The current Kaguya's strength far exceeded Kinshiki's imagination.
Facing Kinshiki's dual long-range and close-range attacks, Kaguya simply raised her hand lightly, transforming her Chakra into a black Spatial Barrier that blocked her front. Eerie spatial patterns emerged on the barrier.
Clang... Clang...
A series of ear-piercing collision sounds rang out. The weapons struck the barrier, either being instantly shattered or sucked into the Alternate Dimension, disappearing without a trace.
Kinshiki's spear pierced the barrier, but not only did it fail to break through, it was also repelled by the barrier, leaving his arm numb and the skin between his thumb and forefinger cracked.
He was secretly shocked.
How is this woman's strength so much greater than what was reported in the intel?
"You think you can hurt me?" Kaguya's voice was icy cold, and her eyes held no warmth.
Countless "All-Killing Ash Bones" materialized out of thin air as black blades, shooting toward Kinshiki. This was her signature killing move, touching it meant instant death.
Seeing this, Kinshiki dared not be careless. He once again manifested a large number of longswords and spears to form a defensive wall in front of him, while continuously launching energy blasts to try and intercept the All-Killing Ash Bones.
But Kaguya's attack was too fierce. The All-Killing Ash Bones inherently contained the power to destroy life, easily piercing through the energy blasts and smashing toward the defensive wall.
With a crisp "crack," fissures instantly appeared in the red defensive wall, and Kinshiki's defenses quickly developed a weakness.
Before long, one of the All-Killing Ash Bones broke through the defense and accurately struck his shoulder. Blood immediately gushed out, and the Chakra at the wound continued to be eroded, causing waves of intense pain.
Kinshiki grunted in pain, cold sweat seeping from his forehead, but he grit his teeth and held on.
Immediately after, Kaguya used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him and struck his chest with a palm infused with dense Chakra. This was her signature Taijutsu move, the palm force penetrating straight into his organs.
"Pfft!"
Kinshiki spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body flying backward and crashing heavily into a nearby meteorite. The meteorite instantly shattered into countless small pieces.
The manifested weapons instantly dissipated and even the horn on his head developed a slight crack.
He struggled to get up, bracing his hand on the shattered meteorite, only to find that all his Chakra pathways had been disrupted by Kaguya's Chakra. It was extremely difficult even to mobilize a single thread of Chakra, and the pain from the wound made him see black.
He could only watch helplessly as Kaguya walked toward him step by step, her Byakugan filled with cold killing intent and devoid of any mercy.
Kinshiki's heart sank and he knew he was certain to die today.
His only thought was: I cannot let Momoshiki-sama also perish here.
"Momoshiki-sama!"
Kinshiki screamed with all his strength, his voice carrying a hint of tragedy.
He glanced at Momoshiki, who was being beaten helplessly by Shun, and a fierce determination flashed in his eyes.
The next second, a dazzling red light erupted around him. All his Chakra began to condense frantically, his figure constantly twisting. His skin gradually became transparent, transforming into a red Chakra Fruit.
This was a Secret Technique of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, sacrificing one's life to condense all Chakra into a Chakra Fruit for a companion to absorb, instantly boosting their strength.
He knew this was Momoshiki's only chance to turn the tide. Even if he had to sacrifice himself, he had to secure a lifeline for Momoshiki.
Seeing this, Momoshiki grasped at it like a drowning man grasping a straw, using his last bit of strength to reach out for the fruit that was about to take shape.
He roared internally: Kinshiki, well done! Once I absorb the fruit, I will surely tear this human into ten thousand pieces!
But just then, a light blue figure suddenly appeared between the fruit and Momoshiki.
Shun sneered, raised his hand, and grabbed the fruit that had just condensed—it was entirely crimson red and exuded a dense Chakra. With a slight pressure of his fingertips, he sealed most of the fruit's Chakra.
He had just been enjoying the satisfying beatdown, so naturally, he wouldn't give Momoshiki a chance to turn the tables.
"You thought you could turn the tide with this?"
Shun weighed the fruit in his hand, feeling the dense Chakra contained within.
"Sorry, I'll gladly accept this 'gift.' Did you really think I'd give you this opportunity?"
He turned and glanced at Kaguya. Seeing that she was safe and sound, the anger in his heart subsided slightly, leaving only contempt for Momoshiki.
Momoshiki watched helplessly as the Chakra Fruit was snatched away, his eyes instantly splitting with rage. He spat out another mouthful of blood, his aura wilting.
He stared at the Chakra Fruit in Shun's hand, his eyes filled with despair and resentment, roaring, "No! That's mine! You low-level human, give it back to me!"
But he didn't even have the strength to stand up, only managing a futile roar, his voice sounding particularly miserable in the vast, empty starry sky.
