As the sharp spear tip, wreathed in ominous black mist, thrust mercilessly toward one of the four, the air seemed to tremble.
Among the five of them, Chi had always been the strongest—by far. Especially now, in his demon god form, even Zhong Yan would need to pull out all the stops to match him in a serious battle.
So, when the strike came down, it was too fast, too overwhelming. His opponent didn't even have time to react before being launched like a derailed train.
The sheer force of the impact drew sharp reactions from the remaining three. Their eyes narrowed—not because they didn't expect Chi to be strong, but because they hadn't expected him to strike with such absolute ruthlessness.
Chi had always been someone who valued emotional bonds deeply. For him to make such a decisive move on the first confrontation… it was unthinkable.
What they didn't know was that Chi had already endured seventy-two hours of torment inside an illusion before this moment.
No one—not even Zhong Yan—knew how many cycles of suffering he had lived through during that time.
But the fact that Chi had emerged intact proved one thing: he already knew, deep down, what he needed to do.
If he hadn't, his spirit would've shattered long ago.
Back in the present, everyone realized that the person Chi had just impaled wasn't dead—at least not immediately. After crashing to the ground, he began slowly rising to his feet.
His abdomen was wrapped in Ether crystals that had sprouted instinctively to absorb the majority of the spear's damage.
Still, the black mist lingering on the crystals caused him immense agony.
And this was after being successfully modified by the Exaltists. Had it been before... he likely wouldn't have survived that blow at all.
It made sense. Chi was the only one who had avoided capture and made it deep into Hollow Zero alone.
Even two of the Twelve Shields had been injured by him, needing months of recovery before they were back on their feet.
"Chi, if you've made up your mind, then our bond ends here!"
Realizing Chi wasn't going to hold back, the four quickly activated their abilities, summoning a storm of Ether crystals that launched toward him like a hail of javelins.
Having only recently undergone their modifications, they hadn't yet awakened any particularly powerful abilities. But even so, they were not to be underestimated.
Unfortunately for them, to Chi, these slow-moving projectiles were no more threatening than crawling turtles.
Just before the crystals could touch him, Chi lightly bent his knees and leapt several meters into the air—his jumping power was astonishing.
Gripping his weapon, he pointed the spear downward. As he reached the apex of his jump, he dove straight back down with terrifying speed.
The instant the spear struck the ground, the Ether crystals around him shattered into fragments from the shockwave.
Black mist spread outward in waves, and the resulting storm was too much for the four standing nearest—they were all sent flying.
Chi, having landed, slowly lifted his head. A dim glow spread from the green yaksha mask across his entire body.
Then, his figure blurred into motion. His speed became so extreme that even Zhong Yan, with the Sharingan, had trouble tracking him.
Four blurs. Four spear strikes. Four black trails. All in less than a breath.
Chi had pushed his speed to its absolute limit—a power he had never used before.
And he did it for one reason only: to end his friends' suffering as quickly as possible.
When Chi landed again, the immense strain caused him to collapse to the ground. His mask vanished the moment he fell—but the black mist within him did not.
It was clear that his body was being consumed by corruption.
Zhong Yan rushed forward to help, only to realize he couldn't purge the black mist from Chi's body.
As for his four companions—they had disintegrated into Ether particles, vanishing completely under the weight of Chi's full-power assault.
After a while, once the black mist began to recede, Zhong Yan knelt beside him to check his condition.
Chi wasn't in immediate danger, but his state was dire. Recovery would take at least a month.
Zhong Yan needed to find a quiet, secure place for Chi to rest. Kamui's dimension was an option, but it would be lonely.
So, the best choice was to send Chi back to Blazewood Town. With Caesar and Burnice taking care of him, he'd likely heal faster.
As for Airi—she had expressed a strong desire to interrogate the two captured Twelve Shields. She wouldn't return to Blazewood until she got what she needed.
"These two are yours for now," Zhong Yan said, glancing down at the unconscious Chi. "I need to get him back—he needs someone to look after him."
With that, he activated Kamui, absorbing everyone present—including the two Twelve Shields—into the Kamui dimension.
It was worth noting: those two Shields had remained fully conscious the entire time. The only reason Airi's Ether crystals had immobilized them was because her abilities directly countered theirs.
Or rather, within the Exaltists, there was a natural system of checks and balances—whoever gained the upper hand first could control the encounter.
That said, if the power gap was too large, no amount of countering would matter.
Fortunately, Airi was no slouch. At full strength, she could rival any of the Twelve Shields. But taking on the Exaltist leader's core fragment? That would be far more difficult.
...
Afterward, Zhong Yan left Airi and the two Twelve Shields inside Kamui's space and brought Chi back to Blazewood Town.
The Sons of Calydon knew nothing of what had just happened. So, when they saw Chi return in such a weakened state, panic immediately spread, and the best doctor in town was summoned.
What shocked them even more was the person who brought Chi back—
Uchiha.
They didn't know what kind of connection the two shared. All they knew was that Zhong Yan had saved their friend.
And for that, they owed him their thanks.