Kaido’s arms had been completely broken and twisted from the earlier collision, rendering them useless. He had to use his legs to swim back to the surface.
But his twisted and limp arms were not the most pitiful part of Kaido at that moment.
The beast hide that Kaido usually wore was nowhere to be seen. His tattered clothes were soaked with blood, and beneath the shreds, his once massively swollen body had shrunk significantly, even smaller than his usual form when Nagato first saw him.
To an ordinary person, Kaido would still appear incredibly strong, but if he had initially resembled a gigantic bear, he now looked merely like a very tall, muscular man.
Moreover, this muscular man had crippled arms, numerous internal injuries, and even his once fierce and brutal eyes had dimmed somewhat.
Who could have battered the world’s strongest creature into this state?
Whitebeard? Perhaps he had managed it once, but if he had, it was likely unseen by anyone, much like this current battle.
“Hahahahaha…” Kaido laughed from the sea, though his voice was not as strong as before, sounding a bit hoarse and low. “Boy…”
Kaido’s voice suddenly regained its volume: “This top-tier battle is truly exhilarating! Ah—!!!”
Kaido’s eyes ignited again, bursting with a stunning divine light aimed at Nagato. He shouted with a voice that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart: “Try to kill me! Come on, boy!!!”
The world darkened.
Conqueror’s Haki!
And not just any Conqueror’s Haki—Kaido’s Haki was so powerful it affected the physical realm, causing the surrounding waves to explode as if countless bombs were detonating in the sea.
Despite suffering injuries that would kill ten ordinary people, Kaido’s spirit and fighting will were more intense and manic than at the start of the battle!
Following this seemingly pleading yet arrogant challenge, Kaido’s right leg kicked up from beneath the sea, causing the already turbulent waters to become even more chaotic. Massive amounts of seawater condensed into a column and shot towards Nagato, as if manipulated by Fish-Man Karate.
It was clear without testing that this water column was far stronger than anything Jinbei, a former Warlord, could manage. Kaido’s Armament Haki was so exaggerated that it covered the cubic meters of seawater, turning it black!
But Nagato was puzzled.
This kind of attack was ineffective.
Boom…
The Tengu’s right hand descended, smashing the water column like squashing a leech, damaging the giant hand slightly but quickly restoring it with his visual prowess.
Though he easily neutralized Kaido’s attack, Nagato’s tension increased, not due to his own caution, but an instinctive response.
In his perception, Kaido had become even more dangerous.
This was Nagato’s confusion. If Kaido’s abnormal excitement could be explained by madness, then why did his injuries make his attacks weaker yet his perceived threat greater?
Nagato trusted his judgment. For someone of his level, perception and intuition were far more reliable than what he saw, but the source of Kaido’s threat remained a mystery.
From Kaido’s body, a faint cracking sound emerged. In such a short time, his twisted arms were straightening, and the muscles beneath the skin moved continuously, indicating a rapid recovery—an astonishing sight!
Boom, boom!
Additionally, two drum-like sounds emanated from Kaido’s chest.
Merely his heartbeat caused ripples on the sea surface. At such an exaggerated rate of blood production and circulation, Kaido’s body swelled as if inflating, likely to regain its normal size within minutes!
Nagato clearly sensed Kaido’s revival.
However, what shocked him more was that the dangerous sensation, like a blade on his neck, had slightly diminished!
What was the cause of this contradiction? Why was heavily injured Kaido more dangerous, yet recovering Kaido less so? Nagato’s confusion deepened.
Regardless, Kaido was never an opponent Nagato could underestimate. In a life-and-death battle, Nagato decisively abandoned hesitation and pursued.
Like a thunderclap, the Tengu’s giant blade descended on Kaido.
With his right hand poised, the Rinnegan’s Universal Pull activated.
Simultaneously, Nagato’s left hand formed a single-handed seal.
“What is this!” Kaido cursed as he was forcibly pulled into the air by the Deva Path’s power.
Ordinary opponents, caught in the Deva Path’s gravitational pull over the sea, would be powerless. But Kaido, though still injured, struck the air with his fists, trying to break free from Nagato’s grip.
