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"It is all you have, oh so mighty Annihilator God?" mocked Leonard, provoking Jugo who currently had his face planted on the group.
Bang!
As a response, a powerful shockwave pushed Leonard away as Jugo used an explosive skill the free himself. He then slowly picked himself from the ground while keeping an eye on Leonard.
Jugo wanted to know how Leonard became that strong but he knew that it was not the time to be curious about that manner. He would die in this battle and get ejected out of this region when that happened.
Dying was not much of a problem but being sent out of this place was going to be a big problem since he would no longer have the means to get back. It was the same as being out of the picture until this entire operation was over.
He then took a quick glance at the place where Arthur and Justin were fighting and saw that the two were on an equal footing. But for some unknown reason, he could feel that the Dragon God was slightly holding himself back. Or to put it in simpler terms, Arthur was not taking the fight seriously.
Aside from that, the words that Leonard had said earlier also bothered Jugo.
– "Unlike that showoff other there, I am not planning to drag this battle." – he was sure that Leonard said something along those lines. It could only mean that Arthur also had a similar technique to also wield such explosive strength.
"This doesn't look good. Their reports didn't mention anything about this," muttered Jugo as he continued to look cautiously at Leonard.
He might be a hot-headed individual but he still knew when he was facing an enemy that could not be defeated with normal means alone.
He was already using his Demonic Transformation yet he still got overwhelmed in that single exchange. This could only mean a single thing, whatever power or method Leonard was using, it already surpassed the current limit of the game. Or at least, it already reached the stage beyond the current knowledge that everyone had.
"We are planning to hide this until the Adventurer Team Wars, but I guess we don't have a choice but to reveal it earlier than expected," said Jugo with a serious tone.
Leonard's hearing caught those words and piqued his interest. He didn't know what Jugo was planning but it would not hurt to see what it was. After all, he also wanted to test his current limit when he was in Reality Manifestation State. This situation just happened to be the perfect time for it.
He wanted to end this battle as soon as possible so that they could face the Earners Mercenary Group much ahead of schedule. Those guys were the only opponents that he considered that could stand a chance against them given that they had this newly found method.
Leonard could still feel that they still had the advantage when it came to individual strength since the Reality Manifestation was way too overpowered. But fighting multiple Monster Class Players was not an easy feat. They might even lose if they were not careful enough.
This was also the reason why Shin chose to deal with Immortal and the Silent Night first since they were much easier to take down than that mercenary group with such a powerful lineup.
But if Jugo and the others had more things that they could put on the table, then Leonard would not mind testing his limits against them first before proceeding to the real deal. It was like having an appetizer before moving to the main course.
Jugo could sense the thoughts that Leonard was having given that he was given the time to prepare himself. It was definitely insulting but he didn't have a choice but to swallow it since it was true that his current self didn't stand a chance.
"You will regret having that kind of arrogance," said Jugo as he swung his left arm in the air, summoning a floating scroll similar to the system contract.
But there were some differences between the two. A system contract was nothing but an ordinary virtual scroll and didn't have anything special about its appearance. On the other hand, the scroll that Jugo just summoned carried the dark and eerie aura unique to Demons.
Leonard slightly raised his eyebrows when he sensed the overwhelming pressure that the floating scroll had. But aside from that, he didn't make any move and let Jugo continue what he was doing.
"Hah! Truly arrogant!" said Jugo when he saw that Leonard was nothing bothering to stop him. "Let me tell you! This is a special contract that we followers of Demonic Church use to contact our Contracted Demons from the Underworld!"
"With this, we can borrow the powers of the Great Demons and help us reach the heights that any player can only dream of! And only the chosen individuals can use this kind of power!"
Sigh~!
Leonard could only shake his head helplessly when he saw Jugo blabbering what he called the 'power' of the demons. It sounded amazing and all, but it was still an external means that made them stronger.
Compared to Reality Manifestation, which could make them more familiar with their Martial Arts and help them grow not only inside the game but in the real world as well, such external power was nothing.
Jugo immediately became enraged when he saw Leonard's disappointed look. He didn't say anything after that and just summoned the Great Demon instead.
The illusionary figure of a demon appeared behind Jugo for a brief moment before fusing with his body, which triggered another transformation.
