"[Great Impact]!"
Boom!
I block Millonia's sword with Rexorem. The ground beneath us immediately develops a crater as the shockwave of our clash sweeps the entire Arena.
Millonia is grinning madly as if she is possessed by the condemned soul of a Godfiend. The power she puts on her sword is getting stronger in each passing second; I find it harder and harder to hold her sword off.
Tapping the ground with my foot once, an earth spike swiftly emerged from the ground. It failed to skewer her, however it managed to make her take a step back.
I make a distance too, and glance briefly at my trembling hands. "That doesn't even count as an attack, huh? Was it a fluke or has she already figured out the way to make my Origin useless?" I am slightly disappointed that I don't get any power-up.
Shrugging lightly, I channel my Mana into Rexorem and cast [Ignia Ferrum]. This is one of Millonia's favorite Spells, which allows you to envelope your sword with fire.
Burst!
Making your sword look fancier, of course, is not the only thing it can do. It also gives you the ability to create a fire blast and a flame thrower (in a sense).
"Ku-ku-ku. I can do that too!"
"No shit."
As it is her favorite Spell, Millonia doesn't even need to cast it. She only needs to flick her sword once, and fire immediately envelopes it.
"Alright, that's bullshit. I thought [Ignia Ferrum] allowed you to envelope your sword with fire not hell!" I click my tongue as I look at the frolicking dense fire enveloping Millonia's sword.
The scene doesn't deter me in the least bit, but seeing that Millonia can pull that off makes me recall the nightmarish days I spent under her "tutelage." It pisses me off as much as it excites me.
Kicking the ground, I dash towards Millonia. She does the same, and shows me the eternal grin etched on her face, which I am going to wipe off soon.
I use [Great Impact] as soon as I swung Rexorem, while simultaneously blasting the fire enveloping it. Millonia doesn't seem to be aware of what I am doing as she doesn't even bother to fortify her stance.
Boom!
In result, even though she managed to briefly give me a shower of fire, she is sent flying to the back. The blast and the power behind [Great Impact] are too much for her to handle.
Unfortunately, she managed to right herself midair. She doesn't end up rolling on the ground, but skidding on the ground instead.
"I didn't expect that. You have got better and better at hiding your next move from your opponent," Millonia remarks with a smirk.
"Your sense. It's dull," I say neutrally.
Millonia's mouth twitches. At the same time, I can see a brief fluctuation in her Mana flow through my mask.
This time, I smile. Pride works best when the opponent is using their full power; irking them is the best way to force them to do that.
"Huuh... I need to stay calm." Millonia suddenly heaves a deep sigh. "This bastard is intentionally provoking me."
I can't tell if it indicates her awareness about how to annul my Origin, but the fact that she can calm herself down is unfavorable. Immediately using [Senbonzakura], I surround myself with thousands of cherry blossom's petal-like blades.
This way of utilizing [Senbonzakura] is inspired by a certain Anime. Although it's considerably harder using it this way, I can do many more things by controlling them than just scattering them in the air.
Dash!
I rush at Millonia, prompting her to fortify her stance. She doesn't seem to be aware of the small Mana blades swirling around me, otherwise she would have covered herself with a Magic Barrier.
When I am just 6-feet away from her, I abruptly stop in my tracks. That slightly surprises her, but that doesn't stop her from rushing at me.
At that, I can't help a smirk from forming on my face. I thank the fact that I am wearing a mask, otherwise my smirk would have triggered her alarm.
Slash! Slash!
"What the fuck?!" Millonia shouts as the first petal draws a long line of blood on her hand. "This bastard can cut me without—shit! Mana blades! There are a lot of them."
Millonia immediately runs away after having another twenty small cuts. I have to commend her reaction time; if it was any of my previous opponent, they wouldn't have been able to react until their body got shredded.
After making a distance from me, Millonia swings her sword ferociously at me, sending me a curved blade of fire that boils the air in its surrounding. I can see its trajectory clearly, so I can dodge it easily no matter how fast it is.
... Or so I thought.
