When Arthur saw Chthon beginning to gather his black magic, he swallowed hard, his throat tight with fear.
In his mind, no human being in this world could possibly withstand the full force of Chthon's black magic.
Not even Lady Viper.
But… in this moment, Arthur realized just how naïve he had been.
Even if Chthon couldn't unleash his full might through Lady Viper's vessel, even a fraction—just the faintest ripple of that black magic—was enough to annihilate everything around them.
If Senju Haruto failed to stop him now, Chthon's dark energy could very well drown the whole of New York City.
And that was just the larger threat. Right now, the immediate danger needed to be dealt with.
"Haruto!" Arthur shouted without thinking. As a longtime regular of the No Door Bar, he couldn't bear the thought of seeing it destroyed.
When Chthon had appeared, yes—many sorcerers had fled for their lives. But Arthur knew their hearts weren't truly evil. They had only been overwhelmed by fear, desperate to escape Chthon's crushing aura.
As a Sanctum sorcerer, Arthur couldn't accept letting those people die.
"Mm."
Haruto's answer was quiet, almost casual.
"In that case, let's take this outside."
He paused, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"In fact… it's the perfect chance to let the whole world witness this."
The moment he finished speaking, Haruto lifted his right hand high above his head and pointed toward the ceiling of the No Door Bar.
In truth, powerful ancient wards were woven all around the bar, designed to absorb any magic unleashed within its walls. To shatter even a hole through the ceiling was considered impossible by every sorcerer who knew of the place.
Arthur had hoped Haruto wouldn't battle Chthon here. In his mind, the ideal option was to use a Sling Ring or some other spell to send Chthon away—perhaps to an uninhabited zone.
Or better yet… into the Mirror Dimension!
There, Haruto could fight freely.
Arthur had been certain that's what Haruto would do.
But what he actually did left Arthur—and every sorcerer still frozen inside the bar—staring in shock.
No one had expected Haruto to blast the ceiling apart.
And no one had imagined that, when standing before a being like Chthon, a living legend of terror, Haruto would dare split his attention at all.
The swirling black magic coiled tighter, condensing into the form of a massive serpent. Its tail alone was thicker than the Hulk's waist.
It bared long, gleaming fangs as its body coiled, then suddenly snapped forward, launching its upper half like a spear.
With Lady Viper's face and body fused to its image, Chthon's black serpent was a grotesque declaration to the world of just how terrifying the Serpent could be.
And the speed—faster than sound.
The strike was so fast that Arthur's eyes couldn't even follow it.
If it had been anyone else standing against Chthon, there would only be one outcome: certain death.
But—
Before fear could swallow the crowd, chaotic magic burst from Haruto's palm, tearing straight through the ceiling of the No Door Bar.
Moonlight poured down through the gash, followed by a cold wind that rushed inside.
And then, in an instant, that charging black serpent was stopped dead in its tracks—its throat seized in the grip of an enormous hand.
Chthon froze, his gaze following the hand upward, tracing along a colossal arm until his eyes fell upon the figure it belonged to.
A warrior's soul, clad in samurai armor, towered around Senju Haruto, encasing him in its form.
This was no magic Chthon had ever seen.
And he was qualified to say so—he was one of Earth's oldest beings, the first of its lifeforms. His knowledge and experience spanned countless ages.
He was certain. This was not magic.
Yet it was power. Terrifying, unfamiliar power.
And for the first time in ages, Chthon felt something close to shock.
"What is that?!"
The ever-composed, lofty God of the Abyss couldn't stop himself from blurting the words aloud, raw disbelief cracking his voice.
What was this?
What in the abyss' name was this?!
It wasn't magic, but it radiated strength beyond reason.
"What, this?" Haruto's tone was calm as he met Chthon's wide-eyed stare.
The power he wielded was none other than the ocular might of the Eternal Mangekyō—Susanoo.
A force whose floor and ceiling were both impossibly high.
Susanoo was chakra made manifest.
And within Haruto flowed not just the chakra of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, but also the chakra of the Ten-Tails, the Six Paths.
And beyond that—
The natural energy of this entire world.
All of it was his weapon.
"This," Haruto said, his voice low and steady, "is Susanoo."
His hands came together in a seal.
"Sage Art—Sage Mode!"
In an instant, the natural energy of New York surged toward him, drawn from every direction.
The chaotic magic he had unleashed earlier hadn't only shattered the bar's ceiling—it had also ripped apart the protective wards woven into the building.
Through that opening, natural energy flooded down like a storm, pouring straight into Haruto's body.
Sage techniques weren't part of Marvel's world, but natural energy was something every sorcerer could sense—even if only a rare few could wield it.
And so, as Haruto entered Sage Mode, nearly every sorcerer present stood frozen, stunned.
Who was this man?
How could his power be so unreasonable?
To rip natural energy from the city itself and claim it as his own…
Was this even something a human sorcerer could do?
He had to be some ancient god in disguise.
Even Chthon—moments ago so certain of his superiority—now found himself reassessing Haruto.
For the first time, a trace of doubt flickered through him. Could Haruto's power come from Gaea herself?
Or… was he Gaea incarnate?
"Chthon, is this really all you've got?" Haruto's voice was almost gentle.
Susanoo's half-formed samurai body swelled, expanding with each breath.
In seconds, the towering form pressed against the bar's ceiling, splitting it further apart.
And that was only the beginning.
As more and more natural energy poured into him, Susanoo unfurled wings of pure chakra.
With the black serpent still clutched in its grip, Susanoo soared skyward—
—and with the faintest squeeze of its fingers, shattered the serpent's body like it was nothing more than an insect.
...
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