Boom!
Towering waves, over ten meters high, surged forward, flooding the area and uprooting smaller trees, dragging them far into the distance.
Fortunately, Sōmi possessed the ability to fly. Standing atop a golden cloud, he evaded the rushing waters with ease.
He turned his head to glance toward Scorpion's position, where a massive, fortress-like earthen mound had risen—a clear sign of Earth Release: Earth Flow Fortress Wall.
Scorpion, along with his puppets, stood atop the mound. His expression was serious, yet there was an undeniable air of confidence about him.
Meanwhile, Fuguki Suikazan had already submerged himself beneath the water, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Only a faint, deep-blue shadow could be seen moving beneath the surface.
Seeing this, Sōmi knew that Scorpion could still handle the situation. He redirected his focus back to his own opponent.
The Thunder Dragon, conjured by Raiga Kurosuki, now had most of its body submerged in the water. However, Raiga's next move caught Sōmi completely off guard.
With a low growl, Raiga commanded the Thunder Dragon to begin spinning rapidly in place. Its speed increased, creating a massive whirlpool in the water.
At the base of the whirlpool, the water seemed to be drawn upward into the Thunder Dragon's body, as if the dragon were performing a "dragon drinking water" phenomenon—an awe-inspiring sight.
Zzzap!
When the Thunder Dragon finally stopped spinning, its body had transformed into a shimmering, translucent blue. The electricity coursing along its surface had become subdued and refined.
The dragon raised one of its claws and tossed Raiga into the air. He landed gracefully on the water's surface, looking up at Sōmi, who hovered mid-air. His eyes were filled with a provocative fighting spirit.
With a swing of his long-handled lightning blade, Raiga commanded the Thunder Dragon to lunge at Sōmi's Golden Dragon, tearing a massive gash into it. The dragon's claws shimmered with a crystalline glow, faint arcs of electricity dancing along their edges.
The dual-element Thunder-Water Dragon's power was undeniable.
Sōmi furrowed his brow and directed his golden cloud to fly further away, as if attempting to flee.
"Hahaha!"
"What's wrong? Running away again, just like last time?"
Raiga let out a wild, mocking laugh. This time, however, he had no intention of letting Sōmi escape.
Under Raiga's command, the Thunder Dragon quickly tore the Golden Dragon apart, leaving it in tatters. The Thunder Dragon then opened its mouth and spat out a lightning sphere, obliterating the Golden Dragon into a mass of charred gold sand that fell into the water below.
Relentless, the Thunder Dragon slithered across the water like a serpent, closely pursuing Sōmi. It periodically launched lightning spheres at him, forcing Sōmi to dodge continuously in mid-air.
The chase led them far from the battlefield.
Before long, Sōmi reached the edge of a dry, earthen plain, beyond the reach of the Great Waterfall's floodwaters.
The Thunder Dragon suddenly leapt into the air, its massive jaws snapping toward Sōmi. However, Sōmi's golden cloud was exceptionally agile, rapidly changing direction mid-air. The cloud dove downward, narrowly avoiding the dragon's gaping maw.
But the Thunder Dragon's thick tail whipped around like a bolt of lightning.
Smack!
Sōmi failed to dodge in time. The golden cloud was shattered, dispersing into fine grains of gold sand that fell to the ground.
Sōmi's body was sent flying at an angle, crashing into the side of a nearby hill with a loud thud.
"Haha!"
"Where will you run now, little flying brat?"
"This will be your grave!"
Raiga, seemingly tired of the chase, decided to end things once and for all. Seeing Sōmi finally grounded, he resolved to kill him here and now.
Commanding the Thunder Dragon to lower its head, Raiga leapt onto its back, standing atop its head.
With both hands, he swung his long-handled lightning blade, creating arcs of silvery lightning that danced through the air.
Then, with a sudden thrust, Raiga plunged the blade into the dragon's head. Torrents of lightning surged from the blade into the Thunder Dragon's body. Before long, Raiga's own energy began to wane.
Roar!
Infused with immense amounts of lightning, the Thunder Dragon seemed to gain sentience. Its silver-blue body gleamed with clearly defined scales, its ferocious horns lifelike, and its crimson eyes filled with unbridled rage.
The dragon raised its head in a silent roar, sending out shockwaves that rippled through the air, its presence utterly terrifying.
Cough, cough!
Sōmi, who had been slammed into the hillside, coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. Though battered and covered in dust, he felt a slight relief in his chest and throat. Despite his disheveled appearance, his eyes burned with determination as he stared at the Thunder Dragon and Raiga atop it.
"But the one who will be buried here... is not me. It's you!"
Sōmi murmured softly. His deep eyes seemed to ignite with a blazing fire as his hands formed a series of seals. His Chakra surged out without reservation, his aura growing increasingly intense.
The dust at Sōmi's feet was swept into the air by a powerful gust. The hill beneath him, towering several dozen meters high, began to tremble violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
Boom!
The entire hill exploded, revealing a torrent of golden sand bursting forth from within.
It turned out that before the battle, while preparing an ambush with Scorpion, Sōmi had hidden an enormous reserve of gold sand beneath the hill, disguising it with Earth Release to make it appear as an ordinary mound of dirt.
Golden Sand Prison Flow!
The ground beneath the Thunder Dragon suddenly caved in, transforming into a flowing river of gold sand. The sand began to spin, forming a massive vortex.
The hill—no, now a mountain of gold sand—erupted like a flood, aiming to completely engulf the Thunder Dragon.
Boom! Boom!
Arcs of lightning erupted from the dragon's body, exploding upon contact with the gold sand and pushing back the encroaching tide.
But the vortex below spun faster and faster. Thick golden arms emerged from the swirling sand, attempting to drag the Thunder Dragon down.
Raiga's face twisted with a mix of shock and disbelief. What had seemed like a certain victory was now slipping away, leaving him momentarily paralyzed by chaotic thoughts.
The Thunder Dragon thrashed violently, its claws tearing through the encroaching gold sand.
Sōmi clasped his hands together, slowly raising them as if lifting a mountain.
Whoosh!
The swirling vortex of gold sand surged upward, creating a massive golden wave that crashed toward the Thunder Dragon.
Boom!
A blinding flash of lightning shot skyward, vaporizing a large portion of the incoming gold sand in an instant, leaving only a thin layer behind.
The air was filled with a sulfurous stench, and faint arcs of electricity crackled sporadically.
But the Thunder Dragon, now trapped within the massive vortex of gold sand, could no longer escape.
The sand, once again surging with renewed vigor, closed in on the dragon. Its previously formidable form had thinned considerably, a clear sign that even with the support of his lightning blade, Raiga's Chakra was nearing its limit.