Chapter 356: To Prevent Ambushes, Let's Move Together
Seeing that Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki had finally started showing his true strength, the number of cloned replicas of Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki he had defeated and captured began to grow rapidly—and Uchiha Dali refused to be outdone.
In the blink of an eye, he suddenly split into over thirty more replicas of his own and sent them all into battle.
Moments later, more than a dozen of Àoshiki's replicas were captured alive by him, becoming his nourishment.
Witnessing this scene, Kyōshiki's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression grew extremely grave.
"This brat Uchiha Dali still has that many replicas hidden away!"
"How many trump cards does he still have up his sleeve?"
Looking at each of the glowing, silver-lined "Uchiha Dali" figures—each seemingly shrouded in a divine aura—Kyōshiki couldn't help but feel a flicker of apprehension and unease.
At this point, it was clear that Uchiha Dali had the upper hand.
Kyōshiki had only managed to take down around thirty targets so far, while Dali had already captured at least fifty of Àoshiki's clones.
If things continued like this, Dali would undoubtedly reap far greater rewards.
Grinding his teeth, Kyōshiki forced himself to produce another red-colored clone.
Now fighting alongside four red replicas and his original body, he barely managed to claw back some of the disadvantage.
But it was still not enough to overturn the momentum of this strange and dazzling contest.
The battle finally ended roughly ten minutes later.
After counting his spoils, Kyōshiki found he had absorbed energy from seventy-nine of Àoshiki's clones. He quickly began draining their energy reserves.
The rest naturally fell into Uchiha Dali's hands.
Since the energy stored in these replicas was mostly insubstantial, both men finished absorbing it in short order.
Kyōshiki still felt unsatisfied.
He looked around—no trace of enemies remained.
"Àoshiki must've escaped, right?" Kyōshiki turned toward Uchiha Dali.
At that moment, Dali had just finished absorbing the last of Àoshiki's clones.
Though each clone granted only a small power boost, as the saying goes—quantity leads to quality.
With so many absorbed, the cumulative gain was quite significant.
Dali was pleased.
His current energy level had increased by about two percent compared to before—an impressive improvement.
"That guy can't get away. Sooner or later, we'll find him," Uchiha Dali said with a nod.
His replicas had already tried pursuing Àoshiki earlier, but the latter's escape abilities were first-class—he couldn't catch up.
Hearing this, Kyōshiki's face was full of disappointment and regret.
He hadn't absorbed as much energy as Uchiha Dali, and thus couldn't evolve to the next stage.
Now, with no more energy sources left, he felt restless and uncomfortable.
"What will you do next?" Kyōshiki asked.
The implication was clear—he wanted to team up to search for Àoshiki's whereabouts.
But Dali didn't seem interested.
"I'm going back to take a look."
"Back? You mean to your home planet?"
"Yeah. Just to take a look." Dali nodded.
Kyōshiki studied him for a few seconds, then hesitated before saying, "You probably can't undo that technique, which means you can't save those people."
"I'll try. How else would I know if I don't?" Dali glanced at him. "And you? What's your plan?"
"I'll go with you," Kyōshiki replied immediately.
Seeing Dali's odd look, he quickly added, "Don't misunderstand. Àoshiki's already targeting me. He knows I can't beat him alone, so he'll definitely come after me again.
If we act together, he won't be able to ambush us."
It was indeed a reasonable precaution against being taken down while alone—though not exactly a long-term solution.
"For now, fine. Let's go."
Without further comment, Uchiha Dali activated the Yomotsu Hirasaka.
But Kyōshiki waved his hand. "You don't have another movement skill?"
"Oh, right," Dali said with a faint smile. "You've got that more advanced technique."
He recalled the moment earlier when Kyōshiki had used his seven-colored, faster-than-light movement to chase Àoshiki's first perfect clone. He had wanted to ask about it back then.
Now, seizing the chance, Dali asked, "So what's that technique called?"
"Superluminal Movement."
"Superluminal Movement?" Dali blinked. "I thought it'd have a flashier name."
"It's called Superluminal Movement," Kyōshiki repeated seriously.
"Whatever." Dali gestured lightly. "Go ahead—show me."
No sooner had he spoken than Kyōshiki began to activate the technique.
In an instant, seven-colored light flared up.
Meanwhile, his previously retracted replicas split out again, each activating the same ability. With their combined power, the multi-hued superluminal corridor opened before them.
"We can depart now," Kyōshiki said. "Though honestly, I can't maintain this passage for long. It takes a heavy toll on my energy."
It was surprisingly candid of him to admit such a weakness—clearly, he trusted Uchiha Dali to some extent now.
And at that moment, a familiar chime sounded in Dali's mind.
[Ding! After repeatedly observing the Divine Technique "Superluminal Movement," your comprehension of it has greatly deepened. You have mastered the Divine Technique: "Superluminal Movement"!]
[Superluminal Movement: One of the Divine Techniques. By consuming a massive amount of energy, it opens a superluminal space-time corridor, allowing the user to move faster than light. The speed multiplier is directly proportional to one's power level. If the physical strain from the speed surpasses the body's limit, the user will be disintegrated at the molecular level!]
Uchiha Dali's extraordinary perception had once again brought him a pleasant surprise.
The instant Kyōshiki used the ability, he had already comprehended it.
However, Dali remained calm and expressionless, merely watching Kyōshiki step into the superluminal corridor before following him inside.
In the next instant, the two vanished without a trace.