Linto stood in the sky.
The Dragon Snake Pearl slowly spun in his hand, condensing into a nearly tangible natural force that enveloped Linto from behind, like ripples spreading outward from a lake, circle after circle.
"Roar—"
Thousands of aquamarine dragons coiled in the sky, circling above the city of Warsaw.
"Not enough."
Linto manipulated the Dragon Snake Pearl again, and the natural forces within a radius of nearly a hundred kilometers surged towards him.
Daichi's sand dust shifted erratically, wisps of wind carrying clouds, like birds returning to their nest, falling into Linto's grasp.
A torrent of natural power surrounded Linto.
Even though thousands of dragons roared in the sky, Linto's figure appeared tiny in comparison to the water dragons. Yet, at this moment, he seemed to have become the center of heaven and earth.
All eyes, whether from the rebels, the samurai, or the fleeing civilians, slowed their actions, staring blankly at Linto, who stood atop the Blue Dome.
They knew that Linto had arrived in Warsaw that very morning.
They also knew that Linto would not stand idly by in the face of the current rebellion.
So… what would he do?
Linto stood with his hands behind his back, the Dragon Snake Pearl hovering before him, covered by the natural force. With a gentle wave of his other hand, the surging natural force, mixed with ripples, transformed into specks of chaotic firelight, merging into the thousands of water dragons.
Boom—
In an instant, the scales of the water dragons gained a hint of color, and a subtle gleam flashed in their eyes. The sight alone exuded a soul-stirring deterrence.
"This is more like it."
Linto turned his head towards the Daimyo's mansion.
His gaze, spanning dozens of kilometers, landed precisely on Tokugawa Shingen.
This Daimyo, who had surrendered and offered terms early on, now truly understood how terrifying Linto was when he entered a combat stance.
With just a glance, even though they were currently allies, Tokugawa Shingen, upon meeting Linto's gaze, felt a genuine shiver run down his spine, recalling his own petty schemes.
He swallowed and gave the order:
"Fire the signal flares."
Seconds later, samurai fighting the rebels in various locations retrieved signal flares from their waists, aiming them at the sky.
Bang—
Red signal flares ascended one by one, illuminating the night and pointing the way for Linto.
"Go."
Thousands of water dragons roared and charged towards the direction the signal flares were fired.
Seeing the charging water dragons, the rebels and samurai grew anxious, unsure of who these beings were meant to confront.
Meanwhile, caught in the middle, civilians and wealthy individuals unable to escape, appeared calm—
"No matter who the water dragons are coming for, they're in the thick of it and are bound to be caught in the crossfire."
The samurai had strong bodies.
The rebels had their puppet armor.
The citizens…
Had the next life.
A middle-aged wealthy man pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. As he took a puff, he noticed a plainly dressed, disheveled young man beside him.
"Want a drag?"
The middle-aged man offered the cigarette.
The young man gestured with embarrassment, "I don't know how."
"You're about to die, what's there to know or not know? You've dated, right?"
"Yes."
"Then it's right. Look at the size of this cigarette holder, isn't it about the same size as… well, you know, a woman's? The principle is the same. Have a puff."
The young man took the cigarette, recalling details with his girlfriend, and took a huge drag, smoking more than half of it, leaving only the butt. The middle-aged man stared in disbelief.
"Brother, your girlfriend… she's quite enduring."
The middle-aged man took back the cigarette butt, took a final puff, and looked up at the water dragons now overhead, sighing, "In your next life, be better to her."
Across the battlefields, people looked up, waiting for the "dragons" to unleash their attack.
However—
Bang!
All thousands of water dragons exploded simultaneously.
They turned into countless droplets, falling like a torrential rain onto every corner of every battlefield.
Everyone was stunned.
What was this?
All this grand display of hovering and water dragons, just for a shower?
People watching the battlefield through monitors in the rear were still bewildered, but those in the heart of the battle didn't have much time to ponder.
They wiped the water from their faces, refocused on their enemies, and were about to take a step forward to swing their swords.
But…
They couldn't move.
It wasn't just one or two people.
Every rebel and civilian touched by the rain was frozen.
"Stone… I'm turning into stone!"
"It's the water! There's something wrong with that water!"
People cried out in alarm.
All they could do was cry out.
Natural forces permeated heaven and earth, but the human body had a certain self-protection mechanism. Normally, it wouldn't absorb natural forces and turn itself into stone.
But Linto had added ripples to the water.
The penetration of the ripples bypassed the body's defenses, allowing the natural force in the water to flood in.
This was the technique of Snake Fang injection from Ryuuchi Cave and the toad oil technique from Mount Myōboku.
However, Linto had greatly weakened the concentration. Those who were petrified would only have parts of their bodies turn to stone, and they would gradually recover after the war.
As for now.
No matter what plans the rebels had, they had to stop.
And because their bodies were petrified, any potions that forcefully stimulated their potential would be unable to spread.
Their bodies would be weak, they would fall ill, but they likely wouldn't burn out their lives and die tonight.
This was Linto's solution—
To forcefully press pause on this chaotic city, ending this tragedy that should not have happened.
The samurai looked at the frozen rebels and swallowed.
"Is… is this it? It's over?"
They too felt the invasion of natural force, but samurai and ninja were skilled in chakra manipulation. This concentration had little effect on the Daimyo's samurai.
A samurai looked at his injured shoulder, gritted his teeth in anger, raised his katana, and was about to strike down the solidified rebel before him.
A large foot kicked him, sending the samurai tumbling to the ground.
It was the captain of the samurai.
"A true samurai does not strike down those who have lost the ability to move. And—"
The samurai captain pointed at Linto, who still hung in the sky, looking down upon the entire city.
"If you want to die, go cut yourself open in a corner! Don't drag us down!"
The samurai captain didn't look at his ashamed subordinate. He sheathed his sword, removed his helmet, and looked up at Linto, standing alone in the sky. After a long while, he let out a sigh of admiration.
"What an extraordinary individual."
Daimyo's Mansion.
"Many of you have said, both in person and behind my back, 'We wish to fight to the death, why did the Daimyo surrender first?'"
Tokugawa Shingen stood by the window, spreading his hands towards Linto.
"This is the 'why.'"
The guests, high officials, and dignitaries fell silent.
They couldn't find words to describe their shock. Countless thoughts collided in their minds. The more their thoughts churned, the deeper the silence, until finally, their minds went blank, leaving only one thought echoing repeatedly:
"This is Linto."
"This is…"
"Invincible!"