As the colossal, unknown Ethereal descended upon the area, the other wandering Ethereals scattered in every direction like startled birds.
Even without intelligence, their instincts told them that this was a being far beyond their ability to provoke.
Even the elites of the mysterious organization, upon witnessing the monstrous figure, displayed expressions of pure terror and shock.
They had the ability to command Ethereals—but one of this level? Forget them—even the strongest members of their organization would likely struggle to control it.
Still, under certain circumstances, guiding it to a specific location was within their capability.
"From here on, we just sit back and enjoy the show." The seductive woman who had earlier gone to lure the colossal Ethereal now returned to the group. Watching her creation in action, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Uchiha had the strength to slay Nineveh, but among the colossal Ethereals, Nineveh was only mid to low tier.
In the deepest parts of Hollow Zero—areas not even recorded by the Hollow Investigative Association—there were far stronger Ethereals.
To the average person, Nineveh was already a ceiling-level threat, the kind that required massive military force to eliminate.
But for the Ethereal species, their growth knew no bounds. As long as the Hollow continued expanding, stronger and stronger beings would be born among them.
This was one of the main reasons why the Hollow posed such a threat to the world's survival.
"An unexpected development..." As the colossal Ethereal slowly approached, its target clearly Zhong Yan, he felt an overwhelming pressure like never before.
So, he decided to go all out—for the first time since arriving in this world, he would unleash his full power.
It was the perfect opportunity to show these people what a real god looked like.
With that thought, he dispelled Tobi from the Kamui dimension and reclaimed his full strength. Then, bringing his hands together, he formed a hand seal. Susanoo's appearance began to change.
On top of its original armor, a layer of even more formidable Karasu-Tengu armor manifested, enveloping the entire Susanoo and unleashing a surge of energy that obliterated the surrounding tall buildings in an instant.
Yet, compared to the colossal Ethereal towering tens of meters high, those buildings—and even Susanoo in this form—still seemed insignificant.
So, under Zhong Yan's mental command, Susanoo began to transform again.
This time, the Karasu-Tengu armor condensed into a demonic mask. At the same time, Susanoo's size increased rapidly, growing to tens of meters tall in mere moments.
As the monstrous figure rose from the ground, the two commanders—who just moments ago thought victory was in their grasp—saw their pupils shrink in fear.
Because Susanoo was still growing.
Its massive arms stretched outward in tandem with its expanding body. Even its legs became fully manifested. Behind it, dark blue energy swirled and gradually formed into a pair of folded wings.
Eventually, Susanoo's size stabilized—at 150 meters.
This was the complete form of Susanoo—the most powerful technique Zhong Yan had ever unleashed to date.
150 meters wasn't even its upper limit—it was his limit. If he ever awakened the Rinnegan, the size could increase even further. Under the right conditions, breaking into quadruple digits wasn't out of the question.
But for now, against this mere tens-of-meters tall colossal Ethereal, 150 meters was more than enough.
Inside the crystal at Susanoo's head, Zhong Yan stood tall. He looked down upon the dumbfounded crowd below, and the massive Ethereal that now seemed as small as a child.
For a moment, he truly felt like a god.
No wonder characters in anime spouted such edgy lines—this feeling of absolute dominion was real.
"Miscalculation. We're not equipped to handle this. While it's distracted by that giant beast, we need to retreat immediately." The moment the complete Susanoo appeared, the middle-aged man—who had been scheming to take Zhong Yan back for research—realized just how absurd his plan had been.
He didn't know how Zhong Yan had summoned such a titan, but he did know that staying would mean instant death.
Without hesitation, he ordered a retreat, believing—foolishly—that since Zhong Yan was occupied with the colossal Ethereal, he wouldn't have the capacity to pursue them.
But again, their judgment was flawed.
Zhong Yan had indeed shifted his focus to the Ethereal, but in his current state, killing them was as effortless as squashing ants.
In the next second, as Susanoo slowly raised its arm, a colossal blade appeared in its palm. The other hand reached for the hilt.
With a powerful draw, the blade was unsheathed, unleashing a devastating shockwave that tore through the surroundings like a tsunami.
A flash of blinding cold light followed. A white slash—enough to obliterate everything—sliced through the air, splitting it in two. As the void shattered, a visible shockwave erupted outward from Susanoo, radiating in all directions.
Everywhere the storm reached, skyscrapers collapsed like dominoes. A tide of smoke surged with overwhelming force, sweeping toward the fleeing group.
Seeing the smoke drawing closer, horror painted every one of their faces. Before they could react, the monstrous storm swallowed them whole.
They didn't even have time to raise a defense. They were torn to pieces on the spot.
Even the colossal Ethereal, towering several dozen meters high, was blown away by the sheer force of the impact.
With a single slash, everything within several hundred meters was reduced to rubble.
To Zhong Yan, it was nothing more than a casual swing of his blade.
"A divine feeling..." Gazing at the smoke rising around him, Zhong Yan felt a rush of unprecedented satisfaction.
Too bad there were no spectators left to witness it—not even ashes remained.
Still, he couldn't help but borrow a quote from an anime character:
"Drown in despair. This is the power of Madara Uchiha... Divine power."