Targeted

Vast sheets of lava flowed across the ground. Whether they were Reincarnators from Power of the Era or members of the Taketori Clan, many were swallowed by the river of lava.

The gaunt figure in black robes standing on the lava’s bank showed clear wariness in the flickering Soul Fire within his eyes.

This woman was powerful.

Definitely Kage-level!

They had heard that the Fifth Mizukage was a woman. Could she be the one?

(Mei Terumi appeared late in the plot, but that did not mean she appeared late in Naruto’s timeline. There was nothing wrong with her becoming the Fifth Mizukage during the Konoha Collapse Plan.)

Damn it!

There had been absolutely no intelligence on the Fifth Mizukage. Who would have thought she was merely an Anbu captain?

Wasn’t she supposed to be among those seeking to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage’s rule?

Why was she standing on his side now instead?

But no matter what, they had already come to blows. He could not hold back anymore.

Originally, he had been prepared to guard against the Japan Legion and Muto.

Now, it seemed they truly had no intention of participating in this mission.

Even if they did want to participate, he no longer had the energy to spare for them.

He would deal with the problem in front of him first.

A staff made from withered bone, topped with a jet-black gemstone, appeared out of thin air in Curse’s hand and then slammed fiercely into the ground.

In an instant, dense black energy spread in every direction.

Even the river of lava Mei Terumi had created was completely enveloped, then cooled and froze!

A freezing sensation that struck directly at the soul spread alongside the black mist.

"Lord Priest is finally making his move!"

"Seize the chance! Hurry and use the buff to eliminate all the enemies!"

"Split into squads!"

As the black mist spread, the Hidden Mist ninjas and even the members of the Taketori Clan felt intense discomfort.

The icy chill that directly froze their souls greatly slowed everyone’s movements and reactions.

Their Chakra was also affected to varying degrees by the mental pressure, and their ninjutsu became difficult to use smoothly.

The Taketori Clan was doing relatively well, since they mainly relied on their bloodline abilities to fight.

But the Anbu and ninjas on Hidden Mist’s side were instantly subjected to tremendous suppression.

As for the other Reincarnators from Power of the Era, they instead felt a drug-like rush within the black mist.

The black mist seeped in through their nostrils.

Black patterns surfaced across every person’s face and skin.

Their auras surged explosively!

The Curse Priest’s support abilities were truly outstanding!

Their overall strength had risen by more than a full tier.

"What kind of technique is this?"

Mei Terumi could not help frowning as she watched the sudden shift on the battlefield.

The opponent had already blocked several of her attacks. His own strength was not weak, and now he had revealed such a troublesome support effect.

The numerical advantage her side had held seemed to have been erased in an instant.

If she did not resolve him quickly, even if they won this battle, the cost would outweigh the gains.

Having made her decision in an instant, Mei Terumi ignored the interference of the black mist and charged straight into it, heading directly for Curse.

When he saw the key target take the bait, the dim Soul Fire in the Curse Priest’s eyes seemed to gleam with mockery.

Sure enough, you have not launched a coup to overthrow the Fourth Hokage because you fear the village’s internal strife and losses!

In that case, this method of mine—one that will inflict immense losses upon the people you brought—can still force you to enter my home ground on your own initiative.

"This is the domain of the dead!"

Facing the river of lava Mei Terumi sent crashing toward him, the Curse Priest let out a hoarse voice that nevertheless rang across the entire battlefield.

A row of bone walls erupted from the ground, directly blocking the lava river head-on!

"Go. I want her soul collected as my trophy!"

As his staff touched the ground again, countless invisible wraiths surged out from the dark magic circle beneath his feet.

They swept directly toward Mei Terumi, seeking to envelop her.

Their savage expressions and bloodthirsty faces represented the tragic story behind every wraith’s mask.

Even though lava surrounded her on all sides, Mei Terumi did not feel the slightest warmth or rise in temperature.

This was the advantage of his home ground. It was going to be troublesome.

This mental influence—what kind of Illusion Technique was it?

No, it was not simply an Illusion Technique.

It was more like a direct attack on the mind, even more straightforward than an Illusion Technique!

"If you hadn’t entered on your own, I truly would have had no way to deal with you. But unfortunately, you chose to walk into your own death."

