Chương 373: Tailed Beast Ball vs. Ice Meteorite

"Since that's the case, it seems we must fight," Kaguya said.

"Mmm," Esdeath smiled, "Though I know how strong you are, my dear, I'll do my best. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"I don't understand why you're so fixated on these meaningless things," Kaguya asked, slightly puzzled.

"This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Only the strong survive and can control everything," Esdeath said softly, "It's only natural for the strong to dominate the weak."

"And what if I win?" Kaguya smiled.

"If you win, then I'll admit you're stronger than me and naturally, you can dominate me. I'll obey your words," Esdeath's lips curved into a smile. "But, my dear, while I can give you everything else, I won't give you this chance."

"Is that so?" Kaguya smiled faintly. "Sorry, but you may not realize—I'm not who I used to be. My power is not the same as before."

"Then I'll have to give it a try," Esdeath said.

"As you wish." Kaguya smiled easily.

"Then let's begin. Be careful," a sharp glint flashed in Esdeath's eyes.

Before her words had even faded, Esdeath stepped forward, wielding her slender sword like a streak of pale blue light, striking toward Kaguya at lightning speed.

A crisp "clang" echoed.

Sparks flew.

Kaguya effortlessly waved her hand and blocked Esdeath's sword with ease.

"An attack like this won't defeat me," Kaguya said, her eyes shining like stars in a nebula.

"You never know unless you try," Esdeath replied.

Turning and swinging her arm, Esdeath thrust her sword again. The cold gleam of her blade left behind countless illusions as it pierced through the air.

"Clang!"

A brilliant green sword, gleaming like a rainbow, struck Esdeath's sword at just the right moment. The shock made Esdeath's sword tremble and miss its mark, grazing past Kaguya.

But it wasn't over yet.

Esdeath pivoted, her body twisting gracefully like the crescent moon. She spun around and extended her left hand, forming several ice spikes in her palm, which shot toward Kaguya.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Sword of Kusanagi danced in Kaguya's hand, shattering the incoming ice spikes with casual grace.

"If this is all you have, I think we can call it..." Kaguya's sentence trailed off, her brow furrowing as she leapt back.

With a loud "bang," a massive ice wall appeared where Kaguya had just been standing. If she hadn't moved quickly, she might have been trapped inside.

"Didn't expect you to notice, dear," Esdeath smiled slightly, "Is it because of your eyes?"

"Didn't expect you to figure it out," Kaguya replied. "Indeed, it's one of my abilities."

"Such beautiful eyes," Esdeath said softly, "I should have known. Now, my dear, be careful—I'm going to get serious."

"Mhm," Kaguya responded.

"Haaah!"

With a shout, Esdeath gripped her sword tightly and drove it into the ground.

The ground trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The rock beneath them cracked like a spiderweb, stones flying in all directions as dust billowed into the air.

Suddenly, countless ice pillars burst forth from the ground, sharp like spears, lunging toward Kaguya.

With a sharp stomp, Kaguya launched herself into the air like an arrow.

But she couldn't escape the ice pillars' pursuit. They rapidly extended and thickened, almost instantly reaching her.

"Not bad. You've got some skill," Kaguya remarked.

"I'm glad my dear appreciates it," Esdeath said with a laugh.

"But it's still far from enough."

Kaguya's eyes narrowed slightly as she gripped the Kusanagi sword. Her pale arm swung with great force.

Countless sword lights, like arcs of rainbow, shot out and collided with the ice pillars in a flash.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of deafening explosions followed.

The sturdy ice pillars shattered into fragments, turning into large chunks of ice and frost.

Before Kaguya could even catch her breath, she suddenly looked up, her pupils contracting. In the sky, a massive ice sphere had appeared without her noticing.

The ice sphere was enormous, at least a thousand meters in diameter, radiating an overwhelming cold. If it weren't clearly made of ice, gleaming with a frosty sheen, one might have thought it was a meteorite.

"Is this your trump card?" Kaguya asked as she gazed up at the rapidly falling ice sphere.

"How do you like it, dear?" Esdeath laughed. "If you surrender now, there's still time."

"Sorry, but I don't have the habit of letting a woman control me," Kaguya replied with a faint smile.

Just as she finished speaking, Kaguya raised her pale arm, her fingers spreading slightly. A small purple orb appeared in her palm, growing larger with the wind. In the blink of an eye, it had expanded to several times Kaguya's size.

"That's..." Esdeath's pupils shrank. Staring at the purple orb in Kaguya's hand, she could feel the overwhelming energy it contained, so powerful it was almost unbelievable.

This was Kaguya's ability—the Tailed Beast Ball.

With a gentle push of her white hand, the Tailed Beast Ball, crackling with strands of lightning, shot out and collided with the ice sphere.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as the purple light flashed, followed by a deafening "boom" that shook the sky.

The ice sphere shattered almost instantly under the power of the Tailed Beast Ball, and before the massive chunks of ice could hit the ground, they were vaporized by the intense heat of the explosion.

"Looks like you've lost, dear General Esdeath," a warm voice whispered in Esdeath's ear, snapping her out of her thoughts. Turning, she found Kaguya standing beside her, the Kusanagi sword resting gently against her pale neck.

"Your strength truly surpasses my imagination, my dear," Esdeath said with a smile on her pale face, turning to face Kaguya. "But if you think I've lost, it's still too early to say."

A sly glint flashed in Esdeath's pale blue eyes as she uttered, "Mahapadma."