C336
The sharp gaze of his eyes pierced through Hercules' body.
At the same time, a dark aura emanated from Susanoo's body.
The King of the Dead. Susanoo was revived with the power of that title.
Hercules brought his hand to his neck.
"This is not something common."
It had been a long time since he felt this sensation of a sword.
Although there were many swordsmen in Olympus, there was undoubtedly no one with such exceptional skills.
After training his body to a certain extent, Hercules believed that he would no longer be cut by a simple sword.
But Susanoo, standing before him, was an exception.
"It's been a long time since I felt the sensation of being cut."
A red weapon held in his hand.
It was not a common sensation.
Even getting close to it gave the feeling of being cut by an invisible veil. The smell of blood scattered in the air, and indeed, nearby blades of grass were sharply cut and scattered by the wind.
There was only one sword with such a history and capability in this Tower.
"Is it the Kusanagi Sword?"
An item he had only heard rumors about.
Although Yu Won possessed it, Susanoo was the one who could make the best use of it.
With versatile skills in handling swords, spears, and even ranged combat. Unlike YuWon, who showed versatile abilities, Susanoo was so good with the sword that he was nicknamed the Sword Demon.
Hercules' gaze now turned to the mirror shield held in Susanoo's other hand.
If the sword was Kusanagi, it was obvious what the other shield was.
"The Yata Mirror."
He didn't know what abilities that item concealed.
If there were two of the Three Sacred Treasures, surely there would be another.
Hercules looked at the jewel connected to Kusanagi and furrowed his brow.
"This... won't be easy."
Susanoo armed with the Three Sacred Treasures.
His strength had already been demonstrated in the previous trials. Susanoo's power, which blocked thousands of Players, was considered comparable to his prime.
Of course, without the power to command tens of thousands of undead armies, Susanoo was only worth half.
But if he had the Three Sacred Treasures in his hands, the story was different.
Chas.
Hercules aimed his club.
"Come."
Susanoo did not shy away from the fight.
Despite the brief provocation, Susanoo let out a hearty laugh.
-Good, good!
Zas!
As smooth as sliding on ice, Susanoo approached Hercules.
The distance closed in the blink of an eye. In the moment Hercules judged that Susanoo was within the range of the club, he swung his mace.
Boom!
Susanoo did not move his sword.
What is he trying to do?
The thought was fleeting.
At that moment...
Zas-.
Susanoo's figure disappeared from his place.
"...!"
Giiiin-.
Susanoo reappeared behind Hercules.
An identical image reflected in the mirror.
Susanoo's Kusanagi emitted a red light.
Swoosh!
Thud!
Kusanagi cut through Hercules' back, and with a dull sound, a wound formed on his back.
Hercules staggered for a moment and turned his body, but once again, he couldn't see Susanoo.
Zas, zas-.
It wasn't just moving quickly.
There was no Ranker in this Tower who could move that fast.
"Could it be the Yata Mirror, perhaps?"
Bam, boom-!
Thud, whoosh-.
He crossed his arms to protect his head and swung his club forcefully once.
But the club passed through empty air and didn't reach Susanoo.
Instead...
Flash!
Crack!
A sharp lightning spear flew over Hercules' body and impaled him.
It was a much more elaborate and perfect lightning than before.
Staggering-.
Hercules staggered.
His body couldn't react for a moment.
And at that moment, Susanoo's sword struck.
Giiin-.
[The 'Magatama Jewel' shines]
[The 'Gigantification' resists the 'Magatama Jewel']
[All stats decrease by 5.2%]
[Pain resistance decreases by 22.5%]
[Physical resistance decreases by 15.9%]
['Attribute: Confusion' granted]
[Your resistance to 'Attribute: Confusion' has succeeded]
He felt a bit numb in his body. It was like wearing uncomfortable clothing that didn't fit.
While his body was momentarily restrained...
Puh-.
Susanoo's sword slashed Hercules' chest.
Ziik-.
Hercules' burly body was thrown backward by the sword strikes.
Hercules tilted his head and looked at his blood-stained chest.
He was cut.
Blood was flowing.
Tududuk-.
As usual, Susanoo shook the blood off the sword and threw it to the ground.
Drops of blood fell in a straight line.
-I wish your body were in better shape.
Susanoo noticed that Hercules' body was not in normal condition.
Hercules was poisoned.
Naturally, his body became numb, and he found it difficult to gather strength.
['Abnormal State: Poisoning' increases to level 3]
The poisoning that stopped at level 2 increased to level 3.
It still didn't endanger his life.
At this point, Hercules' endurance would have allowed him to recover naturally.
But not in this situation.
"I wish I could wait for you, but..."
Spot-.
Susanoo's figure disappeared from view again.
"My master doesn't want me to."
And by master, he obviously meant YuWon.
In some way, he also wanted to win this bet.
Hercules: 'I feel trapped in a trap.'
Susano, armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, was strong.
Strong enough to hold him in a close combat.
YuWon's Lightning Bolts that came from afar were equally powerful.
A masterpiece created by Hephaestus based on Zeus' Lightning Bolt. If he continued to receive the borrowed Lightning Bolts' power, he would surely start to take damage little by little.
