Chapter 233: Chapter 223
I floated down silently, touching the water and used a little spell to make sure I had an even platform to stand on.
[I'm getting some déjà vu here.] Ddraig commented.
It had been the simplest place to drag him to where there would be no collateral damage. Especially If I didn't want to make too large of a mess for Yasaka, the further away the better. And we're just a few miles off the coast of Japan, so not in anyone else's territory.
Susanoo stared at me, there was clear anger in his gaze. The fact that he wasn't saying anything, I didn't know if anyone had ever dared to treat him this way. It probably threw him for a complete loop and he was still processing the last minute.
I couldn't help but continuously compare this Susanoo to the other one. And based on first impressions, I feel like the one I killed had been a bit more.....mature. Then again, I found him while he lived in seclusion, he probably had his emotions tempered by his time alone.
"Devil..." Susanoo finally spoke, but it felt more like a booming growl than actual spoken word.
"Oh, are my ears deceiving me? You're actually addressing me?" I snorted.
"What's your game?" He questioned, obviously confused at this whole thing. "Do you think I won't go down to the underworld to raise hell after I scatter your remains across the ocean?"
"First, not part of the Devil Faction, so by all means. Half-Devil over here." I shrugged. "Second –" I let everything loose. My Aura flared up, my Magical energy leaked out, I even let my Divinity enveloped me. "Big talk for someone who has to pay for attention from women."
His eyes widened once more as I looked on. "Divinity...? Whose bastard are you? Indra....no, that doesn't feel like him. Zues wouldn't dare come this far out to fuck....Thor?" He began speaking his mind aloud. "No....why does it feel so similar to mine?"
I chose not to answer that question. "So you're willing to actually talk now that I'm 'worth' your time?" I rolled my eyes.
"Devil." He interrupted me, clearly still lost in his own thoughts. "Why do you have Divinity so similar to mine? I have not laid with a Devil in centuries, and I know for a fact that she did not carry my child."
"I'll answer your question if you answer my question." I offered.
"Speak." He relented with an annoyed look.
"Why didn't you go see your mother after saying you would?" It was honestly the whole reason I was here, if this would solve things faster, so be it.
His confusion and curiosity shifted into fury. "You dare!?" He roared, shooting towards me.
Oh well, I tried to keep this peaceful. More than I had to, even.
Honestly, it lines up more with what Izzy said about him being a hothead and quick to come to blows at any perceived slight.
I moved my head to the side, his fist encompassing the space I had just been a moment prior. I gathered Aura into my right arm, forcing it into shape, molding and condensing it. I had yet to have a chance to test my new strength, and I supposed he would be a good target.
Not to mention....I had some anger to work through, and he just so happened to be the cause of it.
With a shout, I swung my palm at his stomach, the Aura I gathered burst out. A shockwave exploded in all directions at the sudden expulsion of force and the God of Storms was taken by surprise as his back arched and he was sent flying backwards and skipped across the ocean waves.
It was probably his Authority, his Existence as the God of Storm that allowed him to treat water like land. To the point where he probably couldn't even be drown if I tried.
"Get up, that was nothing more than a love tap." I clenched my hand. His body was a bit more sturdy than I thought. "That's far from the beating you deserve."
He climbed to his feet, his eyes were blazing with fury, yet his expression remained even. "Never have I been so disrespected by a mortal creature." The air around him began to manifest lightning, crackling as it came into existence. His mere breathing caused electricity to arc across the water.
He moved again, but was several times faster. His movements were as if he was sliding across the water, and then he was upon me, his fist lashing out wreathed in his divine power.
I raised my arms up and my Aura protected me as I blocked. Even with my enhanced Aura, I felt the blow through my body. The full weight behind his blow was a degree higher than the other Susanoo I faced, making me grit my teeth as I bore it head on.
The water behind me was blow away like a tidal wave, the force of it made me shudder. I had used my Reinforcement a moment prior, and I still felt it. But on the flip side, I didn't budge from the spot I was in.
"Disrespect?" I glared at him. "You're upset that I 'disrespected' you? Mad that I interrupted your 'play time, is that it?" I taunted him. "Pathetic."
"You dare judge me?!" He roared, a massive hand of lightning came slamming down from the sky, manifested by his Authority. The rolling clouds that had been forced into existence above us started roaring with thunderous rage that matched his own.
I didn't even look up, my sword flashed out of my ring and shot towards the sky to intercept the attack.
"Your anger right now, it pales in comparison to mine." I said with a surprising calm.
He sneered, swinging his fist again, the power of a God condensed at his finger tips. It felt like a mountain was making its way towards my body. I had paused for the briefest of moments, to marvel at him being able to step up another level with just pure force.
Was this what the Gods here were capable of? I wondered if he had even reached his peak or if he was holding anything back.
Regardless, I was different than I was before.
I didn't move as his fist pierced through me. I didn't bat an eye as he stared in confusion, my body having partially turned into lightning – Divine Lightning. I felt my Aura burn a bit quicker, compensating for the fact that my lightning had been elevated since the last time I had done this.
