His eyes were bloodshot; he looked completely incredulous.
"Ah!"
With Onoki's roar, the light of Dust Release shone even brighter.
"Impressive! Too bad you've run into me!"
His eyes narrowed slightly; only those who had faced him head-on could truly understand. The power of Dust Release was indeed formidable, but unfortunately for you, your opponent was him.
Thinking this, Qingshan Liuyun stomped his foot on the ground, veins bulging on his arm.
"Give it to me! Shatter!"
"Boom!"
Under the incredulous gaze of all the Iwagakure ninja, their illusions of invincibility—the pride they had built from their dust-based abilities—were utterly destroyed.
It was shattered. What shattered them was Qingshan Liuyun's fist. His flowing clouds dissipated Armament Haki effortlessly.
Looking at the stunned expression on Onoki's face in mid-air, Aoyama Ryuun smiled.
Ordinary Armament Haki is indeed no match for a bloodline limit like Dust Release. But the power of Ryuo belonged to the highest tier of Armament Haki, a level only accessible to exceptional individuals.
Whether the Golden Lion Shiki could wield Ryuuka was unknown to Aoyama Ryuun. But he himself, Green Mountain Flowing Clouds, would meet that mark. The god-level template system of Qingshan Liuyun granted him abilities of top-tier template characters: top-tier three-color Haki, top-tier Float-Float Fruit, top-tier Grandmaster Swordsmanship.
Once Aoyama Ryuun achieved a 100% match with the Golden Lion Shiki template, he could unleash the full power of all these abilities. Ryuo Armament Haki was naturally included.
"If you're going to comment on my punch, Onoki, what's your opinion?"
"…,"
Onoki did not answer. Suspended in mid-air, he stared blankly at Qingshan Liuyun, still reeling from the fact that his Dust Release technique had been shattered.
Aoyama Ryuun wasn't in a hurry; he stood calmly with his hands behind his back, waiting for Onoki's response.
Finally, after a long silence, Onoki realized what had happened and gave a bitter smile. Slowly, he floated to a position level with Green Mountain Flowing Clouds.
"I… have lost."
Admitting defeat was a blow to his pride, but a loss is a loss. Having been defeated so decisively, Onoki could not argue or justify it.
"Not to mention…"
"You've won, Aoyama Ryuun. I acknowledge your title of Golden Lion. Even Uchiha Madara back then wasn't as strong as you are now."
He said this with a sigh. Previously, Onoki had thought Aoyama Ryuun was only one step behind legendary figures like Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. But now it seemed there was no difference—if anything, he had already surpassed them.
Onoki's words caused a stir among the ninjas of both Konoha and Iwagakure.
"Really?!"
"Has Lord Ryuun's strength already surpassed Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage?"
"Onoki lived through the era of the First Hokage, so it must be true!"
"That's amazing!"
As someone who had witnessed the eras of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, Onoki's words carried great credibility. In an instant, the ninjas' gazes towards Aoyama Ryuun shifted to one of reverence.
Yet Aoyama Ryuun himself remained casual. Madara Uchiha? Hashirama Senju? He had never paid them much attention. Before they grew up, he wouldn't see them. Once they had grown, there was no need to care.
"Alright, alright! That's enough of the nonsense."
Aoyama Ryuun waved his hand, uninterested, continuing to engage lightly with Onoki. It was better to sit and watch than waste energy fretting.
Despite Aoyama Ryuun's disdain, Onoki was not angry. After all, Iwagakure was the defeated party; they had no right to complain.
"Well!"
He finally sighed and turned to face the Iwagakure ninja. To be honest, his feelings were complicated, but there was nothing he could do; the difference in strength was simply overwhelming.
"Iwagakure! They've surrendered!"
At the moment Onoki's Dust Release was shattered, the Iwagakure ninja had already anticipated this outcome. Yet when Onoki announced it, morale remained somewhat low.
Onoki stayed silent as he led all Iwagakure ninja away from the border battlefield, effectively withdrawing from the Third Shinobi World War.
Unlike Iwagakure's somber departure, the remaining Konoha ninja cheered.
"We've won!"
"Great! We've won!"
"Long live Konoha!"
"Stop shouting 'Long live Konoha!' It's Lord Golden Lion who is invincible!"
"Yes! Lord Golden Lion is invincible!"
It was almost surreal, considering that the Konoha ninja had barely lifted a finger in this war. Most of the work had been done by Qingshan Liuyun himself. Still, after the victory, they couldn't help but cheer.
All eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Green Mountain Flowing Clouds. Qingshan Liuyun merely smiled at their gazes, saying nothing.
"We've only defeated Iwagakure. The Third Shinobi World War is far from over!"
As Aoyama Ryuun finished speaking, the cheers gradually subsided. Indeed, the Third Shinobi World War involved four ninja villages simultaneously declaring war on Konoha. They had defeated only one village—Iwagakure. Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure remained. The war was far from over.
Despite this, the surrounding ninjas were not discouraged; they looked at Aoyama Ryuun with unwavering confidence.
"With Lord Qingshan Liuyun here, we will definitely not lose!"
"Yes, with Lord Golden Lion, this Ninja World War will surely end soon!"
"Lord Golden Lion is invincible!"
This confidence in Qingshan Liuyun bordered on blind faith.
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