Chapter 247 : Sage Art·Space Seal
The ghost army outside surged into the heart of the volcano.
Within the lake of molten magma, tentacles hundreds of meters long writhed and expanded, growing rapidly as though trying to break through to the surface. Each one stretched with overwhelming menace, swelling with chakra not of this world.
Sprites—creatures from the Otherworld—possessed immense chakra far surpassing that of ordinary Tailed Beasts. In fact, apart from Kurama, none of the Nine Tailed Beasts could match their power.
Riku stood before Shion, shielding her with unwavering resolve.
Faced with the flailing, snarling tentacles, Riku remained calm. "You're not allowed to run wild in this world," he said. "Go back where you came from."
The sprite, utterly dismissive of Riku, didn't even bother to respond. Instead, over a dozen gigantic spear-like tentacles shot from the lava with terrifying speed, aiming directly at him.
Riku was about to be skewered.
But instead of panic, he furrowed his brows and muttered, "So you really are that arrogant."
In the split second before the spears could pierce him, Riku's body erupted with overwhelming chakra.
A storm of lightning surged from his skin—raw, violent, and unrelenting.
The chakra condensed into more than a dozen massive hands made of pure lightning, which surged forth and seized the incoming tentacles midair.
Boom!
The collision of power between Riku and the Otherworld creature shook the entire volcano.
"AHHH—!"
Thunder raged from Riku's body, crackling with destructive force.
"Lightning Style: Rainbow!"
He was now draped in a cloak of radiant blue and white lightning. The giant hands crackling from his form shimmered with intensity, comparable to the Nine Tails' chakra cloak.
The monster shrieked in fury, the power of Riku's strike overwhelming it.
In a flash, it severed the tentacles entangled in the lightning.
Squelch!
Over a dozen monstrous limbs were sliced off cleanly, their stumps spasming in pain. The sprite howled, furious. "Damn you! How dare a mere human be so bold!"
But the severed tentacles regrew rapidly, regenerating in seconds.
Riku watched, his gaze sharp. "Impressive regeneration. Must be drawing chakra directly from the Otherworld. That's why your power feels endless."
Hearing that, Shion's face paled. "So... he really is bound to die?"
Riku smirked slightly. "So I was right. You're similar to Sage Techniques. You can channel Otherworld chakra—giving you near-infinite energy and rapid regeneration."
"Which means all I have to do is seal your body back in the Otherworld... and extract your soul."
"That's probably what the previous Shrine Maiden realized too."
Riku suddenly understood—Shion wasn't necessary for the seal after all. Even without the powers of the Maiden, the sprites could still be sealed—by the right method.
He turned to look at her. She was still stunned, eyes wide as she stared at the magma lake, where hundreds of massive tentacles writhed like snakes.
Sensing Riku's rising threat, the sprite roared, and dozens of tentacles shot toward him in a frenzied barrage. It had begun to panic—Riku, like the Maiden before him, had discovered its weakness.
But even knowing its secret wasn't enough. Sealing a sprite required more than just knowledge. One needed power—at least that of Hashirama Senju—to sever the connection between the ninja world and the Otherworld.
The Shrine Maiden's sealing ability came from her special lineage—akin to the way Wood Style and the Mangekyō Sharingan could control tailed beasts.
Her power wasn't enough to sever the Otherworld's link. That's why, no matter how many times the sprite was sealed, the barrier would eventually weaken and allow it to return.
Now understanding the truth, Riku gently patted Shion on the shoulder and smiled. "You may not have to sacrifice your life next time to seal this thing."
Shion looked up, startled. "Riku! It's coming!"
Hundreds of tentacles closed in on him. But just then, a powerful chakra erupted behind them.
"Matatabi, let's do this."
Two figures leapt from behind—Yugito Nii and her Tailed Beast, Matatabi. In an instant, they entered complete synchronization.
ROAR—!
A massive, flaming blue feline erupted behind Riku. The Two-Tails had entered the battlefield.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Without wasting a second, Matatabi launched a Tailed Beast Bomb straight into the mass of writhing tentacles.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the volcanic chamber. The sprite's limbs were obliterated, reduced to smoldering chunks.
The shockwave rocked the volcano, which now trembled on the verge of eruption.
Riku turned and grinned at the fully-transformed Matatabi. "So this is the Two-Tails? I have to admit, out of all the Tailed Beasts, she's the most stylish."
Just as he finished, he flickered away—reappearing high above the magma, suspended midair.
He formed hand seals rapidly. "Sage Art: Space Seal!"
Riku's body surged with sage energy. A mask formed on his face, a lightning cloak swirled around his shoulders, and his chakra flared like a second sun.
He focused, drawing in more senjutsu chakra, and activated a space-time technique using his Rinnegan—appearing at the black rift at the center of the lava lake.
Riku stared down the swirling void. "A spatial crack... so this is the entry point. Time to close you up."
He raised one hand and slammed it down, golden seals pouring from his palm.
The space around them trembled, as if unable to withstand the power he was channeling.
BANG—!
The seal struck the rift.
The sprite inside the Otherworld shrieked, a terrible roar that caused the volcano to quake violently.
Riku's entire body was engulfed in glowing senjutsu chakra.
BOOM!
The golden runes pressed against the spatial tear, forcing it to close.
Even Matatabi, watching from behind, was stunned. "His chakra... It's comparable to the Sage of Six Paths."
For over a minute, Riku and the sprite struggled for dominance over the rift. The volcano beneath them boiled, lava rising in violent waves.
But Riku refused to let go.
In the Otherworld, the sprite thrashed and struck at the portal with all its power, trying to keep it open. But the seal held. The massive senjutsu chakra, combined with Riku's powerful sealing technique, overwhelmed the sprite's resistance.
BOOOOM—!
After more than a minute of explosive pressure, the volcano finally erupted.
But the rift had been closed.
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