Shun ignored Momoshiki's roar, raised his hand and grabbed at space. A Spatial Rift opened once more, and a God Tree, over eight thousand meters tall, lush with branches and leaves, and radiating immense life force, slowly flew out of the rift.
He looked coldly at the slumped Momoshiki. Chakra surged from his fingertips, dragging the defenseless Momoshiki next to the God Tree. He forcibly pressed Momoshiki's body toward the tree's roots.
Momoshiki struggled in terror. "What are you doing? Let go of me! The Ōtsutsuki won't forgive you!"
But his resistance was meaningless. The God Tree's roots extended instantly as if alive, wrapping around Momoshiki's limbs and frantically sucking away the remaining Chakra and Life Origin within his body.
Momoshiki's body shriveled at a visible speed, and he was finally completely absorbed by the God Tree, leaving not a single trace behind. Immediately afterward, Shun weighed the red Chakra Fruit in his hand and fed it to the God Tree without hesitation.
The moment the fruit touched the God Tree's roots, it transformed into dense red Chakra and was completely absorbed by the God Tree.
The God Tree, having absorbed Momoshiki's body and Kinshiki's Chakra Fruit, instantly saw its aura surge.
Its trunk visibly grew thicker, and its roots spread wildly, penetrating more surrounding meteorites and setting deeper foundation in the cold starry sky.
Its original height of over eight thousand meters continuously climbed, quickly passing the nine thousand mark, and finally settled at a height of over nine thousand five hundred meters.
The enormous canopy was like a gigantic umbrella covering the sky, its reach expanding several times compared to before. The life force and Chakra fluctuations it emitted became increasingly immense, already infinitely close to the limit the Ancestral Star could withstand.
Shun watched the God Tree's growth with calm eyes, feeling the increasingly powerful strength contained within, and nodded in satisfaction.
While the God Tree was absorbing Momoshiki's body, a transparent phantom floated out from Momoshiki's shriveled body—it was Momoshiki's soul.
Before the soul could escape, Shun raised his hand and waved, and a Soul-Reaping Rope instantly wrapped around and restrained it.
"Trying to escape?"
Shun's voice held a hint of coldness. "Your value hasn't been completely squeezed out yet."
A thread of pure Soul Power condensed on his fingertip and slowly probed into Momoshiki's soul, forcibly initiating a Soul Search.
Momoshiki's soul struggled frantically, but it was firmly locked by the rope, making resistance impossible. He could only watch helplessly as the memories deep within his soul were read.
Images and pieces of information flooded Shun's mind like a tide—everything about Kinshiki, the directives of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon, and the unseen Urashiki was fully exposed before him.
From Momoshiki's memories, Shun learned many secrets: Momoshiki had actually lived for several millennia, spending his entire life pursuing the Ultimate Evolution, like Shibai. To this end, he spent thousands of years mastering a vast number of techniques, making his strength far greater than it appeared on the surface.
The root cause of their current visit was Kaguya's dereliction of duty. Back then, the higher-ups specifically dispatched Kaguya to Earth, with the core mission being to plant the God Tree, nurture it, and harvest the Chakra Fruit for the clan to draw power from.
But the thousand-year deadline had arrived, and Kaguya not only failed to hand over the fruit on time but also became secretive about her whereabouts, which enraged the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon.
Thus, the higher-ups dispatched Momoshiki to lead a team, bringing Kinshiki and Urashiki to Earth. Their core objective was to find the whereabouts of the Chakra Fruit, retrieve it, and if Kaguya dared to resist or conceal it, to kill her on the spot.
To increase efficiency, the three split into two groups, with Urashiki heading to the Ninja World to investigate clues.
Momoshiki, however, was unaware that Urashiki had already suffered a crushing defeat in the Ninja World.
After being defeated by Sasuke and reaching a dead end, he used "Karasuki" to return to the past.
Momoshiki and Kinshiki, on the other hand, used their perception of Kaguya's Chakra to locate her personal dimension.
Furthermore, Momoshiki's memories recorded a large number of techniques and combat skills, which were top-tier powers Shun had never encountered.
As the memory reading was completed, a sharp glint flashed in Shun's eyes. With a slight pressure of his fingertips, Momoshiki's soul, entangled by the Soul-Reaping Rope, disintegrated into a wisp of smoke and vanished.
He slowly withdrew his Chakra, feeling the new knowledge of techniques in his mind, and the aura around him grew deeper.
Kaguya walked up to him, looked at the Hod Tree, which was over nine thousand meters tall, and softly said, "Urashiki is still in the Ninja World."
Shun nodded, his gaze sharp. "I know. He won't escape. With these new techniques, coupled with the power of the God Tree, neither Urashiki nor the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon who arrive later will be a cause for fear."
In the starry sky, the gigantic God Tree stood silently, as if proclaiming that a new order had already been formed.