Saying that Kaido has no soul might not be entirely accurate. After all, if he had no soul, how could he stand here alive and be one of the Four Emperors, standing at the pinnacle of the world?
But when Nagato’s right hand touched Kaido’s back, he truly found no trace of Kaido’s soul!
“Kaido, what exactly are you?” Nagato asked from atop the Tengu.
“Me?” Kaido finally straightened his neck, looking puzzled at first, then frowning as he shouted, “Of course, I’m Kaido, boy!”
After the impatient retort, Kaido once again hammered his fists behind him and charged at Nagato.
Facing the frenzied Kaido, the Tengu created giant waves as it stepped forward to meet the attack head-on.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
This round of battle had no breaks or pauses. Every minute, every second, Kaido’s fists and the Tengu’s giant blade collided countless times, producing deafening explosions with each clash. The immense force sent hundred-meter-high waves crashing across the sea.
It seemed like whenever a wave surged up in one spot, another exploded elsewhere, the distance between these continuous waves ranging from tens to hundreds to even thousands of meters. Their fierce battle turned the vast ocean into a chaotic fountain plaza, shattering countless rocks and even destroying several small barren islands!
This was why Nagato insisted on fighting Kaido outside their territory. Entering the territorial waters could cause unimaginable destruction and impact.
However, for both of them, this was the lowest intensity of battle, almost a warm-up exercise!
The fact that Kaido and the Tengu were evenly matched was a clear indication—Nagato’s full-body Susanoo was not his strongest attack method, and Kaido’s earlier punches were enough to break it!
The full-body Susanoo was primarily defensive, while Kaido was heavily injured. This temporary stalemate was because neither was fighting at full strength. So, what else could this be but a warm-up?
The purpose of this warm-up became evident from their changes.
Sweat and splashing seawater had washed away all the blood from Kaido’s body. His once dim eyes regained their sharpness, his dark skin turned lustrous again, and his shrunken body became full, with all his muscles restored. During this continuous fierce battle, Kaido had somehow returned to his normal state!
The only unusual thing was the white steam he kept inhaling and exhaling through his nose, showing he wasn’t as unscathed as he appeared.
Even for the indestructible Kaido, recovering from such severe injuries must have come at a cost.
In comparison, Nagato looked more battered.
Despite the resilience of the Uzumaki clan’s physique, without having reached the complete Sage body, Nagato needed at least a night of rest to heal his injuries. He couldn’t recover during the battle like Kaido.
So Nagato’s broken ribs still throbbed with pain, and the aftereffects of using the Body Flicker Jutsu seven times hadn’t dissipated. Combined with his internal injuries, it was only thanks to his robust physique that the injuries hadn’t worsened.
However, aside from his physical injuries, the energy turbulence from depleting 30% of his chakra had stabilized, and his mind, spirit, visual power, and chakra control were all back to peak condition.
Both of them had adjusted their states during the warm-up.
Then, they attacked simultaneously!
Boom!
In an instant, Kaido stomped on the sea, creating a dozen huge footprints, suddenly appearing under the Tengu’s left foot. With a horizontal kick, he toppled the Tengu over!
Relentless, Kaido stepped into the air and accelerated with both fists downwards, slamming into the side of the fallen Tengu’s head.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
Dodging the Tengu’s almost random slashes and giant hands, Kaido’s fists hammered down like cannons, completely shattering the Tengu’s head after numerous strikes!
But this was when Nagato’s real counterattack began.
The Tengu’s vulnerability was because Nagato was focusing on his preparations. He spread his hands, touching his fingers together in front of his chest, forming a small hollow space with a semi-transparent white cube inside.
“Dust Release,” Nagato intoned as the cube flew out and expanded to enclose Kaido, “Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!”
This deadly move was the highest level of bloodline advancement in the ninja world, Bloodline Selection, Dust Release!
The extreme Shinra Tensei was too draining, and using it again would be risky even if it heavily injured Kaido. The Human Path’s ability had unexpectedly failed, making the Dust Release, which disintegrates anything into molecules, the best way to deal with Kaido!
However, despite not being as terrifying as in his blood mist state, the normal Kaido was still incredibly strong. After two punches that seemed to shatter space, Kaido reacted quickly, escaping the Dust Release’s cube and dodging to the side!
“Direct attacks won’t work. Dealing with you always takes extra effort, Kaido,” Nagato said, seemingly troubled, keeping his right hand steady with the Dust Release energy while extending his left hand towards Kaido. “Universal Pull!”
Although Dust Release was also energy-consuming, it wasn’t as demanding as the Shinra Tensei. For Nagato, the chakra required for Bloodline Selection was only ten times that of a regular Shinra Tensei, not overly taxing. Thus, he could manipulate Dust Release with one hand while using the Deva Path’s gravitational force with the other!
Under the invisible force, Kaido was once again pulled towards Nagato.
Universal Pull still couldn’t completely hold Kaido, but like before, it restricted his movements, which was more than enough.
“Dust Release, Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!”
The white light of Bloodline Selection struck again, but this time it wasn’t a close-range cube. Instead, it was a dazzling beam shot from Nagato’s hand!
Buzz—!
The white light, capable of disintegrating everything, cut through the air, vibrating time and space, emitting a buzzing sound, and fully struck Kaido!
The Tengu’s neck burned with purple flames, and its head reappeared, albeit with a hole left by the Dust Release beam.
Nagato’s eyes focused on Kaido under the Dust Release.
Theoretically, besides the Rinnegan and Truth-Seeking Balls, Dust Release had no counter. Even the Sage of Six Paths or Kaguya Otsutsuki would die from a direct hit by Dust Release. Therefore, Nagato was confident in eliminating Kaido.
However, ninja vigilance kept Nagato from being careless. Kaido wasn’t from the previous world, and as a monster known for immortality, the outcome was uncertain. So Nagato remained fully focused on the Beast in front of him.
An astonishing sight indeed occurred.
In the disintegrating white light, Kaido’s body didn’t vanish instantly. Instead, his flesh eroded slowly.
Even more unbelievably, the areas of his forearms and knees, which bore the brunt of Dust Release, seemed to reveal faint silver spots after the flesh eroded.
The moment these silver spots appeared, Nagato’s body tensed involuntarily.
The lethal sensation, like a blade against his neck, returned, ten times stronger than before!
Immediately, without waiting for Kaido to move, Nagato canceled the Dust Release. In a surge of purple flames, the Tengu fully regenerated and assumed a defensive stance!
But nothing happened.
“Ah—!!!”
With a loud, coarse shout, Kaido’s aura exploded, sending shockwaves across the sea.
“It hurts so much!” Contrary to Nagato’s perception, Kaido yelled, “Such powerful attacks! I’m satisfied, it really felt like it could kill me! Why did you stop, boy?”
The Tengu remained on high alert. After a brief silence, Nagato asked, “What are you hiding, Kaido?”
“Hiding? I’ve got nothing to hide!” Just as when Nagato asked what he was, Kaido showed strong displeasure and shouted, “I am Kaido!”
Nagato frowned.
The danger he sensed twice couldn’t be wrong, and Kaido’s actions didn’t seem like a bluff. What was going on?
Could it be that Kaido himself didn’t know about this hidden power? This seemed the most reasonable explanation.
Was this why Kaido survived countless attempts on his life?
Nagato seemed to understand why even Whitebeard and the Marines were helpless against Kaido, but he still lacked the crucial answer—what exactly was Kaido’s secret?
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