After just a few exchanges, Susanoo was already battered and weary. His mind was still spinning, perhaps from the force of the Shinra Tensei. He was utterly perplexed.
'During our last battle, this Campione was strong, but not to this terrifying degree.'
'What were those strange forces of attraction and repulsion? Were they powers he always possessed, or new Authorities gained from slaying another Heretic God? If he always had them, why hadn't he used them last time? Had he used them then, I would have been slain instantly!'
'But if they were Authorities, which Heretic God possessed such absurdly overpowered abilities? This is too cheating! Completely disregarding mass and size with gravity and force... someone like me couldn't possibly withstand that.'
Yet, despite his fear of Yusei's power, Susanoo refused to surrender. He knew that if he died here, it would all be over.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his body upright and activated his Authority… the Storm Authority.
A violent gale, far surpassing any natural storm, instantly coalesced into a tornado capable of scouring the earth clean, hurtling directly toward Yusei.
Had this been the Yusei before obtaining the Rinnegan, he would likely have had to face the tornado head-on.
But now, that was unnecessary.
An invisible barrier seemed to envelop Yusei. The full might of the Storm Authority surged toward him, yet bizarrely, the storm seemed to encounter another dimension, gradually fading into nothingness.
Witnessing this, Susanoo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, shocked that the power of his Authority had simply vanished.
Yusei, feeling his own energy reserves swell, let out a relieved sigh and smiled. Just as he had theorized, this Storm Authority could also be absorbed.
The power of his Preta Path was to devour all forms of energy and convert it for his own use.
The Storm Authority… a storm was itself a manifestation of energy. Since even natural storms were energy, let alone one born from a Heretic God's Authority.
With his proudest trump card so effortlessly neutralized Susanoo's will to fight shattered completely. His body shrank back to normal size, and he turned to flee with all his speed.
Seeing this, Yusei's eyes sharpened. The Rinnegan in his left eye blazed with power.
Mimicking the earlier attack, a storm of immense force erupted forth, sweeping toward the fleeing god with irresistible momentum.
Simultaneously, meteors, identical to those summoned by Chibaku Tensei, materialized in the sky and rained down.
Meteors fell from the heavens, tornadoes raged on the earth… all converged upon the rapidly retreating form of Susanoo.
The ground was torn asunder by the hurricane's fury, and the sky hammered the earth into submission.
Under the catastrophic impact of the massive celestial projectiles, the area where Susanoo had been was utterly ravaged, the resulting shockwave mimicking the fury of a nuclear detonation.
Even Athena, observing silently from a distance, could feel the very land tremble and groan in protest.
It wasn't just Susanoo being annihilated. The entire region, pummeled by meteors and shredded by winds, suffered immensely.
The Earth possesses its own spirit. Harm its balance, and it retaliates with floods, tsunamis, and quakes.
As an Earth Mother Goddess, Athena knelt and gently laid a hand upon the ground, soothing its distress.
"Forgive my husband," She whispered, "I too am of the earth... thus, Yusei is also the earth's kin."
Her touch seemed to have an effect. The agitated land gradually stilled, its violent tremors ceasing.
Once the aftershocks had settled, Yusei flew toward the epicenter.
With the Rinnegan, he could now manipulate gravity and repulsion to navigate the skies.
He quickly arrived at the heart of the devastation. There, he found Susanoo, hovering on the very brink of death.
The god was barely conscious, his body a ruined, bloody mess.
Only the legendary resilience of a Steel God kept the faintest spark of life flickering within him.
Seeing this, Yusei raised Futsu no Mitama without a moment's hesitation and brought it down, cleanly ending Susanoo's life.
The instant Susanoo perished, Yusei felt a profound, familiar power flood into his being.
This was power that shared the same origin as his Susanoo Armor, both fundamentally rooted in the essence of Susanoo himself.
Empowered and refined by this Divine Core energy, his Susanoo Armor now transcended its previous Mangekyo-based limitations, evolving into a far more potent form, unshackled from his Ocular Power.
A soft light flashed beside him.
Athena, in her full, mature goddess form, appeared, a warm smile gracing her lips as she regarded him.
"Yusei, congratulations on acquiring another Heretic God's Authority."
"Thank you. And thank you for your support."
Athena shook her head gently, her gaze filled with deep affection, "You and I are one now, husband. There is no need for thanks between us. What will you do next?"
Yusei considered for a moment, his rippled Rinnegan eyes narrowing in thought, "Take us back to the mortal world,"
He stated firmly, "It's time to settle our account with the History Compilation Committee. I want to know who gave them the nerve to ambush me."
"Understood. Then let us erase them from existence."
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Luo Hao, true to their arrangement, had intercepted the History Compilation Committee's forces dispatched to aid Susanoo.
The History Compilation Committee's ultimate weapon and strongest fighter had been Susanoo. Without him, they were nothing but chaff.
Perhaps these individuals were skilled among ordinary magicians, capable fighters in their own right. But before a Campione, they were utterly insignificant.
Furthermore, Luo Hao hadn't come alone. People from Copper-Black Cross had accompanied her into the fray.
The battle was disappointingly brief for Luo Hao. Not a single opponent could withstand her assaults. Within moments, the ground around her was littered with corpses.
Finding the cleanup tedious, Luo Hao left the remaining stragglers to her disciple, Lu Yinghua, and his companions.
By the time Yusei and Athena arrived at the scene, they were met with an astonishing sight. The History Compilation Committee had been all but wiped out. Their headquarters was in ruins.
"That's it? It's over already?" Yusei asked, glancing at the composed Luo Hao.
"They were inherently weak. Susanoo was their only true card. An organization without a Campione, yet so arrogant, deserves no other fate," Luo Hao replied dispassionately.
Yusei nodded. With the Committee thoroughly annihilated, they held no further interest for him.
"Let's go," He said, "There's still the matter of the Monkey King, waiting to be freed."
Luo Hao observed Yusei, whose aura had grown palpably stronger since their last meeting, a glint of approval in her eyes.
"As expected of my sworn little brother. It seems you dealt with that Susanoo with remarkable speed."