The God of Ōtsutsuki was not dead.
In the devastating explosion earlier, Prince Suigen had perished completely—
But the God of Ōtsutsuki had only been severely injured.
Floating in the void, his body was cracked and scarred, yet his aura remained terrifying.
"Hahaha…"
He laughed hoarsely, shaking his head.
"My foolish little brother…"
"He actually thought that sacrificing himself could bury me with him."
"How naïve."
For a brief moment earlier, he had truly believed that Suigen had succeeded.
And in that instant, he had felt something strange—
Relief.
Sadness.
Regret.
It was ridiculous.
He had not experienced emotions like that for tens of thousands of years.
And yet, for his brother, they had surfaced.
But now—
Only contempt remained.
"How pitiful…"
"After so many years, he still believed in such childish ideals."
"All those Chakra Fruits were wasted on him!"
The God of Ōtsutsuki straightened his body and burst into laughter.
"I'm still alive!"
"I am still alive!"
"Hahaha!"
"As expected, the Ōtsutsuki clan is invincible in this universe!"
Below, Takero clenched his teeth.
Their master was gone.
But the enemy remained.
And he was still overwhelming.
Despair flooded his heart.
He had witnessed that power firsthand.
It was not something on the same dimensional level as them.
With a casual wave, the God of Ōtsutsuki could erase everything—
The Chuigen Clan.
This planet.
Even Earth.
All would vanish instantly.
How could they fight this?
Was their destiny to die here today?
At that moment, the God of Ōtsutsuki spoke calmly.
"If you are willing to surrender…"
"I can transform you into members of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
Perhaps it was because of his brother's death.
Perhaps it was because the clan had suffered heavy losses.
He wanted to preserve bloodlines.
This was his choice.
Ōtsutsuki Retsu immediately understood.
This was the god's last mercy.
In this battle, their clan had been devastated.
Now, only a handful remained.
Chuigen Takero snorted coldly.
He raised his sword.
"You're dreaming!"
Natsuki shouted angrily.
"That's right!"
"Who do you think we are?!"
Sky Burial covered his chest, looked at the sky, and laughed bitterly.
"Master is dead…"
"I no longer care about right and wrong."
With that, he raised his sword and roared:
"Heaven and Earth Burn Together!!!"
Boom!!!
Dark matter around him erupted violently.
It surged like boiling lava.
Natsuki screamed.
"Senior Brother!!!"
She knew.
Once Sky Burial used this technique—
He would die.
Without exception.
Sky Burial smiled gently.
"Good junior sister…"
"Senior Brother will go first."
The God of Ōtsutsuki sneered.
"A mayfly trying to shake a tree."
"Ridiculous."
Sky Burial roared.
"I'll decide for myself!"
"Give me back my master's life!!!"
Flames shot into the heavens.
Takero saw this and rushed forward.
"Junior Brother! I'll help you!"
Yanshan struggled to stand.
With Natsuki's support, he staggered forward.
"I'd rather die fighting…"
Than be crushed like trash.
Tianlang, Tianxing, and Tianjian followed.
They were ready to burn everything.
Facing this desperate final charge—
The God of Ōtsutsuki raised his hand.
Boom!!!
An invisible force blasted them away.
Like insects hitting a mountain.
They were completely powerless.
Takero spat blood and was thrown back.
Sky Burial was already gone.
His body had been burned to ashes.
Others lay unconscious.
Takero looked around, his heart shattered.
"Is my Chuigen Clan really going to…"
Pfft!
Another mouthful of blood sprayed out.
The God of Ōtsutsuki shook his head.
"Enough."
"Let me end this."
He raised his massive hand.
It descended slowly.
Like the judgment of heaven.
Takero closed his eyes.
Despair filled his heart.
At that moment—
A calm voice echoed through the entire star field.
"Whoever wakes first from the great dream…"
"Will understand life."
Boom!!!
The entire universe trembled.
Takero's eyes flew open.
"This voice…"
"Naruto!!!"
Dark matter from the entire star field—
No, from the entire universe—
Surged violently.
A massive vortex formed.
Countless streams of energy rushed toward its center.
At the core—
Someone was sitting cross-legged.
Naruto.
The God of Ōtsutsuki narrowed his eyes.
"What terrifying energy…"
For the first time in his life—
He felt danger.
He didn't understand.
How could a being mobilize such power?
No.
He couldn't wait.
He had to strike first.
"Die!"
His giant hand pressed down.
Suddenly—
A colossal water curtain appeared.
It covered the Chuigen Planet completely.
Like an ocean barrier.
Takero and the survivors were protected inside.
The God's hand was blocked.
It could not enter.
"What?!"
His eyes widened.
"This is impossible!"
He punched forward.
Boom!!!
The water curtain shattered.
He sneered.
But in the next second—
It reformed.
Stronger than before.
"How is this possible?!"
The God of Ōtsutsuki was stunned.
"I refuse to believe it!!!"
Rage erupted.
He gathered chakra wildly.
A massive sphere formed in his hands.
Its light distorted space.
He turned and shouted.
"Retreat!"
"Everyone, retreat!"
Retsu and the others withdrew instantly.
The God of Ōtsutsuki raised the sphere high.
"I'll blow up this entire star field!"
The final confrontation had begun.