The giant staggered, struggling desperately to block the devastating blow. Peaches' hammer was already crackling with Renshi, its weight pressing down like a collapsing sky.
"RRRAAAHHHHH!" Peaches screamed, veins rising across his tattooed arms as he drove more force into the strike. The sound shook the battlefield.
The giant's arms buckled. His knees quaked.
And in that very moment—Eren appeared. His body flashed like lightning as he switched behind Peaches, both hands gripping his Storm Breaker, aiming to cleave him clean in two.
But Peaches… stopped screaming. His expression shifted. His face twisted into a grin that could freeze blood—a smile too calm, too sharp, too frightening to be human.
In an instant, his body snapped around.
A searing red beam burst from his eyes. Laser Renshi.
It ripped across the battlefield, colliding with Eren's Storm Breaker mid-swing.
BZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The sacred weapon cracked, split, and then shattered into pieces before Eren's horrified eyes. The laser didn't stop there—it tore through the air, carving a smoking hole through Eren's chest.
"Ghhhhhkkk—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body fell, crashing against the ground with a hollow thud. His eyes rolled, lips parted in disbelief as his breath escaped him.
Above, the hammer—still fueled by Peaches' overwhelming force—overpowered the giant completely. With a deafening crack, the weapon crushed down, and the massive body dissolved into nothingness, scattered into dust.
The ground shook. Silence followed.
Raven lay collapsed in the distance, unconscious, her entire body covered in deep wounds. Before her body gave out, she had encased herself in ice as a final shield, but even that had shattered. Her frozen aura flickered faintly as she remained unmoving.
Peaches stood in the ruins, his tattoos burning faintly before fading. His eyes dimmed, the monstrous aura around him subsiding. He turned slowly, step after heavy step, toward Lucy.
She keeps her sword but kept her calm, her tone steady despite her exhaustion.
"I don't see why you think I'd hate you… just because you've mastered your dark Renshi side." Her voice cut through the quiet like steel. "It doesn't change who you are to me."
Peaches' fearsome grin broke, softening into regret. "…I'm sorry, Lucy."
"It's fine. For now, let's just worry about my Master. I wonder how he's holding up over there."
—
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the clash of titans unfolded.
Miyamoto stood across from the giant Buddha, his golden sword gleaming in his grip. His voice rang with disdain.
"I think it's time to finish this. You've been stalling for far too long. I get it—you wanted to return to this world so badly. But using a child as a host? That's where it ends."
The Buddha's deep, resonant voice thundered, vibrating the air. "Listen to me, human… you are strong. Experienced. I will make you a deal—release me, and I will let the boy go."
Miyamoto's eyes narrowed. His tone dripped with contempt.
"So you can talk after all. But there's nothing to discuss. We're not the same race, and I don't make deals with monsters."
His golden sword flashed free.
"I don't beg for mercy. Power or not—you don't scare me."
The Buddha chuckled, a low rumble that shook the clouds. "You underestimate what I possess."
"And you underestimate me." Miyamoto's aura erupted, his bloodline technique flaring as he invoked Range Domain. The world itself seemed to bend around him as he rose into the air.
The Buddha clapped all of his massive hands together. In an instant, the battlefield shifted—reality tore away.
Miyamoto now stood in the Buddha's Domain.
An enormous altar stretched endlessly, surrounded by towering statues of stone Buddhas. Thousands of earth soldiers lined the ground like an army of guardians. Mountains rose around them, forming an impenetrable cage.
Miyamoto smirked. "Not bad… for a first-generation spirit."
A man approached from behind, his body entirely of stone except his human-like face. "In this domain… I will make myself equal to you. A fair battle, man to man."
Miyamoto chuckled. "I like your principle. Too bad it won't last long."
The Buddha extended both arms, rock forming into dual blades.
Miyamoto moved first—Switch Mode. His golden sword struck the giant's shoulder, but sparks flew harmlessly. For the first time… his blade left no mark.
"Impossible."
The Buddha lunged with terrifying speed—faster than light, yet without Switch Mode. He swung upward with one sword while hurling the second, controlling it from behind like a puppet.
Miyamoto barely blocked, his blade clashing against the first strike. With his Range Domain, he pulled a massive boulder to intercept the second.
"Don't think you're the only one with tricks!"
They clashed furiously, blades and stone colliding in a storm of destruction. The Buddha's raw speed matched Miyamoto's Switch Mode, their battle ripping across the altar.
Miyamoto blurred into midair, golden energy focusing along his sword.
"Point Pierce!"
The slash tore through a mountain, splitting it in two. The severed half levitated under his control as he hurled it toward the Buddha.
"Attacking me with my own mountains? Bold."
The Buddha raised a finger. With a mere touch, the massive rock disintegrated into dust.
Miyamoto grinned. "So… he controls all within his domain. I see."
"Better surrender and accept my deal," the Buddha rumbled.
"Shut your mouth, you moron. I'm done with games. I need to get back to my girl." Miyamoto's eyes burned with fury. He raised his hand, voice echoing. "Time to show you my true ability, you see I can control non living things easily."
His Range Domain pulsed, focusing on the Buddha's chest,but you see living things doesn't come easily.
The giant smirked. "Non-living things bend easily to you. But I am alive."
"That's where you're wrong."
The Buddha's body suddenly lurched forward. His eyes widened. His colossal form was being dragged—pulled straight toward Miyamoto.
"This is… impossible!"
"Not impossible." Miyamoto's voice cut like a blade. "Unstoppable."
The Buddha thrashed, roaring, but the force was irresistible. Miyamoto slammed his palm against the glowing point on his chest.
His Domain erupted.
"—Explode!"
The altar shook, the heavens split.