"Let's show him what we've got!"
"Indeed. Let us fight as one, Issei!"
The moment I channeled power throughout my body, a colossal force detonated outward from my core. The sheer mass, density, and scale were unbelievable even to me. Surprised by this unprecedented strength, I launched myself forward.
A single flap of my dragon wings was all it took. The scenery blurred, and I closed the distance to Asem in an instant.
"So fast?!"
Though taken aback by my sudden jump in speed, Asem raised his scythe, taking a defensive stance.
I pulled back my fist, sinking deep into my stance—
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXA!!!!"
A new voice chimed from the gauntlet's jewel. In that split second, the aura focused in my fist swelled tenfold!
Asem tried to block the aura-infused strike with the shaft of his scythe—but my fist shattered the weapon through sheer momentum.
"—?!"
Seeing his weapon break, Asem leaned his upper body back to dodge before the fist hit home... but the terrifying level of power packed into the strike seemed to throw off his composure.
"To put this much raw power into a simple punch...! Weapons of that tier won't work against you anymore, it seems!"
He countered, swinging a fist heavy with his own aura.
Twisting my torso, I dodged. The sheer air pressure from Asem's punch blew past my side, gouging a deep trench into the earth. The shockwave tore through the ground, extending far into the horizon! Just the wind pressure from his punch did that?!
"Even in this state, taking a direct hit from that fist won't end well for us."
Ddraig was right. Even though I destroyed his scythe, Asem still had power to spare.
"No holding back!"
I circulated ki throughout my body, amplifying it through the armor. The crimson suit burst into a radiant red glow, venting superheated steam from every joint. The steam was generated by the sheer heat of the power compressed within. That trapped heat turned into ultra-high temperatures, igniting into pure flame.
As crimson fire erupted from my entire body, a powerful voice rang out from the gauntlet's jewel once more.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXA!!!!"
"Boost Xenon!!!!"
Cloaked in crimson flames, I burst forward at blinding speed and drove an iron fist engulfed in fire straight toward Asem! Asem tried to block, but the moment contact was made, the thrusters on my gauntlet deployed, blasting flames outward. The added momentum shattered his armor, sinking my fist straight into his face!
Not to be outdone, Asem retaliated with a sharp high kick. The kick caught the side of my head—and swung through! The impact shattered my helmet!
Ultra-close quarters combat. Bashing and overpowering the opponent head-on. Striking with refined techniques and maximum power! Fists and kicks collided, shaking the very world around us!
Amid the furious exchange of blows, Asem managed to speak.
"I see... you clearly have the upper hand in a direct brawl! I'm distinctly on the back foot here!"
As we traded blow for blow, the disparity became undeniable. Both of our armors kept breaking and repairing, but Asem's regeneration was visibly lagging behind, and my strike volume far outpaced his. It wasn't just speed either—with the crimson flames active, the weight behind every single one of my hits outmatched his.
The Blazing System: Xenon. Compressing and elevating the power of Tenbu into a higher dimension boosted my hand-to-hand combat capabilities exponentially. Once activated, it wouldn't stop until the flames burned out. Though honestly, the fact that I had to go this far just to surpass Asem was insane in its own right.
Realizing close combat was disadvantageous, Asem parried my kick and flipped backward to create space. Multiple magic circles deployed across his hands, filling the surrounding area with glowing runes.
Fire, Water, Lightning, Ice, Wind, Darkness, Light.
Tens of thousands of spells across every element activated at once, locking onto me as a single target.
"If you look closely, there are forbidden spells mixed in there too. Every single one of those formulas will end you if they make contact. Looks like he's going all out now."
Ddraig added, though... throwing forbidden spells around on this scale was just plain absurd. He'd used magic attacks earlier, but this was on a completely different level...!
"An array of ultra-formulas stacked with forbidden magic. How will you navigate this, Hero?"
Asem snapped his fingers.
Instantly, chains of light shot out from several magic circles, binding my limbs. I strained against them with all my strength... but they were tougher than expected. I couldn't move!
Immobilized, an onslaught of magic capable of wiping out an entire faction surged toward me—when suddenly:
"Ddraig!"
"On it!"
Shouting Ddraig's name, I spread my eight wings wide. Focusing my will, a single feather detached from each wing, flying outward—
"Boost Agios!!!!"
The detached feathers transformed in midair, positioning themselves in a five-point pyramid formation centered on me. Aura erupted from the muzzles at the tips of the feathers, connecting the points to form a clear-red barrier encapsulating me. The deployed shield caught the incoming storm of magic from every direction, keeping me safe inside.
This was the upgraded version of the Feather Bits—the Agios Bits. Inherited from the Heavenly Wings Agios, these bits were capable of both offensive and defensive maneuvers.
While five Agios Bits maintained the shield, the remaining three darted through the air at imperceptible speeds, shattering the magic circles one after another. Blasts from their muzzles erased thousands of magic circles in a single strike, while blades formed of pure aura sliced through the sturdiest barriers. In moments, they severed the chains binding me, setting me free.
Unshackled, I immediately charged straight at Asem.
"Charging straight in again? How unrefined!"
"You think I'm just blindly rushing you?!"
I controlled all the Agios Bits to weave complex trajectories around me as I closed the distance. If we held the advantage in melee, he'd naturally want to keep us at mid-to-long range. Therefore, my goal was to close the gap while deflecting his long-range assaults—and that was what the Agios Bits were for.
Asem unleashed wave after wave of magic. Each strike possessed terrifying power, completely erasing whatever it hit. I dodged the deadlier blasts, let the Agios Bits block what I couldn't evade, and steadily narrowed the distance between us.
And then—
"Got you!"
"Got me? Not quite!"
Asem threw a kick to intercept my thrusting fist, deflecting my hand to kill the impact's force. Parrying when outmatched in raw power, huh...?
They say in martial arts that those with great defense also possess great offense... and this guy was the living embodiment of that concept. Parrying a superior melee attack to kill its momentum, then countering when his opponent was off-balance—his movement was so refined it was nothing short of magnificent.
However—
"What... are you...?!"
Through his shattered helmet, I caught a glimpse of Asem's astonished expression.
The reason for his shock was simple: I had used my left hand to trap his right, then used an Agios Bit to impale both of our hands together.
Enduring the sharp pain radiating through my left hand, I flashed a fearless grin.
"Now neither of us can pull away, right?"
"...!"
Locked together, making distance was impossible. Now, at long last—
"I can finally land a clean hit on you!"
I wound back my fist and drove it straight into Asem's face.
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