Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2349: Obstinance

Undaunted by Madara's Susanoo, Siddhartha rose into the air, a massive, thousand-armed bodhisattva appearing behind him as he stated, "This is not a place you should be intervening..."

Seeing the form Siddhartha's aura had taken, Madara couldn't help grinning as she retorted, "How amusing. I wonder if it's the fate of those with my identity to confront opponents with powers related to Buddhism? I suppose that makes you my Hashirama."

Unaware of what Madara was referring to, Siddhartha closed his eyes and calmly stated, "I am one, one is all..." as he made a sweeping gesture with his right hand.

Accompanying Siddhartha's gesture, the golden bodhisattva behind him slapped Madara's dragon-themed Susanoo with force comparable to the birth of a star. However, instead of exploding outward and devastating the surroundings, the energy of the blow was absorbed by Madara's Susanoo, rippling across its surface before fading completely.

While others would have commented on the 'impossibility' of such a feat, Siddhartha's expression remained unchanged, remarking, "Interesting..." in a sonorous monotone. At the same time, he formed a series of seals with his remaining hands, intending to seal Madara away instead of trying to face her directly.

"You think you're the only one who uses hand seals!?" shouted Madara, an excited grin spreading across her face as both she and her Susanoo wove together a complex series of hand seals.

Instead of verbally responding to Madara's outburst, Siddhartha opened his eyes to reveal blazing golden pupils. The moment he did so, it was like a pair of twin suns had peeked over the horizon, enveloping the battlefield in luminous golden light.

Though she should have been impervious to most forms of attack in her present state, Madara's vision went black as the eyes within her sockets were immediately reduced to ash. Golden light also filled her mind, similar to a genjutsu, but she ignored the damage to her mind, body, and spirit to say, "Let's see you remain expressionless after this..."

Clapping her hands together, Madara produced a series of black, rune-covered pillars that rained from the heavens like obsidian lasers. None struck Siddhartha directly, but their presence caused a tyrannical aura to pervade the battlefield, making it feel as though the encompassing space had completely solidified.

Initially confused, Siddhartha raised his left brow ever-so-slightly, asking, "Were you hoping to seal me, of all people...?"

As her eyes rapidly regenerated, the smile on Madara's face became even more vicious than usual as she replied, "Just thought I'd even the playing field a bit..."

Performing a half-ram seal with her right hand, Madara shouted, "Katsu!" in a booming voice, activating the runic formation formed by the pillars. The moment she did so, the Susanoo surrounding her and the bodhisattva behind Siddhartha abruptly vanished, followed by both plummeting out of the sky.

"...!?"

Feeling as though his connection with all of creation had been severed, a rare look of panic developed across Siddhartha's face as he attempted to right himself and prevent his descent. Fortunately, while his link with the outside had been severed, he could still draw power from his own version of an Internalized Realm, something he hadn't been forced to do since the moment he attained enlightenment.

Just as Siddhartha was able to gain his footing, Madara appeared right in front of him, her grin threatening to tear at the muscles of her face as she shouted, "Now we're dancing to the same tune, you bastard...!"

Punctuating her words, Madara slammed her right fist into Siddhartha's left cheek, intending to send him flying. Instead, a sound similar to a gong being struck echoed through the area as a metallic, rune-covered golden hue spread across Siddhartha's face and body. It was visually similar to the armor that covered the limbs of high-ranking members of the Asura Tribe, but the luster of the plating and sophistication of the runes were in a league of their own.

Before Madara could fully process the changes in Siddhartha's body, the latter grasped her wrist and bicep with two of his left hands. At the same time, he used all three of his right hands, including the one sealing Adam, to strike her abdomen, ribs, and chest.

While Siddhartha's blows dealt no visible damage to her body, Madara could feel her meridians exploding as a destructive golden light spread through her body and invaded her dantian-like core. Siddhartha was clearly attempting to cripple her, but the moment his energy reached her core, Madara's personalized Companion, a ten-tailed Dragon known as Juryuu, released a mighty roar, shattering the invasive energy like glass.

Feeling Juryuu's roar permeate his body and echo throughout his mind, a grimace covered Siddhartha's face as he remarked, "I see...it wasn't you who destroyed my Buddhist Palm, but this monstrosity..."

Forming seals with two of his right hands, Siddhartha attempted to press them to Madara's abdomen but was prevented from doing so as the latter promptly abandoned her arm to create some distance.

Clicking her tongue, Madara took a moment to regenerate her lost limb as she questioned, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a real pain in the ass...?"

Regaining his earlier smile, Siddhartha answered, "Among other things..." in a calm voice. Then, taking advantage of the brief lull, he remarked, "I've never seen this sealing formation before. You must have been preparing it for quite some time..."

Snorting through her nose, Madara retorted, "Someone thinks too highly of themselves. These 'preparations' are just something I came up with on the fly. If you sincerely think we've been conspiring to overthrow the Buddhist Faction, you're not nearly as 'enlightened' as you'd have others believe."

"Hmmm..."

