LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 264: Rinnesharingan
Horyu's victory was short-lived as he sensed another specter closing in. He pivoted, Observe activating once more.
[System Message: Specter Name: Zorath, the Mind Flayer]
Zorath's gaze locked onto Horyu, and he felt a sudden, intense pressure in his mind, as if his very thoughts were being torn apart. The specter's power was invasive, threatening to shatter his mental defenses. Horyu gritted his teeth, focusing on Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, forcing the intrusion back with the sheer force of his will.
He retaliated with Abyssal Pulse, sending waves of concussive force at Zorath, disrupting its concentration. The specter reeled, and Horyu didn't waste the opportunity. He blurred forward, slashing with his blade, only for Zorath to counter with a burst of psychic energy that sent him staggering back.
The battle continued in a deadly dance, each strike, and counterstrike testing the limits of Horyu's endurance. Zorath's mental attacks kept him on edge, but Horyu fought through the pain, using every trick at his disposal to stay one step ahead.
In the end, it was a combination of tactics that brought Zorath down. Horyu used Spectral Rend to disorient the specter, creating an opening for his blade to strike. The final blow, a mixture of Reality Warp Strike and Abyssal Flame Chains, bound and shattered the specter's form, scattering its essence to the winds.
As Zorath fell, Horyu found himself once again surrounded by the remaining specters. His body ached, the strain of battle weighing heavily on him, but he couldn't stop now. The Realm Masters were still watching, and he knew the true challenge was yet to come.
With a deep breath, Horyu tightened his grip on his blade, ready to face whatever came next. The battle wasn't over—far from it.
At some point, it became less of a fight and more of a slaughter. The battlefield was littered with the remains of countless Specter Lords, their dark forms disintegrating into mist as Horyu cut through them with ruthless efficiency. His blade, burning with the combined power of the God of Fire and the Demon of Flames, carved a path of destruction as he moved from one target to the next. But as the battle raged on, it became clear that this was all part of a larger game—a twisted spectacle for the Realm Masters.
Through the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Horyu could sense their dominant emotions. It wasn't anger or frustration; it was relief. The realization hit him like a sudden jolt—these Realm Masters weren't concerned with the loss of their underlings. If anything, they seemed pleased. It started to make sense. The Realm Masters hadn't always been at the top; they had fought their way up, and now they were ensuring that no one else could rise to challenge them. As the Specter God, the true ruler of their realm, could easily demote any of them and elevate a lesser specter in their place. By allowing the stronger specter lords to be slain, the Realm Masters were securing their own positions. With fewer potential rivals, they would face less competition for power and more of the spoils of battle. They were confident that, in the end, one human couldn't possibly pose a real threat to them. 'He was right, it seems.'
Horyu smirked. He would use their arrogance against them. With each Specter Lord he killed, he watched the Realm Masters closely, gauging their reactions. They didn't intervene, not yet. They were content to let him thin out the ranks. So, he continued his relentless assault, slaughtering specter after specter, his blade flashing as he moved with lethal precision. Hours passed—twelve long, grueling hours—and the battlefield was strewn with the remains of the dead. The air was thick with the stench of burnt essence and the crackle of fading energy.
Finally, the Realm Masters decided to act. But even then, they underestimated. They quarreled among themselves, each one wary of making the first move. In the end, only one stepped forward. The others remained back, their calculating eyes fixed on the battlefield, ready to watch the next stage of the fight.
The Realm Master who approached was a towering figure, cloaked in shadows that seemed to writhe around him like living things. His presence was suffocating, and even from a distance, Horyu could feel the immense power radiating from him. This wasn't just another Specter Lord—this was a being that had ascended far beyond that level.
[System Message: Specter Name: Dremor, the Shadow Sovereign]
Horyu's eyes narrowed as he observed Dremor. The Shadow Sovereign exuded an aura of authority and control, his form barely visible within the swirling darkness that surrounded him. This wasn't going to be like the other battles. Dremor wasn't just strong—he was strategic, calculating, and Horyu knew he couldn't afford to underestimate him.
Dremor made the first move. The shadows around him surged forward, splitting into tendrils that snaked through the air, seeking to ensnare Horyu. The darkness moved with unnatural speed, and Horyu barely had time to react. He flickered out of sight, using the Kurohana Owl Tribe Sage Mode to merge with the shadows, avoiding the attack by slipping into the darkness himself.
But Dremor wasn't fooled. The Shadow Sovereign's tendrils shifted, chasing after Horyu even as he tried to stay hidden. It was as if the shadows themselves were alive, hunting him down with relentless precision. Horyu needed to change tactics, fast.
He reappeared a distance away, unleashing a blast of Celestial Inferno to create a barrier of white-hot flames between himself and the tendrils. The fire burned with a purity that even the shadows struggled to penetrate, giving Horyu a brief moment to strategize.
But Dremor wasn't going to give him that luxury. The Shadow Sovereign materialized within the flames, unharmed, his form shifting and distorting as he moved. Horyu had expected the flames to at least slow him down, but it seemed that Dremor was beyond such simple attacks.
Without missing a beat, Horyu unleashed the Abyssal Flame Chains, the cursed fire bursting from the ground to ensnare Dremor. The blackened chains wrapped around the Shadow Sovereign, tightening with each passing second, draining his energy. But Dremor merely chuckled, his voice a low, resonant sound that echoed across the battlefield.
"Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for such tricks?" Dremor's voice was calm, almost amused. The shadows around him pulsed, and with a simple flex of his power, the Abyssal Flame Chains shattered, dissipating into nothingness.
Horyu cursed under his breath. He couldn't rely on the same tactics that had worked against the Specter Lords. Dremor was on a different level entirely. He needed to find a weakness, something he could exploit.
The last 1% of his Sharingan mastery, the tiny gap that had been holding him back, was suddenly filled. His Purest Uzumaki Physique, the foundation of his immense stamina and chakra reserves, merged seamlessly with his ocular bloodline. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before.
His eyes burned, not with pain, but with the intense energy that was morphing them. Horyu clenched his fists as the transformation took hold, the power within him swelling to new heights. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan began to shift, the tomoe spinning wildly before dissolving into intricate patterns. His left eye turned a deep, blood-red, a single ring with intricate markings forming—a RinneSharingan. His right eye morphed into a vivid purple hue, the same concentric circles of a Rinnegan, a purple Rinnesharingan.
Horyu blinked, his new eyes adjusting to the world around him. The battlefield appeared sharper, clearer, every detail magnified. He could see the spectral energy coursing through Dremor, the subtle shifts in the shadows as they moved. He could feel the immense power radiating from his own body, a perfect blend of Uchiha and Uzumaki, tempered by the trials he had faced.