Chapter 369: Akshia and Naruto's Joint Operation
"Contract: Bind!"
Akshia sat atop her frozen throne, her ice staff pointed directly at Frieza.
This was one of the applications of the Ice Contract—rapidly freezing a selected enemy to buy time. While stronger opponents could break free more quickly, in a high-stakes battle, even a fraction of a second could be enough to turn the tide.
"Thousand Snow: Offering!"
As Frieza broke free from the ice, Akshia had already finished preparing her next move.
"Thousand Snow: Chill!"
The surrounding temperature dropped again.
"Is it just a temperature drop?"
Though such a change had little effect on Frieza physically, he could still keenly sense the shift in the air around him.
"Guess I'll test the waters first…"
In a flash, Frieza rushed up to Akshia. He hadn't forgotten her weakness—close-quarters combat.
Glaring at the delicate, emotionless face just inches from his own, Frieza didn't hesitate to throw a full-force punch.
"Thousand Snow: Seal!"
With Frieza's punch just about to land, Akshia remained completely unfazed. As her voice fell, Frieza's body suddenly froze mid-motion, gradually encased in ice.
"Again with this…"
Using ice to repeatedly interfere and harass her enemies was one of Akshia's signature combat tactics.
"Thousand Snow: Shatter!"
Everything so far had been setup for this move.
The block of ice in front of her exploded, releasing a burst of energy that blasted Frieza—who had just reached her—clear across the battlefield.
Frieza crashed into the snow, tumbling head over heels.
"Ahhh—!" Frieza let out a pained, wretched scream, followed by desperate pleading. "Please! No more…"
"Drunken Snow: Millennium Offering!"
This was a sealing technique that Akshia had mastered. While permanent sealing was impossible, a thousand-year seal was well within reach.
Back when the enemies invaded Planet Cecilia, every last one of them had been sealed for eternity by this very technique.
Snowflakes gently fell from the sky, blanketing Frieza's body as he lay on the snow-covered ground. Once the snow was brushed aside, an ice sculpture of Frieza should have appeared—at least, that's what was supposed to happen.
Suddenly, a beam of energy shot toward Akshia. An ice barrier materialized in front of her, deflecting the attack.
"Really now, trying to sneak up on me?"
This thousand-year sealing technique could only succeed when the target was incapable of resistance or completely off-guard.
Although Frieza could still fight, the wounds on his body clearly showed that Akshia's earlier attack had dealt real damage.
"Akshia, you're not the only one who can evolve! Now let me show you the ultimate form I mastered through intense training after my resurrection!"
Frieza clenched his fists and roared. As he did, the snow across the battlefield began to stir.
His aura surged, muscles swelled, and finally, Frieza's entire body took on a golden hue.
Only then did he exhale in relief.
"Our real battle is just beginning," said Golden Frieza, staring straight at Akshia.
Frieza charged at Akshia again. Though frost quickly formed on his body, it was melted away by the sheer heat of his movement.
Akshia's frozen throne rapidly retreated.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Golden Frieza thrust his arms forward. "Death Beam Net!"
Countless Death Beams shot from his hands and wove into a deadly net, trapping Akshia and cutting off her escape routes.
"This is my first time killing a god, so to avoid any accidents… I'll just end you right here."
Frieza's face was filled with sadistic glee as he looked at the cornered Akshia.
"Damn it!" From midair, Naruto saw Akshia in a tight spot and shouted inwardly to Kurama, "Kurama, how much chakra have you gathered?"
"Roughly a third."
Kurama responded from within Naruto.
"That's enough. Kurama, let's go Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!"
Combining Nine-Tails Chakra Mode with Super Saiyan Mode, Naruto broke free of the restraints holding him down.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
While descending from the sky, Naruto created a clone. The clone instantly entered Sage Mode, then dispelled itself.
The released natural energy flowed back into Naruto's body.
The duration of Sage Mode was limited to five minutes.
Reentering his Super Sage Fox Mode, Naruto hit the ground and immediately lunged at Frieza.
Frieza, fully focused on Akshia and paying no attention to Naruto, suddenly took a kick to the face and was sent flying.
"You okay?"
Naruto looked at the familiar yet subtly different face before him and asked.
Because Akshia had been resurrected using Sakura's body, she still bore a resemblance to her.
"…Mm."
Akshia gave a slight nod.
"Damn you!" Golden Frieza scrambled to his feet. A clear gash marked his face—Naruto's kick had left its mark. "You two! I don't care who it is—neither of you is leaving here alive!"
Clearly furious, Frieza's aura exploded with power.
"Sakura, I'll go on the offensive. You support me from the side!"
Naruto shouted instinctively as he charged back into battle.
Since Kurama had used all the chakra just to sustain Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto relied entirely on taijutsu during the fight against Golden Frieza.
"This is payback!"
After dodging one of Naruto's strikes, Frieza countered with a punch to Naruto's chest, almost knocking yesterday's lunch out of him.
"And here's another!"
Golden Frieza followed up with a kick, sending Naruto flying, then extended his right palm to launch a beam attack.
But frost began forming on Frieza's right hand. With a small shake of his arm, he shattered the ice.
In that moment, Naruto—still airborne from the previous hit—reappeared in front of Frieza and delivered another kick to his abdomen. Then, turning to Akshia, he shouted:
"Sakura! You should've backed me up earlier!"
"I'm not Sakura. I'm Akshia."
"…Yeah yeah, I got it. Akshia…"
Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Frieza came back and kicked him flying once again.
"Idiot…"
Akshia stared blankly at Naruto's airborne figure and muttered coldly.
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