ALMIGHTY

Chapter 80: The Cosmos

"Hahahahaha! That was not so wise of you. A mere explosion at point-blank range cannot harm me... a god. However, I commend you for taking the risk."

From the thick and dark smoke emerged a demon-faced god that looked down upon his enemy, thunder crackling from his eyes. His bulky figure made the ground tremble with each step before he grabbed Horu's bloody head as if it were a dodgeball.

Raijin's voice was replaced by a ringing sound since Horu's eardrums were damaged due to the G-Barrage. Although he had infinite life energy as a Demigod, a high-ranked destructive skill like G-Barrage caused severe damage to his body and so, quick recovery was not an option.

"You...are...weak."

Raijin tossed a near-unconscious Horu with tremendous force; the latter slid across the ground until his back met the trunk of a tree. Raijin raised his hand in the air as energy welled up above it before manifesting into a mallet. Thick, dark, and roaring clouds replaced the red sky of the Underworld.

"The weak die. You should be honored to be in my presence, let alone die by the power of my storms!"

Ahh...so this is how I'm dying, huh.

What is he even saying?

Horu opened his eyes to the sight of excess energy in the form of thunder sparking wildly from Raijin's mallet. Horu slowly closed his eyes and sighed with difficulty as his organs were damaged. Aside from the ringing in his head, his thoughts were the loudest noises.

Raijin took no honor in finishing off such a weak opponent. However, he couldn't allow such a persistent threat to roam around the City of Souls as he promised to liberate the ten districts.

The demon-faced god swung his mallet faster than the eye could hope to follow, only for thunder not to heed his summons. He swung again and blood splattered on his drums. Time seemed to have been frozen at the very moment he became conscious of the dangerous presence before him.

Long hair drenched in sweat and blood whooshed by Raijin's face, revealing the stone-cold eyes of a master swordsman. Angered by his arm getting cut clean off with a single slice, Raijin discharged a surge of lightning from his body. The swordsman had no choice but to take his distance.

"I came in time. Thank the heavens."

Musashi Miyamoto said while taking a stance in front of Horu. The thunder god was about to release a powerful attack and would've surely killed Horu hadn't Miyamoto sliced the former's arm mid-swing. Horu opened an eye to Raijin approaching while his arm was recovering swiftly, sparks of thunder welling up from his body.

"You dare strike one of your gods?"

"I do not place my faith and beliefs in the hands of any god. Besides, you hold no authority in this realm... Raijin."

"We'll see about that!!"

Raijin's pride would've never allowed him to brush Miyamoto's mocking off, especially not since these were words from a world-renowned swordsman. The former visually shifted into a lightning strike when he charged at the latter, swinging his mallet when he was in close range.

Musashi dodged the attack effortlessly and countered with a diagonal swipe of his sword from below, slashing the mallet in half as if it were butter. Raijin spotted a window of opportunity and clasped his hands together, catching the blade in the process. Musashi reacted by releasing his katana and unsheathing his wakizashi, shortening his range for a point-blank encounter.