The clash between Su Mo and the Divine Beast Boar lasted but a fleeting moment.
Erica saw nothing clearly, only a dazzling flash of thunder and fire.
After the light faded, the incomparably mighty Divine Beast had vanished without a trace.
"Huh?"
Rin Tohsaka: "What just happened?"
Rin, who had been staring at the live stream the entire time, was equally baffled. Can someone please tell her what just happened?
Kanae: "I don't know. Besides the flash of lightning, I didn't see anything."
Seeing the trio's completely bewildered comments, Madoka thought for a moment and ventured a guess.
Madoka: "Is it possible... and I'm just guessing here... but is it possible... that Su Mo-oniichan one-shotted the Divine Beast?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Rin Tohsaka: "I was about to say that, but if it's Lord Su Mo, it's actually not surprising that he could do it. But... but still..."
Kanae: "From a rational standpoint, I also believe Lord Su Mo could defeat the Divine Beast, but..."
Erica: "I know what you mean."
Erica: "But no one expected the victory to come so quickly, and no one expected the gap to be so large."
Even Madoka had thought of the possibility, so naturally, the baffled trio wasn't completely oblivious either. A beast that looked that ferocious wasn't likely to run away.
For the Divine Beast to simply vanish into thin air, there was almost no other possibility than it being successfully slain by Su Mo.
They had no objections to the outcome of Su Mo defeating the Divine Beast.
What they couldn't comprehend was the method of victory, which was as swift as slicing through melons and vegetables.
Erica: "It was a Divine Beast, after all, and judging by its posture, it was probably a high-ranking one at that."
Erica: "An existence of that level should be among the best even within Tier 2. Lord Su Mo is strong, but he's also at the Tier 2 level."
Erica: "It was Tier 2 versus Tier 2... why was the gap so enormous?!"
Erica: "Even if a Heretic God had attacked, it would be hard for them to be faster than Lord Su Mo, right?"
Was this overwhelming victory really not a case of Tier 3 fighting Tier 2?
In response to this question, Su Mo stated with a calm expression:
"Although it was a Divine Beast, it only possessed the most basic intelligence, driven more by instinct."
"A mindless target like this is the easiest type to deal with. One just needs to slightly raise the output above its tolerance limit, and its death is certain."
Charging headlong without understanding the enemy's capabilities has always been the most reckless of actions.
Currently, the conceptual Spirit Armaments created by Su Mo were not yet on par with their mythological originals. They were generally at the Paladin level, and any single one of them could at most match a Divine Beast.
However, guided by his optimized techniques, Su Mo had simultaneously combined the powers of thunder and fire. Using the characteristics of these two elements, he detonated both powers at once.
The simultaneous explosion of the two most volatile elements instantly pushed his power into the realm of a Heretic God for a brief moment.
Even though the Divine Beast Boar possessed a remarkably tough physique, it ultimately lacked the undying nature of a dragon or serpent, and so it was successfully subjugated on the spot.
For Su Mo, it was simply a matter of maxing out the damage in one go. There was nothing much to say about it.
But for Erica, this casual tone was far too stimulating.
"Slightly raising the output to a level a Divine Beast can't withstand... Are those words a human should be saying?"
Why does he say it as if accomplishing such a thing is simple?!
Erica desperately wanted to retort in her heart, but she had to admit...
"Alright, for Lord Su Mo, it probably really is simple."
She had yet to feel the fluctuation of divine power—what Su Mo had referred to as True Aether—during this battle.
In other words, even after achieving the feat of slaying a Divine Beast with a single slash, Lord Su Mo was still far from using his full strength.
From Su Mo's tone, it was clear he hadn't raised his output to his own maximum, but just slightly above the Divine Beast's limit. The implications of this became more staggering the more she thought about it.
Seeing Su Mo slay the Divine Beast with a casual stroke, his breathing calm and showing no signs of exertion, she even began to suspect that Su Mo, as a Tier 2 being, might even be capable of fighting a Heretic God.
Of course, this was just a thought. She had no desire to encounter a Heretic God under these circumstances. Those were nation-destroying existences, a crisis far beyond what they could currently handle.
With a single slash, the Divine Beast Boar vanished into thin air.
With the immediate crisis gone, Kanae recalled the power Su Mo had displayed earlier. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
Kanae: "Lord Su Mo, the power you used to defeat the Divine Beast just now was...?"
Although it didn't feel familiar, Su Mo had used a sword. Remembering that he had just purchased the Breathing Style she sold, Kanae wanted to know if Su Mo had used power from her world.
Su Mo: "The 'Submission Art' was modified from the construction technique of conceptual Spirit Armaments. The 'Five Spirits Breathing Style' was modified from the Flame (Sun) Breathing."
Su Mo had no intention of keeping such information a secret.
Hearing this, the two vendors whose goods he had patronized immediately became excited.
Erica: "Conceptual Spirit Armaments? Is that what Lord Su Mo comprehended from the magic he bought earlier?"
Erica: "As expected, a dimensional leap was nowhere near your limit!"
Erica: "No wonder you could so casually use the Submission Art that most monks can't even perform."
Just from the name, she could tell that Su Mo's epiphany this time was more about breadth than specialization.
By analyzing just one technique, it seemed he had already grasped the entire construction system of conceptual Spirit Armaments, reverse-engineering numerous spells from it.
The Submission Art of the Twelve Heavenly Guardians was likely one of the results of this construction.
Thinking of this, Erica suddenly froze, realizing something was amiss.
"Wait!"
"If Lord Su Mo's insight is this powerful, and he can master all similar techniques just by understanding one..."
"Doesn't that mean I won't be able to sell him any of my other similar skills?!"
She suddenly felt that a powerhouse having too much insight wasn't entirely a good thing. It was easy to latch onto him, but hard to profit from him.
Still, compared to him saving her life, these were minor issues.
On the other hand, after hearing Su Mo's explanation, Kanae was completely thrilled, several times more so than Erica!
Kanae: "The Five Spirits Breathing Style?!"
Kanae: "Lord Su Mo, could you please explain it in more detail? I'm begging you!"