Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 98: Attack on Ruberious Part 5
There are up to 15 chapters ahead at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
My eyes narrowed as I watched Damrada compress literally everything he had into his fist. His Fighting Spirit, his Holy Power, everything. This wasn't just an attack anymore it was the culmination of everything he had, a strike that held nothing back.
Literal centuries of fighting, of mastery, he's putting his everything into this strike, and there's something about that that just captivates me.
It was similar to the reason I respect Middray, he didn't have any of my bullshit, yet he managed to reach a level that even the strongest would have to take seriously.
I'm well aware that I cheated to the top, who knows where I'd end up without cheating, but I wasn't going to dwell on that.
This kind of strike would obliterate even a Saint. The sheer density of his power warped the space around him, distorting the air like heat waves did. Damrada was doing some crazy stuff.
No one ever creatively uses Haki in this world, that was something I discovered long ago. It was a real shame too since Haki functions in a similar vein as Conquerors Haki from One Piece. There's so much potential in that.
I have no idea why either, Haki is such a powerful force in this world, something completely separate from magicules, magic power, physical strength, it was a whole new avenue to power. Sure it was an uncommon ability, but still.
I blinked as Damrada's defensive membrane of Hero's Haki was slowly withdrawn within himself. I could still feel his Hero's Haki but it was focused inwards.
Damrada's fist cocked back as he did something I didn't expect. He pushed his Hero's Haki onto his fist, something that reminded me of a certain marine from One Piece. Heh, perhaps I spoke too soon.
"What the hell? Is that Galaxy Impact!?" I exclaimed, almost laughing at the absurdity of it.
I don't think Damrada even knew about One Piece, he was just winging it and somehow managed to create something similar to Galaxy Impact. Him and Garp did have some things in common, both were beasts at martial arts and both seemed to have some higher purpose, some goal or dream they would put everything on the line for.
I didn't know Damrada well, but I knew he was fighting for something with all he had. And that made me curious. What could drive Damrada to push himself to such extremes? What was it that made him fight like he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain?
Damrada ignored my words as he focused on the power within his fist. The ground beneath him cracked and groaned, unable to withstand the sheer pressure of his gathering strength.
I'm sure it isn't easy keeping all that power stable, but I was kinda curious how powerful this attack of his was.
Plus it felt almost rude to interrupt, so I let him keep charging up. Maybe it was a bit foolish to just stand here and let him prepare for what was clearly his final, desperate attack. But I was curious. Could his punch, born from the desperation of his final stand, actually breach my defenses, if only for a second?
Live, laugh, love. I'll be fine. Probably. And life was boring without a bit of risk, I was beginning to see that now.
The sheer intensity of his attack was causing the air around his fist to shimmer, the force threatening to tear through Space itself.
Tiny, crackling arcs of energy spiraled around his arm, like the birth of miniature lightning storms. A golden glow surrounded his hand, glowing with the power of his Hero's Haki and Fighting Spirit, he was even using his Ultimate power to strengthen his attack, elevating it further.
- Damrada -
What did Demon Lord Felix call this move? Galaxy Impact? That was a fine enough name. It certainly felt like he was holding a piece of the cosmos in his hand, a singularity of destruction that could level stars. Damrada knew that was obviously not true, probably. But that didn't change the overwhelming torrent of power he felt flowing through his being.
This was by far the most difficult Mystic-Art he had ever attempted.
Balancing his Alternative, his Fighting Spirit, Holy Power, and his Haki was difficult. One small mistake and his fist would blow up. But creating something great was impossible without risks.
The energy swirling around his fist was so condensed that even the ambient magicules in the air were being drawn towards it like iron filings to a magnet. This was by far his most advanced Art, and he created it through a simple burst of inspiration in the midst of combat.
He could only imagine what Granbell would think in the face of this Art. He and Granbell were old rivals in the past. He hadn't thought to actually make use of Haki in his attacks before, mostly because he didn't think that level of control was possible, yet he still managed to accomplish it.
He had no doubt that Emperor Rudra could accomplish something similar, but that didn't take away from the pride he felt for making progress after stagnation for so long.
He felt like he had reached enlightenment, his energy was flowing much easier, normally he would have had far more difficulty condensing his energy to this point, yet he was managing with some effort.
He grinned as he looked at the smirking Demon Lord in front of him. He was merely standing there with his arms crossed, completely looking down on him, but Damrada didn't mind that anymore. Who would have thought he'd grow so much in a fight like this. Rudra was right, challenging yourself in battle was the best way to grow.
- Felix -
I continued to watch with an interested expression, my arms still crossed as I waited.
Anti-Skill wouldn't be able to negate this attack since it was making use of multiple laws, but that was fine. Anti-Skill wasn't ever something I actually relied on, it was just a neat little ability I had but didn't put much stock in. It was good when facing fodder, horrible when facing an experienced fighter.
