A pitch-black wave of necromantic light spread outward like a sweeping scythe, expanding rapidly in a semicircle. Anything touched by it instantly lost its vitality.
The powerful figures of the ninja world felt their hairs stand on end.
A chilling sense of danger flooded their hearts.
"An instant-death type spell?!"
Uchiha Soren's pupils shrank sharply.
The ninja beasts caught in the attack—whether giant toads or enormous serpents—collapsed one after another. Facing that power, they had almost no way to resist.
Even the remaining Gozu let out several sharp cries as their glossy black feathers gradually turned dull and gray.
Seeing the situation, Fukasaku and Shima immediately leapt to the front, positioning themselves before Gamabunta.
The two sages joined forces to release senjutsu, doing everything they could to resist the advancing necromantic light.
Their toad faces were filled with worry.
At the same time, both of them looked toward the sky—toward Uchiha Soren.
If this powerful figure did not intervene, the toads they had brought from Mount Myoboku would likely suffer catastrophic losses.
For Mount Myoboku, such losses would take more than a century to recover from.
"When did someone this terrifying appear on the Magic Continent?"
Hidden in the shadows, the Great Toad Sage watched everything silently.
His heart tightened.
The wrinkles on his ancient face seemed even deeper.
In the prophecy he had once seen, Uchiha Soren stood proudly at the center of a flourishing future, while Mount Myoboku thrived.
But that prophecy had already been altered countless times.
The current situation made him wonder if fate itself had changed yet again.
"Should I intervene?"
The Great Toad Sage's weathered face showed deep hesitation.
The Sage of Six Paths, his brother, Uchiha Soren, and even the Dragon Emperor of the Magic Continent—none of them were easy figures to deal with.
"White Snake… this is the price of choosing the wrong side."
The Great Toad Sage's gaze shifted toward the White Snake Sage, his long-time rival.
Since the White Snake Sage had fallen under Uchiha Soren's control, Ryuchi Cave had already lost its future.
For a thousand years, the Great Toad Sage had cautiously guarded Mount Myoboku's fate.
"If I disappear… Mount Myoboku will exist in name only."
After much thought, the Great Toad Sage finally relaxed.
Leaning back on his sage throne, his orange eyes revealed both relief and faint traces of guilt.
At the critical moment on the battlefield, Uchiha Hikaru and Uzumaki Mito exchanged glances.
They moved to opposite sides of the ninja army, standing like two horns protecting the formation.
The remaining Gozu screeched angrily.
Like expendable soldiers, they were sent by Hikaru to the front line before Fukasaku and Shima.
The senjutsu barrier of Mount Myoboku had already begun to tremble under the pressure of the instant-death light.
But with the Gozu absorbing part of the spell's power—
The defensive line stabilized slightly.
"This… is no longer Senju Mori."
Uzumaki Mito murmured softly.
Her gaze was deep and heavy.
The living had to keep moving forward.
The past slowly faded in her heart like illusions.
Minako had already found her happiness.
Tsunade's future would shine brightly.
After this battle…
It would be time for her to step down.
The future of the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan would belong to the next generation.
Mito no longer looked toward the raging Solar-tier Gozu.
Instead, she focused entirely on gathering power within her body.
Her expression became calm and steady.
In that turbulent moment—
Her thoughts became clearer than ever before.
She faintly sensed the barrier between Kage-level power and the Six Paths realm.
An invisible wall stood before her.
It was as towering as a mountain, as deep as an abyss.
Yet somewhere within it—
A distant light seemed to shine.
The change in Uzumaki Mito's aura caught the attention of Uchiha Soren's main body.
At the same time, every Six Paths–level powerhouse turned their gaze toward the battlefield.
Their focus centered on the White Snake Sage and Uchiha Soren.
"White Snake Sage!"
Soren's clone shouted.
Not far away, the White Snake Sage had already destroyed most of the Golden Knight Order.
Hearing the call, she let out a roar like a dragon.
Her massive serpentine body coiled through the air.
From her fanged mouth, she released a golden dragon pearl.
The moment the pearl appeared, it radiated immeasurable light.
The light collided with the black instant-death wave in the sky.
It was as if the two polar forces of the universe had met.
Ripples of light and shadow spread across the sky.
At the boundary between light and darkness—
Space itself seemed to tear open, revealing twisted cracks that led into the unknown void.
The White Snake Sage descended like a divine being.
As she coiled through the air, the dragon pearl shone brighter and brighter.
Waves of radiant light pushed the darkness back.
"Billion Blades!"
Pandora would not simply watch the White Snake Sage dominate the battlefield.
From his robes he pulled out a World Item that flickered between reality and illusion.
With a single swing—
The night sky, already filled with stars, suddenly lit up with countless shining points.
The lights poured downward like a torrential storm toward the White Snake Sage.
Sensing danger, the White Snake Sage reacted immediately.
She forced the dragon pearl to release even greater power.
A trace of pain appeared on her fierce face.
The dragon pearl was the foundation of her transformation into a dragon.
Every moment it was used consumed part of her power.
If her will had not been altered—
Her first instinct would have been to withdraw from the battlefield.
The lives of others meant little to her.
Suddenly—
A thunderous explosion shook the sky.
The countless blades of light collided with the dragon pearl's power.
A gigantic mushroom-shaped burst of light filled the sky.
The shockwave shattered Mount Myoboku's senjutsu barrier.
Fukasaku and Shima both coughed up blood.
Yet relief appeared on their faces.
Taking advantage of their injuries, they attempted to activate the Summoning Technique to return to Mount Myoboku.
But to their shock—
The space was sealed.
This battlefield allowed entry—
But no escape.
"So it's truly a fight to the end now."
The senior toads of Mount Myoboku looked grim.
What was supposed to be a support mission had turned them into frontline fighters.
Deep down, both Fukasaku and Shima began to feel dissatisfaction toward the powerful Uchiha Soren.
They even found themselves questioning the Great Toad Sage.
Had he seen all of this?
Inside the Great Tomb, Ainz stared intently at the projection.
Although the White Snake Sage had survived the clash unharmed—
His expression darkened.
"No… something about that pearl has changed."
The once brilliant dragon pearl no longer shone with the same sacred radiance.
Its light had dimmed slightly—
As though a thin layer of dust had settled upon it.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)