Clyde ascended like a missile with a streak of black and blue energy tearing through the sky. The clouds parted when he passing through. Wind screamed past his ears but his eyes never left Susanoo.
The god waited like an immovable pillar of divine power.
He had heard the rumors. He had seen the recording of the mortal that somehow able to turned himself into monster, the one who tore through realms, broke through domains, and fought on equal grown with beings no man ever should have reached. Even all the Celestials around Susanoo whispered about him now.
And at first, Susanoo had been wary.
But now, as he looked upon Clyde — a man standing tall in the presence of Celestials with eyes full of challenge and no hint of reverence in his posture —Susanoo felt no fear. He felt insulted.
That a being born of flesh, who once bowed to the heavens like all mortals, now dared to ascend and meet a god’s gaze without trembling... it was blasphemy!
Susanoo’s fury ignited. His grip on the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi tightened. Sparks of powerful magical lightning coiled around his arm, lashing the sky like serpents.
"You dare?!" the god’s voice finally rumbled in the air itself, vibrating through the clouds and bones.
Clyde didn’t answer. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, fist cocked back and wrapped in condensed energy, his power compressing the very atmosphere around it.
Clyde’s punch met Susanoo’s blade with a sound like a star exploding.
A violent and unrestrained shockwave erupted outward. The clouds above were shredded apart, and the earth below cracked from the pressure. Even the towering cherry trees trembled under the weight of the clash.
Susanoo’s blade sparked violently as it caught the blow, his divine steel meeting raw honed destruction. His arm jerked slightly from the impact—he hadn’t expected the hit to carry such weight.
Clyde hovered in front of him, face calm, eyes glowing with lethal focus. He didn’t anything but everything is clear, more than words he seems to say,I don’t care who you are.
Susanoo snarled, blood pounding in his veins. The arrogance of this creature was beyond comprehension.
Clyde was pushed back, the force of Susanoo’s sword strike driving him through the air. The divine blade carried not just physical might but a dense crushing weight of magical destruction.
Even Clyde, hardened by his battles, felt the force resonate through his bones. This god were just as strong as Gabriel and Hades.
He steadied himself mid-air, and smirk. This wasn’t just arrogance, Susanoo was indeed strong.
So without hesitation, Clyde reached behind his waist and drew his sword from its sheath.
The Elderglass blade emerged in a shimmer of light. Oncee a translucent weapon now glowed with a golden brilliance after it absorbed one of the most destructive weapon ever found in Archangel Uriel’s vault that time.
Susanoo’s eyes narrowed. His frown deepened the moment he saw the weapon.
He could feel it. That sword was dangerous. Just as Clyde was dangerous.
There would be no more testing the waters. He need to be serious from the start.
With a roar of thunder, Susanoo surged forward, lightning crackling around him as he charged.
He raised the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi high and brought it down in a clean and powerful arc.
Clyde raised the Elderglass sword just in time. The two blades collided with a flash of gold and blue.
The shockwave that followed shattered what remained of the clouds above, splitting the sky like glass.
Susanoo’s eyes widened but just slightly. His attack had been full of his might and yet the strange sword held firm. No crack or recoil. It absorbed and deflected with eerie precision.
Susanoo followed up instantly and he let out swing after swing again and again in a rapid flurry.
But Clyde met every one.
Their blades clashed in midair over and over, creating a storm of their own.
Sparks of violent magics lit the sky like falling stars, and the heavens themselves seemed to tremble from the fury of their duel.
Meanwhile, down below on the ground before the towering palace, another fierce battle raged.
Asqa stood alone amidst a sea of armored warriors that looks like elite soldiers handpicked from Susanoo’s domain.
She realized it quickly: these were not ordinary foot soldiers. They were the best of the best, forged through centuries of battle and blessed with many skills.
They came at her with precision and unity, moving like a single organism. Their coordination was flawless.
Asqa gritted her teeth. She was pretty strong now but they were many, and they knew exactly how to handle a high-level caster like her.
They weren’t just attacking—they were controlling the battlefield.
Two soldiers leapt above her, slamming their polearms into the ground to trigger a skill called which created a gravitational field that pulled her downward, restricting her flight and slowing her movements.
At the same time, another trio rushed from behind, their blades glowing with the same skill that would paralyze her limbs for a few crucial seconds.
All around her, rings of magic symbols flickered in the air—seals designed to dampen speed and reduce reaction time.
She recognized the trap, they were trying to seal off every escape route and crush her with overwhelming pressure from around her.
For every fireball she launched, they countered with enchanted barriers or well-timed evasions.
Asqa knew she had to break the formation. If they fully encircled her, even with her current power, she might be in big trouble.
Asqa using the skill she just got from killing monsters in the Ruin. She created fifty clones of herself at once in one second.
Its should be impossible to create such amount of clones. But Asqa’s magic power was enhanced by the power of the Ancient One that make her able to do it.
The clones circled around her and extended their wands toward the soldiers. Fireballs apppeared a second later and launched at the soldiers.