Leveling with the Gods

Amaterasu's face hardened.

Even when he first saw Kusanagi, he thought, "What if...?"

He wondered if Kim YuWon had truly obtained the Susanoo's Treasure.

He could understand it.

With the support of Asgard, it wouldn't be impossible for him to get his hands on the Susanoo's Treasure.

But...

"Why are you..."

He was about to ask, "Why are you alive?"

'No.'

Amaterasu barely held onto the threads of reason.

Upon closer inspection, or rather, what he could see even without looking closely.

The pale, bloodless face and the putrid smell emanating from him were unmistakably those of an undead.

'He's not alive.'

That could only mean one thing.

"You... are undead."

Susanoo turned into an undead.

It was something he had never imagined. Who would have thought that he, the so-called Lord of the Undead, would become one himself.

"You look terrible, friend."

-I never thought those words would come out of your mouth, friend.

Susanoo raised an eyebrow.

He was smiling.

On the subject of being dead and becoming undead, it's as if he found it quite amusing.

"Is it funny?"

-Yes.

"Are you fighting with me?"

-I've always wanted to try it.

Boom-.

The sword in Susanoo's hand tensed.

-Fighting to the death with you.

The Totsuka Sword.

It was a cherished sword that Susanoo used a long time ago. It was obtained by YuWon as a reward on the first floor and was the key to opening Susanoo's dungeon.

But originally, it was the sword Susanoo used.

A sword that never breaks.

Kek-.

With the sword in hand, Susanoo approached Amaterasu.

-Why did you do that?

Ssshhhaa-.

Along with a bloody mana, life flowed from Susanoo's body.

-Why did you do this to me, friend?

A chill ran down Amaterasu's spine.

It wasn't because of the power he exuded.

It wasn't because he was so skilled with the sword that he was called a ghost, nor because he was afraid of the undead.

It was because he remembered his past with him.

"You're too scared. You would be much stronger if you weren't."

"It's dangerous, stay behind with Tsukuyomi."

"I'll find a way to get through."

"You just..."

Susanoo was always at the forefront when they fought together.

He was always better than them, and he shone.

Others feared him.

He even feared him more.

But...

"You ask me why?"

He was already dead.

There was no reason to fear him anymore.

"Because I no longer needed you."

Susanoo was a good companion.

He fought well, always leading the way. Together, they had ascended, earned the name of the Three Precious Children, and gained control of a floor, and he had always been there.

But that was it, and after a long adventure, they had already reached the end of the journey.

And there was no need for Susanoo's help anymore.

"So, in the end...".

Saaaaah-.

Amaterasu's gaze settled on the head of Orochi, staring at her.

"I used this guy to kill you."

-...I see.

Susanoo approached Amaterasu.

-I heard it from your own mouth, so it's enough. Besides, I'm grateful to you for this one thing.

Scott-.

The Totsuka Sword was unsheathed.

A ghostly life force violently erupted and enveloped Amaterasu's body.

"Thanks to you, I don't have to hesitate."

Skak-.

Pak-!

Roar, boom-!

The Totsuka Sword shot forward, only to be blocked by Amaterasu's flames. At the same time, Susanoo's new form faded into a secondary image, appearing higher up.

Chaaaah!

The corners of Susanoo's mouth turned upward as he sliced through the flames.

Undead don't shed tears (they have no emotions).

He might be smiling on the outside, but that didn't mean his emotions couldn't be noticed.

"Maybe... Did I have some expectations?"

Susanoo said he would help in the fight against Amaterasu.

To fight against a friend who betrayed him, to avenge his death.

But he still held a glimmer of hope.

He hoped there was some misunderstanding.

However, after hearing everything from his own mouth, he could no longer hold such expectations.

Kwagwagwagwagw-.

Arcane Power spilled out of Susanoo's body like countless blades.

A single slash turned into dozens, hundreds of slashes that cut through the flames, and the Totsuka Sword plunged towards Amaterasu's heart.

Kak, Chak-.

Without reaching Amaterasu, the Totsuka Sword pierced Orochi's skin.

Amaterasu appeared behind Susanoo, his body engulfed in flames.

YuWon felt his energy slowly depleting.

Kyaaaaaaah!

Orochi's screams made YuWon turn his head.

Amaterasu had created a giant of fire to confront Orochi, and despite using a significant amount of energy and concentration to do so, he was not losing to Susanoo, but rather gaining the upper hand.

"Summoning Susanoo is still difficult."

The speed at which his mana was depleting was alarming.

Although he was no match for Orochi, Susanoo had the necessary stats to stand up against Amaterasu.

It was a sight to behold.

"Truly strong..."

Masterful sword skills.

He had fought against him once before, but he had never seen him so impressive with a sword.

At least, he seemed to be better with the sword than he had ever been in his prime.

If someone like him could be properly utilized as a summon, how good would he be?

It was a rarely used skill of the Lord of the Undead. But if he could use someone like Susanoo appropriately, it would be a different story.

