"Kamui!" Xu Mo shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Immediately, a black spot appeared in front of him, distorting the surrounding space like a small black hole. The red energy wave hurtling towards him was caught in the gravitational pull and spiraled into the void, disappearing completely.
The menacing red pillar, once tearing through the air, vanished into the dark vortex as if it had never existed. From a distance, it looked like a red stick being swallowed by a black hole.
"Space manipulation?!" Thanos exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise. The rare ability to manipulate space was something Thanos coveted, especially the Space Gem. Could this human have achieved something similar?
Xu Mo, narrowing his eyes, thought to himself, "Thankfully, Kamui has been strengthened." The technique's usual drawback, its slow absorption speed, was now less of an issue. While he couldn't use it to distort Thanos directly, absorbing straight-line attacks was now manageable.
Not wasting any time, Xu Mo and his five clones sprang into action. "Earth Style: Yellow Spring Marsh!" they chanted, transforming the ground beneath Thanos into a soft, sucking mire. "Earth Style: Earth Flow River!" Another jutsu sent a torrent of mud flooding towards him.
"Bakudō No. 26: Bent Light!" one clone shouted, cloaking the group in a refractive aura, while another intoned, "Bakudō No. 61: Six Rod Light Prison!" Six golden bars trapped Thanos, restricting his movements. From above, fireballs rained down as the last clone yelled, "Flame Bomb!"
The ground liquefied, trapping Thanos in a swamp of mud and binding light. Above him, fiery meteors descended, slamming into a crimson energy shield he hastily erected. The kinetic force was immense, rippling through the shield, shaking the ground.
"Lightwave Ball!" Three blue orbs shot out from the smoke, crashing into Thanos's barrier. The impact was tremendous, shattering the shield and sending a shockwave that tore up the battlefield. The explosion left a crater nearly 100 meters wide.
In the midst of the chaos, Thanos stood at the crater's center, his body battered and bloody. But Xu Mo knew the battle was far from over. His Asura Mode granted him enhanced abilities for only three minutes before losing control. He had to act fast.
From the smoke, Thanos spotted a shimmer—a trick of light. Xu Mo appeared behind him, hand outstretched. "Trying that trick again?" Thanos growled, spinning around to grab Xu Mo's wrist. He pulled, slamming Xu Mo into the ground, only for the figure to dissipate in a puff of smoke.
"Body Replacement Technique!" Xu Mo reappeared a few steps away, launching himself at Thanos with blinding speed. "Wind Blade Foot! Konoha Gale!" His foot lashed out, but Thanos blocked it, deflecting each kick with calculated precision.
Despite his ferocity, Xu Mo was still overpowered. Thanos smirked as Xu Mo's kicks failed to land. But Xu Mo's agility kept him just out of Thanos's grasp, darting around the battlefield with remarkable speed.
"You're strong," Xu Mo muttered, "but I'm not done yet." He vanished, reappearing to deliver a series of rapid strikes. The ground shattered with each missed blow, sending debris flying. Thanos's superior strength was evident, yet Xu Mo's speed and technique kept him in the fight.
In the midst of their clash, Xu Mo's clones surrounded Thanos, each preparing a final attack. "Four Red Yang Formation!" they shouted. Four red pillars rose, forming a barrier around Thanos, trapping him.
"Thanos, it ends here," Xu Mo declared, smiling confidently. Without the Infinity Stones, Thanos was vulnerable. He signaled his clones. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Dozens of Xu Mo clones appeared, rushing at Thanos from all sides.
But as they closed in, Thanos roared, unleashing a massive burst of energy. The ground trembled, and the barrier shattered. The shockwave disintegrated the clones, sending Xu Mo sprawling.
"Not yet..." Xu Mo gritted his teeth, standing amidst the destruction. Thanos emerged from the wreckage, still standing, though visibly strained. The battle was far from over, and with time running out, Xu Mo knew he had to muster every ounce of his power to end this fight.