"Orochi..."
Iori Yagami extended his tongue, licking the corner of his lips. His face twisted into a manic, almost sickly grin.
"Your power... I will be the one... to end it completely!"
Kyo Kusanagi! Chizuru Kagura! Iori Yagami!
The descendants of the Three Sacred Treasures, in this moment, had set aside a thousand years of blood feuds. For the first time, they truly stood united on the same side!
The three of them surrounded Orochi from different directions, trapping the serpent god firmly in the center!
Crimson divine flames! White purifying light! Purple dark azure fire!
Three utterly distinct ultimate powers intertwined at this moment, forming a massive triangular encirclement!
The scene was absolutely breathtaking!
In the distance, Yun Ying watched with blood pumping through her veins, nearly crushing the soda can in her grip. "Whoa whoa whoa! So this is what a final battle formation looks like?! So cool! Where did Cloud find all these amazing allies?!"
Nakoruru watched with equal wonder. She could sense that although the three powers had different attributes, they somehow formed a perfect balance.
Orochi finally shifted his indifferent gaze away from Cloud, slowly sweeping his eyes over the three who surrounded him.
In those eyes, a flicker of something almost like nostalgia appeared.
"I see..." he said softly. "The Kusanagi Sword, the Yasakani Magatama, the Yata Mirror... My old friends from eighteen hundred years ago. We meet again."
"However..."
His tone shifted, and that divine indifference returned.
"With your current power, you think you can challenge a god?"
"—How naive."
"Cut the crap!" The hot-tempered Iori was the first to attack!
"Forbidden Style 1211: Ya Otome!"
His entire body transformed into a purple phantom, tearing through space with a piercing shriek as he charged toward Orochi!
That classic "demon step" was so fast the naked eye couldn't track it!
All anyone could see were purple afterimages leaving ominous claw marks trailing through the air!
"Useless."
Orochi didn't even turn his head. He simply raised one hand.
Before him, space rippled and folded once more.
Iori's claws—sharp enough to tear through steel—struck those layered spatial ripples like hitting cotton. All his force was instantly dispersed and neutralized!
"What?!" Iori's pupils contracted sharply.
"I said, useless."
Orochi flicked a finger.
With a soft pop, the space before Iori collapsed inward like a lake struck by a stone, then rebounded with ten times the force!
"Guh—!"
Iori had no time to react before an irresistible force slammed into him. He shot backward like a cannonball!
"Iori!" Kyo roared.
"Sanctification of Three Sounds!"
Chizuru moved!
She instantly split into countless phantom shrine maidens wielding sacred artifacts, attacking Orochi from all directions!
Each phantom possessed power indistinguishable from the real thing!
This was the essence of Kagura-style ancient martial arts—an illusory technique capable of deceiving even the gods!
And yet...
"Before the will of the Earth, all illusions are but fantasies."
Orochi simply closed his eyes.
Around his body, countless pillars of spiritual energy—constructed from pure mental force—erupted from the ground.
"Spirit Pillars!"
All the shrine maiden phantoms, under the sweep of those pillars, burst like soap bubbles in sunlight!
Chizuru's true body let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her ultimate technique had been broken at its very foundation through the simplest, most brutal method possible!
"Damn it! My turn!"
Kyo Kusanagi finally made his move!
He didn't choose close combat. Instead, he pushed his ultimate power—burning with "Divine Crimson Flame"—to its absolute limit!
"Final Battle Art: Mu Shiki!"
What he unleashed was no longer a simple blade of fire!
It was a lifelike three-legged golden crow formed entirely of Divine Crimson Flame!
The golden crow raised its head and cried to the heavens, carrying the imperial aura of something that could incinerate all creation, as it crashed toward Orochi!
Facing this strike—one capable of threatening his very existence—Orochi responded head-on.
He slowly raised both hands, bringing them together before his chest. In his palms, an energy sphere formed from pure light particles began spinning, emanating an aura of "all things returning to one."
Black disks tore through space, layer upon layer, hurtling toward Kyo.
This was Orochi's signature technique—the nightmare of countless players: Black Particles!
The Black Particles and the three-legged golden crow collided!
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only... annihilation.
Pure, silent annihilation.
The domineering Divine Crimson Flame, upon contact with the Black Particles, was devoured as if by a black hole—broken down bit by bit until it dissolved into the most primitive energy particles and scattered into the air.
"Puh!"
Kyo staggered as if struck by a heavy blow. Having his strongest attack neutralized so easily shook him to his core, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Three Sacred Treasure descendants. Three masters of ultimate power. A combined assault...
The result was complete defeat!
Orochi hadn't even moved a single step!
"Do you see now?" Orochi slowly lowered his hands, gazing indifferently at the three gravely wounded warriors. "This is... the gap between humans and gods."
"It is a gap that cannot be bridged by numbers or courage."
As he spoke, he slowly rose into the air, hovering above the ruins with arms spread wide—like a monarch embracing the world.
"Now, accept your... fate."
"—Divine Punishment!"
An unprecedented surge of pure black divine energy erupted from his body!
The entire sky over Tokyo was stained ink-black by this aura!
Countless massive pillars of pure dark energy descended from the heavens!
The scene looked like the apocalypse itself!
...
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