"I won't be able to hold on for much longer."

At most, he could only use Susanoo for a maximum of 20 minutes.

In that time, he would run out of energy. And he had to win the match within the available time.

"Now that I've finished assessing the situation..."

YuWon, who had been observing the fight between Susanoo and Amaterasu, began to leave.

"It's time to find my place."

Purrrrrr-!

The flames deflected a powerful sword strike. The sword and flames sputtered, cutting through Yamata no Orochi's skin and leaving it blackened from the burn.

Chii-Ik-.

Susanoo's body was pushed back.

But only for a moment.

He lunged forward again, still sporting a wide grin.

It was still terrifying to see him like this.

Even with unpleasant burns and corrosion scars all over his body, he felt no fear.

"That habit of his hasn't changed even after death."

Rather, he wondered if he could do that because he died, but upon further reflection, he was like this a thousand years ago.

He wasn't afraid to die and didn't even consider it.

That was Susanoo's invisible fear.

But...

"He has weakened."

Amaterasu no longer feared Susanoo standing before her.

"I have grown stronger."

He was stronger than before, and Susanoo was weaker.

The difference became apparent right here.

Puong, Puppupung-!

Chii Ik-.

Susanoo, unable to penetrate the flame, was being pushed back. He was desperate to stop the flame, and for every ten steps he took backward, he took one forward.

"I am stronger."

It was an exhilarating feeling.

Ranking 52

After surpassing Susanoo's ranking for the first time in his life, he was confirming what he had only vaguely suspected.

He had become stronger than Susanoo.

Furthermore, he was using most of his mana to fight against Yamata no Orochi.

Yet, this was the situation.

Slash-.

Susanoo cut through the flames.

The same pattern as before.

"You ignorantly continue to attack head-on, you..."

Spook-.

But in that moment, a chill ran down his spine.

It came from right behind him.

Pak-.

A sword flew from behind his head.

Amaterasu's head erupted in flames.

Amaterasu appeared from a distance.

he touched his neck with his hand.

It was only for a moment, but he felt as if his neck was detached.

"You were a bit slow."

Booung-.

With a sigh of disappointment, Susanoo repeated his movements in the air.

If he had been a bit faster, he could have at least cut off half of his neck.

It wasn't just Susanoo who felt it.

"How dare you..."

Amaterasu's eyes glimmered with malice.

How the hell did he do that?

No.

Since when had he been deceiving his eyes?

"It's difficult to break through, so he tricked me with that move. While pretending to make a frontal attack..."

He couldn't do it with speed or power, so he used an anomaly.

This wasn't the Susanoo he knew; he always massacred his opponents head-on, using the power of his legions of undead to crush them.

To use such an anomaly.

"You didn't know?"

The corners of Susanoo's lips lifted at Amaterasu's question.

"I'll do anything to win."

He wasn't mistaken.

He enjoyed fighting and never fought a losing battle.

"That's why I do things like this."

Susanoo's gaze drifted... towards the sky.

Amaterasu raised his head, with a puzzled expression on his face.

"This...?"

Was he trying to divert his gaze?

No.

It was unlikely that Susanoo would do something so childish.

That meant there was something up there.

Flash-!

Amaterasu's eyes lit up.

A light like his own fire, black but brilliant.

As soon as he saw it, Amaterasu instinctively enveloped his body in flames.

Crackle-!

Crackle!

A lightning bolt struck Amaterasu's head.

But for a moment, the flames flickered, and then the power of the lightning was consumed by the flames.

"Of course, I wasn't fighting alone. Now you know."

"...Kim YuWon?"

Amaterasu, whose heart felt cold for a moment, let out a long sigh.

The anxiety was brief.

If this was the last of Susanoo's cards, there was nothing to fear.

"I have to admit that Orochi and Susanoo are terrifying individuals, but if it's Kim YuWon, there's nothing to fear."

His vigilance towards YuWon stemmed from the Three Sacred Treasures he possessed, Yamata no Orochi and Susanoo.

His combat prowess was not to be underestimated, but on such a grand battlefield, his abilities were nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'll just ignore him."

The energy YuWon was emanating wouldn't be able to cause much damage to his own body after all.

It would be even worse if he couldn't block a sword strike from Susanoo because he was distracted looking up.

Boom-.

Amaterasu's flames engulfed Susanoo. The previous strike had made him even more wary of Susanoo's sword.

"You'll regret this."

Susanoo scoffed at Amaterasu's disdain towards YuWon.

His voice was lost in the swirling flames surrounding him. At that moment, Amaterasu ignored YuWon and focused solely on Susanoo.

But.

For some reason, even now, Susanoo felt like an image of YuWon.

"I know this guy, and even though he's much weaker than me..."

Crackle-.

Then...

A darker cloud, much darker than the first, came into view.

And after seeing that, Susanoo finally became convinced.

"That's not all his power. That first shot was probably deliberately weak."

And in the next moment...

Flash!

A second lightning bolt struck Amaterasu's flames as it approached Susanoo.