"These undead are just her way of intimidating us." Cloud's eyes turned cold. "Since she likes playing resurrection so much, I'll play along."
He stepped forward, and a deadly electrical force radiated from his body!
His form dodged an undead swordsman's slash.
Then violent purple lightning erupted from Cloud's fist!
"Dark Thunder Fist!"
The undead swordsman didn't even have time to react before being blasted into charcoal by lightning infused with divine power!
BOOM!
"And you."
Cloud's figure flickered, appearing behind another undead swordsman. His fingers became sharp as blades, tracing a bloody afterimage through the air.
Splurch!
The undead swordsmen's bodies were instantly shredded by countless invisible wind blades, reduced to piles of minced meat!
Cloud tore through the undead swordsmen like a tiger among sheep.
One moment he'd use Shermie's grappling techniques, twisting enemies into pretzels. The next, he'd use Vice's rush attacks to tear them apart. Then he'd mimic Leona, using knife-hand strikes to execute "V-Slasher," bisecting every enemy in a straight line.
Single-handedly, he put on a spectacular and bloody "fighting showcase."
Everyone present was completely stunned.
Those powerful undead swordsmen who could last several exchanges against Haohmaru and Ukyo were more fragile than paper dolls before Cloud.
In less than three minutes, every undead swordsman had been thoroughly eliminated.
Cloud dusted off his hands and walked back to the dumbfounded crowd.
"Alright, appetizer's finished." He grinned at everyone. "You've all had enough to drink. Break time's over—time to get back to work."
"Our next target—Mount Osore!"
"We're going to drag that old hag who likes scheming in the shadows—Mizuki the Demon God—out into the light!"
"And show her what the righteous path looks like!"
...
Mount Osore.
In Japanese legend, this was a spiritual ground connecting the mortal world to the afterlife—a gathering place for departed souls. Ordinary people who set foot here at night would be devoured by endless vengeful spirits, never to reincarnate.
And now, Mount Osore was a hundred times more terrifying than the legends.
The entire mountain was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable black-purple miasma. Every tree on the mountain had withered, transformed into claw-like ghostly shadows.
The air reeked of nauseating rot and bone-deep cold. Even sunlight couldn't penetrate this layer of miasma.
This place had completely become Mizuki's "Demon Realm Domain."
"Whoa, this place has some serious negative energy." Standing at the foot of Mount Osore, Haohmaru couldn't help but shiver—whether from cold or the atmosphere was unclear. "Feels even darker than my rival Genjuro's heart."
"The natural energy here has been completely corrupted and assimilated by the Demon Realm's evil." Nakoruru's expression was grim. She could sense nature's most anguished wailing from this place. "Mizuki's power is purer than Amakusa's... and far more evil."
"I don't care what kind of 'hime' she is or whether she's pretty—cut first, ask questions later!" Genjuro licked his lips, eyes gleaming with manic excitement. For a battle junkie like him, stronger enemies only fired up his fighting spirit more.
"Everyone stay sharp." Even Cloud's expression had turned unusually serious. "The moment we stepped onto this mountain, we entered the BOSS's dungeon zone. The mobs here give more experience than outside—but their attack power is equally higher. Don't get cocky. Watch out for wipes."
Everyone nodded, gripping their weapons tightly as they followed Cloud, step by step, into that dark forest that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Along the way, they encountered various "surprises."
Giant corpse worms burrowing up from the ground, vengeful spirit monkeys dropping from trees, even "Bone Gundams" assembled from countless skeletons. These monsters were several tiers above the fodder from Amakusa Castle, and they fought with reckless abandon, using thoroughly disgusting tactics.
But before the "All-Star Subjugation Team," these were merely "appetizers."
Haohmaru's Zantetsu Flash, Jubei's dual-blade style, Ukyo's Tsubame Gaeshi, Genjuro's Gokou Zan... The various swordmasters' killing techniques flew like they were on clearance sale, cleansing every monster in their path.
"Honestly... this isn't so bad." Haohmaru said casually as he cleaved a giant three-headed hellhound in two with one stroke.
"Don't let your guard down." Hanzo's shadow flickered across the treetops, his voice grave. "These are just appetizers. The real master hasn't appeared yet."
The instant his words fell—
The entire mountain shook violently!
An overwhelming, suffocating terror of demonic power erupted from the mountain peak, crashing down like a volcanic explosion!
Thud!
Some of the weaker warriors in the group couldn't even stand under this pressure. Their legs gave out, dropping them to their knees, faces pale, drenched in cold sweat.
Even top-tier swordsmen like Haohmaru and Jubei felt as if mountains had been placed on their backs, making even breathing difficult.
"This... this power...!" Haohmaru's eyes were filled with terror.
"At least ten times stronger... than Amakusa!" Ukyo managed with difficulty. His recently recovered body was beginning to ache again under this pressure.
"Hehehe..."
A woman's laugh—seductive yet infinitely cold and arrogant—echoed directly in everyone's minds.
"Welcome to... my kingdom, pitiful insects."
As the voice faded, the miasma at the summit slowly parted, revealing the peak's scenery.
Atop the mountain, an eerie altar made of black crystal had appeared at some point. At the altar's center, a woman lounged lazily on a throne constructed from countless wailing skulls.
She was a woman beautiful to the extreme—and bewitching to the extreme.
She had cascading black hair like a waterfall, skin white as snow. She wore an elaborate yet revealing black shrine maiden outfit that outlined her sinfully spectacular figure with devastating effect.
Her face bore a lazy yet cruel smile. Her purple eyes seemed capable of peering into souls and drawing out their deepest fears.
In her hand, she held a massive scythe flickering with sinister purple light. Around her, space itself warped slightly, as if unable to bear her very existence.
She was Mizuki, the Demon God!
...
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