Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 404

At Su-ho’s demand, Susanoo’s brows drew together.

Seeing his pensive face, Su-ho laughed.

“If you don’t like it, forget it. If you can’t even do this much for your own Apostle, why make that offer?”

- That’s not it.

“Then?”

- ......Fine. I understand; I’ll do so.

Susanoo couldn’t bring himself to say it was because he still couldn’t trust him.

If Su-ho were alone, maybe—but with three Transcendents on his back already, it was Susanoo who stood to lose.

Presently, Susanoo explained what state Amaterasu was in now, and what method had to be taken to restore her.

But the more he listened, the more Su-ho’s brow furrowed.

“Seriously unpleasant.”

- What is?

“Doing that to your own sister.”

- Ha ha, why should I care? Being weak is the sin.

At that, Su-ho’s brows knit again.

Susanoo’s words weren’t entirely wrong, but even so, Su-ho hadn’t gone around acting like a thug to everyone just because they were weak.

'This is why powerless justice is incompetence.'

Justice isn’t something you can protect by raising your voice alone.

Only by possessing commensurate power can you truly defend justice.

'We’re really incompatible.'

Through the conversation with Susanoo, Su-ho was once again certain.

Even if Tsukuyomi hadn’t asked him separately, there was no way he would accept Susanoo’s proposal.

Still, there had been—no, quite a lot of gains, so he decided to let the minor annoyances slide.

'It’s enough that I learned how to obtain the Small Sea and the strategy for Amaterasu.'

Information he hadn’t known even after regression.

Stuff you might never learn if luck’s bad or the pieces don’t line up.

Even the Su-ho of his previous life didn’t know these things.

Su-ho nodded and spoke.

“Then I’ll be off.”

- What do you mean by that?

“What about it?”

- I told you Amaterasu’s strategy—why are you just going? What about our contract?

Susanoo spoke with a frown, but Su-ho only snorted.

“How am I supposed to trust the guy they call the top delinquent of the Celestial Realm? The Apostle matter can wait until I fix Amaterasu’s problem. If you don’t like it, drop it.”

- Ha...... hahaha!

At Su-ho’s words, Susanoo burst into laughter.

Then, with a rather murderous look in his eyes, he said,

- Fine. Let’s do that. But you must keep your promise. I tend to hold grudges.

“How terrifying.”

Susanoo didn’t answer further; he only folded his arms and curled up the corner of his mouth.

'Bastard, keeping up the act to the end.'

Passing by Susanoo, Su-ho finally set off toward Amanoiwato.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Even though Susanoo had roused the sea in a great uproar, Amanoiwato wasn’t flooded; it was still producing booming thuds.

Maybe that’s why—watching Amanoiwato thud from a distance felt like looking at a cave sealing away a monster.

'No, now “a cave sealing away a monster” is the accurate phrase.'

If Susanoo’s words were true, Amaterasu was no longer a god but a monster.

Understandable, since Susanoo had said he contaminated Amaterasu’s body.

'Even if he handled her roughly knowing she was just an avatar...'

Shaking his head, Su-ho stepped into Amanoiwato.

Thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud! Thud!

Upon entering Amanoiwato, he realized the booms he’d heard outside were louder and faster here.

And a very intense heat pervaded the cave interior; in that instant—

- HwaaAAAAAAAA!

With an eardrum-rending scream from within, a massive mass of flame thrust out toward Su-ho.

Su-ho nimbly retreated backward.

Thereupon, the fireball stopped right in front of where Su-ho had been, blazed, then soon self-extinguished and vanished.

“Wow.”

Had he not backstepped with the timing, he would’ve suffered a pretty nasty burn.

Hence the wry laugh.

He hadn’t even touched it directly; just being near it felt this hot. If he took that attack head-on, how much damage would it inflict?

'As expected of the Sun God.'

In terms of firepower with flame, it was a cut—no, at least several cuts—above guys like the Smelting Dragons.

Narrowing his eyes, Su-ho looked down at the spot beneath where the fireball vanished.

'So this is that place.'

Below where the fireball disappeared, some lines had been drawn—this was the sealing barrier called the “prison lines” that Susanoo made to confine Amaterasu here.

So Amaterasu’s flames couldn’t cross these lines and extinguished.

He found it truly bad taste.

As if contaminating Amaterasu weren’t enough, he’d even deliberately made a barrier to imprison his own sister here.

Thus, Su-ho thought he needed to deal with Amaterasu quickly and save her.

Presently, Su-ho began his full raid prep.

It started with swapping the two fragments mounted on the Blacksmith’s Hammer.

[ ‘Molten Dragon’s Ironclad Soldier Fragment’ has been equipped in Socket 1. ]

[ Fire Resistance increases by 23%. ]

[ ‘Molten Dragon’s Ironclad Soldier Fragment’ has been equipped in Socket 2. ]

[ Fire Resistance increases by 23%. ]

The Blacksmith’s Hammer currently had two sockets, so he could equip two material fragments.

So he took out the Chain Coffin’s Obsession fragments and slotted in the Molten Dragon’s Ironclad Soldier fragments.

Do that, and Fire Resistance jumps by a full 46%.

The remaining shortfall in Fire Resistance would be covered by the Avatar Body.

Since the Avatar Body provides a whopping 50% Fire Resistance, Su-ho was once again starting with 96% Fire Resistance layered on.

'This is basically all the prep I need.'

The opponent was the Sun God.

So first, second, and everything—what he had to watch for were the fire-type attacks.

