Chapter 418: Shibai Appears
Just as Uchiha Dali withdrew his gaze, a system notification echoed in his mind.
[You have observed your opponent using the Divine Art: Slay Three Thousand! You've gained great insight and comprehension—Divine Art: Slay Three Thousand (Enhanced) acquired!]
[Divine Art: Slay Three Thousand (Enhanced): By burning your own chakra and life force, then merging soul energy to form powerful True Energy, the resulting attacks deal true damage—completely ignoring the target's defenses and inflicting 100% absolute damage! However, the user must bear a portion of the damage dealt to the target.]
[Current backlash: 80% of the damage dealt to the target will be inflicted upon yourself.]
...
Hearing the prompt in his mind, Uchiha Dali was speechless.
Moments later, a torrent of information flooded his consciousness.
The technique was undeniably powerful, and thanks to his extraordinary talent, he had even improved upon it.
However, it was still a self-destructive move—one that harmed the enemy at great cost to the user.
It inflicted true damage, yes, but eighty percent of that damage rebounded onto him.
What was the point of that?
Wasn't it just a mutual-destruction move, a fight where both sides perished together?
"..."
Still, since he'd already mastered it, Uchiha Dali didn't mind having one more trump card.
He turned his gaze back.
At that moment, the battle between his clone army and the elite Ōtsutsuki warriors was nearing its end.
Every one of those Ōtsutsuki elites had reached their limits—their energy exhausted, their strength completely spent.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Dali's losses were nothing more than a few disposable clones.
Except for one permanent clone left in the Shinobi World, all of his other copies had time limits; even if they weren't destroyed, they would eventually dissipate.
Losing them meant nothing to him.
In contrast, the hundreds of Ōtsutsuki elites now looked utterly drained, every face showing exhaustion and despair.
"You know," Uchiha Dali said, shaking his head, "why bother with all this? After struggling so long, you'll still end up being wiped out by me."
"Tsk, tsk… what a waste."
He sighed softly, then unleashed the Devour and Refine Technique upon the weakened Ōtsutsuki elites.
This time, there was almost no resistance.
Every one of his enemies was too feeble to fight back against Uchiha Dali's overwhelming power.
In the blink of an eye, he absorbed every bit of their remaining energy.
The Ōtsutsuki elites crumbled into nothingness—reduced to ash and scattered into the void.
At that very moment, the Ōtsutsuki King and Ōtsutsuki Aoshe completed their evolution—from demigods into true ultimate deities.
The once-terrifying auras they radiated vanished in an instant, replaced by faint, almost imperceptible presences.
Sensing the change, Uchiha Dali calmly turned to look in their direction.
At first glance, he saw nothing but two lifeless, shriveled husks—corpses devoid of vitality.
Those were the shells of the Ōtsutsuki King and Ōtsutsuki Aoshe. Clearly, upon ascending to godhood, they had immediately discarded their former bodies.
Just as Ōtsutsuki Shibai had done long ago.
However, the two had not yet left this dimension.
They lingered, hidden within the void—waiting for a chance to strike at Uchiha Dali, while also warily guarding against each other.
Uchiha Dali remained calm and unbothered.
"Come out," he said lightly.
"How long do you plan to keep hiding?"
His tone carried a hint of amusement.
Hidden in the void, the Ōtsutsuki King and Ōtsutsuki Aoshe both froze in surprise.
They were just about to reveal themselves when another voice, dripping with mockery, echoed out:
"Heh… just as expected of you."
As the voice spoke, a figure slowly materialized in the air.
The moment they saw that silhouette appear from nothingness, both the Ōtsutsuki King and Ōtsutsuki Aoshe were stunned.
They hadn't sensed anyone else nearby—not even the faintest trace of this person's presence.
Now, both of them stared at the newcomer—Ōtsutsuki Shibai—with expressions of disbelief and alarm.
Shibai, however, ignored them completely. His gaze was fixed solely on Uchiha Dali.
Even though the Ōtsutsuki King and Aoshe had become gods, they hadn't noticed his existence at all.
Yet Uchiha Dali—still in his physical form—had managed to sense him clearly.
The implication was obvious.
At the very least, for now, Uchiha Dali's strength still surpassed that of the two newly ascended gods.
"Let's start with introductions," Uchiha Dali said, meeting Shibai's eyes.
"Heh, I was about to say the same thing. I am Ōtsutsuki Shibai."
"Lord Shibai!?"
Before Uchiha Dali could respond, the Ōtsutsuki King and Aoshe exclaimed in unison.
Shibai turned his head toward them, his eyes filled with an unreadable expression—but he said nothing. Then he looked back at Uchiha Dali.
"I've been watching you for quite some time, Uchiha Dali."
"I didn't expect you to grow this fast."
"What's your goal?" Uchiha Dali demanded, his gaze hardening.
After all, this man was an Ōtsutsuki progenitor, one whose veins ran with pure Ōtsutsuki blood.
If he chose to side with the Ōtsutsuki King and Aoshe, things could get troublesome.
Uchiha Dali wasn't afraid of either of them one-on-one.
But facing both together would already be pressure enough—let alone adding a third god, one who had existed and evolved for untold ages.
In that case, victory might no longer be his.
Fortunately, his concerns were unnecessary.
Shibai smiled faintly. "No need to be so tense. I mean you no harm. If I did, I'd have struck already."
"Then what do you want?"
"I'd like to invite you to come with me—to the higher dimension."
"Oh? And why is that?"
Uchiha Dali's curiosity deepened.
Of course, he had already intended to go there himself.
But no one expected the once-ascended Ōtsutsuki Shibai to return—and even more surprising, to extend such an invitation.
"This is a long story," Shibai said.
"But tell me—are you all still planning to continue this little feud? If not, I'll start explaining."
As he spoke, he turned to glance at the Ōtsutsuki King and Aoshe.
The two exchanged looks, then shifted their gaze toward Uchiha Dali.
Seeing their reaction, Shibai slowly turned back, his eyes questioning.