Burst!
Contrary to my expectation, the fire blade isn't meant to cut and char. It explodes just a few feet before it reaches me.
I am caught off guard. The explosion is bigger than I ever anticipated, so it manged to sweep me off my feet and send me flying.
Adjusting my body in the air, I stab Rexorem to the ground to stop my launch. A 6-feet long mark appears on the ground, indicating how far I have skidded even after Rexorem's help.
"Well, that was rather unimpressive, but it still managed to break one of my ribs," I mutter as I clutch my side. "Luckily, I got a power-up."
The wound heals in the blink of an eye. It seems our difference in power is not that much since Millonia's 10% of power barely brings any change in me.
Still, the fact that she has this kind of power already after having her Seal slightly loosened is amazing. I can't help wondering how powerful she is without her Seal.
"I think it's enough playing, boy," she shouts. "I can say we are roughly equal from the blows we have traded. It's time to get serious—both of us."
"Just remember that you have to say, 'Daddy, stop!' if you want to surrender," I respond calmly.
"Hmph! Call me Queen and kiss my feet when you lose!"
Smirking as I notice the irregularity in her Mana flow, I utilize all of the Mana I have in my Mana Pool. My Mana pressure increased, cratering the ground I am standing on in the process.
Channeling my Mana into my eyes, I immediately see everything clearer and slower. I can also see Mana flow better, which is the reason why I can notice the bemusing irregularity in Millonia's Mana flow.
'That is... Is that the Seed of Darkness?'
In the center of her body, not far away from her Mana Pool, I can see a small black dot. While it may not seem to play any important role in her body at a glance, upon closer inspection, I find Millonia's Mana originated from there.
It is by no means unusual, but considering who Millonia is—a human—it is highly bewildering. Other than Demons, after all, there is no other race that can produce their own Mana.
"Ah, I see... That Seed of Darkness must be the leftover Mana from a deceased powerful Demon King."
My eyes light up when realization dawns upon me. "No wonder Valeria was worried there would be a misunderstanding between us. She doesn't want me to think Millonia is a Demon King Candidate."
I guess Valeria thinks I am still the same sensitive boy that came to this world two months ago. She must have been worried I might think Ilschevar is hiding another Candidate to replace me.
Even if that is the case, I don't care. Even if there are hundreds of Demon King Candidates, I am going to be the one who snatch the throne, so it doesn't matter to me.
I don't know since when I became this ambitious, but I quite like this development. I rarely feel nervous in front of a danger these days; not because I am suicidal, but because I am more confident in myself.
"Let's end this duel with a blast!"
By this point, Millonia's pressure is heavier than it has ever been. Her blue hair has now turned red—it is slightly dancing in the air. Her red eyes have turned a shade darker. Rather than fire, I see a pool of blood in them.
Surrounding myself with the petals I made with [Senbonzakura], I scatter some of them in the air. I channel a huge amount of Mana into Rexorem, triggering its Magic Stone to envelope it with a dark red layer of refined Mana.
"[Clamore Gehenna]!"
I don't know what kind of Fire Spell Millonia has just cast, but her Mana immediately soars through the roof as the fire from the Spell warps the atmosphere. A glance is all I need to figure out how hot the fire is.
The previous me would be reluctant to charge, and admitted defeat right away if he was in my current position. I am, however, different, so I have none of that hesitation.
Rushing at Millonia, I discharge one of my most powerful Mana Swords out of Rexorem to somehow distract her. It, unfortunately, ends up being engulfed and destroyed by the fire surrounding her.
Still rushing at her, I envelope myself with the Magic Barrier Rexorem's Magic Stone generated. By this point, I have filled Rexorem with as much of my Mana as I can.
Activating [Great Impact] at the same time I swing Rexorem, I see Millonia swing her sword down.
BOOM!
The clash of our swords produces an incredibly powerful shockwave and a deafening sound. My hands are crushed and charred, but I can't care less.
My attention is focused on Millonia's Spell. With it covering the sky with fire, it allows me to see a glimpse of hell.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