Chapter 40 - 40: What Kind of Monster Are You!!?
The moment Shukaku launched the purple-black Tailed Beast Bomb, it was as if the very fabric of reality had been torn open.
Its path carved a devastating line through the air, distorting space with sheer destructive force.
From a distance, every onlooker was frozen in terror.
That monster—cornered?
Not only had the intruder destroyed its claw with a single strike, but now, he had pushed the One-Tail to use its ultimate attack!
Finally, the spectators began to understand why the Fourth Kazekage had been overwhelmed so quickly.
Scorpion, watching from the sidelines, felt his throat tighten.
He... he's not actually going to die from that, right?
His eyes stayed locked on the enormous Tailed Beast Bomb, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his cheek.
His usual calm was nowhere to be found. Even the battle with Chiyo had faded from his mind.
Chiyo, too, was paralyzed.
A bone-deep chill spread through her limbs as she gazed at the apocalyptic attack streaking toward the ground.
But on the battlefield, Zeldris didn't flinch.
His expression remained neutral—bored, almost.
As the monstrous energy sphere raced toward him, he simply exhaled, eyes sharpening.
His fists clenched.
Suddenly, white light burst from his hands, and two radiant pressure shields flared into existence—pure, blinding.
Then, without hesitation, he fused them.
BZZZZZT!
A brilliant flash exploded outward, illuminating the night like a second sun. The entire battlefield was bathed in its harsh glow.
Onlookers shielded their eyes, crying out in confusion and fear.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Argh—my eyes! Is that... daylight?!"
Even the most battle-hardened ninja trembled, overwhelmed by the intensity.
Down below, Zeldris smirked faintly.
The pressure from the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb crashed into him like a tidal wave, but he didn't falter.
With a whisper of breath, he struck.
"Shatter."
His fist collided with the energy sphere.
BOOM!
The shockwave was cataclysmic.
The earth shook violently. Cracks split the ground. Entire sections of Sand Village trembled as if the world were ending.
"Nngh—the quake again!"
"This is different—this time it feels like the whole world's collapsing!"
"Wait—is that intruder... blocking the Tailed Beast Bomb?!"
Realization dawned on every face.
This wasn't just a desperate counterattack. It was dominance.
Power of this scale—was it even human?
Even Scorpion was dumbstruck. His jaw tightened as he watched the chaos unfold.
This is beyond logic...
All that time, he was holding back? What kind of monster is he?!
Chiyo's gaze flicked to Scorpion, then back to the battlefield. She couldn't make sense of it either.
How could someone like Scorpion be traveling with... that?
Who was this Zeldris?
Then it happened.
CRACK.
A sharp, glass-like sound echoed through the night.
All heads turned as thin, white fractures raced across the air like lightning bolts. They spread wide—expanding until they mirrored the size of the Tailed Beast Bomb itself.
Then... they stopped.
A heartbeat later, the massive energy sphere collided with the cracked space—
—and froze.
No explosion. No fire. No destruction.
The Tailed Beast Bomb hovered in place, suspended midair. The entire battlefield went silent.
It wasn't stopped by a physical barrier. It wasn't deflected.
It was trapped in broken space—stuck, like an insect in amber.
The cracks pulsed faintly, locking it in place.
Eyes widened.
"What... what are we even looking at?"
"Did he... just stop it?! That was the strongest thing the tailed beast could do!"
"Did those cracks... shatter the space itself?!"
Not even the elite among them could comprehend what they were seeing.
And above it all, Shukaku stared—eyes blank with disbelief.
The ultimate weapon of a Tailed Beast.
Stopped.
Like it was nothing.
"W-what... what is this kid?!"
Even the ancient spirit of the desert had no answer. Its face twisted in alarm, its pride shattered.
A crack in reality had just swallowed its strongest move.
Then, from below—
A voice rang out, fierce and sharp.
"BREAK!"
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