Chapter 213: That Lord of the Ninja Village!
The remaining Tennin transformed without hesitation.
Monster cells twisted their bodies, forcing their strength upward until nearly every one of them reached Dragon level.
Among them, a ninja wrapped in bitter frost stepped forward. Ice spread beneath his feet as he spoke in a chilling voice.
"Even if the legendary Asuramaru has acknowledged you, you will still die here today."
The words had barely left his mouth when his head separated from his shoulders.
For a brief moment, confusion remained frozen on his face.
Only after his falling head caught sight of his own headless body did he seem to understand what had happened.
The surrounding Tennin stiffened.
They already knew Sonic was powerful.
They simply had not expected the gap to be this vast.
The sword in Sonic's hand shattered apart.
Countless fragments scattered across the street.
Then a black flash began darting among them.
Each burst of darkness was followed by blood.
The Tennin fought back with everything they had, yet none of it mattered. Their attacks struck empty air while their companions were decapitated one after another.
Sonic's voice followed them through the slaughter.
"The Ninja Village is already gone, yet all of you are still trapped in its teachings."
His sword flashed again.
Several more heads flew into the air.
"You're beyond saving."
With each kill, Demon Power flowed back into him.
Sonic had already reached peak Dragon level, but his strength continued rising at an alarming rate.
One of the remaining Tennin flashed into position and shouted angrily.
"Shameless traitor!"
"You betrayed the teachings of the Village, yet you dare speak such rebellious nonsense. That kind of thinking is exactly what I would expect from a failure who graduated at the bottom of his class!"
Another Tennin appeared nearby and added with fanatical conviction, "A ninja's greatest purpose is to faithfully complete every mission assigned to him!"
"That is our ultimate destiny!"
"How could trash like you, someone who has forgotten the duty of a ninja, ever understand the joy we feel?"
Sonic stared at them.
For a moment, he genuinely could not understand what he had just heard.
"You really are hopeless."
Only four Tennin remained.
Sonic placed both hands around the hilt.
Endless darkness gathered along the sword.
"Breath of Darkness, Fourth Form."
His figure blurred.
Four shadows appeared in the air at once, each approaching from a different direction.
"Four Shadow Burials!"
The four figures crossed the battlefield.
Four heads left their bodies almost simultaneously.
Silence returned to the street.
The system notifications rang through Asuramaru's mind.
[Ding! Intense negative emotions detected from Dragon level Monster Frost Kore before death. Gained 100,000 emotion points!]
[Ding! Intense negative emotions detected from Dragon level Monster...]
[This battle gained a total of 1,500,000 emotion points!]
[This battle obtained 700,000 Demon Power. Fifty percent will be fed back to the Sword Master!]
As the notifications ended, a torrent of Demon Power poured into Sonic.
His physical strength rose rapidly.
Muscles tightened. Bones grew denser. Every part of his body underwent another transformation.
Yet in the end, he still failed to cross that final boundary.
"Still not enough?"
Sonic could feel it clearly.
He was only one step away from entering an entirely new realm.
Inside the sword, Asuramaru's attention shifted.
"He's coming."
The moment he spoke, something strange happened behind Sonic.
The corpses of the fallen Tennin began trembling violently.
Their bodies swelled as though something inside them was pulling the flesh outward.
Then they burst apart.
Blood, organs, and muscle tore away from the corpses and rose into the air. What remained on the ground were empty skeletons.
The mass of flesh gathered overhead before collapsing inward.
A figure appeared within it.
His mouth opened wide.
He began devouring everything.
In less than a minute, all the flesh had disappeared into his stomach.
The man landed on the street.
He wore light ninja armor, with two swords strapped across his back. Short hair framed a terrifying face, and the pressure radiating from his body was unlike anything the other Tennin had possessed.
Even Sonic felt a faint tremor in his heart.
It had been a long time since anyone had made him feel this kind of oppression.
The man before him was no ordinary enemy.
Sonic still sneered.
"Just like what I saw in the basement."
His gaze moved over the grotesque figure.
"You really are a complete Monster."
The newcomer released a satisfied belch before laughing.
"Heh heh heh... Speed o' Sound Sonic."
His pale eyes fixed upon the sword in Sonic's hand.
"The ninja acknowledged by the legendary Asuramaru."
His smile widened.
"I would love to devour your organs as well, but before that, I need to determine whether you are truly worthy."
Even Sonic frowned at the hellish sight before him.
He was about to attack when Asuramaru's voice sounded in his mind.
"You seriously can't tell this is an illusion?"
Before Sonic could respond, Asuramaru dispelled it for him.
The world changed at once.
The corpses on the ground had never burst apart.
Their flesh had not been torn away.
The fallen Tennin remained exactly where they had died.
Everything Sonic had just witnessed had been an illusion.
Sonic felt a flicker of embarrassment.
He quickly concealed it.
"Of course I noticed."
Asuramaru said nothing.
Sonic pointed his sword toward the newcomer, using anger to bury the awkwardness.
"Enough nonsense."
His eyes narrowed.
"Did you really think such a pathetic illusion could deceive me?"
Sonic's voice carried open contempt.
"Is this all That Lord, the legendary strongest ninja, is capable of?"
Even after his illusion was exposed, the man remained completely confident.
"Heh heh heh. So you weren't frightened."
He folded his arms.
"Then I suppose I should become a little more serious."
His pale eyes stared at Sonic without blinking.
"But before the test begins, I will show you mercy and tell you my name."
"I am Empty Void."
The founder of the Ninja Village stood there without taking a stance, as though waiting for Sonic to make the first move.
His casual attitude immediately angered Sonic.
"I have no interest in learning the name of a dead man."
The sword in his hand shattered.
Countless fragments spread across the street.
Sonic became a black flash and shot forward, teleporting between the fragments with terrifying speed.
Empty Void's eyes tracked him perfectly.
"Heh heh heh. You move through space by scattering pieces of your sword?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Interesting, but your spatial ability is still inferior to Blast's."
Empty Void launched himself forward.
He did not draw either of the swords on his back.
Instead, he raised his bare fists, deliberately avoiding direct contact with Asuramaru.
Sonic appeared in front of him.
A fist and a sword collided.
The street beneath them exploded.
Buildings on both sides shattered under the shockwave, and cracks tore through several neighboring blocks.
The two figures disappeared from ordinary sight.
Black flashes and pale shadows crossed the ruins again and again.
Each collision sent another violent blast rolling through the Ghost Town.
Inside the sword, Asuramaru observed the battle and quickly formed an estimate of Empty Void's strength.
Judging by the disaster level system, the founder of the Ninja Village had undoubtedly surpassed Dragon level.
He was far stronger than any opponent Sonic had faced so far.
But that only made him more valuable.
If Sonic killed Empty Void, the Demon Power gained through feedback should finally push him beyond peak Dragon.
After that, if Sonic slaughtered the Monster Association and combined that growth with all of Asuramaru's abilities, there was a real possibility that he could reach God level.
Asuramaru watched the two figures collide again.
The battle grew even more violent.
.....
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