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Chapter 228 The Ice and Snow Demon and the Fire and Thunder God

Uchiha Hikaru now understood why Esdeath had said that this move was prepared for her.

In previous challenges, Esdeath found Susanoo the most difficult to deal with. With this chakra armor in place, even if Esdeath froze time and space with "Mahapadma", she was still helpless against her.

On the contrary, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, although very domineering, can be prevented and resisted to a certain extent.

So now...

"If you can't beat them, join them?"

In the blink of an eye.

Esdeath, already controlling the ice giant, took a step forward and threw a punch at the crowd!

Ice and Snow Demon - Phase One!

Before the fist even arrived, the chaotic wind from the punch had already pushed aside the air, enveloping Uchiha Hikaru completely!

In the blink of an eye.

Uchiha Hikaru leaped forward, her petite figure flipping over like a cat to dodge, then she held her arms out in front of her to block the flying debris.

At the same moment, the black, windmill-shaped magatama in her eyes spun gently: "Amaterasu!"

Dark flames appeared out of nowhere and surged toward the ice giant's body.

However, because the body constructed of ice and snow is too thick, even the Amaterasu Black Flame, which is thousands of degrees hot, can only melt away the thin layer on the surface, but cannot damage the inside.

As for ordinary fire-style or other escaping techniques, there's no need to even try. Against such a colossal creature, it would be like scratching an itch through a boot.

Uchiha Hikaru pursed her lips, somewhat understanding of Esdeath's feelings when facing her Susanoo.

It seems the only option is...

She exhaled lightly, then activated her eye power with even greater speed, her body once again leaping and rolling to dodge another string of ice spikes coming towards her, as well as Esdeath's fist, the great ice demon.

In just a few seconds, a dark red phantom appeared behind Uchiha Hikaru, outlining a skeleton, flesh, and armor at a speed visible to the naked eye, soaring into the sky on the arena like a skyscraper.

Susanoo - Fourth Form!

The next second, Susanoo's arm was stretched out in front of him, blocking the ice giant's punch from a distance!

boom!!!!

With this earth-shattering roar, a milky white shockwave erupted from the point where the two giants' fists clashed, instantly engulfing the entire arena!

From an observer's perspective, it appeared as if an invisible barrier had shattered at the point of impact, scattering all the rubble and debris near the area and leaving only a vacuum zone hundreds of meters high, even temporarily clearing away the clouds in the sky. It took a full seven or eight seconds for the air to return and fill the area again.

"...Again!"

Esdeath stood high in the sky, her eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit.

It's clear that she's had this "Ice and Snow Demon" move for quite some time now.

Although it was constructed from ice and snow to resemble a giant, its movements were not at all clumsy; on the contrary, it was exceptionally agile. Every punch it threw would create a series of milky-white sonic cones in the air, seemingly capable of shattering even a small mountain in its path.

Susanoo in its fourth form gradually began to be unable to withstand the attack.

Therefore, Uchiha Hikaru simply activated his eye power once again, unleashing the Complete Body Susanoo in one go.

Esdeath, using the power of "Demon's Essence," further increased the size and strength of the Ice Demon's body, bringing it to nearly two hundred meters. Although still smaller than the Complete Susanoo, they were nearly the same size, and with the power of "Demon's Essence" as a binding force, it could recover to its original state in a very short time, no matter how severe the damage inflicted by the Complete Susanoo.

Of course……

This is also related to the fact that Uchiha Hikaru did not use any magical artifacts.

Leaving aside the Crimson Greatsword, if the "Fire and Thunder God" were to be brought out, this evenly matched situation would probably be difficult to maintain.

However, the martial arts tournament rules forbade the use of weapons, and Uchiha Hikaru had other ideas about "Fire and Thunder God," intending to use it to counter Esdeath's other attack. For this purpose, she had already begun to secretly gather her strength.

As thoughts drifted, the battle continued. The two giants clashed repeatedly on the arena, creating visible shockwaves that rippled in the air like waves on a lake.

Various powerful forces permeate this space, weaving together to form an invisible force field.

The few stone slabs on the arena, and even the surrounding buildings further away, were all crushed, shaken, and shredded under this invisible force field... turning into countless tiny stone chips that flew into the sky! A series of explosions rang out.

By this point, even the barrier reinforced by Kikyo was starting to crumble.

First, fine cracks appeared on the translucent barrier.

Then increasingly noticeable seismic waves spread out from the ground below the arena, as if the entire earth was shaking violently.

Many viewers started to get restless.

Although they had witnessed many mind-blowing battles in the past few days, such as the fight between Yamato and Master Roshi, Esdeath's abilities in previous battles, and the impressive skills of Brand, Akame, Namu, Goku, and others, the scene before them still left them speechless.

Well... that's all they haven't seen yet, the indiscriminate killer Piccolo who destroys cities at the drop of a hat.

Otherwise, apart from Bulma, Master Roshi, and the others, there shouldn't be any other audience members left.

"Wait... are these two contestants really human!?"

"That blue-haired woman is one thing, but why is even this little girl involved...? Won't this city be destroyed by their battle?"

"...Let's move a bit further away. Anyway, we can watch the TV broadcast. There's no need to take risks in such a close place."

soon.

Groups of spectators left their seats and hurriedly fled outside the arena. Those who remained were either more carefree, or confident in their status as martial artists and unwilling to back down, or like Little Goku who wanted to watch masters clash to improve themselves, they were almost all prepared to run away, nervously continuing to watch the match in front of them.

Even Master Roshi's expression was unusually solemn.

He was the only one among everyone present who had ever seen Piccolo Daimaō in person.

