In the ten-thousandth of a second that the fist and skull were locked in a stalemate, Tsukasa's punch speed surged once again. The force of the punch pierced through several sonic booms in the air.
The physical impact force and the surge of blue mana—he compressed the time difference between their releases to the limit, achieving precise synchronization.
In that instant, from the depths of the blue flames, an ominous wisp of black suddenly expanded and burst. It transformed into countless streaks of pitch-black lightning dancing in the air, coiling around his fist.
Black Flash!
"Uwooooooooh!!!"
The White Whale's roar changed pitch. It was no longer anger, but a near-collapsing shriek triggered by the agonizing pain that had instantly pierced through its defenses and reached its core.
Before the fist wreathed in Black Flash, its hide, capable of withstanding any attack and seen by many as an impenetrable barrier of despair, was as fragile as wet paper.
At the point of impact, flesh, bone, fat... every physical structure collapsed and compressed inward under the shock of the impact, which carried a destructive power raised to the power of 2.5.
Puff!
Suddenly, the White Whale's massive head jerked back. The thick layer of fat and brain tissue beneath its head were churned, twisted, and mangled into a chaotic pulp by an invisible, colossal force.
Dark red, almost black blood mixed with a milky, viscous substance—likely cerebrospinal fluid—sprayed wildly from the cracks in its bones and its nostrils, turning into a hot, pungent rain that splashed down onto the wilderness below.
It wasn't over yet!
Using the recoil from the clash, Tsukasa twisted his waist, his body completing a sharp reverse spin in mid-air.
He didn't back away. Instead, he took the opportunity to close in, his hands reaching out like iron pincers, his fingers firmly gripping the massive, spiraling horn atop the White Whale's head.
"Hey..."
Tsukasa hung beside the giant horn, looking up at the deformed appendage several times thicker than himself, then down at the White Whale's massive body twitching frantically in pain, and smiled.
"Why is the top of your head so pointy?"
His hands tightened, his knuckles whitening from the exertion. Mana surged through his arms, and blue flames spread from his wrists to his hands.
"It's quite unsightly."
He grinned, his white teeth exceptionally bright under the moonlight. "Let me help you out."
The muscles in his arms suddenly bulged, and the magical flames exploded in intensity.
Crack!!!
The scalp-numbing sound of bone shattering exploded under the night sky.
The White Whale's horn, which had stood for centuries as a symbol of power, was snapped off right at the root.
The moment the horn snapped and blood splattered, Tsukasa slightly bent his legs, and the air beneath his feet exploded into a shockwave as he shot into the sky once more.
Below, the White Whale, in its agony, suddenly stopped thrashing. Its gaze locked onto the white-haired figure in the sky.
Despite the horrific injuries of its cracked skull and broken horn, its massive body began to rise slowly into the air once again.
It wasn't a charge, nor was it a bite—countless tiny holes suddenly appeared on its rough, grayish-white skin. A white mist that looked ordinary seeped out of the holes.
The precursor to the Mist of Diffusion. The terrifying authority that had once completely erased countless living beings from the world's memory was silently unfolding.
Tsukasa hung high in the sky, looking down with lowered eyes.
Below, the White Whale's massive body was almost entirely enveloped by that fluctuating white "mist field."
Yet, even in the face of the Mist of Diffusion, the smile on his face didn't change at all.
Long before the battle began, he had already seen through all of his opponent's trump cards. From the moment the White Whale appeared, the outcome of this battle had been decided.
He spoke, his voice eerily clear in the silent mist field, "If it were anyone else, they might actually be scared."
He grinned, his smile so bold it was almost arrogant. "However..."
He raised his right hand, fingers spread, aiming at the mist field below."
"What a pity."
Mana spun rapidly in his palm.
"Your ability is simply an eyesore in my sight."
The space directly above the White Whale suddenly began to distort. It wasn't a metaphor. The air there, and even "space" itself, instantly twisted into a deep, constantly collapsing dark blue vortex. An irresistible, terrifying suction force erupted from it.
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
Boom!
Below, the Mist of Diffusion, which had been spreading out radially, suddenly changed direction as if caught by an invisible net. All the diffused invisible existences, along with the air, dust, and even shattered flesh and blood, were frantically sucked in by the dark blue vortex, turning into a twisted torrent rushing toward its center.
Even the White Whale's massive body came to a sudden halt under this gravity that defied common sense.
The moment Blue appeared, the White Whale's remaining sanity was finally shattered by fear. It raised its broken head and looked up at the sky.
Tsukasa was looking down at it, a satisfied expression on his face as if to say, "It's already over."
It had to flee!
Driven by survival instinct, the thousands of holes on the White Whale's body suddenly expanded to their limit. A dense, thick white mist seeped out, which surged out frantically, sweeping in all directions like an explosion, instantly submerging its massive body and even briefly obscuring the light of the dark blue vortex above, making it impossible to absorb everything at once.
This wasn't an attack. It was a smokescreen, the white mist used by the desperate creature for a moment of respite and escape.
Seeing this, Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his lips, which had begun to lower in satisfaction, curled up once again.