"Yo, yo, yo, my tail got blown off!"
Gyuki's voice came out from the rolling smoke.
It was not only Gyuki. With the Tailed Beast Bomb exploding at such close range, Son Goku, Kurama, and even Ron in the form of the golden Nine-Tailed Fox were all caught in the blast.
Almost half of the golden Nine-Tailed Fox's head had been blown away. Golden chakra fragments drifted through the air like a flower of light in the middle of withering.
But as Ron released chakra again, the shattered fox head quickly condensed once more, as if it had never been damaged.
As for the injuries on his real body, they healed almost the instant they appeared.
As for the tailed beasts' injuries, Ron was not worried. Tailed beasts were not ordinary flesh-and-blood creatures. In essence, they were massive chakra aggregates with their own consciousness.
In a certain sense, they were immortal. No matter how severe their injuries were, they could recover.
"Ron." Kurama turned his fox head toward him and confirmed, "Does that count as... solving one?"
"Not sure." Ron stood inside the golden Nine-Tailed Fox, his gaze passing through the rolling smoke toward the battlefield that was gradually quieting down. "I don't know whether those things died or went home."
Mainly, his understanding of Imu's ability was too limited. He did not know how to truly kill them.
But... it did not matter. Imu's most sinister Domi Reversi was useless against him anyway. Whether they lived or died was their problem. He himself could not die.
"Hm?" Kurama froze. What kind of statement was that? If they were killed, they went home? But... he did not pay much attention. Looking at Ron's expression, it seemed to be a very normal thing.
Soon, Kurama changed the subject. "From our world... has anyone else come here?"
Ron was silent for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Don't worry. There are no red-eyed ghosts, and no one piloting a wooden Gundam. Only you tailed beasts will come here."
After all, the red-eyed ghost had come up and controlled Kurama, turning him into a pet for battle. Then there was that guy who piloted a wooden Gundam, saying every other sentence that such a dangerous creature had to be sealed.
Those two representatives had both made Kurama suffer quite a lot.
However... what Ron said was only true for the moment. The red-eyed ghost would most likely appear in the future, but the wooden Gundam pilot was not certain.
Of course, even if he did appear, Kurama did not need to worry, because that red-eyed ghost would be "Ron" himself.
Kurama froze slightly. Then his broad fox mouth slowly split into a playful curve. "You seem... to know quite a lot about my past, Ron."
"Because we're partners. Partners should know themselves and each other, right?" Ron answered with a light smile.
"Tsk." Kurama clicked his tongue and said nothing else. In any case, as long as the red-eyed ghost and that bastard who played wooden Gundam were not here, he had nothing to worry about.
At the same time, in Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Inside the grand hall, above the pentagram formation.
Crackle.
Dark-red lightning jumped along the edge of the formation again. A black shadow condensed from the light and gradually took human shape.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter.
One of the Five Elders, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the sandworm who had just been struck by four Tailed Beast Bombs at the same time, staggered into the center of the formation as if he had been dragged out of a storm.
Pfft.
He first lost his balance and dropped to one knee, then violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
On a sofa not far away in the hall, Saint Saturn and Saint Mars sat quietly in relaxed postures.
Seeing their old companion transmitted back, not a trace of surprise appeared on their faces, as if they had long since decided this was only a matter of time.
Saint Ju Peter raised his head and looked at them in disbelief, his voice pressing down anger that had not yet dissipated. "Hey, you two... why are you sitting there so calmly? Didn't Imu-sama order us to eliminate Ron there?!"
"Saint Ju Peter," Saint Saturn said unhurriedly, like a hand pressing down the surface of disturbed water, "do not be agitated. The plan has changed."
"What?" Saint Ju Peter's face darkened, his tone becoming more urgent. "If the plan changed, why were we not notified directly?"
"This was Imu-sama's decision. He did this because he feared Ron would notice. At a time like this, the more trump cards we expose, the more difficult the future situation will become," Saint Saturn said as he slowly straightened, his gaze steady.
Saint Ju Peter had wanted to say more, but the words "Imu-sama's decision" were like a wall, blocking every argument.
Even if it seemed inappropriate, Imu-sama was still right.
Saint Ju Peter fell silent for a while. He took a deep breath, walked to the sofa opposite them, sat down, and slowly spoke. "In the later battle, Ron used a new ability."
Saint Saturn and Saint Mars did not show obvious changes in expression, as if they had already heard even bigger news.
Saint Ju Peter continued, "Ron possesses a teleportation ability similar to Imu-sama's, and it does not require a formation. More troublesome still, he can directly teleport people from his own world here."
When those words fell, it was as if the air in the hall had been sucked away for an instant.
The calm faces of Saint Saturn and Saint Mars finally cracked, and their expressions changed sharply.
"What did you say?"
"This intelligence is too important. It must be conveyed to Imu-sama immediately."
Saint Ju Peter did not answer. He only turned his gaze to Saint Mars, his voice sinking. "Saint Mars, do you remember that energy ball that sent you home?"
Saint Mars' eyes darkened slightly. He did not know what Saint Ju Peter wanted to say, so he remained silent and watched him.
"The three beings who came here can each use that move. And... in their world, it seems to be merely an extremely ordinary attack method," Saint Ju Peter said gravely.
The faces of Saint Saturn and Saint Mars darkened at the same time. They had always thought that was Ron's ultimate move. But now it seemed that in Ron's homeland, that thing was just a basic attack any random creature could use.
Pangaea Castle, the Flower Room.
Sunlight still fell across the green grass, and butterflies continued to flit among the flowers.
Imu stood frozen in place for a very long time without moving.
He had just received the latest intelligence about Ron from the Five Elders: teleportation, world summoning, and that energy sphere that was merely an ordinary move in his homeland.
These pieces of information were like fragments of a puzzle, assembling in his mind into an image he could not yet fully see.
"Was Mu wrong... to completely tear off the mask?" Imu's voice was very low, as if confirming something with himself.
Then... he remained silent for a long time.
Then he seemed to think of something. His gaze lifted slightly. "Joy Boy, you have returned too, haven't you?"
"Facing this outsider, will you continue fighting within this world against Mu... or will you join Mu against the enemy?"
...