Belting the hammer at his waist, Su-ho stamped his foot and wrapped himself in his self-buffs.

[ Blessing activates. ]

[ Holy Enchant activates. ]

[ Mana Perception activates. ]

[ Endurance activates. ]

[ Enhancement activates. ]

[ Eye of the Blacksmith activates. ]

This was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) enough prep.

Su-ho forged a large blood shield from [Blood Armory], gripped it, then stepped over the prison lines. In that instant—

Fwoooosh!

Another wave-like surge of flames rolled in.

- HwaaAAAAAAAAA!

[ ???’s Wailing Flames pour down. ]

The name of that fire mass was Wailing Flames.

Literally flames born of Amaterasu’s wail.

With the system alert, the Wailing Flames crashed over Su-ho, and he swiftly raised the blood shield to block it.

“Ugh.”

His whole body was toasty-hot.

If not for the Ironclad Soldier fragments and the Avatar Body, he would’ve been roasted already.

'By the way, since I haven’t met Amaterasu yet, her name’s still showing as question marks.'

Even if you know the enemy’s identity in advance, system rules are rules.

Thus Su-ho walked along the narrow, long tunnel, and each time—

- HwaaAAAAAAAA!!

[ ???’s Wailing Flames pour down. ]

Amaterasu’s crying and the Wailing Flames poured down, but thanks to the pre-set Fire Resistance, he could keep advancing without much trouble.

After walking quite a while along the narrow, long path, Su-ho finally reached a chamber presumed to be the very core of Amanoiwato.

But the very core of Amanoiwato looked as if darkness had settled—nothing was visible.

'What?'

Then it happened.

- HwaaAAAAAAAA!!

Amaterasu’s wail.

At the same time, Amaterasu, who had been hidden by the darkness, revealed herself and blasted flames in all directions.

Su-ho immediately raised the blood shield and blocked her flames.

The spewed flames passed Su-ho and were sucked into holes all around the chamber.

And once more, darkness settled inside the chamber.

“Wow.”

Just as Susanoo had said.

He’d said the current Amaterasu would be crouched at the center of Amanoiwato, hiding herself in the darkness—and it was true.

And around then, Su-ho’s passive skill activated.

[ Due to the Original Vampire effect, you do not receive the darkness restriction. ]

Except for the intermittently spewing Wailing Flames, the chamber was always filled with darkness.

Hence the Vampire effect triggered.

Having regained freedom of sight, Su-ho could finally observe Amaterasu closely.

As Susanoo had said, she was curled up like a seed at the center of a crater-like depression in the chamber.

But her appearance wasn’t what Su-ho had often heard and seen as the “Sun Goddess.”

Unlike Susanoo or Tsukuyomi, who looked neat, dressed like people with tidy hair, Amaterasu’s entire body was aflame—closer to a fire spirit than a person.

'Looks like I’ll have to wake her myself to start the fight.'

He’d already seen her form when she used Wailing Flames and via the Vampire effect.

Even so, since there was no boss monster appearance alert, that meant the fight wouldn’t start unless he woke her directly.

'Like having to wake a sleeping dragon.'

After a brief deliberation, Su-ho hurled a Guiyeong Spear and drove it in before her.

Crack!

Then he summoned a new Guiyeong Spear and took aim at her.

Luckily, this place was in darkness.

No matter how much she was the Sun Goddess, she couldn’t be free from the penetration effect of the Guiyeong Spear established by system rules.

Before she could wail again, Su-ho quickly threw the Guiyeong Spear. And immediately summoned blood blades and began readying his attack.

[ Throw activates. ]

The hurled Guiyeong Spear. And—

Crack!

[ Shadow Pierce activates. ]

[ Shadow Shackles activate. ]

[ Shadow Bleed activates. ]

The shadow talons sank cleanly into the crouched goddess. In that instant—

- Kyaaaaaaaaa!!

Attacked by the Guiyeong Spear, Amaterasu began to scream in a far higher voice than she had while wailing until now.

[ The boss monster awakens. ]

[ The Sun God Amaterasu Omikami uses boss-monster-grade Fear. ]

[ Dragon Blood activates. ]

[ Due to the Dragon Mind effect of Dragon Blood, Fear does not apply. ]

The boss monster, the Sun God Amaterasu Omikami, fully awakened.

At the same time, the system alert announcing the boss monster’s appearance rose; the awakened Amaterasu, together with the boss-monster-grade Fear that hadn’t been applied before, declared the opening of battle and as her opening attack blasted Wailing Flames that filled the entire chamber.

The moment Su-ho saw the Wailing Flames surging toward him, he used a skill at once.

[ Shadow Move activates. ]

It began with Shadow Move.

Thanks to the timing, Su-ho blink-shifted to arrive right in front of her without being swept up in the Wailing Flames.

And the instant he arrived before her, he checked her name card.

- Sun God Amaterasu Omikami Lv.???

Target confirmed.

Then there was no reason to hesitate.

Su-ho used skills in succession.

[ Rage Mode activates. ]

[ Fox Fire activates. ]

[ Weakening activates. ]

He chained what’s called a finisher combo in succession.

The instant Weakening took hold on her, Su-ho launched his blade straight out of the ready stance he’d been holding since earlier.

[ Cutting the Ring activates. ]

[ Enhancement applies. ]

[ The power of Cutting the Ring grows even stronger. ]

Flash!

Su-ho’s sword traced at high speed and blasted Amaterasu.