Chapter 410: Overconfident
All attacks vanished into nothingness, effortlessly blocked by Uchiha Dali.
Ōtsutsuki Hishiki wasn't surprised in the slightest—it was just as he had expected.
He gave a cold snort. "That was merely a test. You are indeed powerful."
"But that's all there is to it."
"Now, I'll show you my true strength!"
His expression turned stern, his face hard as stone—ready to charge in for a full battle at any moment.
In contrast, Uchiha Dali didn't look serious at all.
Instead, after hearing those words, he simply shook his head. "Tch…"
"What?"
Seeing that gesture, Ōtsutsuki Hishiki immediately frowned coldly.
"I was just thinking," Uchiha Dali said with a half-smile, "haven't you ever thought about rebelling?"
"The one I absorbed earlier was quite eager to do just that."
"And your power clearly surpasses his. Don't you want to?"
Those words seemed to strike a nerve. Uchiha Dali noticed a faint flicker deep within Hishiki's eyes.
But compared to Ōtsutsuki Shoushi, this one was far more composed—his mind much deeper, his self-control much stronger.
"Hmph! Trying to trick me into revealing treachery against my clan and our King?" he sneered. "Dream on! I'll never fall for that!"
"Oh, I see."
Uchiha Dali nodded with an amused grin. "You're afraid, aren't you…"
"Your so-called King is watching everything that's happening here right now, isn't he? So even if you did have rebellious thoughts, you wouldn't dare admit them."
"I'm curious—just how powerful is your King, that even someone like you trembles in fear?"
"Or maybe you're simply a coward? You bully the weak and fear the strong—your courage doesn't even measure up to that fool Ōtsutsuki Shoushi."
"Well, whatever the case, there's one thing you might be misunderstanding." His smile widened slightly. "I'm not someone you can toy with."
After saying that, Uchiha Dali crossed his arms, watching the other man with amused indifference—showing no intention of fighting.
"Not even bothering to take a defensive stance?"
Seeing that, Hishiki's face twisted in disbelief.
This man's arrogance was beyond comprehension.
But the "arrogance" in Hishiki's eyes was actually something else entirely.
After absorbing Ōtsutsuki Shoushi's energy, Uchiha Dali had once again evolved—his power now on par with that of a god.
By comparison, Ōtsutsuki Hishiki's strength, though formidable, was far inferior.
So when Uchiha Dali accused him of being blind to the situation—of misjudging the gap—it wasn't wrong at all.
Watching his calm, almost careless opponent, Hishiki narrowed his eyes.
If he let this man keep talking, he might just slip up and say something dangerous.
After all, the Ōtsutsuki King and the rest of their clan were indeed watching from across time and space.
If he said the wrong thing, he'd be the one to suffer later.
"Enough nonsense, brat. Let's fight!"
"As your elder, I'll give you three moves!"
Ōtsutsuki Hishiki raised his chin arrogantly toward Uchiha Dali.
At that, the smile faded from Dali's face. His expression grew complicated—there was even a trace of pity in his eyes.
These beings had lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
So yes, calling himself an "elder" wasn't wrong.
The only pity was… after living that long, he still hadn't learned much.
"What a wasted life."
Uchiha Dali sighed.
"Hm?"
"What did you just say, brat?"
"Nothing. Go ahead."
"I said I'll let you have three moves. Make your move!"
Ōtsutsuki Hishiki lifted his head proudly, full of confidence, motioning for Dali to attack.
"You're really sure you want to give me three moves?" Dali asked.
"That's right—three moves!"
"I won't fight back until then. Go ahead and attack!"
"Fine. I'll grant your wish."
Seeing how determined and confident his opponent was, Uchiha Dali nodded and struck without hesitation.
In an instant, the Devour and Refine Technique was activated.
A tremendous, irresistible pull seized hold of Hishiki.
Feeling the energy inside his body start to surge uncontrollably, Hishiki's expression instantly changed.
As expected, Uchiha Dali only smiled faintly. "It's not too late to regret this, you know."
"Regret? Don't mock me, brat!" Hishiki snapped. "Think you can absorb my energy? Dream on!"
But the moment he said it, the energy within him began to churn violently, like stormy seas.
Still, there was a reason for his confidence.
Right now, it was as if all that energy inside him was trapped behind an invisible barrier.
No matter where it tried to escape from, it couldn't break through that wall.
Under the crushing pull of Dali's technique, it could only swirl helplessly inside him.
"I see. So your confidence isn't completely baseless."
Uchiha Dali tested it briefly, then nodded in approval.
"Hmph! If that's all you've got, then bring it on!"
Feeling the suction weaken, Hishiki thought Dali had given up attacking.
So he counted that as surviving the first move.
His confidence swelled even more—convinced now that this brat wasn't much after all.
Indeed, Uchiha Dali had stopped attacking—but not because he couldn't continue.
He simply tilted his head curiously. "Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Right now, you can't sense the strength of my aura, can you?"
That question made Hishiki pause.
A flicker of something unreadable flashed through his eyes.
"You still have two moves left!" he snorted, avoiding the question entirely.
"So I was right."
Uchiha Dali nodded.
He couldn't sense Dali's power—hence the grave misjudgment.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say.
In the blink of an eye, Dali appeared right in front of him—so close their faces were barely ten centimeters apart.
The sudden move caught Hishiki off guard.
Still, he didn't panic. He simply glared coldly, waiting to see what Dali would do.
"This is the second move."
"You said you wouldn't fight back."
Uchiha Dali slowly raised his hand and pressed it toward Hishiki's forehead.
Seeing this motion, Hishiki's pupils contracted slightly.
He narrowed his eyes—but true to his word, he didn't retaliate, allowing Uchiha Dali's hand to rest upon his head.