Despite the creature's garbled, almost idiotic speech, Ryoma didn't dignify it with a response. He merely cast a sidelong glance—flat, unimpressed, as if staring at something beneath contempt.
"Stubborn."
Sensing the shift in his gaze, the Mōryō finally stopped talking. It understood—neither Shion nor Ryoma intended to submit.
If they refused to yield, then destruction was the only path forward.
"You think snapping a few tentacles earlier means you can defeat me?"
"FEAR ME! What you saw was nothing—now behold my true power!"
A massive violet-black light began condensing inside the monster's gaping maw, spiraling into a sphere of pure annihilation. The pressure alone made Shion, standing not far away, tense in alarm.
Ryoma, hands still folded calmly across his chest, stood unmoved.
"Is that all?"
As the destructive chakra gathered within Mōryō's mouth, Ryoma's lips curled faintly—eyes ancient, detached.
The provocation enraged the beast.
"Still running your mouth, human! Let's see how long that arrogance lasts!"
The next moment, the concentrated energy cannon roared toward Ryoma.
Just before it could land—blue chakra surged, coiling around Ryoma like a living storm. Space twisted. The ground trembled. Towering above him, a colossal blue Susanoo manifested, its form blazing like a martial god descending.
The ethereal blade swung.
"BOOM!!!"
The slash tore through Mōryō's energy beam, shattered it, and continued downward without losing strength. Susanoo's lightsaber cleaved toward the monster's enormous body in a majestic, devastating arc.
"How—how is that possible!?"
"BOOM!"
Dozens of tentacles whipped up, straining desperately to block the strike. The earth beneath Mōryō cratered instantly, spiderweb cracks ripping outward from the impact.
"Impossible! How can a mere human possess such power!?"
The monster howled in disbelief, its massive limbs trembling as they pushed against the descending blade. It had never—never—imagined being forced into such a pathetic state.
But resistance meant nothing.
The moment its tentacles touched the glowing blade, Susanoo cleaved its body cleanly in two. Sword-qi ripped through the space behind it, tearing open the ancestral hall itself. Moonlight streamed in through the massive gash carved into the stone.
Mōryō's massive form began to shake uncontrollably. The upper half of its body slid back while the severed portion dissolved into countless fragments of light, scattering like dust in the wind.
"How… how is this possible…? To lose—to a human…?"
Its voice trembled, disbelief swallowing every syllable as it stared at its fading body… and at Ryoma.
"If you've got another trick, use it," Ryoma replied coldly.
"Ugh…"
The creature's aura had collapsed completely. Its remaining strength was barely enough to stop its body from falling apart.
Ryoma exhaled softly. The thing was already at death's door. No point dragging this out.
Susanoo stepped forward, rising above Mōryō. Meeting its terrified gaze, the avatar raised its luminant blade—then brought it down.
"BAANG!!!"
A violent shockwave erupted like a star detonating.
White light swallowed the world, washing the battlefield in brilliance.
When it faded, the monstrous body of Mōryō had been erased entirely—disintegrating as if rotting under divine force. Not even a fragment remained.
Destroyed. Completely. Irrevocably.
At this moment, Mōryō finally understood regret. Why had it ever provoked Ryoma? Its massive form, once terrifying enough to shake nations, had shrunk to the size of a mere palm. Its strength was gone. The destructive energy eating away at its body was beginning to reach what was left of its soul.
Realizing its own imminent dissolution, Mōryō gathered the last scraps of its power, trying desperately to flee.
But the moment it attempted to move, a powerful suction force yanked its miniature body straight toward Ryoma.
"Ah—! Let me go!"
The creature struggled violently in his grasp, its tiny eyes filled with unprecedented fear. But before it could muster resistance, Ryoma had already sealed it away—snapping a specialized container shut around it.
"This should be the last fragment of its body and soul," Ryoma muttered. "I'll hand it over to the Scientific Research Division for analysis."
Descending from the air, Ryoma landed lightly on the ground. He tucked the sealed bottle away just as Shion came running toward him—her expression a mix of relief, excitement, and lingering fear.
"Lord Ryoma! Are you hurt!?"
The girl threw herself into his arms, her small hands anxiously patting his chest as if searching for hidden wounds.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Ryoma smiled softly, then turned to examine the ancestral hall once more. When he had first entered, he had already memorized the arrangement of the magic array and inscriptions etched into the walls. Studying them now, he noticed an uncanny resemblance to the ancient ruin where the Farrell Vein had been discovered.
"Could it be… the Stone of Farrell and Mōryō originate from the same otherworld?"
The thought tightened in his mind. Ryoma grasped Shion gently by the shoulders, looking directly into her eyes.
"You priestesses—and your mother, Lady Miroku—did you leave behind any written records? Books, journals, anything?"
"S-So close…"
Shion's cheeks turned crimson as Ryoma leaned in. His breath brushed her skin, flustering her completely. After a brief moment, she managed a small nod.
"Yes. The records left by the priestesses of every generation—including my mother—are kept in the study. They're preserved for inheritance."
Ryoma's heart stirred with excitement.
"In that case, we shouldn't waste any time."
He took hold of Shion's wrist.
And with that—Yomotsu Hirasaka activated.
(End of Chapter)
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