Sensing no falsehoods from Madara's words, Siddhartha nearly second-guessed himself for the first time in millennia. Instead, he cupped two of his hands together, stating, "This place exists outside the influence of the Central Network and its protections. If you insist on continuing this fight, I cannot guarantee your safe return to the Little Garden..."

Matching Siddhartha's expectations, Madara began laughing the moment he finished speaking. Before he could mete out her punishment, however, Kurma appeared between them, arms spread as she exclaimed, "Enough! Now is neither the time nor the place for such disputes...!"

"You're that-"

Before Madara could finish speaking, Kurma spun around to face her, the look on her face especially sour as she asserted, "I don't know what that creator of yours is thinking, but I can say with relative certainty he didn't task you with interfering in our plans! Why are you so insistent on causing trouble when neither of us is your enemy!?"

Crossing her arms, Madara smugly retorted, "Causing trouble? Me? Have you forgotten which of us attacked first? I simply came here in search of that woman with blue hair. It was your side that decided to interfere and deny me my chance at redemption."

Frowning deeply, Kurma's aura began to surge as she said, "That woman is not a Player. She is a weapon, a vessel created by the Ormus Society to destabilize the current Order and implement a new one. The two of us are on a mission to prevent-"

Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Madara said, "Skip..." before re-crossing her arms and stating, "I don't care about that woman's origins, your objectives, or the machinations of the Ormus Society. The future of the current Order has already been decided, so all that remains is for us to play our parts. I am a warrior. Fighting is ingrained into the very core of my being..."

Manifesting her gunbai, Madara pointed it through Kurma, aiming it at Siddhartha's face as she added, "That man decided to oppose me. Our fight shall continue until one or both of us has been defeated...!"

"You...!"

Feeling unbridled frustration, the golden, antler-like horns protruding from Kurma's head began to increase in size as white scales began manifesting around her eyes. Her irritation had been compounding since her failure to locate the Ethereal Queen, the surprise attack of Lahmu, and the sudden appearance of Azi Dahaka. She was elated when Sidd managed to defeat both Adam and Eve in short order, but she didn't even have time to praise him for a job well down before Madara appeared out of nowhere to throw a wrench into their plans...

Though most considered her a fairly passive existence, Kurma was still a Pure-Blooded Dragon. She was also the daughter of Vishnu and one of the foremost Goddesses of the Earth. Thus, once her patience exceeded its limits, she became a literal force of nature.

Unable to contain her frustration any longer, Kurma released a powerful roar, propelling Madara and Siddhartha backward with tremendous force. Immediately afterward, Kurma charged toward Madara, her eyes blazing with a fierce amethyst hue as she peppered the latter's body with a series of imperceptible punches.

"You want to fight!? You refuse to talk things out like a rational person!? Then taste my wrath, you infuriating piece of-"

Interrupting Kurma's furious outburst, Madara's body abruptly became imperceptible, allowing the petite dragoness to phase through her. Kurma promptly spun around, slicing at Madara's figure with a sword formed of radiant golden energy, but the latter was nowhere to be seen.

"Over here..."

Spinning in the direction of the voice, Kurma attempted to slice through Madara but found her sword stopped by the latter's palm, now covered in black and white scales.

"You're not the only dragon present," mused Madara. However, before she could say anything further, Siddhartha appeared behind her, adding, "She also isn't fighting alone..."

Punctuating his words, Siddhartha smacked the top of Madara's head, sending her crashing into one of the rune-covered pillars littering the ground. The pillars were designed to be indestructible, but the force of Madara crashing into it caused the material to buckle before splintering like a flower in bloom.

Though she ordinarily fought alone, Kurma didn't bother to rebuke Siddhartha for his involvement. Instead, she inhaled so deeply that her upper body appeared to inflate like a balloon. Then, once she reached her limits, she lurched forward and unleashed a destructive beam that carried with it the sound of a dragon's roar, erasing the fractured pillar and drilling deep into the foundation below.

While waiting for Kurma's breath to finish, Siddhartha began preparing one of his more complex seals. He had already acclimated to Madara's sealing formation, so he was nearly at full power when he pressed down with his hand, generating a massive golden palm that stretched more than ten kilometers from the tip of its middle finger to its base.

Emerging from the golden void created by Kurma's breath, Madara, nearly naked and covered in black scales, exclaimed, "Now you're speaking my language...!" as she met the massive golden palm head-on. She was still pushed down by it, but the speed of the palm slowed noticeably as the battle-enthralled Uchiha released a powerful roar that resonated with the remaining pillars.

Feeling his connection to the 'outside' becoming unstable, Siddhartha's expression darkened as he stated, "We may not be able to leave this one alive..."

Having calmed down a bit, Kurma's brows creased as she revealed, "It's not well known, but this one is a creation of the Sage Dragon Emperor. It won't be easy, but we should avoid killing her at all costs..."

Exhaling a sigh, Siddhartha began preparing a second seal as he replied, "How troublesome..."

Nodding her head in agreement, Kurma began preparing a seal of her own. At the same time, she began drafting a long list of complaints in the back of her mind. Once the Pandemonium Gift Game concluded, she was going to have a 'very' long conversation with both Vahn and Shiroyasha...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Siddhashirama...','Madara has no chill...','Kurma? More like Karen...')