Shuo barely spared a glance at his teammates—they were handling the lesser monsters with ease. This fight was his alone.
He squared his shoulders, sword arm steady, and summoned Zangetsu. Red magic coiled around the blade, a storm gathering at its tip. Shuo's stance was textbook—simple, direct, and utterly lethal.
He launched himself forward, a blur of motion. The ground split beneath his feet, red mist swirling around him as he shot upward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. In that instant, he was eye-to-eye with one of Yamata-no-Orochi's massive heads.
His blade flashed.
CRACK!
A single, devastating swing—one of the serpent's colossal heads tumbled to the forest floor, green blood spraying in all directions.
"Damn, what a terrifying strike," Kiba gasped, awe in his voice.
Just one attack, and the difference was clear. Even if Kiba poured every ounce of strength into his sword, he doubted he'd so much as scratch those scales.
Nangong-kun… your strength is on another level.
But the battle was far from over. Shuo pressed his advantage, ready to go after the remaining heads—until a wave of pure malice radiated from the beast, stopping him cold.
"Everyone, get out of here! Deep into the woods—now!" Shuo shouted, urgency sharpening his tone.
He darted back, grabbing the still-recovering Koneko and Kiba, hauling them away at breakneck speed. Rias and Akeno, hearing the warning, shot into the forest, wings flaring as they fled.
Yamata-no-Orochi was ready. Seven pairs of eyes burned with murderous light. Its mouths gaped open—air thickened with the stench of blood, the crackle of lightning, the roar of flame. The attack hit like a hurricane, tearing through the forest in a cataclysmic blast.
Trees, leaves, flowers—obliterated. For minutes, the world was nothing but howling wind and flying debris. When the dust settled, a swath nearly ten kilometers wide had been flattened, the ground stripped bare.
The sheer destructive power was staggering—Rias and the others could only watch from a safe distance, hearts pounding.
Then, something even more horrifying happened. The serpent's severed neck writhed, flesh churning and twisting.
Under their horrified stares—
Pop.
A brand-new head sprouted from the bloody stump.
"How is it regenerating so fast?" Shuo muttered, shock flickering across his face.
His initial strike had drawn the monster's full attention. Now, with all eight heads restored, Yamata-no-Orochi reared up, jaws agape. Lightning, fire, poison, wind—all eight unleashed a barrage of elemental fury, every attack zeroed in on Shuo.
He had no choice but to keep dodging, drawing the beast's focus away from his friends. As he moved, Shuo called up his system for intel.
"Ding. Yamata-no-Orochi: Eight heads, eight tails. Legendary mythical monster. Each head controls a different element—flame, lightning, poison, and more. Due to host interference, its power has surged, now nearly at peak Satan-Class. Possesses head regeneration and weather manipulation abilities."
Shuo nearly choked on frustration. "You've got to be kidding me. It can evolve based on our numbers and strength?"
He gritted his teeth. "Fine. Let's see if you can regrow heads faster than I can cut them off!"
This was his first true life-or-death fight since reaching quasi-Satan-Class. And he was determined to win.
Moving at blinding speed, Shuo marked several Flying Thunder God seals on the serpent's massive body. Then he summoned the Chains of Heaven, binding Yamata-no-Orochi—divinity or not, it was enough to slow the beast down.
He unleashed Zangetsu's signature move: "Getsuga Tenshō!"
Teleporting with Flying Thunder God, Shuo weaved through the onslaught, counterattacking whenever he saw an opening.
SLASH!
Another head dropped.
He couldn't afford to hesitate. If he slowed down, the monster would just regenerate again.
Second head—gone.
Third.
Fourth.
With each head severed, Yamata-no-Orochi's roar grew weaker, its body convulsing in agony, desperate to regrow.
Shuo shouted, voice raw: "You're not coming back from this!"
He swung hard at the final head. It crashed to the ground, and for a moment, silence reigned.
"We did it!"
The thought flashed through Rias and the others—they moved to celebrate, but Shuo stopped them with a sharp yell.
"Stay back!"
He'd noticed something wrong. Even with all the heads gone, the serpent's necks writhed, flesh bubbling and twisting. Its body thrashed violently.
"Why won't you die?" Shuo cursed, frustration etched deep in his face. This was beyond anything he'd expected. For a moment, he was at a loss.
Then—
The headless Yamata-no-Orochi convulsed, and with a series of sickening pops, eight fresh heads burst forth, fully restored—like the monster had never been wounded at all.
Rias and the others watched in horror, powerless to help, worry etched across their faces.
The serpent's cold, merciless eyes fixed on Shuo. All eight heads lunged, jaws wide, nearly swallowing him whole.
Missing its mark, Yamata-no-Orochi shrieked in fury, then whipped around and lunged again.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Desperate, Shuo activated his Rinnegan, summoning a meteor from the heavens.
But Yamata-no-Orochi was nearly at peak Satan-Class. All eight heads unleashed lightning, fire, and poison, smashing the meteor to dust before it could land.
Shuo watched, mind racing. The heads weren't the weakness—cutting them off did nothing.
The system wouldn't be wrong. There had to be a way. He remembered the legend: Susanoo slew Yamata-no-Orochi by severing all its heads. Susanoo…
Wait.
No way.
Is it possible… I need to use Susanoo to kill this thing?
(PS: Please keep the tips, votes, and flowers coming! Your support keeps me going!)
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