Chapter 403: Hard to Handle Him
The enemy was frantically devouring energy, fusing into an even more terrifying being.
Sensing the growing threat, Uchiha Dali immediately took action.
He raised his hand and unleashed a barrage of energy blasts toward the target. He did this to test how powerful the opponent had become—whether his attacks could still do any damage.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Dozens of energy blasts struck the creature in succession, erupting into violent explosions.
However, as expected, those attacks didn't pose any real threat.
When the explosions subsided, the mountain-sized monster wasn't injured in the slightest. Instead, its body had grown even larger than before.
Originally, it had been about fifty meters tall. Now it suddenly shot up to seventy or eighty meters—and it was still growing.
Seeing this, Uchiha Dali's eyes instantly narrowed.
He realized something and stopped his assault.
The enemy, meanwhile, began to sneer. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop attacking? Go on, keep shooting! I want to see what else you've got!"
"Heh, you think I'm stupid?"
Uchiha Dali let out a cold laugh.
That short exchange had already told him what he needed to know—not only were his attacks ineffective, but he'd also discovered something else.
This massive creature could absorb his attacks.
It was similar to the sealing absorption ability of the Rinnegan, but far stronger.
In fact, it could almost rival his own devouring and refining technique.
All of his energy-based attacks would only become nourishment for the enemy's growth.
And that was the true reason Uchiha Dali had stopped attacking.
"Coward. Run out of tricks, have you?"
"Fine by me. Once I finish absorbing these guys, I'll deal with you slowly!"
"Don't worry—it won't take long!"
The monster laughed wildly, taunting him with every word.
Uchiha Dali said nothing. He simply watched in silence.
He could now see that the remaining eight heads—the Ōtsutsuki enforcers—were being rapidly assimilated.
The massive creature's upper heads began to melt together, their facial features twisting and merging until it was impossible to tell who was who.
Clearly, their individual consciousnesses were being erased.
Their energy was being completely drained and absorbed into their captain's fusion.
The creature's aura was still skyrocketing—its power had increased by at least fiftyfold since a moment ago.
And yet the rise hadn't stopped; it seemed endless.
"This is getting troublesome."
"Didn't expect the Ōtsutsuki Clan to have such a terrifying technique…"
After careful observation, Uchiha Dali still couldn't find a weak point.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
He quickly formed hand seals, and in an instant, over a hundred duplicate clones appeared around him.
Each one possessed the same level of power as himself.
As soon as they manifested, they too felt the crushing pressure radiating from the colossal creature, their expressions instantly turning grave.
"Whoa, what's with this guy? He's insanely strong!"
"He's absorbing some kind of power source?"
"Looks like this one's gonna be a tough fight!"
"Yeah, this thing's energy is the strongest we've ever encountered!"
"..."
The more than one hundred clones quickly grasped the situation.
Yet instead of backing down, they clenched their fists in excitement, eager to fight.
Without wasting a word, Uchiha Dali commanded, "Use your strongest techniques—take him down!"
"Got it!"
"Guess we can't beat him one-on-one after all!"
"Let's go!"
"..."
At his command, all one hundred-plus clones attacked the massive monster simultaneously.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Explosions and shockwaves erupted one after another.
In the boundless void, the terrifying power tore through space itself, spreading destruction in every direction.
The overwhelming force warped the surrounding space, even ripping it apart in places.
The enemy, now sensing real danger, finally took the clones seriously.
A single Uchiha Dali wasn't worth his attention.
But over a hundred equally powerful opponents attacking together—that was another story.
Even his defense and endurance had their limits.
Take enough accumulated damage, and not even he could withstand it.
"Well, well, I underestimated you, brat! Didn't think you had so many tricks up your sleeve!"
"In that case, let me show you what it means to be an elite of the Ōtsutsuki!"
The gigantic creature roared and counterattacked.
Suddenly, an unimaginably vast surge of power burst from its body—so immense that it turned into a visible blue tidal wave, sweeping outward in all directions.
The first to be hit were Uchiha Dali's clones.
They were engulfed almost instantly by the terrifying wave.
Yet instead of fear, Uchiha Dali and his clones grew excited.
"Hahahaha! He's attacking us with pure energy!"
"Perfect! Thanks for the gift!"
"Wait—hold on! That's not energy!"
"What the—?! It's not an energy attack?!"
"..."
In an instant, their joy turned to alarm.
The moment they were swallowed by the blue tide, they realized—it wasn't energy at all.
It only looked like energy. In truth, it was nothing but a massive air-pressure shockwave!
Caught off guard, the hundred-plus clones were struck head-on, sent flying in all directions, battered and disoriented, hurled thousands of kilometers away.
Uchiha Dali's true body reacted instantly, using Super Flying Thunder God to teleport clear of the so-called "energy blast."
Though unharmed, he could feel the crushing pressure closing in on him.
In that one counterattack, every one of his clones had been annihilated.
"So strong…"
"At this rate, I might really have to retreat for now…"
Uncertainty flickered in Uchiha Dali's eyes as he considered his next move.
Fortunately, the enemy was still preoccupied with devouring and merging the other Ōtsutsuki enforcers, not pursuing him further.
That bought him a brief moment to think.
After a while, he came up with another plan.
"Guess I'll give this one a try. If it doesn't work… I'll have to make a tactical withdrawal."
With that, Uchiha Dali decisively activated Flying Thunder God again, teleporting back to the starfield where the battle had begun.