In his previous life, Ren was not the useless young master often depicted in Chinese cultivation or urban novels. Since childhood, he had trained in various martial arts, including Silat, a traditional Indonesian martial art known for its quick movements, locking techniques, and explosive attacks from unexpected angles.
On the other hand, Godou had no combat experience before becoming a Campione. Before gaining the power of a Devil King, he was just an ordinary high school student who struggled even against street thugs. However, his body had now evolved into something beyond human limits. His fighting instincts were as sharp as a wild beast's, his muscles and bones were reinforced to surpass steel, and his physical strength had reached a level far beyond human logic.
Although Godou was inferior in technique, the physiology of a Campione allowed him to put up a fierce fight in this brutal battle.
*WHOOSH!*
Godou dashed forward, clenching his fist and throwing a straight punch toward Ren. The attack was fast, powered by the immense strength of his Campione-transformed body.
However, Ren didn't stand still. With the agility of an experienced fighter, he tilted his body slightly, narrowly avoiding the punch before countering with a low kick to Godou's knee.
*BAM!*
The kick was sharp and powerful, causing Godou's leg to buckle slightly. But with his naturally enhanced Campione body, he quickly regained his balance and retaliated with an elbow strike aimed at Ren's head.
*SHUA!*
Ren raised his arm to block, but the force of the attack pushed him back several steps, leaving deep footprints in the rocky ground.
Without wasting a moment, Ren leaned forward and dashed again. He spun in the air, driving his heel toward the side of Godou's head.
*DUG!*
The impact created a massive shockwave in the air. The pressure from Ren's kick was so immense that the ground around them cracked, and a fierce wind blew wildly in all directions.
*BANG!*
Godou was sent flying sideways, his body crashing into a small cliff that immediately collapsed from the impact. Large boulders tumbled down, creating a thick cloud of dust in the air.
However, just a few seconds later, Godou was back on his feet, running out of the dust cloud with a sharp expression. His eyes burned with the fighting spirit of a Campione.
'That's a good look in his eyes. No matter how naive Godou is, he's still a Campione. When the fight starts, his battle instincts automatically awaken.' Ren thought to himself.
*WHOOSH!*
Without hesitation, Godou leaped high into the air and slammed his fist down toward Ren from above.
Ren, still standing on the ground, didn't dodge. He raised both arms in a defensive stance—
*BOOOOM!*
The punch landed on Ren's guard, creating a massive crater in the ground beneath them. The shockwave uprooted trees around them, and small rocks flew like projectiles.
Ren was pushed back several meters, but he remained standing firm. He took a deep breath, then lowered his stance, centering his weight—
*WHOOSH!*
He dashed forward at an incredible speed, moving like a shadow, and in an instant, he was right in front of Godou!
Using his refined Silat techniques, Ren utilized his flexible body movements to attack from unpredictable angles. He bent his knees slightly, then drove the palm of his hand into Godou's diaphragm.
*BAM!*
The attack shattered the air around them, creating a pressure wave that shook the ground.
"Ugh..."
*SHUA!*
*BANG!*
Godou was sent flying backward like a projectile, his body crashing through several large trees in a straight line before finally slamming into the side of a small volcano, creating a massive crater on its surface.
"..."
For a moment, everything was silent.
The wind blew through the battlefield, carrying dust and debris into the air.
From a distance, Erica crossed her arms with a calm expression, while Hayasaka watched in shock and awe. This was the first time she had seen Ren's power.
In the blink of an eye, the battlefield on Aogashima had transformed. The once-stable ground was now riddled with cracks and craters, trees lay fallen everywhere, and the air was filled with dust and shattered rocks.
But the fight wasn't over.
From within the massive crater on the cliff, a rumbling sound was heard—
*BOOM!*
Then, Godou leaped out with a sharp expression, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Without a word, the two charged at each other again, ready to continue this intense battle!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Shinomiya Family Meeting Room
In the quiet room, only the sound of restrained breathing and the occasional soft noise from the projector could be heard. Everyone stared at the scene on the screen with different expressions—some shocked, some amazed, and some even fearful.
Among them, Kaguya was the most affected. Both of her hands gripped her uniform skirt tightly, her eyes wide, her breathing short and uneven. If her father hadn't explicitly stated that this was a live broadcast and not CGI, she would have thought she was watching a superhero movie.
'Is this real?'
'Humans fighting like this? Without weapons, without tools, just using their own bodies—and they're destroying the environment around them as if it's made of paper?'
Her eyes followed the movements of the two figures on the screen. They moved so fast that it was difficult for her brain to process. The ground shattered with every step they took, shockwaves were created just from their punches and body impacts.
'Is this really something humans can do?'
Since childhood, Kaguya had been taught that the world operated based on certain rules—politics, economics, financial power, social influence. To her, true power was the ability to control others. However, the scene on the screen changed everything.
Now, she realized there was another form of power, far more primal and terrifying. A power that couldn't be bought with money or subdued with politics.
'How can someone defy the logic of reality like this? How can two humans fight at this level?'
She tried to find a flaw, tried to find a way to reject this reality.
'That's right! Even if they're strong… aren't they still humans made of flesh and blood?'
'Modern militaries have more advanced weapons. Fighter jets, missiles, nukes—technology should be able to handle brute force like this. So why did Father, a pragmatic man, decide to submit to one of them?'
Kaguya couldn't understand why her father made such a decision.
"..."
Unlike Kaguya, who could only think in silence, Seiryu dared to voice his thoughts. With his arms crossed and a dismissive expression, he glanced at the screen before turning his gaze to Gan'an.
"Father. Why should we submit to the young man on the screen? I admit, they're monsters with inhuman strength, even comparable to superheroes in movies. But that doesn't mean they can't be killed with firearms, right?" He said in a mocking tone.
"The Shinomiya family has great influence, connections with the military, even access to high-level weaponry. There's no need for us to lower ourselves before them." Seiryu thought his father had gone senile for making such a foolish decision.
"..."
No one responded immediately. Oko and Un'yo, who understood the mystical world better, glanced at Seiryu as if looking at a fool, but they said nothing. After all, they had long known that Seiryu was too ignorant in this regard.
Gan'an, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. With a flat expression and a calm, emotionless voice, he said, "You think they can still be dealt with conventionally because you don't understand what a Campione is."
Seiryu frowned. "What do you mean, Father?"
Gan'an looked at him for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the screen. "They're not serious yet. What you're seeing now is just a warm-up. They haven't used the true power of a Campione—Divine Authorities."
'Divine Authorities?'
Kaguya absorbed the words in her mind. The meaning felt abstract, but the tone of her father's voice made her realize one thing—the duel unfolding on the screen was still far from its climax.
"You'll see for yourself." Gan'an said indifferently, not intending to explain further.