"You weren't there when she got so excited that her son responded to her letter." I whispered, summoning the Boosted Gear on my hand.
"Ddraig!?" Susanoo blurted out in surprise.
"Clench your teeth." It was the only warning I gave him. Well, there was one more. "BOOST!" I roared, slamming my gauntlet-clad fist into his face.
His body twisted, spinning in the air as he was knocked off his feet again. It was the first time I had boosted after becoming a Campione, and boy was it an intoxicating feeling.
I shot up into the air on my wings. "She started counting the days until you came!" I shot down at him.
He raised his fist and swung as I rammed into him. His fist landed on my cheek as I slammed into his body, both of us tumbling across the water. I rose to my feet quickly, and swung again, meeting his own counter.
I gritted my teeth as they got rattled, rolling with the blow, ignoring the sharp pain, even If I felt a little bit of blood in my mouth. "Boost!" I shouted again, my hand finding his chest, blood flying from his mouth.
He growled, reaching out with both of his hands. One of them summoned down lightning from the heavens into the form of a sword. The other pulled water from the ocean, condensing into the shape of a spear.
I held out my hand, Mirage flew into my grasp. "One Thousand Birds!" I swung my sword, noticing how much easier it was to use this level of the skill compared to before.
Susanoo swung his lightning sword, an arc of Lightning tore through the space between us, intercepting the vast majority of my Sword Phantoms, his spear shoot out, gracefully as it dispersed the remainder.
With another motion, he slammed the tip of his spear into the water, thousands of imitations shot out from beneath me. I flew upwards into the air, only to be met by a torrential rain of Lightning bolts, summoned by a gesture of his sword.
My other Swords flew around me, hacking away and piercing through any stray bits of his Authority that tried to lash out at me from the surrounding storm.
He looked even more pissed as I was unharmed by his attack. My swords floated around me protectively as I waited for him to make another move.
"I had to see the look on her face." I spoke up again. "When she told me that her Son, after everything, decided to blow her off." I raised my empty hand, and my Sword of Destruction adjusted itself, aiming towards the God of Storms.
With a thought, it burst towards him, my Aura feeding into it as my Power of Destruction alighted along the blade.
Once again, the changes were noticeable from my previous self.
My sword covered the distance in a blink of an eye, the God of Storms thrust his Water spear towards it, the collision of his Condensed power created from his Authority as it met my Power of Destruction.
And my Destruction won out as it tore through his spear, leaving him shouting in utter surprise. The confidence he swaggered around with, it was slowly being chipped away with each blow I landed on him. Each time I overturned his expected results.
He grabbed his Lightning Sword with both hands and managed to push my sword away with a bit of effort. A noticeable amount of power on his end went into diverting it to the side.
I recalled it with a flicked of my wrist, and it hovered near me once more. Holding my hand out, I opened up dozens of small portals around both of us.
He looked at them, then at me in realization.
My swords all flipped in different directions, and shot into a portal nearby, all coming out towards the Storm God.
I waved my hands, opening and closing new portals to change directions, to alter paths at each movement. These weren't weapons he could ignore, even as a Deity.
His body was enveloped in a protective layer of lighting as he tried to cover himself, Lightning Sword swinging, deflecting a sword here or there, but I merely caught it once more and sent it back through the use of the Kaleidoscope. My Five swords, with the help of my Magic, it was as if he was being assailed by a thousand.
I could see the small cuts forming on his body, each one of my swords capable of leaving a mark, even if some were not particularly strong enough to wound the God in a meaningful way.
Whisper left Runes as it sailed through the air, randomly dispatched as it weaved through the holes in Space, spells actualized at random intervals. They didn't do anything beyond distracting and annoying him, but that allowed the other swords to break past his defenses.
My Sword of Destruction was still coated in my bloodline, making the Storm God have to be wary of it at each passing.
Ascalon and Dawnbreaker were doing the most work, slicing him at opportune moments, or keeping him from retaliating with a well-timed stab to a vital area, forcing him to block. It was a mental drain controlling them all like this, while also pulling on my Magic to support each attack.
"ENOUGH." Susanoo finally reacted, his bottled anger truly exploding along with a massive surge of power and blowing away all my swords at once. "I AM SUSANOO, I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF BY A MORTAL!" His voice bellowed out, the storm he conjured thundering in response as the sky became covered with Divine lightning
This massive amount of power, it wasn't coming for me though, he shot into the air and merged with it. Or perhaps, this was a closer representation to his true 'self'. A giant, clearly over a hundred meters in height, slammed into the waters below, sending massive waves in every direction.
Now this is what a real God should feel like. I felt the hairs on my arms stand up.
This was him actually getting serious, not throwing around random punches because he was angry.
Maybe in another situation, I would have been excited, my blood boiling at the prospect of fighting him – truly fighting this world's Susanoo, God of Storms. However, at this moment, I could only remember the look that Izzy gave me when she told me what happened.
