Absolute silence fell upon the surroundings as a colossal white winged serpent emerged in the sky, capturing the attention of everyone .
It was none other than Erika's Divine Armament, a majestic and awe-inspiring sight to behold.
Standing atop the serpent head stood a man, his appearance enigmatic and mysterious. He wore a half black-half white mask, concealing his features, and a stylish black coat with intricate silver lining, adding an air of elegance to his presence.
Accompanying him were two veiled women, their identities also shrouded in secrecy.
Diablo's expression on the other hand grew serious as he observed the scene unfolding before him.
The group atop the white serpent had taken measures to conceal their identities using magical artifacts .
As for the winged serpent itself, Diablo was unaware of its true nature, as Erika had acquired her Divine Armament after the war.
"Who are you?" Diablo's asked with a curious tone, a stark contrast to his usual arrogant demeanor .
The masked man exuded a presence that stirred within him a sense of danger, an emotion that he had not experienced even after facing the combined might of three powerful organizations.
"Are you even qualified to know my name?" Vincent's cold words resonated, each syllable dripping with icy disdain. He had been entrusted by Evangeline to showcase a powerful and domineering attitude , and he had devised a plan to fulfill that.
His overwhelming aura surged through his body, causing the temperature to plummet further.
The aura he released was a natural combination of blue energy infused with a cold white light, captivating all who witnessed it. Leaving everyone with no doubt that the he was responsible for freezing the entire area earlier.
But little did they know , that the previous feat of freezing the entire battlefield had actually been achieved through the combined effort of Vincent and Erika. However, it was a technique that required an extensive amount of time to cast, rendering it impractical for use in real-time battles.
"Powerful," those were the words that escaped the lips of the spectators as they sensed the overwhelming might emanating from him. It became evident to them that his power was in no way inferior to Diablo.
"You..." Diablo's eyes narrowed, his anger boiling beneath his menacing gaze, in response to Vincent's blatant disrespect.
As a feared demon lord, he found it unfathomable that someone standing before him would dare to utter such insulting words. The audacity displayed by Vincent incited a surge of indignation within him.
"Don't be too arrogant," Diablo retorted, his voice dripping with anger . He felt compelled to remind Vincent of his own reputation, asserting his dominance and superiority.
"I have slain more powerful individuals than you could even fathom," Diablo added, emphasizing his immense power .
"That's commendable," Vincent chuckled in response, seemingly unaffected by his threat. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured an ice sword into his hands.
While he lacked a divine armament, it did not instill fear within him. On the contrary, it ignited a thrill of excitement.
He knew that he had already surpassed Erika, and he recognized the importance of battle experience and honing his skills further .
He eagerly seized the chance to confront an adversary more powerful than himself, because in reality, his overall battle strength had merely grazed the threshold of Rank SSS.
The sole reason everyone presumed he had already attained such a level was due to his abnormal reservoir of energy, which misled their perceptions.
"Allow me to add your death to my list too," Vincent declared with unwavering confidence.
Upon hearing the cue, Erika and Selene swiftly reacted, leaping down from the back of the winged serpent. They understood the the situation—Vincent had to confront Diablo himself.
"Let's go!" he commanded.
The Winged Serpent responded with a resounding whistle, soaring through the air with incredible speed, creating a frigid trail of icy gusts in its path.
"Do not overestimate your abilities!" Diablo, observing the impending attack, decided to intercept him in mid-air.
With his domain energy depleted, he was left with no choice but to force the battle into close-quarters combat, relying on his melee skills and the power of his Divine Armament.
He had been under the impression that Vincent was more adept at long-range spell casting, judging by the skill that had frozen his domain.
SWOOOSH!
"Don't get too close us ,"Vincent's instructed the winged serpent to maintain a safe distance from them. He knew the dire consequences that would befall the creature should it venture too close.
Instead of relying on the winged serpent, he utilized his mastery of the ice element to create a series of jumping platforms suspended in mid-air.
With a swift motion, he formed the platforms beneath his feet, each one freezing the surrounding air and providing a solid surface for him to propel himself forward.
SWOOOSH!
SWOOOSH!
SWOOOSH!
He leaped from platform to platform, each icy springboard launching him closer to his target.
"Die!" Diablo, utilizing his aerial advantage, managed to reach Vincent first.
SLASH!
His horizontal slashed materialized with an intense surge of pure flame energy, instantly obliterating everything in its path as it unleashed a destructive wave of scorching heat.
However, thanks to Vincent's extraordinary reaction time, he had already anticipated the attack and swiftly jumped upward, successfully evading it.
Seeing the opportunity to strike back, he conjured another block of ice above him. With precision and timing, he utilized it as a launching pad, propelling himself downward towards his enemy, his sword positioned for a powerful downward slash.
Diablo, seeing the imminent attacked swiftly raised his sword to defend himself. Despite his arrogance, he was not foolish enough to lower his guard when facing an unknown adversary.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
With a resounding clash, Vincent's frozen blade met Diablo's burning swords in an catastrophic collision. The force of their impact unleashed a tremendous explosion, engulfing the surrounding area in a blinding display of cold and heat. A swirling mist billowed forth as the scorching flames clashed with the freezing ice, their opposing elements merging in a breathtaking display of power.
SWOOOSH!
Unfortunately ,the powerful impact from the clash sent Vincent hurtling backward through the air. But in a swift and seamless motion, the winged serpent swooped in to catch him, its wings spread wide to break his fall.
He landed gracefully upon the serpent's back, his grip tightening on his cracked sword as he regained his footing. The winged serpent, undeterred by the intensity of the impact, maintained its steady flight, offering him a stable vantage point.
"A god that cannot even fly?" Diablo sneered with a sense of superiority, emboldened by his victory in their recent exchange. He became arrogant in his ability to soar through the air, finding it to be a mark of his superiority over his enemy.
"A flame demon lord who can't even unfreeze his own domain?" Vincent sneered mockingly.
"Mind your words..." Diablo gritted in anger, suppressing the urge to reveal his predicament.
Deep down, he knew he could have restored his domain to normal if he hadn't depleted its energy. However, divulging such information to Vincent would only expose another weakness, which he couldn't afford to do.
"Come, if you dare," Vincent taunted, deliberately copying Diablo's phrase from before.
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