It wasn’t ineffective. Even heavily wounded, Kaido’s fierce punches disrupted the Universal Pull.
But only just.
Kaido lacked the strength to dodge or escape further, and the Tengu’s giant blade descended on him!
The full-body Susanoo’s blade was almost as large as Kaido’s head. Rather than a slash, it was more akin to a crushing blow.
Under the Tengu’s immense force, even Kaido’s superhuman physique seemed to have his head driven into his body as if his neck had vanished!
But this time, Kaido didn’t fall into the sea. The Tengu, under Nagato’s control, swiftly dove into the shallow sea, crouched, and grabbed Kaido!
The hundreds-of-meters-tall Tengu held Kaido like a person holding an ant. Yet unlike an ant, Kaido could resist.
The Tengu squeezed, trying to crush Kaido, but Kaido grinned and shouted, “You think this trick can kill me? Boy, don’t be so foolish!”
Gritting his teeth, Kaido struggled, but remember, he was heavily injured. Even so, he managed to force the Tengu’s left hand open with his limbs!
“No such intention, Kaido.” A voice came from behind Kaido.
Nagato had somehow moved behind Kaido: “You are worth the risk to use this technique!”
As he spoke, Nagato’s right hand reached for Kaido’s back!
“Human Path…” Nagato’s hand touched Kaido’s body, but then he halted.
Kaido didn’t lose consciousness, and Nagato didn’t extract his soul. Nagato’s Rinnegan widened slightly, showing genuine surprise for the first time.
Crack!
The Human Path seemed ineffective, and the Tengu couldn’t hold Kaido anymore. With a breaking sound, Kaido’s immense strength shattered the Tengu’s left hand. He turned and swung, aiming a punch at Nagato!
At such close range, Nagato, whose martial skills were far inferior to Doflamingo’s, had no chance to block or counter!
Fortunately, Nagato’s left-hand seal was ready, having anticipated this.
With a puff, white smoke exploded, and Nagato appeared ten meters away.
Whoosh—!
But ten meters was nothing for a monster like Kaido. Within an instant, Kaido’s iron arm swung towards Nagato’s head again!
Boom!
White smoke burst again, and Nagato reappeared another ten meters away, though this time slightly unsteady.
In a flash, Kaido attacked once more!
Boom, boom, boom…
Five more bursts of white smoke, five more teleportations. Nagato finally managed to escape Kaido’s pursuit. In a split second, he used his visual power to activate Susanoo, forming a full body to block Kaido’s next attack, escaping danger!
However, standing on the Tengu’s forehead, Nagato’s face turned red, and he suddenly spat blood!
“Boy.” Kaido’s neck was still slightly crooked from the earlier hit, but he deliberately maintained this stance to show off his arrogance, “It seems I didn’t hit you?”
“No.” Nagato wiped the blood from his chin, “It’s the backlash from my ability.”
Nagato’s new injury was due to the frequent dodging.
The technique he used was the Body Flicker Jutsu.
A space-time technique that allowed instant movement, the Body Flicker Jutsu was the most basic form of space-time ninjutsu. Unlike higher-level techniques like the Flying Thunder God, its range was short. Moreover, this battle-effective skill came with a cost.
The cost was the strain on the body.
Most ninjas could use the Body Flicker Jutsu once or twice in battle, but none could use it frequently because their bodies couldn’t handle the strain.
Each time the space-time travel multiplied the strain exponentially. Apart from rare individuals with special talents, most ninjas could use it only a few times in battle.
Nagato, due to his Uzumaki clan’s resilience, had a limit of twelve times!
Even so, using the Body Flicker Jutsu seven times in just one or two seconds caused significant damage.
Exceeding the limit wouldn’t just exhaust him—it would tear his body apart in a space-time dislocation, leading to instant death!
Nagato felt his body twisted like a wrung cloth, both inside and out injured by space-time forces, a testament to his Sage body’s resilience.
Thus, for the first time, Nagato’s internal injuries somewhat matched Kaido’s exaggerated wounds.
The cause of this was Nagato’s risky close encounter with Kaido, trying to kill him with the Human Path, but failing!
So, he had to ask, “Kaido, what are you?”
Nagato didn’t kill Kaido because Kaido had no soul!
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