Moreover...
Right in this situation, he also had the Hydra's poison in his body.
"Is this how you set up this situation?"
Thud!
Kwagwagwag!
The club and the sword clashed. The power of the Magatama Jewel enveloped the sword, and Susano, without receiving a direct impact, moved aside using the Yata Mirror.
And as expected...
Flash!
A Lightning Bolt came from the same direction.
Kwang!
Hercules extended a hand and caught the Lightning Bolt. The Lightning Bolt trembled for a moment and shattered in Hercules' palm.
Crunch.
Hercules tightly clenched his trembling palm.
"The fight has turned into a prolonged battle."
This way, the fight wouldn't end so soon.
Susano charged at him again.
"Thirty minutes."
Woong.
When he forcefully swung the club he held in his hand...
"Somehow, I'll finish it within that time."
Crash!
The ground where Hercules stood overturned.
-------------------------
YuWon could feel the mana in his body rapidly depleting.
It was the mana used to maintain Susanoo.
"This is really nerve-wracking."
Zap, zap.
[The 'Uranus Heart' generates a Lightning Bolt]
He had already lost count of how many times he had seen this message.
It was probably the first time he had thrown so many Lightning Bolts. Even though he threw so many, Hercules endured them without flinching.
But if he stopped throwing Lightning Bolts, Susano would be in danger.
"Even a brief lapse would be dangerous."
Susanoo demonstrated his ability as expected.
Thanks to his overflowing Arcane Power, he could unleash his ability to its peak, handling the Three Sacred Treasures, including Kusanagi, at a level close to perfection.
Especially, his ability to handle Kusanagi was exceptional.
However, it was still not enough to take on Hercules, who wielded the Yggdrasil Club.
Woong!
The club swung with all its force.
Kwaah!
With a gust of wind, Susanoo's body was pushed back. Even without directly receiving the club's impact, its power was formidable.
"Not to mention, he's poisoned."
If it weren't for the Hydra's poison, what would have happened?
He wouldn't have lasted even 10 minutes, let alone 30.
Though the poison was gradually spreading, Hercules showed no signs of weakening.
In fact, he seemed to be growing stronger.
It was his mental strength.
"That's Hercules."
Someone with an unyielding will that couldn't be stopped by anything.
A Hero like steel who could break even the tallest walls.
Because of that, YuWon had no other choice but to fight as he was doing now.
Facing Hercules in his usual state was already a daunting task, even in his current form.
"I'm sorry."
He apologized to his future self, who knew.
And to the Hercules in front of him at that moment.
While apologizing for only being able to fight in this situation, YuWon threw his spear again.
"This time, I have to win."
---------------------------
Thwack-!
Susanoo's body was pushed backward.
The gust of wind emitted by the club.
That was the force that pushed Susanoo back.
-How...?
Susanoo couldn't complete his sentence, asking how Hercules didn't tire with that body.
It was because of Hercules' grip as he approached Susanoo directly to his face.
[The 'Magatama Jewel' restrains the target's movements]
[The target is resisting the effect of 'Magatama Jewel']
[Resistance has mostly succeeded]
Spot.
Hercules' hand grazed Susanoo's head.
It was really a minimal difference. If Susanoo hadn't slightly reduced Hercules' movements with the Magatama Jewel, he wouldn't have been able to avoid it.
Pat, pat.
Susanoo quickly moved away and wiped his chest.
It felt like a huge boar charging at him right in front. In that brief moment of relief, thinking that if he hadn't avoided it, it would have been the end.
"Now I understand some of your tricks."
Hercules' self-assured voice echoed.
"I won't let it pass next time."
It wasn't just a provocation.
Despite that, Susanoo couldn't stop.
No.
-Well, really...
He didn't stop.
-What will happen now?
Plop!
Faster than ever seen before.
Without stopping, he rushed towards Hercules head-on.
That was always Susanoo's way.
He didn't shy away from a fight even in situations where he could die, and he always came out victorious.
This time wouldn't be any different.
He believed that.
But...
"Didn't I tell you?"
That was because until now, Susanoo hadn't faced Hercules.
"I won't let it pass this time."
In the blink of an eye, the enormous club was right in front of his nose.
He had no idea what was happening or how it happened.
Crack!
Hercules' club swung, severing Susanoo's head and tearing his body into pieces. With a powerful gust of wind, the clouds in the direction the club was swung scattered like fluff thrown by the wind.
Whooosh.
A strong and powerful wind blew for a moment.
Puf... puf...
Susanoo's corpse turned into black smoke and disappeared.
Hercules, who had dealt with Susano'o, let out a long sigh. For a moment, he felt the tension loosening, and strength leaving his body.
At that moment...
Tsu, tsutsu, tsutsutsu...
He felt an Arcane Power of an unusual magnitude, different from everything before, coming from the direction where YuWon stood.
"One problem after another."
With his stamina diminished and his body feeling as heavy as a mountain, Hercules looked at YuWon.
Then he saw a black spear emanating immense Arcane Power, held in YuWon's hand.
The figure of Odin wielding Gungnir seemed to overlap with that of YuWon.
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)