Rei's heart raced as she stood amidst the battlefield's chaos, smoke and embers rising around her. She couldn't shake the chill that crept up her spine as Vistago turned his gaze toward her. His presence was suffocating—chillingly calm, yet brimming with malice, each movement of his shadowed form rippling with the promise of violence.
She tightened her grip on her katana, drawing a steady breath. Her mind flashed to Yami, uncertain of his fate. Was he still alive? Could he have survived the blow that hurled him through a mountain? Yet, doubt had no place here. Vistago was before her, relentless and undeterred, and she knew her only choice was to fight. She narrowed her eyes, summoning her resolve.
With a swift step forward, Rei drew her blade, the gleam of its edge reflecting her determination. She unleashed her Katana Light Clones, her chakra manifesting into mirrored versions of herself, each clone brandishing a shimmering katana. They moved as one, charging Vistago from multiple angles. In perfect synchrony, they brought their swords down upon him, their attacks aimed to corner and overwhelm him with relentless precision.
But Vistago merely smirked, his aura flaring. In a single, fluid motion, he raised his arm and swiped at her clones, dispersing them with chilling ease. Rei's heart sank as her strategy faltered, her clones shattered like illusions under his merciless power. Gritting her teeth, she focused, activating her Shadow Binding technique. Black tendrils of chakra surged from the ground, spiraling around Vistago, attempting to lock him in place. The shadowy bonds coiled tighter and tighter, constricting his movements in a desperate bid to buy her precious seconds.
Yet Vistago barely flinched. With a slight twist of his hand, he flexed his chakra, sending a pulse of raw energy through the shadow bindings, snapping them apart like threads. His smile widened, eyes gleaming as he stepped forward, closing the distance with chilling intent. "Is this really all you have, girl?" he taunted, his voice low and mocking.
Before she could react, Vistago vanished, his speed blurring him from sight. Rei's senses went into overdrive as she scanned her surroundings, barely catching a flicker of movement. Then he reappeared in an instant, his arm swinging down toward her with deadly precision, aiming to deliver a blow that would end her resistance.
But at that exact moment, a gust of wind ripped through the battlefield, stirring the dust and embers around them into a fierce storm. Rei barely had time to blink as Yami materialized before her in a blur of motion, his skeletal form of the God of Destruction towering, crackling with overwhelming energy. In a flash, he placed his fingers against Vistago's face, his grip fierce and unyielding.
Without a word, Yami pulled Vistago down and drove him headfirst into the ground with a force so profound it shattered the earth itself. The impact sent a shockwave echoing through the battlefield, shaking the ground beneath them. A massive crater opened up as Yami forced Vistago down, the earth fracturing and splitting under the intense pressure. Rocks and debris shot into the air, clouds of dust rising from the crater, obscuring the sight of both combatants within.
The surrounding shinobi, caught in the aftermath of the shockwave, struggled to steady themselves against the powerful tremor that shook even the trees at the battlefield's edge. The world seemed to hold its breath as the dust settled, revealing Yami standing at the edge of the deep hole he'd created, his form wreathed in a dark, ominous aura. His eyes glowed with the Kusarigan's intense power, his gaze locked onto Vistago, who lay sprawled amidst the shattered earth below.
Rei took in the sight, her heart pounding with both relief and awe. She had never seen Yami this powerful, his mere presence radiating an energy that could scarcely be contained. As he stood over Vistago, who was already stirring, a grim determination set in his gaze, a silent promise of the battle yet to come.
And as Vistago began to rise, Yami's dark aura only intensified, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of his power. This wasn't over. The next clash would be one that decided not only their fates but perhaps the fate of all who stood on the battlefield.