The charred, lumpy mass was falling like a cracking eggshell or parched, fissured earth. Beneath the shedding soot, carmine-colored, pus-like flesh seeped out. Scab after scab fell away, and rolling meat pulled into the shape of limbs, regaining Amaterasu silhouette.
Her posture was powerful, nearly overwhelming. Sū ěr was momentarily shocked, but on second thought, there was nothing to be shocked about. Jibril had come carrying the divine power of Tet—the One True God of a universe. An entity like Amaterasu, who was desperately trying to ascend, didn't even deserve to touch Tet heels.
"Things have suddenly become much easier," Sū ěr couldn't help but lean over and smile at Think. He seized the time to reconnect with the world. Now that Amaterasu was severely wounded and using all her strength just to survive Jibril hand, her link to the world had weakened.
Upholding the philosophy of "beating the dog in the water" [Tòngdǎ luòshuǐgǒu], just as Amaterasu had used the world-link to attack his soul, he now used that same link to tear at Amaterasu divine spirit.
Like two snakes devouring each other, whoever ate the other first and stopped their heart would win the right to live.
'Thank goodness Jibril is here.'
Sū ěr couldn't help but feel lucky. If it weren't for this external force that had essentially "flipped the chessboard," he—who never expected Amaterasu to possess power of a similar nature and who held a smaller share of the world than she did—would have found no hope of victory.
"Eh?" Not knowing what Sū ěr was thinking, Think just tilted her head in confusion. But she didn't need to explain; Sū ěr jaw had already dropped in shock.
In the distance, Jibril looked as if she had lived out a human life in a single second—only in reverse. One moment she was a young woman, the next a high school girl, and the next she had become the "child-like" form that was more familiar to Sū ěr and Think.
"HUH???!"
Think and Sū ěr voiced their shock simultaneously.
Her wide wings had shrunk into tiny, adorable mini-wings along with her body. Even Jibril herself was stunned, looking down and flipping her hands over.
"Ah! I forgot Tet words... Oh right... there are no Elementals in this world," Jibril realized, turning back toward Sū ěr with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't forget something that critical!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"
Sū ěr felt his blood pressure skyrocket in an instant. That pressure peaked—nearly causing him to burst—when he saw Amaterasu launch a sudden sneak attack from behind Jibril.
Fortunately, the shrinkage didn't affect Jibril spatial teleportation. With a nimble turn, she was back by Sū ěr side before his warning even finished.
He didn't need Think help to understand what happened. Jibril had fired two Heavenly Smites since her arrival: one to save Sū ěr and one to wound Amaterasu.
A technique that should have been powered by the Elementals in the environment plus her own reserves was, in this "Elemental-less" world, powered solely by Jibril own spirit. This meant the Heavenly Smite—bolstered by Tet divine power—didn't lose potency; if anything, it was even more destructive.
But the cost was equally massive. Amaterasu was already mostly merged with the world, an entity bordering on a "concept." Even if those two strikes looked effortless, they actually required Tet divine power to pin her down. Otherwise, Amaterasu could reappear anywhere in this world at will; unless the entire world was destroyed, she could never be hit.
"Do you have enough Elementals left to maintain your existence?" Sū ěr asked urgently. He didn't want to see Jibril—a being composed entirely of Elementals—dissipate in this alien world because she lacked her life source.
To be honest, Sū ěr would rather use Tet remaining divine power to take the three of them and flee this world, bearing the shame of a coward, than see Jibril or Think die here. They had no reason to throw their lives away.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Jibril nodded repeatedly. Her earlier blunder was just a reflex from being used to an environment filled with Elementals. Now that she realized the issue, she easily guessed Sū ěr thoughts. "According to Tet, you can replace the Elementals I use with the energy unique to this world."
The pink-haired Flügel eyes were filled with anticipation. She couldn't wait to go all out. After three thousand years without a full-scale battle, without the scent of blood and combat, Jibril was so excited her halo was spinning at a speed that made it look stationary.
She finally didn't have to play those "playing house" games anymore.
But she had to solve the power source issue before the slaughter began—having finally seen that man again, Jibril had no intention of dying here.
"Me? I can do that?" Sū ěr was dumbfounded.
To be honest, if he were still in his brief "Omniscient and Omnipotent" state, it would be no problem—a mere snap of the fingers. But now, he was neither.
Replacing the very foundation of Jibril existence with the spiritual energy of this world... that was like replacing every cell in a human's body with metal to make them a silicon-based lifeform. A slight mishap, and Jibril might become a babbling fool, or worse, a mass of mindless energy.
What to do? What should he do?
Especially with the enemy right in front of them, Sū ěr was so anxious that sweat poured from his forehead. He instinctively looked toward Amaterasu position, then felt something strange.
Though only a few words had passed, that goddess hadn't seized the chance to attack?
In his sight, Amaterasu wasn't attacking; she was actually moving away, her liquid body rapidly heading toward Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. The only thing she directed toward Sū ěr was a pair of eyes filled with infinite, poisonous resentment, even from that distance.
Passing through the now-dispersed "Galactic" field, Amaterasu remaining body seemed to be burning, trailing strange silver flames. In this false, pitch-black starry sky, she drew closer to Ashihara no Nakatsukuni... and the unease in Sū ěr heart spiked.