Sairaorg coughed up a massive spray of blood. Even his thoroughly conditioned body couldn't withstand an impact of that caliber, forcing him to drop to one knee.
"He downed Sairaorg in a single hit...!" Rias gasped in horror.
Even Sairaorg let out an admiring breath at the unimaginable power.
"That hit harder than I anticipated... To think you possessed this much power...! However!"
Sairaorg launched a counterpunch directly from his crouched position. Yet, Razul caught the blow effortlessly in his giant palm, completely killing its momentum.
Razul chuckled. "I'm amazed you're still conscious after taking that clean. Talk about insanely tough."
"I should be saying that to you... Regulus."
"Understood."
At Sairaorg's command, his lion armor repaired the destroyed sections. The two fighters created some distance to reset their positions, but—
"Oraoraaa!"
"Ngggh...!"
With every collision of their fists, pieces of Sairaorg's armor exploded, and fresh blood splattered onto the earth. Through dozens, then hundreds of exchanges, Sairaorg was steadily being pushed back.
And then—
"Raaah!"
"!?!"
Breaking through Sairaorg's compromised defense, another devastating strike from Razul connected. Sairaorg's body bent double before he was slammed violently into the dirt.
"Sairaorg!"
Rias thrust her hand forward, preparing to unleash her magic, but Sairaorg raised a hand to stop her.
"Stay back, Rias! You haven't fully recovered—your magic won't affect him! Focus on healing!"
"But...! You're...!"
Rias understood his point. She knew full well that stepping in now would be useless.
(Even so... just standing here watching Sairaorg get torn apart...!)
Sensing her distress, Sairaorg wiped the blood trailing from his mouth and forced a smile.
"Do not worry, Rias. I can still fight. I cannot afford to fall here—I cannot stop here."
Razul looked down at him, asking casually, "Still want to go?"
"Naturally. Until I bring you down, I will not fall."
"Kukuku, you really are just like the Hero. Fine by me—come at me! You've still got something up your sleeve, don't you? I'll wait."
Razul grinned fearlessly and crossed his arms. Sairaorg let out a dry, amused chuckle at the gesture.
"I heard the rumors, but you truly are a strange man. Offering to wait for an enemy who intends to kill you?"
"I just love fighting strong guys. Hot, fierce, bashing each other until our very souls burn out—that's the kind of fight I live for. So come on, Sairaorg Bael! Show me your full power! Throw everything you've got right at me!"
Razul bared his fangs in a ferocious grin.
Sairaorg took a deep, steady breath and bellowed to the sky:
"Let us go, my alter ego—Lion Regulus!"
"Understood! Even if this body perishes, I shall stand alongside my King!"
Responding to its master's voice, the lion's eyes flared with brilliant light. Sairaorg's battle aura surged to unprecedented heights, enveloping the surrounding area in a radiant, golden-purple storm.
Shielding her eyes from the blinding light, Lisha gasped, "This pressure... it's even greater than Issei's...!"
Together, Sairaorg and the lion on his chest recited the incantation—
"Though this body and soul fall into a thousand depths!"
"My King and I shall forge ahead upon the Royal Path until our bodies and souls are spent!"
The lion armor shifted, re-forging itself into a fierce, aggressive shape.
"Roar! Pride! Slaughter! And shine brighter than all!"
"Even if this body is that of a demonic beast!"
"Dwell within my fist, Imperial Majesty of Radiance!"
A tempest of battle aura tore through the surrounding landscape, carving a massive crater deep into the earth beneath Sairaorg's feet. Heaven and earth trembled violently under his overwhelming pressure, forcing everyone nearby to drop to the ground just to withstand the shockwaves.
Finally, Sairaorg and Regulus spoke the final verse in unison:
"『Breakdown the Beast, Release: Crime Overーーーーーーッ!』"
With an explosive burst of supreme aura, Sairaorg emerged clad in purple-gold armor, emanating an otherworldly pressure.
"I've heard of the Breakdown the Beast transformation, but to think it possessed this much power...! No... this extreme strength is only possible because of Sairaorg's sheer discipline, but still, this is entirely off the charts..." Rias whispered in awe.
Yet, blood was already trickling from Sairaorg's lips. Breakdown the Beast placed an immense toll on its user—the power was consuming his body from the inside out before the fight had even resumed.
Grit-toothed, Sairaorg declared:
"Regulus Rey Leather Rex Imperial Purple breakdown mode. The ultimate embodiment of destruction, achieved after pushing myself beyond all physical limits. It is a transformation that exponentially magnifies my strength for a brief time in exchange for my very life force. This is everything I have! With this power, I shall bring about your ruin!"
Without a sound, Sairaorg vanished from sight.
The initial thrust of his speed was so immense that the ground beneath him caved in. A split second later, he materialized directly within Razul's inner guard. By the time their eyes met, Sairaorg's fist was already swung.
Coated in golden-purple aura, his punch drove straight into Razul's solar plexus with magnetic precision.
BOOM!
A heavy shockwave shook the atmosphere. The momentum of the punch blasted straight through Razul's back, splitting the earth far behind him for miles into the horizon.
For the first time in the entire battle, Razul staggered back, coughing up a dark clot of blood. The same man who had remained completely unscathed through Rias's combined assaults had taken deep, devastating damage from a single hit from Sairaorg.
"Hey, hey... are you serious...?!" Razul gasped, clutching his stomach in sheer disbelief.
Sairaorg raised his fists and roared:
"My fist simply destroys! Whatever stands in its way, it crushes to dust! Taste the full power of a strike forged solely through endless training!"
Sairaorg launched forward at blinding speed once more.
He had landed a solid blow, but Razul was a monster in his own right. Laughing maniacally, Razul charged right back.
"Kukuku... Hahahaha! Incredible! What a hit! What pure destruction! Ahh, I can feel it! Everything you bled for, everything you sought—it's right here! Now use that fist to surpass meeeee!"
Fists and kicks collided repeatedly, rending flesh and bone. Respecting Sairaorg's straightforward combat style, Razul abandoned his special abilities entirely, choosing to fight using nothing but his raw physical power.
It was a clash of pure physical devastation. Facing each other head-on, striking head-on, kicking head-on. Their completely unyielding exchange destroyed everything in its wake, making even the distant area where Rias stood unsafe.
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