Crack! Crack!
A steady stream of gold sand flew into Sōmi's hands as he hovered in the air. The sand compressed and solidified under his control, gradually forming a slender golden spear in his grasp.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Dragon's body was now mostly submerged in the swirling vortex of gold sand below. Its once radiant blue form had become faintly translucent, and the scales on its surface were now blurry and indistinct, appearing as little more than faint patterns.
The lightning blade embedded in the Thunder Dragon's head had ceased emitting electricity. On top of the dragon, Raiga Kurosuki's face showed signs of panic. Despite pouring nearly all of his Chakra into the Thunder Dragon, he was unable to escape this golden inferno.
With no other options, Raiga remained atop the dragon's head. Lacking the ability to fly and with his Chakra nearly depleted, falling into the swirling sand below would mean certain death.
Pop!
Finally, with a soft but decisive sound, the Thunder Dragon was torn in half by two massive arms of compressed gold sand. As the dragon disintegrated, it released a spray of water that reflected dazzling colors under the setting sun. Faint traces of electricity flickered within the cascading droplets.
The golden arms, having destroyed the Thunder Dragon, immediately turned their attention to Raiga. They coiled around him, wrapping him tightly in their relentless grip.
"Thunder Burial: Feast of Lightning!"
Raiga gripped his lightning blade tightly, attempting to summon one final bolt of lightning to strike himself down. To him, being captured alive by an enemy was a humiliation worse than death. He sought a grand and defiant exit from this world.
But Sōmi would not let him have his way. Raiga's body was far too valuable.
With a wave of his hands, Sōmi commanded the golden arms to slap the lightning blade out of Raiga's grasp. The sand then enveloped Raiga's hands, binding them completely before spreading to cover his entire body. In mere moments, his limbs and torso were tightly restrained, leaving him utterly immobile. Even his fallen lightning blade was now out of reach.
Sōmi showed no interest in exchanging words with his enemy. As soon as Raiga was restrained, the golden spear in Sōmi's hand, now shimmering with a radiant sheen, was hurled forward.
Thud!
With a piercing sound, the golden spear drove straight through Raiga's head. His skull burst like a watermelon struck with immense force, spraying a gruesome mixture of red and white matter from the back of his head.
Huff! Huff!
Exhausted, Sōmi collapsed onto his golden cloud, panting heavily. Facing such a formidable opponent had drained nearly all of his Chakra.
Thankfully, his cautious nature had led him to prepare a massive reserve of gold sand in advance, sparing him the need to expend Chakra refining it during the battle.
Even so, the earlier collision with the hillside had left him with internal injuries, despite the protection of the gold sand. His organs had suffered considerable shock.
After carefully inspecting Raiga's corpse with his gold sand to ensure there were no traps or explosive tags, Sōmi brought the body closer to him.
As a ninja, Raiga might have been the type to use desperate measures, such as triggering a massive explosion of paper bombs or activating a self-destructive sealing technique to take his enemy—or at least the battlefield—with him.
Sōmi needed to confirm there were no such surprises before proceeding with his next steps.
Raiga's belongings included two scrolls, some currency, and two ninja tool pouches containing items like smoke bombs and explosive tags.
One of the scrolls was a mission scroll detailing their objectives and a map of their route. The other scroll recorded the location of their support personnel.
"These hidden ports could prove useful. I'll have Scorpion take control of them later," Sōmi muttered, stroking his chin. He hadn't expected to find any legendary techniques or vast sums of money on Raiga.
After all, ninjas on missions—especially during wartime—essentially carried their lives on their belts. Money and valuable scrolls were rarely kept on their person.
"This, however, is the real prize!" Sōmi exclaimed, picking up Raiga's fallen lightning blade. Separating the weapon into two short blades, he infused them with Chakra. The blades emitted a crackling sound as silver-white lightning arced between them, coursing unpredictably along their edges.
Of the Seven Ninja Swords, Sōmi had always considered the Lightning Blade and Samehada to be the most valuable. The others, to be honest, held little appeal to him.
Poof!
With a puff of white smoke, Raiga's corpse and the lightning blade were sealed into a scroll.
This was exactly why Sōmi had diligently studied sealing techniques. Only by mastering the use of sealing scrolls could he experience the convenience of a fantasy-world storage ring.
After securing the scroll and popping a soldier pill into his mouth, Sōmi stepped onto his golden cloud and flew toward Scorpion's location.
If Scorpion hadn't finished his battle yet, Sōmi knew he'd have to lend a hand once more.
"This..."
From his vantage point on the golden cloud, Sōmi hovered in mid-air, his mouth slightly agape as he took in the scene below.
A massive, fortress-like earthen mound stretched across the landscape, standing out starkly against the surrounding terrain.
At the base of the mound flowed a shallow river, its surface shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors. From above, the low-lying area appeared to have been flooded by water released by Fuguki Suikazan. The water had yet to fully drain, seeping slowly into the earth.
The most peculiar aspect, however, was the water's coloration. It radiated a dangerous, multicolored hue, as though a mischievous child had splashed various paints onto a blank canvas.
Beneath the water's surface, it became clear that this was no ordinary liquid. The vibrant colors were the result of a deadly mixture of poisons. Even the soil at the riverbed seemed unable to withstand the corrosive potency, releasing bubbles as it dissolved.
On top of the earthen mound, the clash of blades rang out, drawing Sōmi's attention.
Scorpion was commanding one of his puppets in an intense battle against Jūzō Biwa. The Executioner's Blade clashed against the puppet's scythe, sending sparks flying in all directions.
The two Iwagakure human puppets that Scorpion had been using earlier were nowhere to be seen.
Behind Jūzō, Sōmi spotted Fuguki Suikazan lying prone on the ground. His body was covered in a patchwork of vibrant, fuel-like stains, and it was unclear whether he was alive or dead.
Not far from Fuguki, Samehada flopped about like a fish out of water.
"Scorpion! Get up here!"
Sōmi flew his golden cloud toward Scorpion. With a single leap, Scorpion landed beside him, and the two ascended into the air together.
"Are you alright?" Sōmi asked.
"What could possibly happen to me? What about your side? Is it done?" Scorpion retorted in his usual tone.
"Come on, if I hadn't finished him off, would I be here to save you?" Sōmi teased.
"Do you really think I'd need you to save me?"
Despite their banter, neither of them took their eyes off Jūzō Biwa.
Scorpion's right hand moved subtly, continuing to command his puppet in battle.
Meanwhile, Sōmi clasped his hands together, summoning a small stream of gold sand from beneath the water. Though limited in quantity, it was enough to serve as a distraction.