Looking at Susanoo's stance with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other.
Uesugi Ryu suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
(Matsumae and Yoshimura Eto strongly approve ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ)
Ran had already arrived with Kurome.
Looking at Susanoo radiating an overwhelming aura, both Ran and Kurome wore solemn expressions.
Without even turning his head, Uesugi Ryu said,
"Go assist the Four Rakshasa Demons with the pursuit. Leave this guy to me."
"Understood."
The two nodded and immediately rushed toward the interior of the mansion.
Night Raid clearly intended to escape through the tunnel.
Susanoo turned around and was just about to intercept Ran and Kurome when a powerful gust of wind struck.
Uesugi Ryu had already closed in right before him.
Gripping his blade with both hands, the gleaming tip stabbed toward Susanoo's head.
Susanoo's perception was extremely sharp.
He lowered his head, and the Yata Mirror in his hand instantly expanded.
Just as the long blade was about to strike the Yata Mirror, Uesugi Ryu's speed suddenly exploded upward.
His ankle twisted, dragging out a string of afterimages.
Uesugi Ryu's figure instantly shifted behind Susanoo.
The dark crimson blade traced a bloody arc as it slashed toward Susanoo's back.
Susanoo turned sideways to face the attack, and the enormous circular magic array behind him moved along with his body.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out.
The long blade split through the ring and continued cutting inward.
At that moment, Susanoo had already turned around.
Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi swept through a circular arc and slashed toward Uesugi Ryu with terrifying force.
A rough resistance transmitted through the blade as the sword cut into Susanoo's back.
Crimson energy from the blade poured into Susanoo's body.
Susanoo was a biological Teigu. There was no such thing as blood inside his body.
The blade sliced through the air, and a stinging sensation appeared on Uesugi Ryu's face.
Uesugi Ryu had no intention of testing which was tougher between a Quinque and Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.
He pulled out the blade, and his body instantly tilted to the side.
Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi brushed past Uesugi Ryu's scalp.
After missing with one strike, Susanoo immediately raised his shield to defend.
But Uesugi Ryu was even faster. Supporting himself with one hand on the ground, he kicked Susanoo hard in the abdomen.
A terrifying force erupted, instantly knocking Susanoo backward.
Uesugi Ryu crouched low on the ground, his legs slightly bent.
Quinques did not have sheaths or anything similar, so naturally there was no such thing as an iaijutsu draw slash.
But carrying around a case was far too conspicuous.
And contraction properties would also affect the Quinque's hardness.
So this dark crimson katana had been stored in a sheath.
The long blade returned to its sheath. Uesugi Ryu's left hand rested on the hilt as the muscles in his legs compressed to their limit.
The next moment, the ground collapsed into a crater under the force of his explosive step.
An afterimage remained behind as a piercing howl of wind erupted.
Uesugi Ryu instantly flashed to Susanoo's side and drew his blade.
Shing~
A streak of dark crimson blade light flashed past.
The blood-red blade collided with Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi as it left the sheath, and dense sparks burst forth.
Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi was knocked aside by the blood blade, creating an opening in Susanoo's impregnable defense.
The blood blade vanished as Uesugi Ryu rushed directly into Susanoo's chest.
His hand chopped down onto the crook of Susanoo's elbow.
Amid the dull sound of flesh colliding, Susanoo's arm was knocked away.
Uesugi Ryu swiftly twisted his body. The gust generated by his movement blew Susanoo's white hair backward.
His elbow, wrapped in crimson energy, slammed heavily into Susanoo's chest.
The crisp sound of bones shattering rang out as Uesugi Ryu's elbow sank deep into Susanoo's chest.
Susanoo reversed his grip on the sword, and just as the blade swept across Uesugi Ryu's torso.
The opponent's figure had already dissolved into an afterimage.
The exposed flesh inside Susanoo's chest continuously squirmed.
The blood-red energy suppressed it like a violent beast.
Uesugi Ryu's figure suddenly disappeared again.
The hurricane generated by his high-speed movement swept up clouds of dust.
A cyclone formed with Susanoo as its eye.
Large amounts of dust and shattered stone danced through the air, forming a circular enclosure around Susanoo.
Uesugi Ryu's figure occasionally flashed out from within as he launched attacks.
Susanoo focused completely on defending against the barrage.
Uesugi Ryu's figure appeared like a phantom as dazzling sword flashes filled the battlefield.
Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi danced so tightly in Susanoo's hand that not even water could pass through.
After realizing Uesugi Ryu's caution toward the Yata Mirror, Susanoo repeatedly relied on the Yata Mirror for defense.
But even so, his neural reaction speed still could not keep up with Uesugi Ryu's movements.
In only a few seconds, several new wounds had appeared on Susanoo's body.
After forcing back another assault from Uesugi Ryu, Susanoo suddenly looked into the distance.
After realizing the gap between himself and his opponent, Susanoo gave up any thoughts of escaping.
A trace of regret appeared on his face.
"Najenda, I'm afraid we won't meet again."
At this rate, he probably would not even be able to stall for several more minutes.
A resolute expression flashed across Susanoo's face as he immediately unleashed his final secret technique.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Golden flames erupted from Susanoo's body, and his aura instantly rose to another level.
The incoming shockwave lifted Uesugi Ryu's messy hair.
Excitement flashed through his eyes.
"So you're going Super Saiyan, huh? I can transform too."
"Ever since obtaining this ability, I still haven't used it to my heart's content."
Dense black scales emerged across Uesugi Ryu's body and spread upward along his neck.
Magic power frantically poured into the black dragon tattoo on his chest.
The originally illusory black dragon scales began showing signs of becoming semi-corporeal.
The sharp edges of the scales shredded apart his black shirt.
The scales gathered together, forming long and razor-sharp dragon claws.
Uesugi Ryu's body rapidly grew larger as thunderous rumbling sounds rang out.
When he raised his head again, mottled black dragon scales already covered his face.
Only those molten gold eyes remained as bright as ever. A hoarse voice, no longer sounding human, slowly rang out.
"Perfect. Let's slaughter each other."
Two pairs of golden eyes met in midair.
A faint smile curved across Susanoo's lips as he pressed one hand against the hilt.
The tip of Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi pointed directly at Uesugi Ryu's face.
"Gladly!"
The aftershocks from their battle had already shattered the remaining lamps in the plaza.
Only the bright moonlight still illuminated the earth.
Upon the devastated battlefield, the golden and black figures stood facing each other from afar.
Boiling steam rose from Uesugi Ryu's body as intense fighting spirit surged within his chest.
The warm-up phase of playful probing was over. Now came the true life-and-death struggle fought with everything they had!