"Hum~ Hum~ Hum~ ♪"
Accompanied by the girl's cheerful humming, which sounded like silver bells in the wind, one massive boulder after another was cleanly [Severed].
"Damn it... what kind of monster is she?!" Kusanagi Godou wiped cold sweat from his brow, staring in disbelief at the beautiful woman dressed in a magnificent, flowing Jūnihitoe (twelve-layered kimono). "That's clearly just an ordinary katana in her hand, right?! How can she slice through boulders I throw with such ease?"
"Ara, what's the matter, young man? Out of moves already?" Ryōgi Shiki looked at Godou with a gentle, mocking smile. "By the way, throwing rocks as a primary attack is quite... unique. Is the god you slew perhaps a giant gorilla? Or are you a gorilla yourself?"
"I AM NOT A GORILLA!" Godou roared, unable to keep his composure. "Don't say such toxic things with that peaceful expression! So what if I only have finishing moves and no basic attacks?!"
"Then just use your finishing moves," Shiki tilted her head, her smile never fading as she pointed to her own forehead. "Come, don't be shy. Strike right here. If you hit me, I'll count it as your win."
Because the Assassin version of Shiki had been spending way too much time browsing weird memes and emojis on the internet lately, even the Saber version of her had been "corrupted" by this playful, teasing attitude.
"Don't look down on me!" Godou gnashed his teeth. "I don't care how beautiful you are I won't hold back!"
He immediately began the high-speed incantation for his subordinate deity, the [Kusanagi Sword]:
["Here, Susanoo-no-Mikoto leads a thousand chaotic spirits in rebellion—to seize this nation! The Heavenly Sword stands upon the earth, acting as a fortress to repel the enemy. Kusanagi Sword, UNSHEATH!"]
["Indeed! What is the issue, O Kusanagi Sword! It is the steel that shatters the Heavens! Now is the time to eliminate the invaders from all directions! Destroy the heretics!"]
An ancient, legendary blade materialized in Godou's hand. This was the [Kusanagi Sword], a subordinate deity that had acknowledged Godou as its master after he slew its original, colossal form.
The contrast was stark: Godou held a legendary divine blade, while Shiki held a common katana. To an ordinary observer, it looked like a "Pay-to-Win" player facing a "Free-to-Play" newbie. A mysterious force from the East (the "Jinxing Power") seemed to whisper: "How can a divine sword lose to a common blade? He'll win even if he just swings wildly!"
Godou felt a sudden chill, as if he had just been "jinxed" by the universe itself. Shaking off the feeling, he pointed the sword at the smiling Shiki and lunged forward with a roar.
"HYAAAH!"
It was a powerful, high-momentum strike. The Kusanagi Sword was a blade meant to sever all things, and for a moment, it truly felt like it would split the world in two. Most opponents would have been paralyzed by the sheer divine pressure.
But Shiki didn't care. With a simple, elegant tilt of her body, she evaded the strike. Godou's attack was powerful, yes, but it was also incredibly straightforward and predictable.
"What a painfully honest attack," Shiki teased without hesitation. "Young man, is your entire combat style based on shouting?"
Godou winced. It was true whether it was chanting incantations or activating his Golden Sword, he had to shout everything out. He was basically a "Voice-Activated" fighter. He cursed his own lack of subtlety and braced himself for another charge.
Shiki continued to dodge with effortless grace, drifting like a petal in the wind. Godou pursued her relentlessly, his blade carving deep gouges into the earth but failing to even graze her kimono.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Because he was swinging a heavy divine sword with maximum effort and hitting nothing but air, Godou quickly ran out of breath.
"Dammit..." He panted, looking at the laughing Shiki with frustration. "She's as agile as a cat!"
The moment he said that, Shiki's eyes snapped open for a fraction of a second before returning to her usual squinting, smiling expression.
Godou's hair stood on end. In that split second when she opened her eyes, he felt the cold, absolute touch of Death emanating from those crimson and blue [Mystic Eyes].
That's bad... she's hiding a trump card that can kill me instantly, Godou thought. Are those Mystic Eyes? I've never heard of a Rogue Deity named Ryōgi Shiki who possesses Mystic Eyes...
Regardless, they were enemies. Godou wasn't stupid enough to ask his opponent for her lore and mythology in the middle of a deathmatch.
