There was no need for discussion—no questions asked. The battle between Katerea and me had begun, the tension between us thick enough to smother the battlefield.
I was the first to act. With my enhanced speed, I appeared right in front of her, too fast for her to react properly. My version of the Tailed Beast Bomb materialized in my palm—a condensed sphere of spiraling destruction.
"Kosen Rasengan!"
The attack's crimson glow bathed us in its eerie light, casting elongated shadows over Katerea's face. (A/N: Kosen—Hollow Flash/ Cero.)
A fusion of my power and instincts, designed to obliterate anything in its path.
I intended to end her here and now. No hesitation, no wasted words.
And yet, a single thought slipped into my mind, forcing me to hesitate.
Ingvild Leviathan.
A crucial canon character. The daughter Katerea had yet to bring into this world.
Had I been ignorant of that, I wouldn't have thought twice. I would have snuffed out Katerea's existence without a shred of remorse. But knowledge is both a gift and a curse. Now that I knew, I couldn't bring myself to act so impulsively.
Still, she would not walk away from this battle untouched. If I wasn't going to kill her, I would break her. I would shatter the arrogant pride in her eyes, strip away the confidence she wore like armor, and leave her with nothing but shame.
That much, at least, would suffice.
A magic circle flared to life in her hand, intricate runes shifting within its complex geometric patterns. The air thickened with heat as a massive fireball erupted from its center, roaring to life like a miniature sun. The ground beneath us blackened instantly, the surrounding temperature rising to suffocating levels. Waves of heat radiated outward, warping the air itself.
But I wasn't fazed.
In response, I gathered my energy, making my Rasengan dense, accumulating in sheer size and power. Its violent pulsing sent ripples through the battlefield, demanding attention.
Allies and enemies alike took an instinctive step back, their bodies tensing at the sheer pressure radiating from it. The boulder-sized mass of energy crackled dangerously, as if barely restraining its boundless might.
Eyes widened. Breath hitched. The tension in the air thickened as I prepared to unleash it.
Then—
In the blink of an eye, the chaotic sphere collapsed inward, compressing itself to the size of a rubber ball. A deep silence followed, heavy with anticipation.
Without hesitation, I threw it.
The rasengan sphere shot forward like a ticking grenade, moving faster than any eye could track, whistling as it travelled tgrough the air. To those watching, it was a mere blur—an incomprehensible flash of red streaking across the battlefield. But to me, it moved with perfect clarity.
It tore through the sky, piercing the very core of Katerea's inferno. The flames collapsed instantly, snuffed out as though they had never existed. But the attack didn't stop there. With its path unobstructed, it continued forward, closing in on Katerea with terrifying precision.
She reacted with perfect precision, pivoting sharply to the left. A Leviathan-clan magic circle flared in her palm, intricate runes glowing ominously as she prepared to unleash another spell. Her confidence was palpable—until our eyes met.
I saw it then. The disbelief widening her pupils. The creeping realization tightening her features.
My hand was raised, thumb and index finger extended in the unmistakable gesture of a gun. My index finger pointed straight at my Cero.
She noticed the subtle detail—far too late.
A wave of dread crashed over her, raw and inescapable.
Her gaze snapped toward the incoming attack, her instincts screaming at her to act. Abandoning her spell, she hastily raised a reinforced barrier, shifting it mid-formation to match her movement. But in that brief moment—one fleeting second of vulnerability—she caught sight of something else.
Another Cero.
Weaker, smaller, but no less deadly.
Everything slowed. The second Cero zeroed in on the first with pinpoint accuracy. A surge of volatile energy rippled through the air as the two collided.
And then—
Detonation.
The unstable force of my first Cero collapsed in on itself before erupting into a cataclysmic explosion. The sheer impact nearly burst her eardrums, the shockwave tearing through the battlefield like a raging storm.
Katerea, her allies—none of them stood a chance. The force swallowed everything in its path, a merciless tide of destruction that left only devastation in its wake.
Beneath my mask, I was cackling.
I can't believe I can exert this level of power!
But to those watching, my mask betrayed nothing.
The jagged jaws parted in a silent, unnatural laugh, my shoulders trembling in eerie amusement. That sight alone sent chills down their spines. And when my disembodied voice echoed through the battlefield, distorted and hollow, it only deepened their unease.
I forced myself to rein it in. My laughter faded, and slowly, the mask's mouth closed.
'I like that this thing has movable jaws, but… that was a bit much.'
Exhaling, I shifted my stance. My grip tightened around my sword as I swung it sharply to the left. A blade of pitch-black sword intent tore through the air, its sheer force splitting the ground beneath it as it surged toward my enemies.
Serafall made her move.
A Sitri-clan magic circle flared beneath her feet, intricate patterns pulsing with a surge of mana. The sheer energy radiating from it sent tremors through the ground. She met my gaze, her expression grim yet determined.
"It's about time we use that," she said.
I narrowed my eyes. Now?
"You want to use it now?"
"We've got more company." She shot a glance at the approaching reinforcements before turning back to me. "Besides, I haven't even gone all out yet."
Her expression hardened, unshakable resolve gleaming in her eyes. She's serious about this.
"But this is our chance."
I let out a slow breath, reaching for my mask. As my fingers touched it, the material began dissolving, fading back into Chakra. The moment my face was revealed, a small smile formed on my lips.
Alright, Serafall. Let's show them hell.
Katerea's gaze snapped to me, her brow twitching in fury. "So the source of our struggle is nothing but a snot-nosed brat."
A chuckle interrupted her. A white-haired devil—Rizevim Lucifer, most likely—grinned, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Don't you notice anything peculiar about him?"
Katerea frowned, probing me with her magic. She could sense my Qi, but my Reiryoku? That was another matter. And by now, they had already pieced together the truth I would have preferred to keep hidden.
"He's human!" One of the devils in their party exclaimed, his face twisted in disbelief. "Who would have thought that such a weak race could produce such a monster?"
I ignored their astonished murmurs, tuning out the disbelief that rippled through their ranks. My focus remained on Serafall.
If this works, we might end this war sooner than expected. I've grown a lot during this conflict… and honestly, I'm sick of killing these bats every single day. I miss the good old days.
I met Serafall's gaze, nodding. "Very well. If you believe this will work, then I'll trust you completely. Besides, crippling all three Satans would be the greatest victory of the day."
Despite our composure, the soldiers who had overheard us were stunned into silence.
He's human!?
But their shock was irrelevant.
I raised my hand, energy surging at my fingertips. "Hadō #58: Tenran!"
And in that instant, their moment of realization no longer mattered.
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Happy Reading Everyone and Thank You For Your Support.
As promised, I released a chapter today and I might do that for 6 days straight...
$#!?