The Red King's tyrant blade.
KWA-BOOM!!!
The longsword dyed crimson came crashing down over Adelio's head in an instant.
The distance between them had been well over ten paces, yet it vanished in the blink of an eye.
KANG!!
But Adelio did not panic. He immediately raised [Overlord Black Star] and caught Guy's blade.
It was Ria's swordsmanship, the fundamental stance known as the "White Sword."
'...Heavy.'
Kiiiik... kreeeak...
The blade of [Overlord Black Star] let out a shriek.
His stance had been perfect, but that alone was not enough.
Even though his attack had been blocked, Guy did not care in the slightest. With monstrous strength, he pressed Adelio down.
He was not trying to cut him with the sword. He was using it like a blunt weapon, intending to drive him straight into the ground.
'...What kind of opening exchange is this...'
The attack was simple and devastating, with none of the usual probing. Adelio was on the verge of groaning out loud, but the complaint died before it could leave his lips.
The power of the [Ultimate Skill] [Lucifer], [Pride]—
[Ability Copy].
- Copy: [Satanael].
- Output: 60%
"Come on, then. Try taking this."
Crackle!
Familiar cherry-blossom-colored magic power began gathering around Guy's fist.
Then that fist shot straight toward Adelio's heart.
'...!! [Odin]!'
KWAGAGAGAGAGANG!!!!!
An ordinary fist containing nothing but magic power.
...It should have been nothing more than a fist...
PAAANG!!!
...and yet its force was a disaster beyond anything that could be called a punch.
Like a raging beast, the fist came tearing in, instantly shattering the [Multiple Barrier] spread by [Odin], [King of Inquiry], and that alone was not the end of it.
Even now, it smashed through dozens of layered barriers created by the [True Dragon] and the two [Primordial Demons], barriers that were still being generated one after another.
And this was not even full power. It was only sixty percent, barely over half.
"...Kgh..."
The ash-haired demon, now covered in blood from head to toe, dropped to one knee.
Since obtaining [the body of a saint], this was the first time he had ever bled so much.
Not even Milim's magic power, nor Chronoa's sword,
had ever left wounds like this on him.
'...So this is—'
Only he could do it.
Only Guy, who understood the use of "power" better than anyone else, could carve such overwhelming violence into him.
'—Guy's...'
The left hand gripping his sword began to tremble.
His mind already understood it, but his body still had not caught up.
He... Guy Crimson was a being who surpassed even [Catastrophe].
[Report. The recovery of the body is slowing. I recommend the use of [Ru-Lawather], [Sword Emperor Heavenly King].]
'...Right.'
Just as Guy possessed the powers of countless mighty beings, Adelio too had a trump card of his own.
After defeating Corne and evolving into a [Deva Lord], his [Skills] had grown as well, becoming powers worthy of a [Hero].
'Areadbhar.'
Originally, [Berserk] had been contained within the Extra Skill [Fighter].
This technique was a power that went one step beyond that [Berserk].
In addition to its original ability of raising the user's physical capabilities, it greatly amplified the power of sword strikes and sword aura alike.
For an [Ultimate Skill], it might have seemed too simple, but for a swordsman whose level of swordsmanship had reached the very peak, there was no power easier to use than this.
And besides, [Ru-Lawather], [Sword Emperor Heavenly King], did not possess only this one authority.
'...With this, my body's recovery has sped up, and my attack power's increased too.'
Adelio stared blankly at the arm whose trembling was gradually subsiding, then raised his head.
At the end of his gaze stood Guy, wearing a relaxed smile.
"Oh? You blocked that better than I expected. I was actually serious that time."
He had not moved a single step while waiting for Adelio to finish recovering.
But that was not because he was looking down on him.
'His body's shaking, but his sword aura is still sharp... If I attack carelessly, that'll be dangerous.'
It was Adelio's mental strength—and that sword aura—that Guy considered dangerous.
As long as Adelio was a demon, unless his body was completely annihilated, he would counterattack through sheer force of will alone.
"I'm coming again...!"
Sssshhh!
A momentary opening.
Adelio noticed that Guy's attention had drifted for just an instant, and shot forward like an arrow.
He had literally launched himself by using the shockwave produced when the magic power of a [Hero] and the magic power of a demon meshed together for the briefest moment.
- [Arts].
[Sword Emperor Manifestation].
Then came a blindingly fast thrust.
Riding the force of his charge, Adelio's sword became a gleaming eye within the storm, aiming straight for the [Demon Lord]'s heart.
"...!"
At the sight of those opposing magics merging into one and rushing at him, Guy faltered for a split second.
But he regained himself at once and swung [World], pouring magic power into it.
- Copy: [Metatron].
- Output: 80%
A horizontal slash infused with spiritrons through the power of the highest-tier [Ultimate Skill], an angelic system ability.
CHAAAAANG!!!
A crimson slash that, if he truly wished it, could sever the very axis of the world collided with a blue thrust moving at a speed far beyond before.
GUUUUNG...!!!
The sparring ground trembled once more.
Dyed in the magic power of the two demons, the training field shook harder and harder around the crossing sword auras, like a cracked vessel on the verge of breaking apart.
And yet neither demon stopped.
- Extra Skill [Heroic Aura].
- Extra Skill [Demon Lord's Haki].
The aura of the [Hero] and the [Demon Lord], drawn up from the depths of their souls, rampaged as if trying to scatter each other's minds.
The two longswords bared their fangs with power that had grown even sharper, each aiming for the other's heart.
And then—
The demons standing at the center looked at one another and smiled savagely.
That smile meant only one thing.
Battle instinct.
As that instinct welled up more and more, it became the sign that the real fight was only just beginning.
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