Buzz!
With a deep hum, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted skyward. The suffocating pressure spread across the cavern—Moryō's chakra, dark and alien, radiated despair and oppression.
Cold.
Dark.
That was the first impression it gave.
"This chakra… it's even bigger than Eight-Tails's," Killer Bee muttered.
Inside him, the Eight-Tails rumbled.
"When Moryō was first released, its power was terrifying. We never fought it directly, but even back then, we feared its strength."
The Eight-Tails had lived since the era of the Sage of Six Paths. It had seen Moryō's might with its own eyes. None of the tailed beasts had ever fought it head-on—the fate of humans was none of their concern.
But for a tailed beast to admit fear of another being—that alone said enough.
Kiyosuke tightened his grip on the Kusanagi Sword.
"Powerful enough to make this worth fighting, huh? Hey, Killer Bee, don't hold me back!"
"You're the one who's gonna slow me down!"
As they exchanged words, black chakra spewed from the stone coffin that sealed Moryō's body. It split into nine streams, each forming into a monstrous head made of dark smoke. Blood-red eyes glowed within, cold and bloodthirsty.
"Since ancient times, countless humans have challenged me. All of them died in the end. You two are strong… oh? And there's a tailed beast too? Hmph! A mere tailed beast! Nothing more than a defective version of the nourishment the Ōtsutsuki feed on!"
Moryō's voice was dripping with disdain.
Kiyosuke narrowed his eyes.
"Sounds like you know truths most don't. So… your true body doesn't come from some 'other world' at all, does it? You came from beyond this planet."
Until now, he'd thought Moryō originated from a place like Mount Myōboku—another realm connected to this one, where chakra existed in some unique form. But if chakra was native to this world, how could something from a true "other world" possess it?
Now it seemed clear. Just like the Ōtsutsuki, Moryō and the Priestess's true essence came from the depths of space. After crossing the stars and arriving here, that being split itself into two halves—becoming Moryō and the Priestess, destined to oppose and balance one another.
"Oh? You seem to know more than most mortals. Interesting. So among you monkeys, there are some who glimpse the truth of the world?"
One of Moryō's heads lowered, its scarlet eyes locking onto Kiyosuke.
"There's a power in you I don't recognize. Intriguing."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Is there something wrong with Eight-Tails?" Killer Bee cut in.
"You'll find out later."
Kiyosuke rolled his shoulders and smirked.
"Moryō, prepare to die."
"Hmph! Human!"
One of Moryō's heads lunged, fangs bared. Killer Bee slammed into it, sending it flying.
"Oi! Don't you ignore the great Killer Bee, ya dumb punk, fool, ya fool!"
"Courting death!"
The monstrous head whipped back, tossing Killer Bee across the cavern. He crashed into the ceiling with a thunderous boom.
ROOOAR!
The nine heads howled in unison.
"Shut the hell up!" Kiyosuke snarled. "It's hot enough in here without you screeching! Quiet down already!"
He leapt high, flames swirling around him and forming into a massive hand. With a crushing blow, he slammed one of the heads down into the lava below.
"Lariat!"
From above, Killer Bee kicked off the ceiling, shooting down like a cannonball. His arm, razor-sharp with tailed beast chakra, cleaved through a head in one strike.
The head Kiyosuke had smashed rose back up, molten rock sliding from its form. The severed one quickly regenerated.
Moryō's voice rumbled.
"Pointless. My body feels no pain. As long as I have chakra, I can heal instantly."
"No pain?"
Kiyosuke's eyes narrowed.
A beast without pain… tch!
"Got any ideas?" Killer Bee landed beside him, frowning.
Kiyosuke said firmly,
"Every living thing fears pain. It's what drives them to protect themselves. But Moryō just told us it feels nothing. In that case—before it falls, we'll just keep attacking without pause!"
"Heh. Now you're talking!"
Kiyosuke crossed his arms, then swung them apart.
A crimson wind blade shot forth at blinding speed, cleaving through one of the heads.
"Your courage is commendable, human!"
The wound healed instantly. Two heads lunged forward, only to be grabbed by massive hands. The Eight-Tails had fully emerged, half bull, half octopus, standing defiantly amid the lava's heat. It seized Moryō's heads and tore them downward with brute force.
The Eight-Tails roared, the cavern trembling, rocks shattering.
"Die, monster!"
Killer Bee had fully transformed. With a punch that shook the earth, he crushed one of Moryō's heads, then opened his maw.
A tailed beast bomb condensed, then erupted forth, blasting another head into pieces. The explosion tore a gaping hole into the cavern wall.
Tentacles lashed out, wrapping around eight of Moryō's heads. Another two wrapped around yet another, binding it tightly.
"Now you can't move!" Killer Bee shouted.
"You underestimate me, human!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The cavern shook violently. Dozens of chakra pillars erupted from the ground, shaping into new heads. They coiled around Killer Bee, restraining him.
"The one who's trapped is you!"
"Don't let your guard down in a fight!"
Kiyosuke sprinted along the Eight-Tails' massive body, Kusanagi Sword gleaming with wind chakra. With each slash, he severed the heads binding Killer Bee.
Suddenly, a chakra spear shot forward, piercing through Kiyosuke's chest. He snarled and sliced it apart with a backward swing.
Flames surged from the wound, burning fiercely before healing in seconds.
"…Your body is unusual," Moryō said with interest. "So you're immortal as well? But humans… once your chakra runs dry, you die all the same."
"I can fight you ten days and ten nights without stopping!"
Kiyosuke snorted, laughing wildly as he swung the Kusanagi Sword, lopping off another head.
Killer Bee pressed the attack alongside him, keeping most of Moryō's focus away.
The nine heads opened their maws, spewing beams of chakra that obliterated everything they touched.
The blasts slammed into the Eight-Tails, forcing a roar of pain from it.
"Damn it, this thing's a nightmare! Hey, Konoha guy, think of something quick!"
"At this point? The hell do you expect me to do?! We keep it locked in here! It can't leave anyway. We hold it off until the Priestess figures something out!"
"That's your plan?! C'mon, Eight-Tails!!"
"ROOOAR!!!"