"Huff, huff, huff!"
Nagato gasped for breath, his expression darkening to its limit as he looked at Roy, who stood unharmed in the distance.
He never expected that his Almighty Push, unleashed with all his strength, would be broken through head-on by someone.
It seemed utterly impossible.
Yet here, it had happened.
He found it hard to believe. Could even the man who called himself Madara Uchiha accomplish such a feat?
No, he couldn't. Nagato made this judgment in his heart. Though that man was shrouded in mystery and his ability to warp through space was troublesome, purely in terms of raw power, he could never reach this level.
"This man before me… can he actually oppose the power of a god?"
Nagato muttered, while Konan also looked on in shock. Could someone truly be this strong, enough to suppress a "god"?
"It's time to hand over your Rinnegan, Nagato."
Roy's voice was cold. He decided to end this swiftly.
After all, the two cunning individuals, Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha, were surely lurking in the shadows, watching for an opportunity to strike.
Konan stepped forward, placing herself in front of Nagato, her eyes filled with resolve.
"Step back, Konan." Nagato's voice was low and firm, carrying an undeniable authority.
He knew this battle was unavoidable. To protect Konan, and to protect the belief they shared, he had to step forward, even if it cost him his life.
Konan opened her mouth to speak, but meeting Nagato's deep, unwavering gaze, she silently closed it.
She understood that Nagato had made his decision, and no words could change it.
"A brat from the Root dares to spout nonsense here. Today, I'll show you true divine power."
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Nagato's mouth, his eyes gleaming with resolve.
Faced with the enemy's relentless advance, he had no time to worry about his frail body. He had to give it his all to protect what mattered most.
As Nagato slowly pressed his hands together, an indescribable, immense pressure instantly spread outward, as if space itself were trembling on the verge of collapse.
Then, he uttered a low incantation: "Cataclysmic Heavenly Star."
With a sudden sweeping motion of Nagato's hands, his vast chakra, as if manipulated by an invisible force, rapidly coalesced into a black sphere. This sphere emitted an eerie glow and floated into the air on its own, like a dark star poised to consume everything.
Seeing this, Roy's heart tensed. He hadn't expected Nagato to be so resolute, using such a powerful technique so quickly.
He had only intended a probing attempt to take the Rinnegan, never imagining Nagato would fight so desperately.
He knew that in the world of Naruto, even the most insignificant character could unleash terrifying power in a desperate situation, let alone someone like Nagato.
In the sky, the black sphere expanded at an alarming rate. The terrifying gravitational pull it emitted was so strong that even Roy's elementalized light body, which could almost ignore physical attacks, was being constantly drawn in, as if being sucked into an endless abyss.
"I can't let the Cataclysmic Heavenly Star fully form!" Roy's expression turned grave. He knew that once the technique was complete, it would spell real trouble.
After all, the full version of the Cataclysmic Heavenly Star could mercilessly seal even a god-level existence like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Though the version Nagato was performing couldn't reach that level, if it was completed, the consequences would be dire.
"I have to shatter it!" Roy resolved internally. A brilliant light erupted from his entire body as countless tiny light particles danced and gathered around him, finally forming spears that radiated an intense, blinding glow.
"Light Spear!" At Roy's command, countless Light Spears rained down like a meteor shower, illuminating the entire space. Each spear contained terrifying power capable of tearing space itself, clashing violently with the force emitted by the Cataclysmic Heavenly Star.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed, leaving the scene in utter chaos. Smoke and dust billowed as energy waves raged like a tsunami.
Ultimately, the black sphere, symbolizing destruction, collapsed under the bombardment of countless Light Spears, dissolving into shimmering fragments and fading into nothingness.
Just as Roy breathed a slight sigh of relief, his Observation Haki suddenly detected an anomaly.
An indescribable, strange fluctuation spread silently. The space around him seemed to be gently stirred by an invisible force, and a subtle yet deadly vortex materialized without a sound.
In that instant, a pale arm thrust through the spatial rift with formidable force, aiming directly for Roy's throat at astonishing speed.
"You're asking for death." Roy reacted with equal swiftness, his voice cold as ice. Almost simultaneously, the light around him surged violently. Beams of scorching laser shot from his fingertips, sweeping towards the sudden arm in an attempt to obliterate it completely.
However, shockingly, the lasers, powerful enough to melt mountains, passed through the space where the arm was located as if through an illusion, leaving no trace.
"Obito Uchiha, you finally show yourself?" Roy's voice held a barely perceptible sneer.
He had long suspected Obito was hiding in the shadows. The power of Kamui was indeed troublesome, a rare spatial ability, arguably the strongest Mangekyō Sharingan power.
At that moment, Obito Uchiha's figure slowly materialized from the distorted space. Clad in a black cloak and wearing a distinctive mask, only his sinister eyes were visible, appraising Roy with a grave expression.
"Where did a guy like you come from? Being able to defeat Nagato head-on is truly unbelievable."
Obito's voice came through the mask, tinged with poorly concealed surprise.
He had witnessed the entire fierce battle between Roy and Nagato, gaining a new understanding of Roy's strength.
Facing Obito's questioning, Roy merely smirked coldly, saying nothing. His hands continued weaving light as countless shimmering particles danced and gathered in the air, transforming into brilliant light magatama that shot towards Obito like a torrential meteor shower.
Although these light projectiles similarly failed to touch Obito's intangible body, Roy didn't relent. Instead, his assault grew fiercer, as if intent on completely illuminating this space.
"It's useless. I am Madara Uchiha. You are not even worthy of touching me."
Obito's words were filled with arrogance and disdain, yet inwardly, he grew cautious. The intangibility granted by Kamui, while powerful, was not without limits.
Five minutes. That was the limit of Kamui's intangibility. Once the time ran out, he would have to solidify, exposing himself to the enemy's attacks again.
Thus, while Obito mocked Roy verbally, trying to provoke him into exposing an opening, he was simultaneously searching for a chance to escape or counterattack.
However, Roy seemed completely unfazed. His attacks didn't let up; instead, they grew fiercer, as if he were pouring all his power into this space bathed in light.
Watching Roy's seemingly endless assault, Obito's expression darkened to its limit.
"It's useless." Obito continued to taunt Roy, but he was also looking for an escape route.
"Is this guy a monster? It's like he has infinite chakra."
Observing Roy still firing off an endless barrage of light projectiles, Obito's expression turned grim.
"Am I going to have to waste a Sharingan eye today?"