"Agh, this is so annoying!" Godou scratched his head in irritation. "She's too fast! I can't hit her at all with this sword!"
As Godou fumed and Shiki smiled, two streaks of light suddenly blurred past them.
"WHOA?!" Godou jumped in shock. Even Shiki looked surprised.
"Mr. Nikola Tesla? What are you doing?"
"As you can see" Tesla's voice echoed as he flew at high speeds, dodging magical projectiles. "I am playing hide-and-seek with the bullets behind me!"
"Do you need me to 'kill' those bullets for you?" Shiki asked, drawing her blade. "Don't worry, it'll be quick."
"No, no need!" Tesla replied with supreme arrogance. "If I cannot handle a few tiny magical bullets myself, what kind of genius would I be?! After we return, that [Demon], [Fool], and [Lion-head] Edison would laugh at me forever!"
"Has your list of insults for Mr. Thomas Edison grown longer again?" Shiki tilted her head. "Well, whatever. Good luck then."
"Aha-ha-ha-ha! Thanks for the blessing!" Tesla laughed as he zoomed away. "Behold the power of a genius!"
"Mr. Tesla is as energetic as always," Shiki remarked, watching his back.
Godou, on the other hand, had a face full of shadows. "Did... did something weird just interrupt our fight?"
Seizing the moment while Shiki's attention was on Tesla, Godou focused his Haki and lunged with the Kusanagi Sword.
CLANG!
The sound of metal clashing rang through the air. The divine sword was blocked... by Shiki's ordinary katana.
"WHAT?!" Godou stared in disbelief at the common blade, which remained perfectly unharmed after taking a direct hit from a divine weapon. He scrambled backward. "Impossible! That's just a normal sword!"
"My, what a naughty child," Shiki shook her head, pointing her blade at Godou or rather, at the sword in his hand. "Trying to absorb my mana... how troublesome."
"In that case"
Shiki closed her eyes and snapped them open. The eyes Godou feared the crimson and blue [Mystic Eyes]were now fully active.
"It's better to just [Kill] this bad child!"
Skill Activated: [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception: C]
For the Saber version of Shiki, this skill was lower-ranked than her Assassin counterpart, as she rarely "needed" it. However, to "kill" a divine weapon like the Kusanagi Sword, it was more than enough. She didn't even need to release her Noble Phantasm.
Skill Activated: [Un'yō (Cloud Motion): B]
A high-speed lunging strike that replaced her mindset with that of a pure swordsman. In an instant, the nine-meter gap between them was closed.
"When did she?!" Godou panicked, trying to retreat, but Shiki was faster. Her blade traced a line through the [Lines of Death] she saw on the sword.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering metal echoed. The legendary Kusanagi Sword broke into several fragments.
The Subordinate Deity [Kusanagi Sword]: DEAD.
"Impossible...!" Godou stared at the broken hilt in his hand. Although the sword was a subordinate deity, it functioned like one of his Authorities. Even if broken, it should have been repairable as long as he had enough magical energy.
But right now, Godou felt it clearly his connection to the sword had been severed.
That woman... she hadn't just broken the sword. She had [Killed] the Authority itself! She had directly murdered a non-physical concept!
Godou finally understood the terrifying nature of those Mystic Eyes. They were eyes meant to kill everything in existence. He looked at the smiling Shiki with pure horror.
To Godou, her gentle smile was now the smile of the Grim Reaper.
"Didn't I tell you?" Shiki sheathed her blade, looking at the stunned Godou. "As long as it's something I can see... I can kill even a God."
"That's not what you said before!" Godou shouted back.
"Oh? Is that so?" Shiki played dumb, acting cute. "You must have misheard me. That's exactly how I introduced myself earlier."
"COULD YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU SAY THAT?! YOU HAVE ZERO CREDIBILITY!"
As the two bickered, a colossal thundercloud suddenly gathered over the entire battlefield.
"Hmm?" Shiki frowned, looking toward Tesla's battlefield. "It seems Mr. Tesla has caused some serious trouble."
"Truce for now," Shiki turned her back to Godou, smiling. "After all, you can't beat me anyway."
She immediately sped off toward Tesla's position, completely ignoring the stunned Godou behind her.
"Even if it's true, saying it out loud really hurts, you know! So annoying!"
Godou, his face dark with frustration, could only follow her.