The Lightning sword he wielded before, it returned, manifesting to his new size and form. He swung it once, the world seemed to shudder at the movement, and the surrounding water was forced to move by the force behind the swing.
I raised my hand and began to draw Runes into the Air. Primordial Runes began to manifest the bulwark that was my strongest defense spell. "Shield of Asgard." I actualized it around me, taking the mountain-cleaving attack head on.
The Divine Authority of Susanoo collided with the Primordial Runes passed down by Odin, the lightning shattered my spell, but the accumulated power in the single attack was spent. I felt the backlash, the brunt of his attack sent shockwaves through my body, my Aura flickered defensively, but I felt some blood trickle from my nose before wiping it away.
I refused to show any kind of weakness infront of him though.
I held my hand out, I looked deep inside myself, finding the new aspect of me that I gained from Pandora. "You made Izzy cry."
Even in this maelstrom that the God of Storm had created, it felt as if the world went silent when I began pulling on my Authority.
I raised my hand to the sky, and the clouds he conjured that rolled around and thundered at his every command, they began to wildly swirl at my motion.
My Words of Power that caused the world to bend to my will.
"It was here at this place, that Susanoo led a thousand unruly deities in rebellion. A thousand swords standing upon the earth, used as city walls to defend against the enemies. Here! Namely, the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi! The Steel that breaks a thousand blades!"
Lightning divorced from his, carrying enough authority to make the God of Storms hesitate. It descended from the heavens right into my hand. It took a form of a sword, a black blade and a golden guard and pommel. It was deceptively simple in its design, an elegance that spoke of its power.
"Impossible...!" The God of Storms spoke, a whisper that boomed across the horizon. "What are you!?" He exclaimed.
"Your Storms...." I raised my sword to the sky. "Are mine!" I declared, and with a swipe of my blade, they were usurped from his grasp, forcibly dispersed at my whims. "Your Authority is confiscated." I held my Divine Sword aloft, pointing right at the giant.
I felt the power I had now multiply, temporarily, as I gained control of his Authority in addition to mine own.
He didn't have time to shout as it too was forcibly dismissed. The lightning weaved as it arced out uncontrollably, the Divine Authority of his that held it together unraveled at my command.
Perhaps if it were another God, they could have fought my control. But I was probably his worse possible matchup. The concepts of my Authority simply overrode his due to how I acquired mine by killing his counterpart.
I was his absolute counter.
And thus, the God fell from the sky, slamming down once more into the water. He scrambled to his feet, head jerking up to see my blade resting right infront of his face.
"That's impossible, how do you have that!? How did that Sword do that!?" He raised his voice. "What did you do to me!?"
I didn't answer him again, and against what might be construed as common sense, I dismissed it. My Authority returned back inside of me.
Again, he was utterly confused, standing back up to his feet, he opened his mouth to talk but was interrupted as my fist met his face again, knocking him up into the air. He landed on his feet, catching himself. Despite everything, the absurd advantage I held over him, he was still a God. Something of this level, it wouldn't keep him down for long.
He roared, reeling his arm back and swung at me, shockwaves emanating out at the sheer force. I felt my Aura flare up, taking a large portion of the blow.
I didn't break eye contact as I spit out a mouthful of blood. "That all you got?" I smirked, following up by burying my first into his chest.
He let out a pained noise, taking a step back
"You're one tough mortal bastard." He growled, coughing out some blood of his own, but that didn't stop him as he swung back at me without a second thought.
There was no more techniques involved, no more Authority, no Magic, and no weapons. We simply started throwing punches at each other.
It was more than just beating him in a fight. I wanted to destroy that inflated ego of his, to make him feel even a smidgen of what Izzy did.
With an almost reckless abandon, even blocking was left to the wayside as we kept trying to knock the other down. Our fists began flying without pause, taking any opening to send another blow at the other.
He would go for heavy punches, and I would hit him with several jabs in response. He stood there and took it, just so his heavy fist would connect. We continued trading like this what felt like an eternity.
Both of us were starting to breath heavily after an indeterminable amount of time passed. My Aura had long since shattered under the constant bombardment. But I gave much more that I got. His left eye was swollen, blood ran down his nose and covered his shirt.
"I am Susanoo!" He roared again, steadying himself. "I will not be beaten by a mere Devil!"
I snorted, stepping in and dodged his attack, my fist finding his cheek once more. His head snapped to the side as he reeled back, his knees trembled but he steadied himself. "What's wrong old man, you're looking a bit winded there." I laughed between my own heavy breaths.
"Brat, I could do this all day!" He snorted, coming at me again.
"You most certainly will not!" A familiar voice interrupted us, a massive shadow overtook the surroundings, and an ominous presence descended.
I don't know who was more scared as we both seemed to recognize who just spoke.
"M-Mother!?" Susanoo blurted out.
"Izzy!?" I said almost at the same time.
The look she gave both of us, we both slammed our mouths shut, not daring to utter another word.
***
Sorry for the late chapter, got home from work a bit later than normal.
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