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Netherworld
Susanoo, the so-called "Old One," sat calmly with a cup of sake in hand.
"It should be about over by now. Let's pull up the records from the Netherworld. If possible, I'd prefer the Monkey to bury those two Godslayers at Nikko Mountain."
He glanced at the others before adding, "Remember—don't trace the present. Look only at the past, or if they are alive, they might notice."
The Netherworld was a spiritual realm that stored the memories of everything that had already happened. With the right spells, one could access the world's own record of the past. Naturally, such methods were invaluable for spying.
That was exactly what Susanoo and his companions planned to do: peek into the battle between Ryo Yagami and Sun Wukong.
The black-robed monk, Buddha (or as he called himself), raised a hand and drew a circle in the air. Within moments, the circle shimmered, and an image surfaced—showing Madame Aisha.
"Looks like we've got another Godslayer on our hands."
"The Mysterious Queen of Caves? Hmph, what a nuisance," Susanoo muttered after a glance at the vision.
Meanwhile, across from Buddha, the divine ancestor Sita—with her glass-like eyes—was staring at the figure of Athena.
"The Trinity Queen, reduced to a servant of a Campione… Our Mother Earth's days grow harder and harder."
Susanoo let out a sigh between sips of sake. "Pathetic. Give it another thousand years and even her faith will be twisted and gone."
Buddha's lips curled in a cruel smile. "So tell me. Between the Monkey King and this Yagami fellow, who do you think has the better odds?"
He had once been a monk, but achieved enlightenment through a brutal, corpse-like path, tied by fate to the lineage of the undead. His path leaned toward the heretical; he was born with malice toward gods, buddhas, and Campiones alike. He simply despised anything shining with holy light.
Why did he call himself the Living Buddha? Simple—power. He wasn't even a god, but the title let him tap into some of Buddha's divine power.
Susanoo, long accustomed to his colleague's stock villain tone, didn't bother to react. He just poured himself another drink.
"If you ask me, the Monkey has the advantage."
He downed a mouthful before explaining:
"With three Campiones together, if the Monkey uses the Old Covenant Ritual, his divine power multiplies more than threefold. That alone boosts his combat strength ten times over. Against that kind of power, Ryo Yagami will struggle to win. Sure, Godslayers are unpredictable, but I still wouldn't bet on him."
Just then, Sita spoke sharply: "Oh—look! The Great Sage is preparing the Covenant Ritual."
Of course she recognized it. After all, her mythic husband Rama had the same authority.
"Where, where? Let me see!"
Buddha leaned closer to the vision, only to sigh in disappointment.
"Too bad there's no sound. If I could hear the Covenant's words, I might've learned a thing or two."
"Hahaha! Buddha, give it up." Susanoo tilted back his sake, laughing arrogantly.
"Do you already know it or what?" the Buddha asked slyly.
"I don't."
Susanoo answered bluntly, then smirked.
"But unlike my kin, I have a brain. So what if the Covenant triples one's divine power? With a bit of wit and strategy, I can still turn the tables—"
He didn't get to finish.
The image shuddered violently, nearly breaking apart under the sheer force of Sun Wukong's divine power, which had swelled to something tangible, overwhelming.
For a moment, the three just stared, jaws slack.
Buddha's head literally dropped off and rolled across the tatami before he calmly picked it up and reattached it. He turned to Susanoo.
"Didn't you say it only tripled his power? This? This is what you call three times?"
"…Well…"
Even Susanoo's face twisted, like he'd just bitten into ten tons of lemons.
"Power isn't everything! You also need dominance, tactics, and, of course, brains."
"And with those, you think you can reach the Great Sage's level?" Buddha, now deliberately calling Sun Wukong "Great Sage," pressed with obvious malice.
Susanoo twitched. When had this guy's mouth gotten so damn annoying?
"If I go all out—really put my back into it—I could probably match that monkey," he muttered.
Buddha smirked but said nothing, instead turning to Sita, who still looked stunned.
"Does this ritual look… off to you?"
"I—I don't know."
Sita's voice wavered. "Even Rama-Sama could never reach this level. Maybe a tenth of it… no, not even one percent."
She frowned at the golden silhouette behind Sun Wukong.
"And that phantom behind him… it feels strangely familiar."
"It's the Bearer of Fate," Susanoo said grimly, drinking in silence.
"The same one who gave Rama the destiny of the King of End. The embodiment of historical correction."
He let out a humorless laugh.
"Never thought she'd personally intervene—and against Ryo Yagami, no less."
"The Bearer of Fate, huh? My first time seeing her true form. She's supposed to be a stickler for maintaining history, famous for despising transcendent beings meddling in reality."
Buddha shook his head while staring at Ryo's image. "Who knows what that Godslayer did to deserve such hostility."
"Forget it. No suspense left. Just another pitiful soul about to be crushed by the Great Sage."
Susanoo waved a hand, ready to call the session off.
But then the clash began.
Even with full attention, all they could see were flashes of golden light and two figures crossing at impossible speed.
"Who won?" Sita asked, wide-eyed.
"My bet's on the Great Sage," the Buddha muttered uncertainly.
But Susanoo suddenly slapped his own face in disbelief. "What the—? The monkey's staff… it's broken?"
"What?! That.... how?"
Buddha spun toward him, only to hear Sita gasp. He whipped back to the image and froze.
Sun Wukong—was dead.
In the blink of an eye, the Great Sage was gone.
And then Ryo lifted his head.
For the first time, sound carried from the vision into the Netherworld.
"Three of you…. If I have the time, I'll be paying each of you a visit."
The monk, the god, and the divine ancestor all felt their hearts seize, followed by a long, heavy silence.
After a while, Sita raised a trembling hand to her lips, her face pale.
"Old One… what do we do now?"
"This…"
Even Susanoo was stunned, utterly at a loss. He muttered weakly,
"It's not like we have any real grudge against him, right?"
Buddha clapped his hands. "Perfect! Then let's just surrender!"
"…"
Susanoo's face turned green.
Him, a god, surrendering to a Godslayer? That was like carrying a lantern into an outhouse—looking for death!
"Maybe we should… think this over a bit more—"
Before he could finish, the entire scene warped.
In an instant, the three of them—and the floor beneath their feet—were transported to a mountain range.
Not far off, the sacred Nikko Shrine stood in clear view.
And closer still, they saw Luo Hao, Athena, Asherah… and Ryo himself.
Beside them stood a beautiful, tan-skinned woman, looking awkward as she apologized.
"Sorry, everyone. My authority went out of control again. It always yanks things out of the Netherworld. Ah… wait, this time it pulled out people?"
Oh, hell no…
The three turned stiffly. Ryo was right there, staring at them in surprise.
.
.
.