#728 One Hundred Faces of Hades

My Susano-O Zero successfully navigated through the preliminary round.

Such a spectacular victory drew the spectators’ attention.

“Wh-What was that move?”

“Was that... magic?”

“Doesn’t that violate the competition rules? It looked unmistakably like a military-grade weapon, no matter how you slice it.”

The compliments were pouring in. 

Well done, Belena, you’ve got the whole arena’s attention!

“No, that’s not it! They were talking about the superweapon you developed, Lord Saint!”

“Aww, I can’t help but blush at that!”

After all, it is my masterpiece. 

But without Belena’s assistance, I wouldn’t have been able to compete, and it probably would’ve never seen the light of day.

All this is thanks to you, Belena.

“I appreciate your gratitude, Lord Saint, but this is a bit overwhelming...”

“Don’t worry, once we win, it’ll feel as natural as being back home!”

So, let’s keep securing victories.

We concluded the first preliminary round with a win, so now, we’re progressing to the second round.

Our next opponent operates the Jumping Hades.

Its creator and operator confidently proclaims...

“The power to jump equals the power to fight! My God Figure is unbeatable with its extra leg parts providing explosive jumping ability!”

The Hades figure, showing off its modifications, possesses remarkably thick and long legs, resembling a frog.

The leaps executed by those peculiar legs are indeed powerful, easily exceeding four times the figure’s height.

“He who dominates the skies wins the battle! Taste my continuous strikes from above—everyone’s blind spot!”

“Kusanagi Blade!!!”

“Whaaaat?!”

The beam extending from the sword pierced the frog-like Hades in the distant sky.

Gaining control of the air might be an effective strategy, but it doesn’t guarantee victory.

At the very least, you should check whether your opponent has any ranged capabilities.

Being in the air isn’t necessarily safe in ability-based contests.

We triumphed in the second round and moved on to the third.

Our next adversary is Armstrong Hades.

To put it simply, it has long arms.

Its arms are strong. Get it?

Presumably, it uses arm parts from other figures, connecting them to create those snake-like, long arms.

Its creator and operator confidently declares...

“Victory is all about long-range attacks! Maintain a safe distance and get ready for the long arms!”

He’s given it quite a bit of thought to win, hasn’t he?

“You can’t close the distance or breach its guard! I’ve honed its footwork to perfection, all without breaking a sweat! It can handle any movement, maintaining an optimal distance for unilateral strikes from here! I’m sure to win this competition with this foolproof strategy!!!”

True to his boast, his God Figure moved as elegantly as a butterfly dancing, but threatened to sting like a bee at any moment of inattention.

Under these circumstances, there was hardly a chance to launch a distance attack with the Kusanagi Blade.

“Hooohohoho! Take this and fall! Stretchy Punch!”

However, it would be unwise to call this a win just yet!

There are still hidden features within the Susano-o Zero that I developed!

“Belena! It’s time for Stage Two!”

“Roger!”

At my command, Belena, who was in control, released magical energy.

Then, she reveals another function of the Susano-O Zero.

A round, transparent part appears from the figure’s forehead, which has sprung open. 

The moment it flashes, the opposing figure’s long arms are blasted away!

“What?! What in the world is that mechanism?!”

Hahahaha, did you see that?! 

That was the Third Eye of the Susano-O! 

The light it emits obliterates anything within its vicinity!

This was developed based on another tale from the Kojiki where Susano-O annihilates everything he glares at with his third eye!

While structural limitations prevent it from having too much power, it makes up for it with its rapid-fire capability. It’s the perfect complement to the Kusanagi Blade, which requires both hands.

Susano-O scatters the opponent’s extended arms, invading its personal space!

“Wh-What the...?!”

The situation dramatically shifts in my favor, leaving the opponent shocked. 

His long-armed weapon seemed powerful, but his God Figure was left defenseless once it was countered. Without a desperate effort, there’s no chance for a comeback. With a swift advance and a clean sweep, he’s defeated.

We manage to breeze through the third round without breaking a sweat.

But the preliminaries are far from over. 

The fourth round is up next.

Looking back at our battles so far, all our opponents used a Hades kit as the base model.

It’s not surprising, considering its high dupe probability and cost-effectiveness. Besides, Hades is the primary deity for the demon race.

But aren’t they concerned about modifying their chief god into strange forms, like making it spin at the hip, morphing it into a frog monster, or stretching its arms like a rubber band? 

Aren’t they afraid of invoking divine retribution?

...Just as I had this thought, the next match brought forth the most extreme example yet.

“Go! My soul, Ambivalent Hades!”

The Hades we faced in the fourth round is... 

Well...

It has neither a top nor a bottom...!

Not sure what I mean? 

Normally, a humanoid figure would have an upper and lower body, right? The upper body consists of the torso, arms, and head, and the lower body is mainly the legs.

This seems like common sense.

But this common sense does not apply to the Hades figure we’re up against in the fourth round.

Simply put, it’s all upper body. The part from his waist up is his upper body, and the part from his waist down is also his upper body.

It’s designed with two upper bodies connected at the waist!

Something like a playing card from a deck, perhaps?

What on earth was our opponent thinking, designing his God Figure like this?!

The creator’s explanation:

“Two heads! Two more arms! This design eliminates all blind spots, resulting in perfect combat! This is the ultimate battle strategy I’ve devised!!!”

A lot of what he just said doesn’t make sense, does it?

After all, how is it supposed to move if he omits the figurine’s legs to attach another upper body?

But to my surprise, the Hades figure can still move.

It scuttles around using its four arms. 

What odd movements!

“How about that! By adding another upper body, its mobility has increased! My Ambivalent Hades has no weaknesses! Add yourself to my list of victories!”

Scuttling around with ease, the playing card-like Hades is surprisingly agile, making it difficult for the Kusanagi Blade or the Third Eye to land a hit.

Despite its eccentric appearance, the fact that it’s made it to the fourth round speaks to its true strength.

If that’s how they’re going to play, we won’t hold back, either!

“Belena, move to Stage Three!”

“O-Okay...!”

Belena’s magic power triggers a reaction, and the body of Susano-O Zero glows a golden hue.

This is the enhanced form of Susano-O, inspired by none other than the Kojiki! 

Morphing into a golden warrior, Susano-O’s abilities are significantly boosted, turning into a supercharged Susano-O with unparalleled speed and strength!

“Ahhhhh! Too fasttttt!”

Regardless of how swiftly our opponent darts around, they cannot escape from the super mode of Susano-O Zero.

We have him cornered now! 

Time for Susano-O’s Full Moon Slash!

“Perhaps I should’ve kept its legs after alllllllllllll!!!”

He used up all four of his arms for movement, leaving him unable to mount an effective counterattack.

After all, a lower body ought to have legs.

Somehow, we also managed to clinch victory in the fourth preliminary round.

Even though we’ve only participated in four matches so far, the array and diversity of the faces we’ve confronted are already overwhelming.

The variety was so vast it felt like observing lifeforms from the Cambrian period.

An assortment of lifeforms emerge, triggering the onset of an elimination process.

Hopefully, the horizon would increasingly narrow with each victorious advancement by mirroring this process.