Meanwhile, Orochi in the sky had just recovered from the searing pain of Cloud's "kidney shot" when he looked up to see an overwhelming sea of flames rushing straight at his face!
He wanted to dodge, but his gravely wounded body couldn't move as swiftly as before.
He wanted to defend, but Cloud's slash had already broken most of his divine protection.
And so...
BOOOOOM—!!!!!
Orochi took a full face-blast of "Drunken Fist True Fire"!
When the flames dispersed, "pathetic" didn't begin to describe Orochi's appearance.
His silver-white hair was mostly charred, curled and blackened. His once-flawless face was scorched pitch black, looking like he'd just crawled out of a chimney.
His already semi-transparent body had become even more ethereal—as if a single gust of wind could scatter him completely.
He had been ambushed. Again.
And this time, by a drunk old man who'd seemed the least threatening of all.
In this moment, Orochi's eyes—those eyes that looked down upon all creation—finally showed genuine fury!
He, an embodiment of nature's will walking the earth, a god who viewed all beings as ants...
Today, in the span of barely ten minutes:
First, a mortal had ambushed him with dishonorable tactics, striking his lower back.
Then, a drunk old man had used even more dishonorable tactics to blast him in the face with what was essentially... a mouthful of "divine spit"—er, "True Fire"!
This was an absolute humiliation!
The darkest moment in his entire divine existence!
"—You... ants!!!"
Orochi's voice became a furious roar!
"—You have truly... enraged me!!!"
Pure black energy—brimming with destruction and finality—erupted wildly from within him!
All of Tokyo, then Japan, then Asia—in this moment, all were shrouded by this pure "divine wrath"!
The sky lost all light completely.
The earth began to tremble and wail.
Everyone felt a terror originating from the depths of their souls, an irresistible fear that threatened to drown them!
Orochi was getting serious!
He would spare no cost to completely erase these two ants who dared "mock a god," along with this entire world—utterly annihilated!
Yet facing this world-ending divine fury—
Cloud and Chin Gentsai exchanged a glance.
Then, in perfect unison, they smiled the smile of a plan coming together.
That's right. Provoke him.
Make him lose that godlike "absolute calm."
This was Cloud and Chin Gentsai's true purpose in orchestrating this "ambush theater"!
A calm, rational god without any openings was unbeatable.
But an angry, irrational "god" would inevitably reveal weaknesses!
...
As Orochi's divine fury swept across Tokyo like a black solar storm, a "side quest" affecting everyone quietly began.
"—All fighters! Heed my command!"
Chizuru Kagura, the impromptu "battlefield commander," was gravely wounded but her voice remained clear and resolute. She used the Yata Mirror to illuminate the dense swarms of divine tribe members and elders pouring through the dimensional gates.
"Orochi will be contained by Cloud and Master Chin! Our mission is to eliminate these divine tribe remnants! Cut off his backup power source!"
"Roger!"
"Couldn't agree more!"
The top-tier fighters, who'd been holding back a bellyful of frustration, had long been itching for action.
The BOSS (Orochi) was too strong—they couldn't even scratch him. All they could do was watch those two "beyond-specification" immortals perform.
The feeling of only being able to stand on the sidelines shouting "666" was absolutely suffocating!
Now, finally, there were "mobs" they could handle!
"Brothers! Time to vent!"
Terry was the first to respond. Though he was in critical condition, he could still handle trash mobs easily.
His golden "Power Wave" swept forward like a bulldozer, instantly clearing a wide area.
"If I can't beat your boss, I can still beat your employees!"
Ryo Sakazaki followed close behind. His "Haoh Shoukou Ken" had map-clearing effect as the golden dragon spirit roared, blasting over a dozen divine tribe members into the air.
"Everyone from Kyokugenryu! Show them what it means to be professionals who'll even take down a god if the price is right!"
Robert flicked his hair stylishly before diving into enemy lines with a "Ryuko Ranbu," fighting with dazzling flair.
In an instant, the entire Tokyo ruins became a large-scale "musou" mowing field.
The fighters vented all the frustration they'd built up against Orochi tenfold, a hundredfold, onto these divine tribe members.
And the sight that made Orochi's blood pressure spike even further was yet to come.
"Ara~ Don't just stand there, boys, come play with me~"
Shermie—who'd just performed an epic-level betrayal—had recovered some of her strength.
She awakened again, transforming into the "Heavenly King of Raging Lightning." Lightning danced at her fingertips like a reaper's scythe, mercilessly harvesting her former "kin."
"Traitor! Shermie! You fallen one, corrupted by mortal desires!" A divine tribe elder pointed at her, trembling with rage.
Shermie just smiled. "Can't help it~ My new boss... just gives so much more~"
On another side, Ryuji Yamazaki had also joined the battle. He wasn't as playful as Shermie, but his attacks were far more vicious.
"Snake Arm Upper!"
His arm shot out like a venomous serpent, instantly piercing through a divine tribe elder's chest. A manic grin twisted his features.
