—Prison Dragon Blast!!
The black-red demonic energy whirled with Tōga's sword, forming a massive tornado that engulfed both Luo Shu and Senhime Rin Getsu, ravaging the entire shrine.
In mere moments, the shrine's main hall was destroyed, the sword-laced tornado leaving claw-like gashes across the walls and ground.
Just as Tōga unleashed So'unga's ultimate technique, Luo Shu stepped forward and swung his right fist toward the blade.
"Hmm?" Tōga was surprised but didn't hesitate to slash at Luo Shu's wrist.
Then—clang!
A hand, ignoring the sanity-eroding demonic energy and flesh-rending sword aura, grasped So'unga's edge directly.
So'unga, who'd been observing the fight while confronting Senhime Rin Getsu, exclaimed in shock:
"He blocked Tōga's Prison Dragon Blast... with one hand?!"
"How is this possible?!"
No one understood the terror of Prison Dragon Blast better than So'unga itself. It was a sword technique that combined So'unga's malevolent energy, the deathly aura of the Underworld, and Tōga's meticulously honed Demon Power—a fusion of three forces into one, delivering the deadliest, most wicked and sharpest attack imaginable.
Yet such an attack had been effortlessly blocked by Luo Shu with a single hand.
How could So'unga not be shocked?
After all, Prison Dragon Blast was its strongest wide-range ultimate technique, wielded by none other than Tōga—a being standing at the pinnacle of Great Yokai.
How could he block it? By what right did he block it?
Just as So'unga was stunned, Tōga was shocked, his expression showing a hint of disbelief.
"What kind of ability is this?"
The battle-hardened Tōga could naturally discern Luo Shu's physical condition. He knew it was impossible for a human body to block his blade directly, let alone catch the edge barehanded.
"Is this an ability that nullifies damage?"
As Tōga marvelled, he suddenly sensed something and swiftly withdrew his blade, leaping to the right.
At that very moment, a black-purple crescent moon appeared out of thin air where he had been standing, sucking the shattered rocks and earth into the Underworld.
"You noticed?"
Luo Shu, holding Tenseiga, looked somewhat surprised at Tōga's evasive retreat, as if taken aback by his reaction.
Meanwhile, Tōga glanced at Tenseiga in Luo Shu's hand, then towards the forest where Sesshōmaru was battling Kirinmaru, and sighed:
"An illusion affecting vision? Hmm, perhaps touch is also misled. But unlike vision, which takes immediate effect, touch requires the creation of false objects to deceive?"
"Impressive... to have ensnared me in an illusion without my notice!"
"Did you dodge by instinct?"
Luo Shu clenched his palm and looked up at Tōga, calmly stating:
"Then the next strike shall surpass your instincts."
Hearing this, Tōga grew wary. He wouldn't assume a human so skilled in illusions was joking with him.
Opposite him, Luo Shu slowly drew his blade, levelling Tenseiga before him, speaking as if stating a foregone conclusion:
"Watch closely, Tōga. Victory hinges on this single strike."
At these words, Tōga seemed to realise something, understanding the critical nature of what was to come.
His gaze sharpened, eyes locked onto Luo Shu's arm, as if to discern the swing the moment it began.
The blade descended, a silver light flashing.
Then came the sound of flesh parting under a sharp edge.
"How...?"
The Tree of Ages' face twisted in shock. It numbly registered the near-fatal slash that had almost severed it in half, watching as Silver—controlled by Takina Inoue—morphed into Luo Shu's form amidst indigo mist.
"When...?"
Tōga, poised for battle nearby, froze in disbelief, staring at Luo Shu, who now stood at the shrine's edge.
The Luo Shu before Tōga had already transformed under the indigo mist into a towering silver Gundam—none other than the Skill Demon God Silver controlled by Takina.
"When did they switch places?"
So'unga, realising this too, cried out in alarm:
"Damn it, Tree of Ages!!"
At that moment, indigo mist also enveloped Black Iron, which was also engaged with the Tree of Ages.
As the mist dissipated, white hair fluttered.
Kuesu Jingūji, holding a black grimoire, recited the long-prepared final incantation:
"Boiling blood, frenzy, flow, stillness—with these as foundation, construct the Crimson Cross Gate."
With her last word, scarlet blood surged from the earth, converging into a seething ocean.
The crimson sea swallowed the roots of the Tree of Ages in an instant. As its foundation, a blood-red cross rose from the ground, firmly binding the Tree of Ages upon the sanguine crucifix.
"Was I the target from the very beginning?"
The Tree of Ages instantly understood everything and roared in fury, struggling violently.
The scarlet cross began to ripple as if boiling, while the bloody torrent on the ground formed a massive whirlpool, as though some colossal entity writhed beneath the crimson surface.
Witnessing this, Kuesu Jingūji wore an expression of comprehension as she remarked:
"As expected, the Tree of Ages and the Bone-Eating Well are one of the cores of this Abyss, aren't they?"
After murmuring to herself, Kuesu Jingūji immediately called out to Luo Shu:
"Now it's your turn to take over."
As her words fell, Luo Shu had already stepped forward, appearing before the Tree of Ages. From the silver metal case he had been carrying—concealed by illusion until now—he drew a jade-like longsword.
It was the Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact Luo Shu had specially brought into the Abyss world—the Kusanagi Sword.
Like a hot knife through butter, the Kusanagi Sword effortlessly pierced the trunk of the Tree of Ages.
The moment the blade struck, the Tree of Ages' struggling ceased abruptly. Its wooden face froze, its gaze barely turning towards So'unga before its eyes slowly closed, slipping into eternal slumber.
"Capture complete!"
Luo Shu calmly withdrew the Kusanagi Sword from the Tree of Ages, then turned his head towards Tōga and So'unga, his expression composed as he stated:
"Just as I said, the outcome was decided with this single strike."