"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Light bullets rained down from the sky without pause.
The earth screamed under the bombardment.
Golden flames spread wildly across the battlefield, devouring everything in their path, while Han and Rōshi remained at the very center of the explosions.
But the instant the attacks struck the ground, Yagami saw Rōshi spit magma from his mouth, shaping it into a massive semicircular dome that covered both of them.
The continuous barrage of light bombs made the magma shell tremble over and over, yet it still refused to break.
"Is that the same hardened magma trick as before...?"
Yagami frowned slightly as he watched.
Then he descended from the sky and landed steadily on the ruined ground below.
By now, the earth had already been blasted into a mess of craters and scorched pits.
And yet the magma dome still showed no cracks at all.
Its defensive power was obvious at a glance.
Then—
Boom!!!
Just as Yagami touched down, the massive dome was suddenly blown apart from within.
A deep red pillar of chakra surged upward, piercing straight through the clouds.
Han and Rōshi had both entered partial Tailed Beast Mode.
Behind them, two long chakra tails extended and swayed violently.
"The chakra of a Tailed Beast really is enormous..."
Yagami narrowed his eyes as he observed them carefully.
"But once you enter a state like that, using ninjutsu becomes much harder, doesn't it?"
Their beast-like chakra cloaks possessed incredible defensive strength—no weaker than Rōshi's hardened magma from before.
But now they had clearly abandoned ninjutsu and chosen raw speed and power through their Tailed Beast transformation.
In Yagami's eyes, that was a fatal flaw.
"ROOOAR—!!"
"BOOM!! BOOM!!!"
Han and Rōshi dropped to all fours.
Then, raising their heads toward Yagami, they let out savage roars before slamming their claws into the ground and launching themselves forward.
Their speed was so great that they broke the sound barrier in an instant, white shock trails dragging behind them as they tore across the battlefield.
"So you gave up ninjutsu and defense just to gain speed?"
Yagami's lazy voice drifted lightly through the air.
"But in speed... you're still a long way from me, y'know."
His body turned to light once more, slipping past the charge of the two Jinchūriki with effortless ease.
Even if photon movement only allowed him to travel in a straight line, its speed still far surpassed mere supersonic movement.
Boom!
Boom!
After missing him, the two crashed into the ground, twisted their bodies, and lunged again without hesitation.
Their claws pounded against the earth as they ran, each step setting off another violent rumble.
"Ama no Murakumo."
Yagami spread his hands, and a blade of condensed light formed in his grasp.
Since they had chosen close combat, then he would stay with them to the end.
After all—
As a swordsman, close-range combat was one of his specialties.
"Pata..."
His feet touched the ground lightly.
Yagami lowered his stance and drew into an iai posture.
At that same moment, Han and Rōshi burst into range.
"Light Severance."
Yagami kicked off the ground and shot forward.
He did not transform into light this time, so his movement speed was not greater than the two partially transformed Jinchūriki—
But the blade in his hand was another matter entirely.
His slash came even faster than their supersonic charge.
Faster by a clear margin.
Because the true terror of Atomic Samurai's swordsmanship had always been the speed of the cut itself.
Pshh!
A streak of golden light flashed through the battlefield.
Yagami and the two Jinchūriki passed each other.
Then, a single arm wrapped in dark red chakra flew high into the air.
At the same time, a large hole was blasted open through Yagami's right side.
But with a single thought, the scattered light did not spread away—it instantly gathered back into his wound.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
A pained howl erupted behind him.
It sounded exactly like a wounded beast—furious, frenzied, and full of rage.
"You dodged quickly."
Yagami's voice was calm, almost regretful.
"My blade was aimed at your neck, though."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So even after entering Tailed Beast form, your bodies still retain a beast's instincts, hm?"
Han and Rōshi immediately twisted their heads around, horror flashing in their eyes.
"Grrr—?!"
Han's mind shook violently.
What...? I definitely pierced through his chest!
He was shocked. Confused.
But in this transformed state, all that came out of his throat was a beast-like growl.
Rōshi, who had lost one arm, was no better.
By all logic, when Yagami passed between the two of them, one of them should have landed a decisive blow.
And yet—
Yagami was standing there completely unharmed.
That made no sense.
"Have you figured something out?"
At the exact moment the two of them froze in confusion, Yagami transformed into light and vanished from sight.
Then he appeared beside them instantly.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
He raised one leg—
And drove it straight into Han's body.
BOOM!!!
The impact exploded like thunder.
Han's dark red chakra cloak ruptured on the spot, revealing the crimson armor underneath.
And his entire body was sent flying into the distance like a cannonball.
"Two layers of defense...?"
Yagami narrowed his eyes.
That kick had blown apart Han's chakra cloak—
But it still hadn't shattered the armor beneath it.
Which meant the damage from that strike had fallen a little short of what he wanted.
"ROAR!!"
Rōshi reacted at last.
With his remaining arm, he twisted his body and smashed a punch straight toward Yagami.
But Yagami made no effort to dodge.
He simply let the fist crash directly into his chest.
Boom!!
Yagami's chest burst apart.
Golden light scattered into the air behind him, and the shattered wound glowed brilliantly.
"Grr—?!"
Rōshi let out a stunned roar.
His voice was filled with confusion.
Throughout the entire battle against the Iwagakure shinobi, Yagami had never once shown this passive elemental body.
So this was the first time Rōshi had seen it.
"Ara ara..."
Yagami smiled broadly, the usual lazy amusement returning to his face.
"So you noticed one more piece of my information, did you?"
With a thought, the light that had scattered into the sky instantly flew back.
The golden particles gathered at his chest, reformed, and in the blink of an eye, his body was whole again.
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