The scene before him vaguely stirred up a memory deep within his mind—

"If I remember correctly, that guy also seems to have this ability to grow to gigantic size... Just who are Bulma's two friends? Their strength is probably no weaker than Piccolo Daimaō, right?"

the other side.

The blond presenter was still diligently gripping the microphone, providing commentary. However, the battle unfolding was beyond his comprehension, making his narration somewhat incoherent. The television footage, transmitted via cameras, was also severely affected by signal interference, displaying large areas of static.

……

"...It seems we've gone a bit too far."

Hikaru Uchiha glanced at his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.

Her battle with Esdeath was incredibly intense. Even if it wasn't intentional, the damage to the martial arts tournament venue was quite severe.

However, the organizers of the martial arts tournament are probably used to it by now. After all, this venue was originally supposed to be destroyed by Goku in his Great Ape form, and years later, it would be destroyed again by Piccolo Jr. This is just a rehearsal…

now.

After another close-quarters battle, where he controlled Susanoo to hold off the ice giant, Uchiha Hikaru said rapidly, "This fight will never end. How about we both release our current abilities, Ai?"

Are you sure?

Esdeath raised an eyebrow.

"certainly."

The battle just now has proven that Susanoo and "Ice Demon" are of similar strength. Neither Uchiha Hikaru nor Esdeath would be able to defeat the opponent quickly under these circumstances.

Without consuming Senzu Beans, neither of them could maintain this form for long. After all, this form consumes a considerable amount of energy.

Since that's the case, it's better not to use this ability at all, and instead use other methods to fight.

So far, Esdeath has not used "Mahabotama". In previous battles, Hikaru Uchiha had basically relied on Susanoo to withstand this move, but now... she plans to try a countermeasure she has been devising.

Perhaps this can give Esdeath a surprise.

soon.

The two giants vanished simultaneously, transforming into scorching flames and frigid ice that spread outwards.

Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath, in human form, landed back on the arena from mid-air. After engaging in close combat for dozens of moves, Esdeath seized an opportunity, clasped her hands together, and unleashed her most signature technique:

"Mokhapadma!!"

This was accompanied by a low shout.

A chilling, icy blue aura burst forth from Esdeath, and in the blink of an eye, it spread out to several kilometers away!

Where the cold air passes.

It expanded out like a circular curtain of light!

Then, there was boundless ice, freezing everything in sight!

From Uchiha Hikaru on the stage, to the blond commentator standing beside her, and to Bulma, Master Roshi, and others in the audience... even with the barrier in place, everyone and everything stopped moving at this moment. Light, sound, images... everything froze in that instant.

From an observer's perspective, it was as if the entire world had been shrouded in an icy blue filter. Only the figure with waist-length blue hair slowly raised its head in this silence, its face calmly gazing ahead.

rustle--

Footsteps sounded forward.

Esdeath, wearing long boots, gently raised and held out her right hand as she walked towards Uchiha Hikaru.

"……Feel sorry."

"This time, I won."

As she moved, Esdeath's slender fingers were enveloped in frost and snow, transforming into a long, narrow ice blade. Her gaze was fixed on Uchiha Hikaru not far away, on his fair and smooth face, a subtle glint in her eyes.

At this level, there's no question of holding back. After all, both sides agreed before the match to go all out.

Of course, it doesn't mean anyone will actually die.

After all, Esdeath knew Uchiha Hikaru's constitution well; as long as he wasn't beheaded or torn to pieces, he could regenerate completely. And if all else failed, Esdeath had a small packet of Senzu Beans on her, which she could use to bring him back to life at any time.

but……

For some reason, Esdeath also harbored a sliver of expectation, wanting to witness a miracle from the girl before her—

"If it were you, perhaps..."

The thought abruptly ended.

Esdeath lowered her gaze slightly, ceasing her contemplation. Instead, she stopped two or three meters away from Uchiha Hikaru, turning the tip of her ice blade towards his chest.

That's where the heart is located.

The blade tip had already touched the clothing; just a slight push forward would end the match.

but……

Just then, Uchiha Hikaru, who was shrouded in a cold veil, suddenly moved.

To be precise, it was her eyes that moved.

Then, a tiny spark appeared, quietly emerging from the black magatama shaped like a hexagonal windmill, radiating a bright color.

"?!"

Esdeath's pupils suddenly contracted, and the thought she had just suppressed resurfaced. For a moment, she even stopped swinging her sword, staring intently at the girl in front of her.

Then I heard...

call--

It was as if a gentle breeze had blown by.

As the wind blew, the spark in Uchiha Hikaru's eyes began to flicker violently, like a crimson flower blooming, or a dark red gauze robe opening up to gently envelop her body.

This moment.

Uchiha Hikaru seemed to transform from black and white to color, emerging from a frozen, desolate world, and merging with the flames to radiate dazzling brilliance.

It means exactly what it says: "to become one."

From Esdeath's perspective, Uchiha Hikaru's entire body became blurred, her long black hair flying like a mad snake, with countless streaks of crimson light intertwining and disappearing among her black hair. Her small face and body below also transformed into countless fiery colors, and a heart-palpitating temperature and heat were released from her body, as if getting any closer would melt you.

This change was precisely the result of the "trump card" that Uchiha Hikaru had previously reserved—

Spiritual Weapon: Fire and Thunder God!

"Hey, Xiao Ai."

Uchiha Hikaru gently raised her head, like an elf shrouded in flames, and gave Esdeath a bright and radiant smile.

but……

Esdeath, however, was no longer in the mood to observe her smile.

The military princess was completely overwhelmed with shock, her face showing disbelief:

"You really... cracked the 'Mahāprabhāṣma'?!"

(End of this chapter)