Chikao lunges at the serpent with ferocious speed as I close in on the deceit. My katana arcs toward his head, only to clash against a dagger he raises in defense. Sparks fly as steel meets steel, and a sinister grin stretches across his face as he parries my strike with infuriating ease. I attempt to recover, trying to draw my sword back like Izanagi, but my hands refused to listen, causing me to tremble under the weight of my hesitation.
"I can already see you shaking! Is this your first time facing a presence like mine?" His words are laced with mockery, and before I can react, his dagger finds its mark, plunging into my stomach.
The pain is instant, a searing agony that twists inside me as though my very insides are being torn apart. Blood seeps between my fingers as I press my arm against the wound and stagger backward. A dagger. I didn't suspect the deceit to have any sort of control to any weapons. Wild and unfocused swings won't help me now.
I dart forward. My blade grazes his chest as he leaps back. A flick of his wrist, and another dagger streaks through the air toward me. I'm able to swiftly catch it, the handle resting firmly in my hand. His expression flickers between shock and amusement, his grin widening as I sheath my katana. If he's so proud of this weapon, then I'll fight him with it.
I close the distance in a heartbeat, slashing the dagger across his throat. The motion is fluid, lethal—yet something strange happens. His body dissolves into black clouds, dispersing like smoke in the wind. My eyes dart around, and I find him standing unharmed a few paces away, his laughter echoing through the chaos.
"You almost had me there, parasite," he sneers. "But surely you know that an upcoming god cannot be undone by brute force alone."
My mind races. Could he have shifted using the dagger? Or was this some ability tied to Yamata no Orochi? I needed to find the source of his power—and fast.
A serpent's massive head crashes down from above, seemingly crushing the deceit. For a moment, I think Chikao has ended him, but the serpent's remains are shredded in an instant. The deceit steps forward, unscathed, his grin unwavering. His eyes snap to Chikao, who hovers above.
"Didn't expect such a cheap move from you, windmill. Are you not entertained with just one serpent?"
Chikao smirks. "Nah. Regeneration battles are dull. Give me two more to play with."
The deceit's gaze shifts back to me just as I take advantage of the distraction. Lightning crackles through the dagger in my hand as I pour shinkuro into it, striking twice in quick succession. The force tears through his body, leaving gaping holes that slowly knit themselves back together. His baleful eyes lock onto mine, filled with rage.
"How about we raise the stakes, then?" he growls.
The ground trembles beneath my feet as two more serpents rise, their eyes locked on Chikao. Before I can react, the deceit lashes out with a kick aimed for my head. I deflect it just in time, countering with a swift strike that finally draws a pained grunt from him.
"Guh…!"
The sound fuels me, an indescribable thrill surging through my veins. I press the attack, landing strike after strike, each blow splattering his blood across my face. His screams fill the air, and a twisted grin spreads across my lips. I want more. I want to hear him cry out until he's nothing but silence! I want to kill him!
[Young Kami, control yourself!]
Izanagi's voice snaps as tiny shadows of snakes slither from the deceit's cloak. They grab hold of me, tossing me across the area. Dazed, I regain my composure and glare at the deceit. Bloodied yet standing, he casts off his cloak, revealing a body covered in scars and long, disheveled white hair. Witth a voice, dripping with malice, he says, "A parasite… pushing my limits? A future god like me should never be tested by mortals!"
Before I can move, a fist slams into my gut, knocking the air from my lungs. He follows up with a flurry of brutal blows, each one driving me closer to the edge. His leg arcs up for a finishing kick, but I shield myself with my shinkuro, absorbing some of the impact as I crash into the ground. Rolling away from the debris, I barely dodge another strike.
He stalks toward me, his gaze dark and unrelenting, and I realize with growing frustration that his wounds are nearly healed. His regeneration is too fast. I thought that my barrage earlier would have been enough to overwhelm it.
Chikao's voice cuts through the haze. "If you keep fighting like that, we'll be here forever!"
With a forceful kick, he sends the deceit gliding toward me. I follw up, slamming him to the ground and raise my katana high. Blue sparks ignite around me, coursing through the blade as I channel every ounce of shinkuro I have left. As my blade descends to his neck, he mutters, "Yamata no Orochi."
The ground grumbles and 4 enormous serpents slither their way out of the ground and into the moonlit sky. From their glistening obsidian colored scales to their vengeful red eyes, it all simply screamed disaster. The deceit begins manically laughing and kicking his feet as one of the serpents of Yamata no Orochi carry him into the sky.
"I wouldn't have guessed that I would have to waste such divine resources on random underlings like the two of you! This power! It is the power of Yamata no Orochi's 5 heads!" He soon realizes that there was one missing head from his count and began to shout with pure rage. "That head… was a decoy? How dare you? HOW DARE YOU MOCK SUCH A DIVINE DEITY?! THIS IS ALL A WASTE OF TIME! YOU'VE DUG YOURSELVES A DEEP HOLE IN THE DEITIES STOMACH!"