Chapter 444: Death Regression!
When Heretic Gods in this world were slain, they disintegrated into sand.
But humans would not exhibit such a phenomenon upon death, right?
So, when she saw the shrine maiden named Mariya Yuri displaying the same effect, Erica sensed deception.
No, no!
The situation grew even more bizarre—the sand-like collapse was spreading outward from the two figures as the epicenter.
This spatial world was turning to dust.
What was happening?
Could it be that even though Susanoo failed to land a direct hit, he had still managed to destroy this space?
Huh? Susanoo himself was fleeing the encroaching sandy collapse—did this mean it posed a threat to him?
But it was too fast. Like a castle built of blocks, it swallowed him in an instant.
By the time Erica reacted, she was horrified to find the collapse beginning at her own feet.
It seemed she too had become part of this Barrier Space's structure, and thus the collapse was affecting her as well.
She threw herself backward, half her body already flung behind her.
She sensed that before her body could hit the ground, she would entirely turn to sand.
As the disintegration reached her eyes, her vision went completely dark.
After a brief moment of darkness, the sight that returned to her panicked eyes left Erica stunned.
Looking around, she was still within the original Barrier Space. She could see the reenacted mythological stage and Susanoo, who had just burst forth from his shell.
And she stood right where she had initially prepared to throw the Gungnir, ready to intercept Susanoo.
It was like rewinding a movie back to the exact moment Susanoo had barged in.
No!
This time was different. The moment Susanoo emerged from his shell, the master of this bounded space—the one she served—had already ended his kiss with that Hime-Miko.
This meant the guy possessed an ability similar to reloading a save file in a game—a power to rewind time. Knowing Erica wouldn't be able to stop him next, he immediately cut short the Hime-Miko's instruction, didn't he?
"The ability to manipulate time?"
Susanoo's expression turned grave as he spoke, but he didn't charge forward again. After all, the other party had already taken preventive measures this time.
However, time manipulation must have its limitations and conditions—it couldn't be used freely. Otherwise, wouldn't that make him invincible?
Therefore, it was necessary to understand the specifics of this ability.
Did it activate automatically upon being killed once?
It truly felt like he had killed the other party just now.
In other words, was this ability a passive one? How many times could it be used?
Suddenly, Susanoo's expression changed drastically. Only now did he realize his own condition—he was in a state of nearly full power release.
This was exactly the state he had been in when he killed the other party.
But when he had just separated from Takeru and was attacked by that golden-haired girl, he hadn't released his power to this extent.
This was somewhat eerie.
Did this time rewind also preserve his own state from the previous iteration?
That made things even more troublesome.
Then, what about the other party's own power consumption?
Compared to himself, the other party's consumption should be greater, right?
"Recorded as Yamato Takeru in the Kojiki, as Emperor Yamato Takeru in the Fudoki..."
The other party began narrating his past through words of power, causing Susanoo's expression to shift as well. The stage for what was to come had finally been set.
At the same time, he sensed the sword in the other's hand transforming into a golden sword, growing sharper with each spoken word of power.
If this sword possessed the same ability as Verethragna's Golden Sword, it would truly be troublesome.
So, he had to eliminate the other party swiftly and decisively in one go!
Clang!
The sharp sound of metal clashing had barely reached Erica's ears for less than 0.01 seconds when countless more metallic clashes followed.
That Susanoo was like a frenzied warrior, attacking with wild abandon.
As for the Hime-Miko, Mariya Yuri, she was thrown directly toward Erica, who leaped to catch the screaming girl.
"Stop trembling, and behave—don't move around!"
The voice sounded gentle but carried a chilling undertone—a reflection of Erica's resentment.
There was no helping it. This time, she wasn't familiar enough with Susanoo's exploits to provide instruction.
So, at her "comforting" words, the Hime-Miko trembled once more, shrinking into herself even further.
Hmph, this shrine maiden was most likely going to be recruited by him too.
Shifting her focus to the two combatants, Erica gradually grew more tense.
Although the stage was still functioning normally, he hadn't fully grasped the relevant knowledge yet. Sooner or later, he would hit a wall.
Moreover, he had to deal with the furious Susanoo. This guy was so bizarre—like a fusion monster of a Campione and a Heretic God.
As a result, some of the previous methods that could be used against the mythical Susanoo had become ineffective.
The battle grew increasingly frenzied. Susanoo was gradually gaining the upper hand, while the reenacted mythological stage, like a rusted machine, was slowing down more and more, even stuttering at times.
No! She couldn't just stand by and watch!
Just as Erica steeled herself to charge forward, her expression froze.
In her line of sight, the sword of the one she served was severed, and the blade that had cut it continued downward, cleaving through his right shoulder and exiting from his left abdomen, splitting his body in two.
Blood instantly saturated the air and the ground, and as his form began to crumble into sand, Erica's heart leaped into her throat.
She hoped this wasn't a true death, but rather—
Ah, it was another time reversal!
Once again, centered around him, the collapse began to sweep across the entire world.
Everything was starting over!
In the blink of an eye, the collapse reached her as well. She had no intention of fleeing—it was pointless.
She embraced the collapse, disintegrating alongside this spatial world.
Thus, after a brief blackout, when her vision returned, the scene before her was indeed the same as before.
This time, however, Erica's expression was far from relaxed. She was deeply worried about another defeat.
And such time reversals couldn't possibly be infinite.
"Wait, this isn't time reversal—this is—!!!"
Susanoo's face suddenly changed dramatically as he spoke.
Not time reversal?
"Exactly, it's not. Hmm, it seems you understand the situation, but it's too late."
Too late for what?
In the next instant, just as Susanoo was about to react, a sword suddenly pierced through his chest!