Chapter 109: Extreme Copying, Inferno Dragon Fire!

Chapter 109: Extreme Copying, Inferno Dragon Fire!

The Misty Pavilion was shrouded in white fog, swirling gently over the battlefield.

Pools, ruins, broken wood, shattered tiles, and the chaotic clashes of blades and bodies raged on.

Amid the distant mist, occasional cries of anguish pierced the air.

Frightened birds darted away as the chilling daylight reflected pale beams onto the battlefield.

Two warriors, driven by their own goals amidst this calamity, drew their blades against one another.

The scene resembled a moment captured in the ukiyo-e masterpiece "The Rescue of Minamoto no Tametomo's Family at Sanuki-in."

Uchiha Ci closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gripped the blazing Kusanagi sword tightly. Exhaling the stagnation from his lungs, he reversed his grip on the hilt, braced the sword against his arm, and poised in a ready stance.

Abruptly, his eyes snapped open, revealing crimson pupils with two black tomoe spinning within them. These eyes reflected every move of his opponent.

Across from him, Hozuki Mangetsu licked the corner of his lips, lifting his massive sword into a ready stance, his gaze predatory as if sizing up his prey.

No unnecessary words were exchanged.

The two surged toward each other in an instant. The fiery blade and the massive sword drew sharp arcs through the air, colliding violently.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the weapons clashed.

Uchiha Ci immediately disengaged, sidestepping and leaping back to evade the downward slash of the Hiramekarei. At the same time, he activated his flaming sword, extending its blade to thrust toward Hozuki Mangetsu's heart.

In this critical moment, Hozuki Mangetsu remained calm. He kicked the Hiramekarei upward to block the fiery blade. Then, channeling chakra into his weapon, he severed the red-hot sword. Immediately after, he gripped the hilt with both hands, swinging the blade in a diagonal slash aimed to cleave Uchiha Ci in half.

Uchiha Ci quickly tilted his head, his crimson eyes tracing a red trajectory as he anticipated his opponent's intent.

He sidestepped the strike, allowing the Hiramekarei to graze from his shoulder to his abdomen, and countered with a horizontal slash of his Kusanagi sword. His intent was clear: to pierce his opponent's side and engulf him in flames, reducing him to ashes.

Startled, Hozuki Mangetsu twisted his waist and shifted to a retreat, narrowly avoiding the blade as it scraped against his broad weapon.

Screech!

A grating sound erupted as the blade met the weapon's surface.

All this transpired in the blink of an eye.

Each strike and slash carried the intent to take the opponent's life.

Soon, the clashing weapons drew sharp arcs through the fog, creating a relentless series of resounding clashes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blood splattered repeatedly, all of it Uchiha Ci's.

Yet he paid no heed to his wounds inflicted by Hozuki Mangetsu.

Forsaking defense, he relentlessly pressured his opponent's blade paths.

All he needed was a single strike, just one hit to turn the tide of battle.

Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes twitched. This fighting style felt all too familiar to him.

At that moment, Uchiha Ci swung his blade again.

Hozuki Mangetsu pulled the Hiramekarei from Uchiha Ci's abdomen, raised the sword to block the fiery blade, and quickly retreated.

Sweat trickled down his temple as his wariness grew with each passing exchange.

He grew increasingly frustrated, cursing inwardly.

Because the techniques this brat was using… were his own!

The secret swordsmanship of the Hozuki clan had always been impossible to replicate, relying on the unique Hydrification Technique of their bloodline.

By turning their body into water, they ignored physical attacks, focusing solely on offense—far surpassing ordinary sword techniques in ferocity.

Yet, this brat before him was treating his unkillable body as if it were the Hydrification Technique, adopting the same offense-only strategy!

Moreover, he was using the very techniques Hozuki Mangetsu had employed during their last encounter at the castle!

Clearly, his swordsmanship had been completely copied by those cursed Sharingan!

"This is absurd!" Hozuki Mangetsu clenched his teeth, his mind awash with frustration.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Ci's body trembled from the pain as he gritted his teeth, his crimson eyes bloodshot.

With no advanced sword techniques of his own, his only option to contend with Hozuki Mangetsu was to copy the latter's swordsmanship entirely through his Sharingan.

Like a madman, he used the injuries inflicted on his body as an opportunity to perfect his technique.

Charging forward again, Uchiha Ci pressed the attack.

In response, Hozuki Mangetsu executed a dazzling slash, severing Uchiha Ci's lower leg before swinging the Hiramekarei horizontally to swat him away like a fly.

The blow sent Uchiha Ci flying through the air, his face, chest, and limbs grotesquely distorted by the force.

"Ugh! Bleh!"

Uchiha Ci coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision spinning and flickering with stars.

Suddenly, a notification floated before his eyes, causing his brow to twitch.

[You have learned: Hozuki Swordsmanship (Beginner, B)]

In that instant, clarity struck Uchiha Ci.

In his mind, a miniature figure of Hozuki Mangetsu demonstrated the Hozuki sword techniques, each move seamlessly connecting into a complete, structured style.

He could now predict the trajectory of the next attack, the follow-up moves, and even how Hozuki Mangetsu would respond to his own counterattacks.

Uchiha Ci's eyes lit up.

Twisting his body midair, he landed on the ground. Enduring the pain, he began to heal his injuries while experimenting with the newly learned techniques.

With each swing of his sword, his expression grew brighter.

Feeling the tingling pain coursing through his body, Uchiha Ci grinned fiercely.

"Hozuki Mangetsu," he snarled, "you're completely exposed under these eyes of mine!"

Clenching the sword in his teeth, he dropped onto all fours, snarling,

"Time to end this!"

Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes flickered with unease as he watched the bloodied, mangled Uchiha Ci crawl forward.

Despite his injuries, Uchiha Ci's severed leg reattached mid-charge.

Leaping high into the air, Uchiha Ci drew the flaming Kusanagi sword from his mouth. Spinning, he slashed downward with a luminous arc.

"Cloud Style: Deceptive Slash!"

Hozuki Mangetsu smirked.

"Cloud Style? This won't work on me!"

Raising the Hiramekarei, he prepared to block.

But midair, Uchiha Ci switched forms—transitioning from Cloud Style to Uchiha Style in an instant.

A radiant, fiery slash, brilliant as the sun, swept downward.

"Uchiha Style: Instant Slash!"

Hozuki Mangetsu's face darkened. He realized he couldn't react in time.

"Do I have to Hydrify again?!"

Activating his Hydrification Technique to dodge, he simultaneously swung the Hiramekarei to sever Uchiha Ci's arms.

But Uchiha Ci sneered.

Using hidden black wires, he altered his descent midair and hurled the blazing Kusanagi sword with immense force.

"Magnetic Spin—Blazing Brick Sword Style!"

Hozuki Mangetsu was stunned.

"What kind of nonsense sword style is this?!"

But the blazing sword was already upon him, streaking like a comet toward his chest.

Barely deflecting it to avoid his heart, Hozuki Mangetsu lost the chance to Hydrify completely.

Uchiha Ci grinned, pulling the wires taut.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The wires, strung unnoticed beforehand, ensnared Hozuki Mangetsu.

Forming hand seals—Snake, Dragon, Hare, Tiger—Uchiha Ci grinned savagely.

"You lose, Hozuki Mangetsu!"

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Flames surged through the wires, consuming Hozuki Mangetsu in an inferno.

The once-mighty genius of Kirigakure fell in a blaze of fire, his horrified eyes frozen in defeat.

At last, a notification appeared before Uchiha Ci:

[Victory Achieved!]

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