Flames erupted!
In the midst of a deafening roar, a cloud of white mercury vapor spread outward in all directions!
Mercury explosive rounds.
In the Dragon Clan world, mercury was to dragons what wisteria flowers were to demons in Demon Slayer—a deadly poison even pureblood dragons couldn't withstand. Back before humans invented firearms, this stuff was the go-to for slaying dragons.
Uchiha Hikari's eyes sharpened.
She wasn't a Dragon King, so mercury didn't faze her, but the enemy's tactics clearly had her in their sights. Maybe…
The Fierce Ghosts' goal this time wasn't Chisei or the others—it was to hunt a "Dragon King."
In the next instant, a dark red aura coalesced in the air, forming a massive skeletal frame several meters tall. It enveloped the bulletproof car, shielding it from the barrage of gunfire. Even rockets that could smash through walls left only superficial "scratches" on the giant skeleton, which were instantly repaired by chakra.
The car door opened.
Hikari stepped out leisurely, raising both hands. "*Fire Release: Great Fire Wall Technique!*"
Chakra surged, and a massive vortex of flames roared to life, spiraling upward into the sky! A crimson fire wall, over a dozen meters tall, engulfed the entire convoy. The relentless storm of bullets melted as they passed through the flames, the gunpowder inside acting as fuel, making the fire burn even hotter!
"What the hell?!"
The gunmen around them were dumbfounded.
They were hybrids too, aware of some things about the dragon world, and they'd been briefed that they were up against some heavy hitters from the Eight Families. But…
Could a kekkei genkai do this?!
Seeing Hikari's figure, Chisei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and began chanting ancient dragon script. "*Kekkei Genkai: Sovereign!*"
In an instant, gravity multiplied dozens of times!
Every hybrid outside the fire wall was crushed to the ground, except for the Eight Families members within. Machine gunners in their vans and the bikers behind them collapsed with a chorus of thuds, their brains overwhelmed by the pressure.
The intense force even cracked the asphalt road into a web of fine fractures.
The cost? Chisei staggered, barely caught by Sakura Yabuki before he could fall.
Sovereign's oppressive force came at the expense of the user's vitality. After using it, Chisei was out of commission, needing time to recover. It was a double-edged control technique.
But there was no choice.
The enemy had come with serious firepower, clearly intent on wiping them out here. Without Sovereign, the enforcement team would've taken heavy losses.
"Crow, Yasha, take out the gunners in the vans—" Chisei started, but a sharp whistle cut through the air!
A slender boy in ornate, geisha-like robes broke through the fire wall with a cherry-red longsword, thrusting straight for Chisei's heart!
At the last second, Sakura yanked Chisei back, taking the blade through her own chest.
"Sakura?!"
Crow and Yasha charged from behind, swinging their blades in unison, but they were knocked back in seconds, blood spraying from their wounds.
Just as the boy prepared to strike Chisei again, he froze, sensing something, and looked up. A flash of lightning-like swordplay slashed toward him, closing in at blinding speed. He raised his sword to block, but the sheer force sent him flying backward.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Godspeed!
The milky-white mercury vapor dissipated.
The flames of the fire wall began to fade.
As Chisei's Sovereign field weakened, some of the suppressed gunmen struggled to their feet, only to be met by the enforcement team, who rushed in. The two sides clashed in a chaotic melee.
Hikari ignored it all, her calm gaze fixed on the boy across from her.
He had Chisei's face.
But his delicate frame and softer demeanor made him look several years younger, like he was only seventeen or eighteen—
The Fierce Ghosts' "Dragon King," Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
No… in this form, he was likely his second personality, the malevolent ghost, Kazama Ruri.
"Did the King General send you? Where's he at?" Hikari asked, subtly scanning the area but not spotting the masked face from the Noh theater.
"Heh." Yorimitsu smirked mockingly. "So you're the 'Dragon King' who took out Tachibana Masamune? Just a kid… Thanks for doing one of my jobs for me. As a reward, I'll make your death painless."
"?"
Hikari's lips curled into a grin. "Since I got to this world, you're the first one ballsy enough to talk to me like that. But… you're not good enough to kill me."
A brief standoff followed.
Hikari moved first, her petite frame darting forward like lightning, raising her blade and slashing down! Yorimitsu reacted instinctively, his cherry-red sword clashing with Onikiri, sparking brilliantly!
Ancient Shinken Style: Lion's Manifestation!
Then came Mirror Mind Wisdom Style, Yagyu New Shadow Style, Misty Divine Path Style…
At that moment, Hikari unleashed the sword techniques Uesugi had shown her in the Tsukuyomi space. The essence of each style flowed through her with the mastery of a decades-seasoned grandmaster, her speed defying comprehension!
The jet-black Onikiri vanished in midair, leaving only a blur of shimmering light.
This was Inuyama's seventh-tier Instant!
The cocky look on Yorimitsu's face faded. Under this relentless storm of attacks, even as the "malevolent ghost," he could barely keep up, reduced to pure defense. Yet his bloodline was superior to Chisei's—stronger, faster, and even in a defensive stance, his swordplay remained flawless, holding the line.
But…
"Can you go faster?" Hikari asked casually. As the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in her eyes, her slashes sped up even more, tearing through Yorimitsu's guard in a flash!
A spray of crimson blood arced through the air!