### **Chapter :95
Title: The Phoenix's Stand
The chapter begins with chaos erupting in the floating dimension. Headless's attack sends shockwaves through the air, the feathers from his horse's wings slicing through the atmosphere with a sharp *SWISH*. Dinesh and Jayesh leap forward, their hands outstretched as they release a shimmering wave of Shen energy. The energy forms a massive black wall, the feathers slamming into it with a deafening *CRACK*. The wall holds, but barely, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
As the attack fades, a thunderous *BOOM* shakes the ground. Headless lands, his impact sending debris flying in all directions. Dinesh, Jayesh, Sakamoto, and Rajesh shield their eyes, the force of the landing nearly knocking them off their feet. Headless steps forward, his presence radiating an overwhelming sense of dread.
Rajesh steps forward, his voice a mix of anger and desperation. "Why are you after us? What do you want?"
Headless doesn't respond immediately. Instead, he drives his twin swords into the ground, the blades sinking deep with a metallic *SHING*. He steps closer, his voice a low, guttural growl.
"Duty."
With that single word, he mutters, "Luton Scream." The swords begin to tremble, their surfaces splitting open to reveal grotesque mouths filled with jagged teeth. The mouths open wide, releasing a devastating wave of sound that tears through the air with a deafening *SCREECH*. The ground beneath them cracks and rises, defying gravity as the soundwave paralyzes everyone in its path.
Sakamoto collapses to his knees, his hands clutching his ears. The sound is unbearable, his body frozen in place. Dinesh falls to one knee, his face contorted in pain. Jayesh is pinned to the ground, unable to move. Only Rajesh remains standing, his body trembling as he fights against the wave of energy.
Rajesh's voice is strained as he explains the attack. "It's a secondary Shen-based attack. Od energy. It paralyzes the body and disrupts the five Senses ."
He looks around, his heart sinking as he sees Sakamoto, Dinesh, and Jayesh incapacitated. There's no other choice. Rajesh's feet ignite with flames, the fire spreading upward until his entire body is engulfed in the brilliant golden blaze of his Phoenix Flame mode. The flames coil around Sakamoto, Dinesh, and Jayesh, breaking the paralysis and freeing them from Headless's attack.
Rajesh doesn't hesitate. He raises his hands, summoning the Rising Star: Burning Phoenix once more. The fiery phoenix soars through the air with a roaring *WHOOSH*, colliding with Headless's swords. The explosion is massive, the force of the blast sending shockwaves through the dimension. The soundwave attack stops, but Rajesh is already moving.
Sakamoto and Jayesh look up, their eyes widening as they see Rajesh flying through the air, his body a blazing comet. He descends toward Headless, his fist aimed at the warlord's chest. But Headless sidesteps with inhuman speed, his movements a blur. He counters with a powerful kick, but a ball of flame intercepts it, the force sending Rajesh skidding backward.
Rajesh doesn't falter. He stretches his hands forward, a stream of fiery energy erupting from his palms like a blazing lightning bolt. The flames shoot toward Headless, but his horse steps in, taking the full brunt of the attack. The creature screeches as the flames consume it, its body disintegrating into ash slowly .
Sakamoto watches in awe. "Rajesh's flames… they're burning the horse!"
Jayesh nods, his voice filled with admiration. "And this is a weakened Rajesh. Imagine him at full strength."
But the battle isn't over. Headless places a hand on the burning remains of his horse, the ashes coalescing into a massive blade. The sword shoots forward with blinding speed, aiming straight for Rajesh's heart. Rajesh, already breathing heavily from the exertion, can't move fast enough to dodge.
Dinesh and Jayesh leap forward, their bodies blurring as they try to intercept the blade. But Headless raises a hand, releasing a powerful wind blast that sends them flying backward with a loud *WHOOSH*. The sword is inches from Rajesh's chest when Sakamoto acts.
"Shadow Clone Technique," he mutters, his voice barely audible. Two shadows materialize beside him, visible only to him. One shadow dissolves, the other remaining. In an instant, Rajesh is no longer in the path of the blade. He reappears beside Sakamoto, the sword embedding itself into the ground with a loud *THUD*.
Rajesh stares at Sakamoto, his breathing ragged. "I couldn't maintain two shadows at once," Sakamoto says, his voice strained. "But my calculations were right. I can use them to swap whatever I want, wherever I want."
Dinesh and Jayesh exchange stunned glances, unable to believe what they've just witnessed. But their amazement is short-lived. Headless raises his hand, the sword flying back to him with a sharp *SHING*. He catches it effortlessly, his expression unreadable.
Dinesh and Jayesh step forward, their voices firm. "Rajesh, rest up. We'll take it from here."
The two hunters blitz toward Headless, their movements a blur as they prepare to face the legendary warlord.
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