degree… in terms of swordsmanship, Ryoma had clearly surpassed even Mihawk.
But this was his limit.
Kaito narrowed his eyes, and the Almighty Push expanded violently, flinging the three blue dragons away. They cried out in anguish before dissolving into countless motes of blue light, scattered across the air.
Seeing that his two attacks had achieved nothing, Ryoma didn't panic—instead, he grew even more exhilarated.
He looked across at Kaito, eyes gleaming with praise.
"Your strength is truly unfathomable. In this world today, you might very well deserve the title of strongest!"
Kaito gave a quiet smile, but didn't respond. Judging by raw power alone, he likely did deserve that title. Still, he chose to stay humble, because he'd already noticed that Ryoma's soul was teetering on the verge of collapse.
The next move would be his final—and strongest—strike.
Just as Kaito anticipated, Ryoma's soul could no longer bear the intense drain of their battle. That he had lasted this long was a testament to the sheer willpower that defined a swordsman.
Now, he was ready to unleash his ultimate technique.
His expression turned solemn. This final blow would be his swan song.
The blue flame in Ryoma's eye sockets began to shrink. Then, flames erupted all over his body, burning brighter than ever. The fire rose upward, forming the massive head of a blue dragon above him.
His body began to disintegrate in the blaze. But Ryoma paid no mind to his vanishing flesh—if he feared death, he would never have been called the "Sword God."
This would be the Sword God's final dance in this world.
Kaito stared across at Ryoma, a trace of respect rising in his heart for this warrior of a bygone age. The resolve to fight even at the cost of one's life—he could respect that.
Ryoma didn't keep him waiting. He poured all his strength into his black blade, Shusui, and roared:
"Dragon's Requiem!!!"
As his shout echoed through the air, Ryoma merged with the blue dragon, transforming into a terrifying behemoth that coiled through the sky and dove straight down toward Kaito.
At that moment, Kaito burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! This swordsmanship—I, Uchiha Kaito, acknowledge it! Of all the swordsmen I've faced, I name you the strongest!!!"
With that declaration, Kaito drove his Susanoo blade into the ground. The sword instantly disintegrated into rippling circles of deep purple energy that spread out beneath his feet.
And then—the full form of Susanoo appeared, shielding Kaito within its armored frame.
But it didn't stop there.
Kaito's body transformed into a blinding surge of violet lightning and surged into Susanoo, filling every limb and joint.
The armor of Susanoo gave off a metallic creak. Its arms and faceplate lifted, revealing limbs and a face formed of pure purple lightning.
A pair of lightning wings unfurled from Susanoo's back. In its hands, the Susanoo blade transformed into a thunderous lightning sword crackling with purple arcs.
This was the result of merging the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with Susanoo—Thunder Susanoo!
Its first appearance.
It possessed power far beyond even the complete-body Susanoo—enough to destroy the world itself.
Thunder Susanoo looked up at the incoming blue dragon, raised its blade high, gathering power with both hands.
With lightning crackling in the air, Kaito's voice rang out across the entire Thriller Bark:
"From all things in existence—ashes shall remain. This is the decree of Susanoo!"
At that moment, Thunder Susanoo's wings flared, propelling him into the sky.
The blue dragon roared once more, charging down with unstoppable momentum.
In the heavens, Thunder Susanoo raised his lightning sword high. Just like their first clash, he brought the blade down hard against the dragon.
BOOM!
A monstrous shockwave exploded in the skies. The ever-present black clouds above Thriller Bark were completely dispersed, and golden sunlight broke through at last.
As the sky finally cleared, a single shattered katana dropped from the heavens, plunging straight into the ground below.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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