"A bunch of broke-ass pie-in-the-sky peddlers! You think you're worthy of blocking Ryuji Yamazaki's path to his underworld empire?!"
He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, eyes full of contempt for these obstacles to his "career development."
But what truly exhausted Orochi were two other figures.
Mature and Vice.
These two members of the Hakkesshu who had once served him with absolute loyalty were now elegantly weaving through the divine tribe formation as if dancing a waltz. Every strike was precise and lethal, leaving trails of blood spray in their wake.
"Mature! Vice! Have you betrayed our lord as well?!" Another divine tribe priest demanded in grief and outrage.
Mature paused, flicking her golden short hair aside with the cold elegance of an ice queen. "You can't really call it betrayal. We've simply switched to serving a more interesting king."
Vice's smile was even more cruel. "That's right. Compared to some antique who slept for eighteen hundred years, we prefer a king who's alive and breathing, very present, and... quite handsome."
The "king" they spoke of was, naturally, Cloud.
Shermie, Ryuji Yamazaki, Mature, Vice...
Orochi looked at these members of his Hakkesshu—one after another having switched sides—and felt his divine heart nearly seize up.
Eight members total in the Hakkesshu.
Goenitz was sealed and had his blood stolen.
Gaidel died ages ago.
Of the remaining six, besides Chris and Yashiro who'd been used as vessels...
—All four of the remaining members had become turncoats!
How was he supposed to lead this team?!
And the mastermind behind all of this...
Orochi's furious gaze once again locked onto Cloud.
It was this smirking young man who, from start to finish, had worn that "everything is going according to plan" expression!
It was him! Using methods Orochi couldn't comprehend—something called "PUA" and "drawing pie in the sky"—he'd poached the team Orochi had painstakingly built over thousands of years down to... just two lonely souls!
In this moment, Orochi felt truly exhausted.
He didn't want to say anything more.
Words could no longer express the fury and weariness in his heart.
Just destroy it all.
Hurry up.
So tired.
"—Sunshine."
Orochi slowly spoke the name of his final ultimate technique—the one representing "indiscriminate judgment."
No earth-shaking momentum.
Only an irresistible, world-cleansing finality!
A pure white light—carrying no warmth whatsoever yet containing the law of "all things returning to the cycle"—erupted from his body!
Wherever that light touched, space annihilated, matter decomposed!
Once this light fully expanded, the entire Earth, all of humanity, would be completely "formatted" in an instant—reduced to their most primitive particle states!
This was true divine judgment!
And yet...
Facing this apocalyptic divine might that would drive any living being to despair, Cloud didn't panic at all.
In fact, he almost wanted to laugh.
"This is exactly what I was waiting for!"
He glanced at his system panel.
[Host: Cloud]
[Constitution: 250]
[Strength: 250]
[Agility: 250]
[Spirit: 250]
All four basic attributes, after countless battles and enhancements, had finally reached a perfect, balanced number carrying a certain "mystical" significance.
"Two hundred fifty... er, I mean, perfectly balanced!"
And this number was the key to unlocking the final shackle within him!
[Ding! Host's basic attributes meet the requirements for Divine Body Molding!]
[Orochi Power Fragment seal beginning release!]
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A power more terrifying, more pure, more ancient than "Divine Wrath" roared to life within Cloud like a primordial cosmic beast awakening!
The "Orochi Power Fragments" he'd collected through various means from the Hakkesshu completely broke free of their bonds!
Wind, Thunder, Beast, Water, Chaos, Death...
Six powers representing portions of the world's origin furiously released their long-suppressed, overwhelmingly powerful might!
Cloud's body was instantly pushed to near-bursting by this immense power!
Golden cracks split across his skin as powers of different attributes erupted violently from the fissures!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Cloud let out a cry of genuine agony! This was real pain—far worse than his first Orochi transformation. After all, back then, the system had protected him.
Cloud felt like he'd eaten multiple "Devil Fruits" of different attributes simultaneously, without reading any instruction manuals!
[Host entering Demigod Form!]
[Warning! Host's Chaos Divine Bloodline is incomplete (missing Parched Earth and Flames of Destiny)! Divine Authority is limited! Unable to perfectly control current power!]
"System! Stop building suspense! Whatever backup you've got, use it now!" Cloud screamed internally.
[Ding! Detecting VIP Host's urgent needs!]
[Would you like to consume a large amount of Source Points to temporarily complete the Divine Bloodline and activate the Complete Deity Experience Card?]
"Obviously! Spend it! Whatever I have, spend it all!"
[Confirmed! Consuming Source Points... 600,000!]
[Temporary bloodline completion in progress...]
BOOOOOM—!!!
A mysterious, indescribable ripple expanded outward with Cloud at its center!
That ripple swept over Orochi, who was still releasing "Sunshine."
Orochi's movements suddenly froze!
He could feel it—in that moment, his power had been... copied and pasted!
Like playing a game on your own account when a notification suddenly pops up: [Your account has logged in elsewhere. You have been forcibly disconnected.]
Orochi was dumbfounded.
...
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