"Oh? I didn't expect anyone would still remember this old man's name after eight hundred years." His eyes, blazing like molten lava, swept back and forth between Cloud and Kyo.
"Hmm... You, young one, carry the purest Kusanagi blood. Though still somewhat green, your foundation is solid and your presence impressive. Not bad—worthy of being my Kusanagi descendant." He first gave Kyo a satisfied nod.
Then his gaze fell upon Cloud.
At this, his ancient, unflappable face showed an expression of shock!
"You... you, boy..." His voice actually trembled. "What... what a monster! At such a young age, you've already reached that realm!"
"Moreover... the power within you is pure, vast—as if... as if forming its own universe! In nearly a thousand years of life, this old man has never seen such an... inconceivable existence!"
"Senior flatters me." Cloud smiled modestly (internally: Basic stuff, don't overthink it), then got straight to the point, concisely explaining the current world situation and their purpose for this trip.
After hearing Cloud's account, Kusanagi Asahi's expression grew extremely grave.
"Orochi... that scourge is finally emerging again?" He heaved a long sigh, his eyes flashing with weariness and resignation.
"Ancestor!" Kyo said urgently. "Since you're still alive, could you... come out and help us?"
But Kusanagi Asahi shook his head.
"I... cannot leave." He patted the magma giant beneath him. "In the great battle against the Orochi clan back then, I was gravely wounded. To cling to life, I had to borrow the flame power of Mount Fuji's earth veins, merging myself with this magma sea. The moment I leave here, my life force will rapidly extinguish."
He looked at them both, a hint of apology in his eyes. "So, I cannot help you fight Orochi. However..."
His tone shifted, battle spirit blazing in his eyes!
"...I can, before you leave, pass on all my eight hundred years of combat experience! I'll make you both... stronger!"
"And also..." He flipped his hand. Several fruits appeared—entirely crimson, radiating pure fire-element energy, clearly extraordinary items. "The bottom of this volcano isn't all danger. These Earth Fire Spirit Fruits have been my only snack for these few centuries. You two youngsters, have a taste."
Kusanagi Asahi truly deserved his title as an "old monster" who'd lived nearly a millennium. His combat experience was essentially a living "fighting encyclopedia."
He would transform into the magma giant to deliver inhumane "physical education" to Kyo—beating him half to death, then using "Earth Fire Spirit Fruits" to help him recover, then beating him again... Under this cycle of extreme pressure and recovery, Kyo's potential was ruthlessly squeezed out!
Meanwhile, Cloud obtained his long-coveted "graduation-tier divine equipment"—the Kusanagi Sword!
The moment his hand gripped the Kusanagi Sword's hilt—
HUMMMM—!!!
The entire divine sword emitted an unprecedented, excited sword cry!
A crimson-gold sword aura, brimming with kingly dominance, shot toward the sky, even splitting the magma sea above into a massive rift!
[DING! Detected Host binding with divine artifact Kusanagi Sword...]
[Binding in progress... Bloodline compatibility check... Soul resonance check...]
[Check complete! Host's compatibility with Kusanagi Sword is... 90%!]
Nearby, Kusanagi Asahi's eyes nearly popped out of his head!
"90%?! How... how is this possible?!" He exclaimed in shock.
After all, he himself—as the Kusanagi clan's legendary family head who'd spent centuries with this divine sword day and night—had only barely reached 80% compatibility!
And Cloud reached 90% on his first time holding it?!
Was there no justice in this world?!
"Maybe... I'm just more handsome." Cloud tossed out a random excuse, then immersed himself in communion with the divine sword.
He could feel a vast "Solar Power" flowing through the blade, continuously surging into his body, harmonizing with his own "Ultimate Power." His understanding of the Law of Fire instantly reached an entirely new height!
He casually swung once, sending out a seemingly ordinary sword aura.
But that aura, the instant it flew out, transformed into a golden fire dragon soaring through the nine heavens, whipping up towering waves in the magma sea!
"Excellent sword!" Cloud couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
With this "exclusive divine artifact" empowering him, his strength had taken another leap!
Watching the scene before him—one youth training like a madman in the magma; another wielding a divine sword like a descending deity, casually unleashing sword auras—
Kusanagi Asahi, this ancestor who'd lived nearly a thousand years, felt unprecedented confidence in the "future."
Looking at these two outstanding juniors, a gratified, satisfied smile spread across his aged face.
"Orochi..."
"This time, your doom... may truly have arrived."
Mount Fuji—a place that should evoke romantic, artistic imagery of "you and me swinging together to the ends of the earth." But currently, its aesthetic had clearly been derailed.
At the summit's crater, the lava bubbled like a pot of mala hotpot that had been simmering for forty-nine days, gurgling away.
The air smelled not of sulfur, but of a rich... barbecue aroma?
"I say, Senior, are you sure this technique is called 'Three Thousand • World Incineration • Infinite' and not 'Iron Plate • Grilled • Squid Tentacles'?"
Cloud looked at the Kusanagi Sword in his hand with a face full of black lines.
The blade glowed red-hot like a branding iron. On its tip, an unfortunate octopus monster that had wandered by was being grilled to crispy perfection, sizzling with oil and emitting a mouth-watering fragrance.
Before him, an old man in an eternally unchanging red martial arts gi—his hairstyle reminiscent of an early-stage Super Saiyan—stroked his signature beard with a look of profound mystery. This living fossil of the Kusanagi clan, Kusanagi Asahi.
...
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