As the morning sunlight spilled over the land, everything was bathed in light once more.
The warm morning breeze blew through the mountain forest, offering some relief to Yusei, who was lying on the ground, gasping for air.
Listening to the chirping of birds nearby, it should have been a vibrant morning. But at this moment, Yusei couldn't even move a finger.
The battle with Takemikazuchi had left him severely injured. The other truly lived up to being the God of Swords and the God of Archery.
This contest between masters was solely a clash of blades. His most powerful Authority over lightning and his Archery Authority weren't used at all.
He seemed less like a god and more like a warrior seeking an exhilarating fight.
But it was precisely because of this aspect of Takemikazuchi that Yusei felt he could win, otherwise, he truly believed he stood no chance.
Regardless, the final outcome was good.
In a battle of pure sword skills, the opponent was the God of Sword, possessing an Authority refined from the world's most top-tier sword techniques... the bane of all sword skills.
However, the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was not a skill from this world.
Although it wasn't suppressed by the Sword Authority, Takemikazuchi's understanding of swords was still terrifyingly powerful.
They fought throughout the night. In the end, Yusei managed a breakthrough in the heat of battle.
Building with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki as the foundation, he incorporated Sword Intent Mode's sword energy, creating a two-stage attack that finally secured his victory.
To put this move simply, after simultaneously slashing nine times, the original slashing paths would pause momentarily, then release delayed sword energy.
It was essentially performing the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki twice, except the second wave of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki was composed of invisible sword energy.
Frankly, this move was a bit underhanded.
But in reality, swordsmanship isn't necessarily about fairness and honor.
Take the most famous Iaido, for example.
It's essentially about drawing the sword unexpectedly and quickly… also capitalizing on the opponent's inattention.
However, none of that was important anymore. What mattered was that he had obtained Takemikazuchi's Authorities.
After Takemikazuchi was slain by him and vanished, a series of Authorities poured into his body.
Just as Yusei knew, Takemikazuchi was the god of swords, archery, and lightning, additionally possessing wise military knowledge… a veritable God of War.
The effect of this Authority was: Even without knowing how to fight, once on the battlefield, he could always lead the war to victory through various means.
In a sense, this was a twisted form of leadership. Rather than commanding talent, it was more that as long as it was war, victory and the goddess of fortune would stand on his side.
Even if the enemy army were to fail in some comical way, like collective diarrhea.
Lying on the ground, covered in wounds, Yusei wasn't in a hurry to recover. His Sharingan was utterly exhausted from the high-intensity combat throughout the night. Using his Mangekyo's Dojutsu was temporarily impossible.
He was very satisfied with today's gains. The most powerful among them was undoubtedly the Lightning Authority.
Additionally, one noteworthy point was that he felt his own lifespan had extended, and his body was filled with much more vitality, though the exact amount of lifespan gained was unclear.
However, just as Yusei was tallying his gains, the sound of light footsteps reached him.
Yusei opened his blurry eyes to look with effort and found it was Yuri.
The girl was currently looking hesitantly in his direction, seemingly assessing the situation, and she held a stone in her hand.
Seeing this, Yusei managed a weak smile, "What, thinking of killing me... cough... killing me now?"
Seemingly realizing Yusei truly had no strength left, Yuri's courage grew slightly. She approached with the stone, but her hands and feet still trembled uncontrollably.
She was a high school student, a Miko, not a warrior, and had certainly never killed anyone.
Although she understood Yusei was a... great villain, killing someone was...
"I... I can spare you, but you must promise not to trouble Susanoo-sama anymore, and not to trouble the people of Japan."
"Impossible. I must obtain Susanoo's power, cough."
A large mouthful of blood was coughed up. Yusei clutched his chest, his breathing becoming increasingly labored.
He had still underestimated his injuries. Barring any surprise, some internal organs must have been shaken or damaged.
If not for his swordsmanship training and the enhanced physique from gaining the Authorities, he would have likely lost consciousness long ago.
And currently, his left Mangekyo hadn't recovered yet, making it impossible to use any healing techniques.
Although he spoke extremely forcefully to Yuri, that was just a bluff. Right now, he genuinely couldn't move at all.
Hearing Yusei's utterly unyielding words, the hesitant, fearful expression on Yuri's face gradually solidified into determination.
This made Yusei momentarily stunned, 'Shouldn't she be scared off at a time like this? No matter what, I was putting on a strong front.'
'Normally, she should think I was 'a starved camel still bigger than a horse' and should run away, right?'
The weaker you are, the more you mustn't show weakness.
But Yusei overlooked one problem. He thought Yuri's offer to 'spare him' was meant to test him.
In reality, she genuinely meant it.
But Yusei didn't know that.
Normally, that would indeed be the case. But something unexpected happened.
Yusei's consciousness began to blur. Watching Yuri draw closer, a stubborn thought rose in his heart.
'Was I going to be killed by a little girl? No, I wouldn't be killed by anyone. So many people were waiting for me at home.'
Yusei's mind raced, searching for a way out of this predicament, but he could think of nothing.
'Damn it, can't this eye's Ocular Power recover faster?'
Yusei cursed inwardly. His consciousness was already hazy. If he didn't act now, it would be over.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.
In his final moments of consciousness, he watched the Miko draw nearer, trembling as she held the stone.
'Futsu no Mitama should be able to help me one last time, right? But if I use it... my final protective barrier will disappear.'
'Barring no surprise, it would take a day to recover.'
'And without Futsu no Mitama's protection, how would I survive that one-day recovery period?'
'Forget it, never mind. If I don't survive now, there won't be a one-day recovery period.'
Yusei sighed inwardly, gathering the last of his strength within to guide Futsu no Mitama, preparing to make a final, decisive strike.
However, at that moment, a Western-style longsword inserted itself between him and Yuri.