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

Chapter 2364: Oda Nobunaga’s Endless Castle [82]

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Sarutahiko glared at Hydra with utter anger and disbelief, but he could barely do anything—it was over for him.

He wanted to scream, to curse Hydra, but in the end, he only laughed and smiled faintly.

"Hahaha... To think it would end like this... what a joke..."

Despite his fury, Sarutahiko acknowledged the dragons’ strength, gazing at them with both resentment and admiration.

"Oh well... I did have a lot of fun... Your name was Hydra, right? You’re... a strange one."

Sarutahiko slowly vanished, leaving nothing behind.

Or so Hydra and Celene thought—until a moment later, something glistened amidst the Kami’s ashes.

A small, cube-shaped blue crystal hovered in the air, condensed dimensional energy crystallized into form.

Hydra reached out and grasped it as it floated toward him, realizing what it truly was.

"He really gave me a part of his powers?! But..."

Hydra was stunned. He had thought Sarutahiko was just a cruel god, a ruthless force bent on destruction.

And maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong—but there was more to Sarutahiko’s mind, more complexity than he had assumed.

"Maybe something you said got through to him... Whatever the case, take it. I don’t want it."

"Hah, well, if you insist."

Hydra held the cube tightly, feeling a surge of power flood through him.

"Incredible. With this, we can help everyone. Let’s hurry, Celene!"

"W-Wait, Hydra! I’m still recovering—don’t fly so fast!"

Celene caught up to Hydra as they looked down at the chaos the Endless Castle had become.

Using his newfound powers, Hydra began interconnecting the fragmented, isolated spaces.

"What are you doing?" Celene asked.

"I’m linking all the isolated spaces together!" Hydra replied. "This way, everyone can regroup quickly and then—Ah! We need to regroup now!"

Hydra suddenly sensed a powerful presence looming above. He pulled Celene into the castle as a massive black fortress floated in the void, radiating ominous energy.

Inside, powerful entities glared down.

Oda Nobunaga, watching his grand plan unravel before his eyes, could barely contain his rage.

"Sarutahiko is dead?! No—most of the Kami are! W-What the hell?! Susanoo-sama! He’s... gone?! And that woman was Amaterasu?! HUH?! Give me a damn break!"

Oda finally grasped the true strength and threat posed by the Dragons of Yggdrasil and their allies.

With most Kami being destroyed and even Susanoo fallen, his dream of conquest was crumbling.

"Hmph, you think I care?"

"Ngh?!"

Oda suddenly heard the voice of the one possessing him. Half of his face turned crimson, sprouting horns and long white hair.

"Hajun-sama?!"

"Oda, we continue with the plan. My ascension—no, our ascension—is about to begin. Gather all the energy you’ve harvested from these battles!"

"Yes, master."

Oda nodded. His two generals and the army of sorcerers and demonic yokai sprang into action.

Massive concentrations of energy, especially Karmic Energy, were being extracted from the Endless Castle and siphoned into the colossal black fortress.

A vast demonic formation was taking shape within Oda Nobunaga’s original castle. Billions of spectral yokai and millions of harvested mortal souls from Zipangu swirled into a chaotic brew of Demonic Karmic Sludge.

Yet even as this unfolded, the old Emperor felt uneasy. Something was going wrong.

He glanced toward a section of the Endless Castle and noticed the Decaying Goddess had stopped attacking Héluna, the Venerable of Moonlight, who was guarding Oberon as he formed his new vessel.

"Wait—where is she now?! How could she escape?! She’s supposed to obey our commands!"

RUMBLE!

The castle shook violently as a massive black claw struck it with overwhelming force. The formation trembled, nearly collapsing.

"Impossible! How dare you do this!"

Oda glared into the distance, piercing the castle walls with his Demonic Senses to see what was happening outside.

Black portals had appeared around the fortress, summoning long, mummified arms with grotesquely elongated fingers. They began attacking from every direction.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

"GRAAAAHHHHHH!"

The scream of a tormented, undead goddess echoed through the portals. Her crimson eyes occasionally appeared, glaring down at Oda’s castle. His subjects trembled in fear at her roar.

"You...! I possess the Tear Fragment! You must obey me!"

Oda roared, his Aura bursting from the castle. But the Decaying Goddess slashed through it with her claws, shredding it effortlessly.

"Ugh?! How is this happening?! Hajun-sama! What does this mean?!"

Hajun responded, his voice merging with Oda’s as half of his face transformed.

"It seems Susanoo and his failures brought us to this point. Amaterasu’s reincarnation is real—and she’s somehow gathered three of the Tear Fragments. Wait... weren’t they your responsibility?!"

"I never thought they’d figure out what they were for! The fragments are enchanted to return to me! But... it didn’t happen?! How could I have known Amaterasu had reincarnated and was among them, absorbing the tears?"

"Hmph, you’re not wrong. This is absurd... Is she controlling her corpse somehow? No, that’s not it. But her awakening has broken our control over her. Still, she’s just a rampaging zombie."

"What do we do, my lord?"

"Take her down or push her away—use your army, anything! You must stay here, though. The ritual must be completed."

"I understand... Go."

Oda’s command echoed. His right and left hands nodded and rushed out of the castle, leading an army of sorcerers and yokai soldiers.

"RAAAAHHHH!"

The goddess screamed in fury as they approached. Her tears fell like rain, transforming into thousands of specters.

Mitsuhide and Maeda confronted the Decaying Goddess head-on, showcasing their immense power as Oda Nobunaga’s right and left hands—the vessels of Hajun, Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.

"{Mirror Waltz: Kyōmen enbu}"

Mitsuhide appeared before the spectral yokai, spinning at lightning speed. He deflected projectiles and strikes while slashing through them with graceful precision, leaving behind crimson afterimages.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

He reached the goddess and unleashed a storm of crimson slashes, striking her visible body with relentless force.

"{Stormline Impaler: Rankan no yari}!"

Simultaneously, Maeda charged forward, his massive frame crashing through hundreds of specters. He impaled them with his spear, then followed with explosive cannon blasts—combining firearms and melee into devastating destruction.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Together, they cleared a vast portion of the goddess’ spectral army, then struck her directly, sending her into the Endless Castle below. Hundreds of rooms collapsed, along with the spatial pillars within.

CRAAASH!

"Do we follow?" Maeda asked.

"Yes. We must end her. If necessary, we destroy her," Mitsuhide replied.

"Can we?" Maeda asked.

"I believe we can," Mitsuhide said with a proud smile.

Both descended, followed by their armies. The sorcerers cast healing and enhancement spells, empowering the generals and the yokai forces for the battle ahead.

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