When the last golden ray of "Sunlight's Blessing" faded into the sky, the once-mighty floating demon castle had transformed into countless burning fragments. Like a spectacular "meteor fire rain," they ultimately plunged into the sea, creating towering waves.
The world seemed to have hit the mute button.
Whether the heroes of the Subjugation Alliance or the surviving monsters—all stared blankly at the sky, unable to speak for a long while.
They had just witnessed a true "battle of gods."
No, it couldn't even be called a "battle."
It was a completely one-sided, dimensional-crushing "purification ritual."
Amakusa Shiro Tokisada—the "Son of God" who had thrown the entire land into chaos, whom countless strong warriors had been helpless against—was just... gone? Not even ashes remained—he'd been directly "physically exorcised"?
Isn't this a bit too anticlimactic?! We just finished clearing the mobs and were ready to fight the elite monsters, and you're telling me the BOSS is already dead? So our "All-Star Dream Team" was basically just a cheerleading squad here to spam "666"?
Haohmaru took a big swig of sake, trying to suppress his shock, only to choke and cough violently. He felt like all the sake he'd drunk in his entire life combined hadn't given him as much of a jolt as this single day.
Yagyu Jubei's single eye was now as round as a copper bell.
As a high-ranking Shogunate official, he knew full well how terrifying Amakusa was. He had originally prepared to sacrifice half their forces in a brutal siege.
And yet... that was it? He felt like his carefully prepared battle plans were nothing but kindergarten doodles—laughably naive.
"Is... is it over?" a ronin murmured, his sword still stained with monster blood, everything feeling surreal.
And Cloud, at this moment, was slowly descending from the sky.
He had returned to normal—still in that black martial arts outfit, a lazy smile on his face, as if the one who had transformed into "Orochi" and unleashed that world-ending strike had been someone else entirely.
In his mind, the system's heavenly notification chimed.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully defeating stage boss Amakusa Shiro Tokisada (Demonized Version). Dimensional Correction: Samurai Shodown Arc Phase 1 complete!]
[Mission Rating: S+ (In an overwhelming, crushing, completely unreasonable manner, you instantly killed the BOSS at the climax of his power-up speech, delivering extreme psychological shock to this world's natives. A perfect demonstration of what it means to be the King of Kings of flexing.)]
[Calculating mission rewards...]
[Points earned: 100,000]
[Lottery tickets x100 obtained]
[Plunder protocol initiating... Plunder successful!]
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining partial core talents from target: Soul Manipulation (Basic), Magic Affinity (Intermediate)!]
[Soul Manipulation (Basic)]: You can perform simple manipulation of souls belonging to non-living entities or weak creatures with lower spiritual power than yourself, such as commands and intimidation. This is a very promising "necromancer" talent. Considering a class change, Host?
[Magic Affinity (Intermediate)]: You have high affinity with "magical elements" floating in space. When learning and using magic-type skills, effects increase by 50% and consumption decreases by 30%. Mom never has to worry about your mana running out again!
"Oho, not bad at all." Cloud was delighted.
Soul Manipulation was a great prize. Though currently only basic level, the potential was enormous.
In the future, when dealing with troublemakers, he could directly conduct "soul interrogation," or simply raise an "undead legion." An essential skill for home, travel, and all forms of mayhem.
As for Magic Affinity—perfect timing.
He'd plundered so many abilities, and many involved energy consumption, like Iori Yagami's Azure Flame and K's flames. With this talent, his "endurance" would greatly improve, eliminating any embarrassing "running out of mana mid-fight" situations.
This haul was a massive profit!
Just as Cloud was basking in the joy of "unboxing," the crowd on the ground finally snapped out of their shock.
Someone started it, and the next second, cheers erupted like a tsunami!
"All hail the Alliance Leader!"
"Long live Lord Cloud!"
"Alliance Leader! GOAT! Eternal god!"—some young warrior who'd learned new vocabulary from somewhere, screaming until his face turned red.
Everyone looked at Cloud descending with the eyes reserved for deities.
In this moment, Cloud's status in their hearts had transcended mere "Alliance Leader" to become a faith.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down. Routine operation, take a seat." Cloud waved his hand, signaling everyone to settle down. This attitude of "flexing is just breathing for me" only made them worship him more fervently.
However, amid all the fervor, only Nakoruru wore a slight frown.
She walked to Cloud's side and whispered, "Cloud, though you've eliminated Amakusa, I feel... that evil presence hasn't been completely eradicated. Nature's lament has only temporarily stopped—it hasn't truly subsided."
Cloud nodded approvingly at her words.
As expected of the priestess of nature—her perception was sharp.
When he'd used "Sunlight's Blessing" to purify the Ambrosia phantom, the system had already issued a warning: [Alert: A deeper, more ancient Demon Realm presence detected. This presence did not originate from Amakusa but briefly descended using him as a coordinate. Currently dormant. Host is advised to remain vigilant.]
This was obviously foreshadowing for the next stage boss—Mizuki.
"I understand." Cloud spoke gently to Nakoruru. "This is only the beginning. But don't worry—whatever other monsters are hiding in the shadows, I'll root them out one by one and... send them to join Amakusa."
Hearing Cloud's assurance, warmth and an incomparable sense of security washed through Nakoruru's heart. Looking at his profile, her clear eyes nearly overflowed with love and reliance.
In her heart, Cloud was no longer merely the man she admired—he had become the "guardian" sent by nature to save this world.
Though he possessed the world-destroying power of "Orochi," every time he acted, it was to protect life and purify evil.
This contradictory yet perfect unity, in her view, was the highest embodiment of "nature's balance." He was destruction, yet also rebirth.
...
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