This already bulked body became much bulkier as the size of his entire body grew drastically. Only an instant had passed yet already became a three-meter giant.
Black scales with a hint of purple hue also appeared spread across his legs and arms, also reaching his neck. They also replaced his armor as his metal spiked club grew larger alongside him.
His teeth became sharper, especially his canine teeth which grew longer. The pair of horns also became much more threatening as they now blazing with purple flames. It was also the same for the scaled reptilian tail that grew from his lower back.
Then his eyes became even more demonic as black smoke was continuously being released from their corners.
Seeing that transformation and sensing the overwhelming pressure that came alongside it, Leonard couldn't help but grin widely. "Hoh~! Not bad. You can at least serve as the perfect punching bag."
Then stretched his waits, arms, and legs a little, creating a series of cracking sounds. He also loosened his joints by slightly twisting them.
From what he could sense, it looked like Jugo now possessed the stats comparable to Overlord Monster Boss.
Going against a player with such an insane stat would definitely be an impossible task for most of the players, especially when that person was a Godlike Player, the Annihilator God Jugo.
But it was a completely different case when it came to the current War God Simba, who was in the special state of Reality Manifestation.
Instead of negative thoughts that the other players would feel, Leonard was feeling nothing but excitement. This time, he would be able to showcase his current strength without holding back.
"That's more like it!" Leonard could wipe the grin that he was wearing as he watched Jugo undergo a transformation.
Ever since he saw the explosion caused by the battle between Shin and Diablo earlier and sensed how powerful it was, Leonard couldn't wait to also test his own limits. He looked like a hungry beast looking for prey that was worthy to hunt.
Jugo's current state couldn't be more perfect for what Leonard could ask for. "Let's start this hunt already!"
Bang!
Leonard quickly stomped on the ground and launched himself forward, unable to suppress his thirst for battle.
He disappeared from the sight of his opponent right after doing that. But Jugo decisively swung his spiked club in front of him, fully aware that Leonard was going to face him head-on.
Swoosh!
Boom!
The giant iron club was swung powerfully but it was forcefully halted halfway to the ground as if it hit an immovable object.
Underneath that spiked club, Leonard held one of his battle axes over his head, preventing the massive club from going further.
It might have halted his charge but it didn't mean it stopped him from attacking.
He raised his other battle axe and held it tightly, making his muscle balloon up a little. After that, he powerfully swung the battle axe horizontally which caused a powerful gust of wind that swept everything in its path.
'Way of the Thousand Beasts: Bestial Flurry'
Whoosh!
The surrounding plants and bushes were pulled out from the ground as they were swept away by the strong gust of wind. Even the trunks of the nearby trees were ripped into shreds, causing them to fall one after another.
But despite how strong that storm-like wind was, Jugo was only slightly pushed to the side, rushing to be swept away by it. His massive and sturdy body even ignored the sharp wood fragments mixed in the gust of wind.
Instead, he swung his huge fist at Leonard who was causing such a commotion. His fist was covered by a purple flame that carried the corroding properties of corrupted mana.
Leonard didn't back down on the challenge and welcomed it with open arms. His battle axes transformed into a speck of light that fused with his fist and arms before transforming into a pair of metal gauntlets.
Crimson runes were dancing on the surface of those gauntlets, signifying that they were not ordinary weapons but a pair of magic treasures.
He then squatted his hips and inhaled deeply while putting his fist on each side of his waist. His crimson mana was gathered around them, creating a transparent sphere of mana.
'Blood Sutra: Doble Muerte'
Then his arms transformed into a pair of blurs, seemingly disappearing for a moment before returning to their previous locations.
Boom!
Then Jugo's fists paused in the air for a moment before being sent back to where they came from. There was also a brief explosion that forced him to take a couple of steps backward to stabilize his footing.
Hu~!
Leonard exhaled softly as he maintained his previous position. He then stared with his focused eyes and said with a calm yet provoking tone. "Come! Let me see if that external power of yours is as amazing as what you claimed to be."
In the meantime, from Jugo's perspective, Leonard looked like a monstrous beast. He looked like the manifestation of carnage and slaughter who descended upon this world to decimate everyone who dared to block his path.
This battle would determine who would be the real demon between the two. The one who had its appearance or the one who seemed to be its personification.
...…