Akaza froze; his life truly hung on Muzan's whim.
"Even if you break through to the highest realm, what then? With just one thought from Muzan, your supposed immortality ends. With such immortality, do you think we would envy it and join? Ridiculous," Uchiha Nagi scoffed.
Akaza was speechless, unable to retort, because what he said was absolutely true. What good was breaking through to a higher realm if he could never escape the fate of being controlled by Muzan?
Muzan could control them, but he couldn't know their thoughts. Otherwise, he would probably have directly eliminated Akaza by now.
Seeing that he couldn't convince the two and that bickering wasn't his strong suit, Akaza immediately launched an attack.
"Since neither of you is willing to join, then die here! Die a glorious death in battle while you're still in your prime, before you grow old and unable to fight."
"This time, I won't look into your eyes again. I will fight you with my eyes closed; your techniques are useless against me," Akaza said, closing his eyes. Akaza roared, extending his palm forward, performing the signature move of Destructive Kill.
Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style!
With the release of Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style, hundreds of punches were thrown in an instant, each with incredibly powerful impact, no less than the Final Style he used earlier.
This move, like the Final Style, was just directed straight ahead, whereas the Final Style was an all-around attack.
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!" Kyojuro Rengoku roared, unleashing the final form of Flame Breathing.
Uchiha Nagi, meanwhile, once again activated Susanoo, but this time it was shattered before he could fully manifest it. Immediately, Uchiha Nagi used the Tenth Form of Water Breathing.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
After blocking Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style, the battle intensified. The three fought fiercely: an immortal demon with no weaknesses, a Uchiha from the Ninja World, and the eldest brother among the Nine Pillars of the Demon Slayer World.
It must be said that Uchiha Nagi's initial choice to use a Shadow Clone to save the passengers, allowing the Flame Pillar to maintain his full stamina, was the correct one.
Akaza's stamina was endless; he never tired, and his regeneration ability was comparable to Buu's, able to regrow a severed arm in a second. Facing such an enemy without a tank in front, Uchiha Nagi simply couldn't win.
Anything, when trained to its peak, becomes astonishingly powerful, crushing all opposition. For example, Flying Thunder God, Raikage's taijutsu. Sasuke, on the other hand, was a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, and almost got thrashed by Raikage, who specialized in taijutsu.
Currently, Akaza was at the peak of taijutsu, more like a combination of Raikage and Might Guy. His speed, strength, long-range, and close-range combat were impeccable. Even against Uchiha Nagi's genjutsu, he chose to fight with his eyes closed.
"Should I use Izanagi? It might not work."
The situation was different; Uchiha Nagi wasn't sure if Izanagi could affect someone with such an incredibly strong martial arts will. The opponent could even break free from death. Moreover, Uchiha Nagi was reluctant to sacrifice an eye; even if white zetsu cells could restore a blinded eye, it would take several years.
Wait, he's fighting with his eyes closed. How can he see us?
Uchiha Nagi's Mangekyo in his right eye spun rapidly, and then he discovered that Akaza was in a peculiar state, similar to an internal vision?
"Transparent World! That's Transparent World, Mr. Uchiha, don't get distracted!" The Flame Pillar shouted, blocking an attack for Uchiha Nagi.
Uchiha Nagi's eyes lit up. He copied it—a skill that allowed one to see through the world without needing eyes, similar to the 'Heavenly Eye' in xianxia. He must have awakened this skill when his head was severed earlier.
Just then, Akaza was once again cleaved in half from top to bottom by the Flame Pillar's Flame Breathing, down to his chest, almost splitting him completely in two. "Destructive Kill: Chaotic Style!" Akaza sneered, continuously punching the same spot, which the Flame Pillar blocked with his sword.
However, this move was very special; its immense power and speed created a suspension. Although the frontal impact was blocked, the residual force directly hit the Flame Pillar, injuring him.
The next second, Uchiha Nagi wielded Water Breathing, repelling Akaza. However, the retreating Akaza only took one second to regenerate his body, which had been cut in two.
"Are you alright, Mr. Rengoku?" Uchiha Nagi asked.
"I'm fine, just minor injuries," Kyojuro Rengoku gasped.
But one of his eyes was already injured, bleeding profusely. A human body could never compare to a demon's. Accumulating injuries would only make him weaker and weaker as the fight continued.
"Do you see? This is the human body: it gets injured, it gets tired, it gets weaker the more it fights. Today, you will die here, in your prime—" Akaza finished this sentence and charged forward.
Once he decided to kill the opponent, he wouldn't hold back; strike while the iron is hot.
"This is bad. Without the Flame Pillar to hold him back, although my eyes can keep up, my body's speed and strength are still too far behind. I definitely can't win," Uchiha Nagi thought to himself.
He quickly ran through the techniques he knew: Water Dragon Jutsu? Useless. Fire Release? Useless. Great Waterfall Technique? Useless. Even Kisame would be helpless in this situation. How do you fight a Might Guy who's using the Eight Gates and never gets tired?
"Susanoo, Sword of Totsuka—" After much deliberation, Uchiha Nagi still used Susanoo, which combined offense and defense, and this time he used the Sword of Totsuka.
Akaza flashed back, sensing a dangerous aura from the Sword of Totsuka wielded by this energy giant.
Uchiha Nagi thought to himself, this was his third Susanoo. His eyes were already throbbing faintly, and with the continuous copying of the opponent's skills, his pupil power had been greatly depleted and was almost at its limit.
"Hahahahaha, yes, this is it! This is how a fight should be! A thrilling battle of life and death is truly interesting!" Akaza laughed maniacally at the sky.
"Destructive Kill: Leg Style, Flying Wandering Star Thousand Wheels!"
Akaza, leaping in the air, delivered continuous kicks, their trajectories like streaking meteors. The multiple kicks created turbulent air around his body. Like Destructive Kill: Leg Style, Crown First Cut, this move would cause injury even if blocked.
"Second Form: Water Wheel!"
Uchiha Nagi rotated Susanoo's body vertically in a full circle to strike. This move was suitable for enemies proficient in large-area techniques or large, monstrous demons. With Susanoo's massive body, Akaza had no way to avoid it.
"Destructive Kill: Final Style, Blue Silver Chaotic Remnant Light—" Akaza once again unleashed his strongest move. This time, its power was even greater, nearly a thousand powerful heavy blows struck Susanoo.
After several loud cracking sounds, Susanoo was covered in cracks, and Akaza was severely wounded by Uchiha Nagi's strike.
Uchiha Nagi was helpless. His Susanoo had only just been activated and wasn't the complete form like Madara's. However, even Madara's complete Susanoo wasn't invincible; at least Raikage and Tsunade had managed to break it.