Chapter 367: Naruto's Super Sage Fox Mode
"Great Dark Heaven."
Akshia stood with her ice staff in hand, staring coldly at Frieza before her. Since her home planet had been destroyed by Great Dark Heaven, Akshia naturally bore no goodwill toward any of its members.
"Guardian deity of Planet Cecilia, Empress Akshia—I am the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza." Frieza placed his right hand over his chest and gave a slight bow. "For various reasons, I didn't participate in the destruction of Planet Cecilia. Honestly, I've always regretted never having the chance to cross blades with you, Empress Akshia. Fortunately… I can finally settle that regret today—"
Before he could finish, Akshia had already summoned a hail of ice spikes and hurled them toward him.
"Hah!"
A burst of powerful energy erupted from Frieza's body, shattering the incoming ice spikes with ease.
In the next instant, Frieza appeared directly in front of Akshia.
"Limitless Ice Blade."
An icy blade materialized between them, blocking Frieza's attack. Seizing the moment, Akshia quickly widened the distance between them.
She was far more adept at long-range combat than close-quarters fighting.
"Cutter Disc!"
The move resembled the Spirit Bomb in appearance, but functioned as a slicing energy projectile. Unlike the Spirit Bomb, however, the Cutter Disc could also track its target.
The Cutter Disc cleaved straight through the Limitless Ice Blade and continued chasing after the retreating Akshia.
"Embrace of Absolute Frost!"
Encasing herself in a shell of ice, Akshia blocked the Cutter Disc's assault.
While it claimed to be able to slice through anything, that didn't mean it could cut everything in half without exception.
"Flame Barrage!"
Frieza gathered energy into his hands and launched a relentless stream of fireballs toward Akshia.
"Snow Dance Freeze!"
Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky, freezing not only Frieza himself but also the fireballs he had just launched.
"Frozen Sky Iceburst!"
Akshia's offensive wasn't over. Freezing Frieza in place was merely a setup—meant to prevent him from evading the fatal blow she was about to deliver.
The falling snowflakes, along with the drifts of snow on the ground, all swirled upward in a howling wind above Frieza's head, gradually condensing into a massive icicle. Its sharp tip aimed squarely at the immobilized Frieza and began its descent from the sky.
"AAARGH!"
Breaking free from the ice encasing him, Frieza immediately raised both arms above his head and caught the enormous falling icicle.
"It's huge..."
Naruto, watching from the sidelines, looked up at the icicle—easily even larger than his Ultra Giant Rasengan.
With a roar of fury, Frieza unleashed his energy, sending snowbanks flying in every direction.
Pinned beneath the massive icicle, cracks began to spider across the ground beneath him.
The muscles in Frieza's arms bulged as he grit his teeth and looked up at the descending ice.
"Earth Cleaving Slash!"
Frieza gathered energy into his hands, forming an enormous energy blade that sliced the colossal icicle in two. He took a deep breath and looked at Akshia.
"As expected of Planet Cecilia's guardian deity. Even in your fallen state, you've forced me to use half my full power."
Akshia, unfazed by his condescending tone, remained expressionless.
"As a gesture of respect, I suppose it's time I showed you a little of my true strength... Aaahhh—!"
Though his appearance didn't change dramatically, Frieza's height increased by a full head.
This was Frieza's 100% Form—unleashing his complete power. Maintaining this form consumed immense stamina, so Frieza typically abandoned his usual toying approach in favor of swift and decisive combat.
"Thousand Snow Blossom Slash!"
Snowflakes, drifting down like cherry blossoms, landed on Frieza's body, slicing his skin and freezing the wounds to prevent regeneration. However, the frost sealing the wounds quickly melted under his energy, and the wounds healed at once.
Before Akshia could react, Frieza shot forward and kicked her aside. He then closed in instantly.
With a relentless barrage of close-range strikes and blinding speed, Frieza gave Akshia no chance to regain distance.
Finally, he clasped both fists and slammed her into the ground.
"Planet Piercing Blast!"
Compressing his energy into a focused sphere, Frieza launched it with powerful penetrative force directly at the spot where Akshia lay.
An explosion followed, sending a shockwave through the area.
Frieza descended slowly to the ground, taking a deep breath.
"It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight."
"Naruto, we should take this chance to run," Kurama said from within Naruto.
"We can't." Naruto shook his head as he stared at Frieza. "Even if we tried, Frieza wouldn't let us escape. Besides, after fighting Akshia, Frieza is in a weakened state. This is the perfect time to take him down."
"Hey! Naruto! You realize someone could die fighting a monster like that!"
Kurama's voice was filled with urgency.
"Don't worry, Kurama."
Naruto formed a hand seal, creating a shadow clone. The clone immediately entered Sage Mode.
"Hm?" Frieza glanced over, noticing Naruto's "little tricks."
"A weakling like you? Even when I'm wounded, I could crush you with ease."
"Maybe…" Naruto forced a pained smile. "But I'm not done yet—Super Sage Fox Mode!"
The clone vanished, and the natural energy it had gathered returned to Naruto's body. At the same time, Naruto entered Super Saiyan Mode, fused with the Nine-Tails chakra supplied by Kurama.
"Looks like I can only maintain Super Saiyan Second Form..."
While the Third Form boasted greater combat prowess, the Second Form was more energy-efficient and easier to control.
"You can still power up? Honestly, why not just go all out and transform into your strongest state?" Frieza asked, staring him down.
"Sorry, but... this is the strongest form I can reach right now."
Naruto clenched his power-filled fist and stared back at Frieza.
"I see... That's a shame."
The two approached one another, locking eyes.
In his 100% Form, Frieza now stood roughly the same height as Naruto. At this close distance, there was no room to dodge—any attack would land for sure.
Both fighters erupted with energy, gauging each other's strength.
Then, at the same time, they attacked—fists slamming squarely into each other's faces, neither holding back. Immediately after, both stepped back and kicked at each other's midsections.
Staggering back, each one clutched their abdomen, pulling away to create distance once more.
-------
[Support me and read more on Patreøn at patreøn.com/craxx_real.]