After the brief joking ended, the expressions of Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima slowly became serious.
Combat was not a game.
Anyone who treated battle as a joke would inevitably pay the price.
Boom!
Akeno was the first to act.
With a wave of her hand, lightning fell from the sky.
Crack!
A bolt of thunder descended directly toward Qin Xiao.
"Lightning?"
Qin Xiao smiled slightly.
"Sorry, but that level of lightning means nothing to someone who can command Azure Thunder."
He raised his hand.
A bolt of azure lightning surged upward.
Golden lightning and pale azure thunder collided violently in midair.
The surrounding space trembled as the impact shredded nearby terrain.
"Let me see just how strong you really are, Qin Xiao," Rias said.
At that moment she launched a sudden attack.
A magic circle bearing the Gremory family crest appeared before her.
The Power of Destruction erupted like a crimson torrent.
Clang!
The Chains of Heaven shot forward.
Qin Xiao leaped into the air and landed on one of the chains.
He dodged the attack effortlessly.
At the same time, his azure thunder intensified.
Akeno's lightning was instantly shattered.
Guided by the chains, Qin Xiao floated steadily in the sky.
Rias and Akeno exchanged a glance.
Both spread their devil wings.
One in front, one behind—
They flew into the air to surround Qin Xiao.
Although Qin Xiao had no wings—
He could still fly naturally.
It was more like an instinct than a learned skill.
"You're not using the Boosted Gear?"
Rias asked curiously.
After all, that was a Longinus-class Sacred Gear.
She wanted to see its true power.
Qin Xiao shook his head.
"No need."
"This is enough."
Rias narrowed her eyes.
That statement had just touched one of her sensitive points.
Since childhood, she had always strived to be the best.
To her ears, Qin Xiao's words sounded like:
Even without using the Boosted Gear—
He could defeat her.
"Akeno. Work with me."
"Yes, President."
Boom!
Lightning rained down from the sky.
Bolts struck repeatedly, limiting Qin Xiao's movement.
At the same time—
Rias launched her attack through the storm.
A blade formed from Destruction energy shot toward Qin Xiao's blind spot.
"Coordination, huh?"
"But it's not enough."
Qin Xiao's chains exploded outward.
Each chain blocked a lightning bolt.
Since the chains weren't directly connected to Qin Xiao's body, the electricity couldn't conduct through them.
Then—
Qin Xiao moved.
Like a hunting leopard, he shot through the sky.
In aerial combat, his agility far surpassed Rias.
She simply wasn't specialized in flying battles.
Clap!
In an instant he appeared right beside her.
Thanks to Enkidu's combat instincts, Qin Xiao fought like a living battle machine.
He grabbed Rias' wrist—
Then threw her downward.
"Rias!"
Akeno immediately called down another lightning strike.
Boom!
But the attack was blocked by Qin Xiao's azure thunder.
Her lightning was completely suppressed.
It was as if Qin Xiao instinctively countered every move.
The moment Akeno attacked—
His body reacted automatically.
Without her lightning advantage—
Akeno's other combat abilities were far less threatening.
Meanwhile—
Rias had already fallen into an even worse situation.
Once Qin Xiao got close to her—
She was almost helpless.
The Power of Destruction was terrifying.
But it was difficult to use effectively in close combat.
Clang!
The Chains of Heaven shot forward.
They instantly bound Rias the moment she landed.
Boom!
On the other side—
Qin Xiao unleashed a burst of azure thunder.
Akeno was forced back.
Then she too was restrained by the chains.
Since this was just a sparring match—
Neither Rias nor Akeno had fought with their full strength.
Still—
For Rias, losing this easily was a serious blow.
"You win," Rias admitted reluctantly.
Her expression looked unpleasant.
But she could accept defeat.
As for Akeno—
She had practically been holding back the entire fight.
At that moment—
System notifications appeared.
Ding!
Template inheritance +3%
Ding!
Template inheritance +5%
Ding!
Congratulations!
You have acquired the skill:
Wisdom of the People
Wisdom of the People
Borrow the power of the earth to summon hundreds of weapons—swords, spears, chains—from the ground and fire them at enemies.
Its usage is similar to Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm Gate of Babylon, capable of matching its attack density.
Ding!
Congratulations!
You have acquired the talent:
Transformation
Transformation
A special ability that allows the user to redistribute attributes from a fixed total value.
Depending on the situation, the user can increase attack, defense, or speed.
The higher the rank, the greater the total attribute pool.
Qin Xiao's strength surged.
He broke past the limits of a High-Class Devil—
And reached the level of a Ultimate-Class Devil.
Two new abilities.
One powerful skill.
One incredible talent.
Qin Xiao felt extremely excited.
"Wisdom of the People" was Enkidu's famous ability.
It could clash directly with Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.
Essentially—
It was the earth-powered version of the legendary treasury attack.
And Transformation was even more outrageous.
The total attributes remained the same—
But they could be redistributed instantly.
Need power?
Increase strength.
Need defense?
Increase durability.
Need speed?
Boost agility.
It was similar to how Ultraman Tiga changes between forms.
Power Type.
Sky Type.
Different configurations for different situations.
For Qin Xiao—
This was practically a perfect combat adaptability ability.