The countless wraiths merged together, forming a gigantic gaping maw that swallowed Mei Terumi whole.

Hmph, this was originally a ritual array prepared for the Taketori Clan.

To set up this battlefield, most of the legion’s early efforts after entering this Mission Space had gone into this.

It was originally power intended to target an entire clan, yet now you alone will bear all of it.

Even if you are the Fifth Mizukage, you’ll be in for a world of hurt!

In a normal one-on-one fight, I really might not have been able to do anything to you. But now, it is time for you to truly taste the legion’s strength!

"Since we can no longer overthrow the village, killing a future Kage will still be enough to earn a rather high evaluation!"

The giant ghostly face kept making chewing motions.

Mei Terumi, who had been swallowed in a single bite, continuously wrapped herself in scorching lava to defend herself.

Though flames and lava had some effect on wraiths, they ultimately did not match the relevant power system!

Most importantly, she still had to rely on the spiritual power within her own Chakra for defense.

But even Kage-level spiritual power was far too weak when compared to such pure soul-based abilities. She could not hold out for long at all.

Curse knew that this time, victory was assured.

With the Bloodlust Technique enhancement he had granted them, the surrounding members, together with the Taketori Clan, had already driven the Hidden Mist suppression ninjas back step by step.

If they still could not win after making use of a battlefield they had prepared for so long, then…

Yet in the next instant, the gaping maw that had swallowed Mei Terumi seemed to have bitten into a mouthful of peppercorns. It stiffened completely.

Then the ghostly face formed from countless gathered wraiths exploded with a bang!

More than half of the wraiths that had been fused together vanished in an instant, while the rest scattered in all directions with the explosion.

And where the ghostly face had originally swallowed only Mei Terumi, more than a dozen figures now stood.

One was a strange figure wearing a Cat Face Mask, while the others looked like a group of honest, ordinary people who were completely out of place with the surrounding scene.

What was going on?

How had they appeared?

How had they appeared inside the mouth of the Demon Spirit at the center of the array?

And what method had they used to disperse more than half of the wraiths he had painstakingly gathered?

Through his connection to the wraiths, Curse could only tell that it had happened in an instant. Half of his resentful souls had been wiped out in a moment, making his heart bleed.

Seeing Mei Terumi, whose clothes had been corroded full of holes and who was panting heavily, Xu Yue was rather satisfied with his timing.

Perfect. You can more or less leave the stage and rest now, then we can claim all the remaining battle merits.

"You dare destroy my Demon Spirit!"

The Curse Priest’s entire body was now wrapped in miserable green Soul Fire.

"Hmph. Though you understand my abilities well and specifically prepared powers that counter soul-based abilities, you Japanese people are ultimately incapable of taking the stage. What I have relied on to reach this point has never been these external tools!"

The Curse Priest stretched out his hand and began drawing circles in the air before him.

Streams of shadow energy gathered, forming five Shadow Arrows resembling meteor tails that shot straight toward Xu Yue!

The five Shadow Arrows reinforced one another, seemingly forming a complex magical pattern in midair before swiftly merging into one.

It became a terrifying attack with a wildly surging aura.

At Curse’s pointing finger, it instantly shattered into crimson lightning and struck toward Xu Yue.

Even the void showed faint cracks!

Snap~

With a clench of Xu Yue’s hand, the crimson lightning seemed to fall directly into his palm.

As the AT Field exerted its force, it was crushed to pieces the next moment.

"What are you, that I would need to specifically counter you?"

Those calm, indifferent words instantly chilled the utterly bewildered Curse to the bone…

That’s two updates done…

Brothers, I really can’t help it today. I still have to go out to handle some matters. Tears are falling.

Thanks to the reader whose name I don’t know how to type for the fifty-thousand reward, and thank you for becoming the first alliance leader. There should have been a bonus update, but I can only put it on credit for now.

I currently owe four bonus updates for the average subscription count and one bonus update for the alliance leader. I don’t know whether I can finish paying them off this month. It’s the end of the year, and there are so many things to do that it’s exploding…

Thank you all for your support along the way.

The author is a delicate flower. Please cherish me…

Come on…