The Six Paths of Pain. Thus far in their clash, three of the six had been eliminated. It appeared as though Hagoromo was pushing them back, but as previously stated, this was inconsequential and of limited significance.
Because as long as the Deva Path and Naraka Path remained, Pain's overall power system would not collapse.
"So this is your unique Lightning Style? The rumored White Yaksha... It seems choosing to obliterate you now was indeed the correct decision," the Deva Path, Yahiko, said.
It was obvious that intelligence regarding the youth had been leaked to a significant degree. After all, as a ninja, he had been active on the battlefield for a long time. More importantly, someone quite familiar with him had likely provided Nagato with this information.
To the enemy's words, Hagoromo remained entirely silent.
Of course he didn't say a word. Was he here to chat with this bunch of idiots?
"However, your opponent is a god." The Deva Path was merely monologuing; he didn't need a response anyway.
As Yahiko spoke, he extended his right hand toward the boy standing twenty meters away.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
A force completely opposite to the previous one, yet equally massive. Immediately after, Hagoromo was pulled in by the gravitational force, and that right hand clamped around his neck without any resistance.
Was he unable to resist? Perhaps. But why should he? Any act of touching him at point-blank range was a highly stupid choice. Anyone who dared to make physical contact with him was committing absolute suicide.
An incomparable electrical current, carrying absolutely destructive energy, instantly erupted from his body. The Deva Path's right hand began to carbonize at a visible rate!
However, one must never forget that he was fighting one against six.
A black receiver, acting as a thrown javelin, hurtled toward him from behind at high speed and instantly pierced his right shoulder! The crackling electricity around him immediately ceased.
Injury and bleeding wouldn't disrupt his mental calculations. However, this black rod was a special material of unknown composition. The moment it intruded into his flesh, it caused comprehensive interference with his entire bodily functions. The formulas running in his brain fell into disarray, subsequently shutting down his abilities.
Naturally, at the same time, the Deva Path's right hand loosened its grip.
Breaking free from the restraint, the youth unhesitatingly yanked the entire black rod out of his shoulder.
It was stained with his own blood, yet he didn't even bat an eye.
Based on Pain's attack patterns, the one responsible for probing, feinting, close-quarters combat, and even long-range bombardment was usually the Asura Path. That was the mission it bore.
The one who had been kicked away by Hagoromo first was precisely the Asura Path.
However, it had now recovered and was counterattacking him.
Thus, the injury hadn't been in vain. He now knew which one was the Naraka Path, the one responsible for resurrection. While he was attacking the Deva Path, the Naraka Path had also moved, repairing both the Asura Path and the Preta Path.
Among the Six Paths, the Deva Path was the core, but the Naraka Path was the key.
Because of it, the original three enemies had now reverted back to five—excluding the Human Path, which had already been obliterated without a trace.
Fighting one against six, it was impossible for him to mark every single enemy. To end this endless cycle, the Naraka Path, rather than the Deva Path, was the absolute highest priority target for elimination.
The glowing markings reappeared on his body. Abandoning the Deva Path, he attempted a high-speed assassination strike directly at the Naraka Path.
The Naraka Path quickly retreated. Stepping up to block the youth was, once again, the Asura Path that had already failed once. After all, it was Pain's dedicated melee and damage dealer.
Having just been instantly killed in close quarters, the puppet now opted for long-range bombardment.
Mechanical armor, Flaming Arrow Missiles, Asura Attacks, Laser Cannons, and ballistic projectiles!
A missile barrage resembling modern warfare blotted out the sky as it hurtled toward him. Such an attack seemed to possess unmatched destructive power.
But it was useless.
Ultimately, while this was an area-of-effect saturation attack, its speed was unfortunately limited. Hagoromo, in Phase Three, possessed absolute maximum speed and mobility, allowing him to weave freely through the barrage.
His momentum didn't slow down even a fraction.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the Asura Path once more.
The opponent had a wide variety of attack methods, but the boy's counterattack was simple and brutal.
A knife-hand strike. Just a single barehanded chop. He didn't use the Chidori Spear, nor did he switch states to use the Iron Sand Sword.
His hand plunged into the Asura Path's right shoulder—who knew what internal mechanisms it severed—and cleanly exited through its left ribs without any resistance. The newly recovered puppet was instantly cleaved in two once again!
Leaping past the bisected machine, the sharp cry of an eagle suddenly echoed from the sky.
Was it an eagle? Or a condor? Whatever it was, it was just a summoning beast.
The massive avian summon swooped down from high above in an instant.
Pushing off with his legs, Hagoromo dodged its twin talons, then vaulted high into the air, bringing his leg down in a devastating axe kick square onto the behemoth's spine.
Driven by the colossal force, the summoning beast slammed into the ground, producing a deafening crash.
Descending from the sky, Hagoromo brought both hands together over his head. A Chidori Spear materialized, slashing down viciously in a decapitating strike.
Whether these summons pierced with black receivers were truly dead or alive, and regardless of where their actual weak points lay, chopping off their heads couldn't possibly be a mistake.
Past that, only the Naraka Path and the Preta Path stood in his way.
However, Nagato couldn't simply allow him to act as he pleased.
If even his opponent knew the Naraka Path was the linchpin of Pain, how could Nagato, the creator of these puppets, not know?
The Preta Path threw its arms wide to block the path forward, while the Deva Path closed in from behind.
Unable to defend against both simultaneously, Hagoromo was suddenly struck.
He was blasted into the air by the overwhelming force of Shinra Tensei.
Then, he was slammed back into the ground with an even more irresistible power.
Perhaps bones shattered; perhaps internal organs shifted. For a brief moment, he lost all ability to react.
Every gain comes with a loss. In his current state, his defensive capabilities were even weaker than his standard Chidori Current.
Immediately after, the Preta Path planted a foot squarely on his back. The glowing markings of the Chidori Current instantly began to dim, then faded away completely.
The majority of his chakra was absorbed in a flash.
Assuming the boy had completely lost the ability to resist, the Preta Path grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up.
However, Hagoromo spoke.
"Finally found it..."
Found what? Nagato didn't know. Sensing something terribly wrong, he only had enough time to make the Deva Path retreat.
In the next instant, every single black receiver embedded in the Preta Path was violently ejected, shooting out like machine-gun bullets.
Hagoromo had figured out a method to apply magnetic force to the unknown metal of the black rods.
Stripped of the receivers, the Preta Path could no longer receive Nagato's chakra. Thus, the corpse reverted to being nothing more than a corpse.
Given the microscopic timeframe, Hagoromo had no way to control the electromagnetic trajectory of every single rod, nor did he have time to deploy his own defenses.
Consequently, several black rods grazed his body, blowing open blooms of blood across his skin.
Like crimson butterflies dancing in the wind.