Epic Of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2353: Oda Nobunaga’s Endless Castle [71]

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(A few minutes ago...)

"What the hell is she?! A goddess of dancing?! How can a goddess of dancing be this strong?! She can even manipulate my winds...!"

Emerald's eyes twisted in pain. His form flickered between his base appearance and his demonic transformation, the power of the chaos spirits within him faltering with every blow he took.

The battle had begun only five minutes earlier, yet Emerald still hadn't found a way to overcome this overwhelming foe. The towering woman—twenty meters tall and vaguely human in shape—was a Kami from Zipangu who had appeared without warning to confront him.

Ame-no-Uzume.

From what Emerald had gathered, she possessed two primary abilities: absolute control over wind, allowing her to seize even his own elemental forces, and a dance-based combat style that granted her blinding speed.

This deadly combination rendered her untouchable. She effortlessly evaded his claws, beak, and every other technique he unleashed. No matter how he attacked, she remained distant, elusive, and relentless, draining his strength with every passing second.

Even his Demonic Flame Winds and Chaos Winds were useless. She twisted them into deadly vortexes that drilled into his body like spiraling blades.

"Hahaha! What's wrong, my dear bird? Is that all you've got? The dragons of Yggdrasil are far less impressive than I imagined! Actually, are you even a dragon? You look more like an adorable bird to me!"

"I AM NOT A BIRD!"

Emerald snapped, lunging at her again. His aura surged as his winds spiraled around him. Blood-soaked feathers weighed him down, but he pushed forward, claws aimed at her chest. His Celestial Winds fused with Demonic Flames, forming dozens of sharp spears. They materialized from thin air—his Celestial Wind Gear ability, which allowed him to forge his unique wind power into physical, metallic weapons.

"Hahahah!"

Ame-no-Uzume laughed, raising her delicate arms as her long, graceful legs spun. She danced through the storm, her aura bending the winds to her will. The spears halted midair, then reversed course—hurtling back at Emerald.

"Foolish bird! Haven't you tried this enough times to know how it ends?"

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

"Ugh?! Aaaagh!"

Emerald screamed as his own weapons pierced him. Blood sprayed across the walls as his massive body crashed through the floor, demolishing dozens of rooms.

BOOOM!

"Unnggh..."

He opened his eyes slowly, dizzy and trembling. A sharp pain bloomed in his gut, and he vomited blood onto the tatami floor, staining it with gore.

"Haaa... Ugh..."

Despair crept in. Emerald felt utterly lost. This opponent countered every one of his abilities. He couldn't touch her. He couldn't match her speed. What else could he do but lie there and... wait for her to finish him?

"..."

"Yeah, you thought about it, didn't you? We've been analyzing her movements this whole time."

His demonic alter ego spoke within his mind. Emerald watched as Ame-no-Uzume descended, her spiraling wind aura aimed directly at him.

"She dances and releases her winds, but most of her power comes from manipulating yours and turning them against you."

"So I should just do nothing?"

"No. You should bait her. Think deeper, Emerald."

"I am. You're still me, after all."

Emerald lay motionless amid the shattered wood, feigning exhaustion. He gasped for air, pretending to be on the verge of death.

One thing he'd learned in his long life—especially during his time fleeing Divine Monsters in Muspelheim—was how to play dead. It had saved him more than once.

"Fufu, is it time now? Have you finally reached your limit, my dear?"

Ame-no-Uzume floated toward him. Emerald groaned in pain—this part wasn't an act. He truly was suffering.

"Why... why are you doing this? You're a goddess of dancing... yet you fight and torture people from another world..."

"Aww, questioning me now, are you? Well, perhaps I'll honor your death with a little story. I was once a very, very sad Kami. All I knew was dancing and singing, but I never felt free. I was always protecting others, always doing things for someone else's sake. I got tired of it. I wanted to be free. You understand, don't you?"

"W-What...?"

"Susanoo-sama offered me a new life. We fought our maker—the one who assigned us roles, who forced us to guide humanity. Ugh. 'Guide humanity,' she said. Mortals are disgusting, aren't they? Even a big bird like you is more majestic than those monkeys."

"..."

"Out of words already, my cute bird? Well then, shall we end this dance?"

She unsheathed a knife, its blade pulsing with corrupted divine power, and lunged for his throat.

"Fufu, I wonder what kind of coat or dress I could make from your pelt and feathers. No—maybe a new dancer's garb—"

"HAAAAHHH!"

RUMBLE!

"Ngh?!"

Ame-no-Uzume's eyes widened. Emerald roared, his massive claws slashing toward her. Her winds reacted just in time to deflect a lethal strike to her chest.

But Emerald hadn't aimed there.

He grabbed her legs and yanked her down with crushing force.

"W-What are you— Were you faking your death?! YOU DAMNED BEAST! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS— AAAAGGH!"

She screamed as Emerald refused to let go, even as her aura tore feathers and scales from his arms.

"RAAAAHHHH!"

He slammed her into the ground, then into the ceiling, dragging her through hundreds of rooms in a single, wind-propelled charge.

CRAAASH!

"Aaaaaggh!"

Ame-no-Uzume shrieked in agony. Her body was tattered, bleeding, and riddled with wooden debris. Emerald lifted her again, but she broke free, kicking his face and unleashing a flurry of spinning dance strikes. She moved left, then right, then struck again—his chin, his nose, and finally his chest with a barrage of kicks.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

"Gaaaaggh?!"

Emerald coughed blood, gritting his sharp teeth. He lunged again, refusing to let her escape, but she anticipated it. She leapt away, landing on his bloodied claws with a wicked grin.

"You're one bad bird~ I'll have to pluck every single feather now!"

Emerald's claws trembled beneath her weight. Blood dripped from his arms, his scales torn and feathers shredded, but he refused to release her.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled.

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