Senju Yukika had never expected his Buddhist-style chakra to be so fragile!
It was instantly torn apart, crumbling into a mere shadow beneath the golden dragon's force.
What he didn't realize, however, was that the issue wasn't the Buddhist chakra itself—it was that he hadn't fully mastered it.
His rapid advancement from the lower martial realm to the upper martial realm had left his foundation unstable. His cultivation hadn't yet solidified.
As a result, despite the innate strength of the Buddhist chakra, it remained unstable in intense combat.
In contrast, the Third Prince's Dragon Qi chakra was deeply rooted, ferociously powerful, and devastating in its attacks.
Faced with Yukika's collapsing chakra, the prince launched a savage offensive, instantly shattering it and turning the tide in his favor.
Yukika couldn't understand what went wrong. Seeing the prince's strength far surpassing his own, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Thankfully, he didn't try to suppress it. His internal injuries were already severe; holding back that blood would have worsened them.
His body was naturally robust, so the bleeding helped relieve internal pressure and wasn't life-threatening.
The Third Prince was filled with pride. The royal Dragon Qi chakra had proven itself far superior to that of any commoner or rogue cultivator.
Still, something about Yukika's chakra technique felt strange to him. The image of the Buddhist monk had been vivid and imposing—unlike anything he had seen before.
Despite his travels and exposure to various sects' techniques, he'd never seen one like this.
But the prince couldn't possibly know that Yukika's Buddhist chakra was one of the top five supreme elemental chakras in the entire cosmos.
Renowned across the stars!
Yet on this ancestral planet of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, a mere prince of the Rashomon Kingdom was far from qualified to recognize its value.
The prince stepped forward after defeating Yukika, coldly sneering, "You lost the duel. Are you still not willing to surrender the cave?"
They had been fighting over the right to claim the cave. Now that Yukika had lost, he was expected to give it up.
But before anything else could happen, a cold voice echoed from the depths of the cave:
"You think you can just take it because you said so?"
The voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling authority that left no room for doubt.
The prince's expression changed instantly.
His chakra hadn't sensed anyone else in the cave—which meant this newcomer's power far exceeded his own.
What he didn't realize was that the cave went much deeper than he imagined. His level of chakra was far too weak to fully scan it.
Even if his chakra could blanket the entire area, he still wouldn't detect Maple.
If Maple wished to stay hidden, no one on this planet could find him.
Even among the ancestral Ōtsutsuki clan, three ancient forefathers had long searched for him without success.
The Tower Lord of Fangtooth Tower had also searched far and wide, but never found a trace of Maple.
Now, the Third Prince couldn't figure out who had spoken. He narrowed his gaze toward Yukika and coldly demanded, "Who is that? What's your relationship to them?"
Before Yukika could reply, a figure suddenly appeared between them in a flicker.
It was Maple.
Seeing Maple's youthful appearance, the prince's frown deepened.
He didn't appear much older than Yukika.
But the man's graceful, composed demeanor carried a quiet authority that shook the prince to his core.
He had never felt this way about anyone before.
Unease crept into his heart.
"Who are you exactly? This cave belongs to me now. If you're smart, you'll leave quietly."
The prince tried to leverage his royal status again, assuming Maple was someone similar to Yukika's older brother—stronger perhaps, but not overwhelmingly so.
He believed his Dragon Qi chakra, with its aggressive nature, would be enough to win.
With that thought, the prince's chakra surged around him, materializing into swirling golden dragons.
As nine-headed dragons roared to life, the cave echoed with deafening booms.
Indeed, the Rashomon royal family's Dragon Soul chakra was incredibly powerful.
In terms of sheer dominance, it was unmatched across the kingdom.
But the prince had no idea what kind of being he was now confronting.
Maple smiled faintly and lifted a single finger, tapping lightly in the air.
Suddenly, a dark light spread like a spider's web, rapidly fracturing through space.
The hovering golden dragons collapsed all at once, crumbling with explosive force.
The prince was visibly shaken.
"W-What… How is this possible?!"
This Dragon Qi technique had originated from the Rashomon King himself. It was the cornerstone of royal superiority!
Even if it failed, the disparity shouldn't be this vast. How could a mere gesture obliterate it?
Maple hadn't even used any elaborate technique.
Why had the chakra collapsed like paper?
The prince couldn't make sense of it.
But things grew worse.
Maple opened his hand and lightly pinched the air.
A tremendous pressure filled the cave, as if the entire atmosphere had shifted.
An invisible force seized control of everything inside.
The prince gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with defiance as he tried to resist.
But no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't push back.
The overwhelming force seemed capable of crushing the very essence of life.
Even his chakra spiraled out of control.
It felt like Maple had become a towering mountain—inescapable, unshakable. In front of him, all others were like ants.
The prince's body floated helplessly toward the formidable Maple... now revealed to be a master of unfathomable strength.