Damrada's Aura flared as his fist pulled back, glowing brighter and brighter until it looked like he was holding a miniature sun in his hand.
Everything else around us blurred, the sheer intensity of his power causing the very air to shimmer and distort. It was like watching a black hole prepare to devour everything in its path.
The energy coiled tighter around his fist, compressing even further, until the Space around his arm crackled and rippled, on the verge of collapsing into itself.
I wonder what he'd call this move? I'm sure it'll be something sufficiently chunni, if it isn't I'll be dissapointed.
I felt my grin widen despite myself. "You really are something, Damrada."
It would be rather unfortunate if I was going to be forced to kill him, he was someone I was beginning to respect in the same vein as Middray.
Most opponents would have buckled under the weight of my Demon Lord's Haki by now. But him? He was pushing through it, using my own pressure as fuel to drive himself even further.
His Hero's Haki was stronger than even Arcueid, Megumin, and Lalatina's Haki at this point, though I'm sure they'll catch up, Haki was all about willpower after all.
Once they faced a challenge that required them to strengthen their Haki I'm sure they'd manage it. For them it was less about whether they could do it and more about if they needed to do it.
I began to channel my own Fighting Spirit through my body, my instincts were warning me that this strike of his could even harm me if I wasn't prepared. It wouldn't kill me, but it could most definitely harm me if I just let myself be hit without any preparations.
A membrane of Fighting Spirit emerged around me, strong enough to shred even a Disintegration apart.
With a roar, he exploded forward, his form blurring from the sheer speed as he closed the gap in an instant.
The ground cracked, split, and shattered behind him as he launched himself like a golden meteor, his fist aimed squarely at my chest. It was a strike with everything he had.
For a split second, I felt a twinge of excitement. There it was, the kind of raw, unrestrained spirit that made me love fighting.
Despite how overpowered I was, I had always enjoyed combat, it's just that there weren't many I could enjoy myself against. Milim was pretty much the only one I could regularly get excited fighting. Maybe, just maybe, this could actually—
"Galaxy Impact!"
His fist tore through my defensive membrane as his arm was shredded apart, yet that wasn't enough to stop Damrada. His fist shattered Space itself rendering Infinity useless for the moment.
The very laws of existence warped around his strike, bending to the sheer force of his will. Then finally a single point of Multi-Dimensional Barrier was pierced, giving Damrada a tiny opening to land a direct attack on me.
Maybe I could have stopped it at any moment, maybe I could have reinforced Space so my Infinity could possibly contend against Damrada's attack, but that didn't matter right now.
I felt like I had the air kicked out of me as Damrada's fist struck me. A flash of yellow was all I could see as Damrada pushed his Hero's Haki into me. The ground shattered beneath me as I slid backwards.
The impact was deafening.
His fist slammed into my chest with enough force to shatter most planets that weren't this one. The collision created a shockwave that tore through the battlefield. Space shattered as the world quickly got to work repairing it.
The earth beneath us cratered, rupturing under the sheer power of his blow. Dust and debris erupted everywhere, obscuring everything in a cloud of destruction.
I winced as I felt the force of his Haki flow through me, completely piercing through my Multi-Dimensional Barrier. I did always tell Hinata that enough raw power could do just about anything, in this case Damrada broke through my defenses. His power had been condensed into such a fine point that it acted like a needle, piercing through my layers of protection with surgical precision.
The force of his strike crashed against the barriers I placed earlier, he even managed to strain my barriers a bit.
If it wasn't for the barrier I placed around the area, then the entirety of Luminous' underground Kingdom would likely be in ruins by now.
And yet… I stood there, still, arms crossed. "Huh, if I didn't reinforce myself that would have probably hurt me a lot more." I mumbled out loud for Damrada's sake.
There was a moment of stunned silence as the dust began to settle. I glanced down at the point of impact, feeling a faint tingle where his fist had landed. It had been a while since I felt any kind of pain. There was a fist sized hole in my clothing but it was quickly patched up.
As a Spiritual Lifeform my body was made of energy, the point that Damrada striked in my body was feeling pretty off, that part of my body was behaving rather sluggishly, his strike gave my Spiritual Body an extremely minor bruise.
Damrada slowly leaned back. "Pfft, bwahahahaha!" He laughed out in relief.
I couldn't help myself and joined him. "Ghahahahaha!"
The two of us continued laughing before Damrada began to lose his footing. I appeared behind him, holding him steady by the shoulder, healing his arm that had been torn asunder. He deserved at least that much from me.
Damrada shot me a grateful look before opening his mouth. "So, are you still open to that talk?" He gruffed out.
I nodded. "Later, your buddies are still causing a mess up above."
Damrada smirked. "Granbell was never one to go down easy."
I raised a brow. Was there a shared history between them?
Damrada's eyes started to droop as he was almost completely empty on energy, something that was very dangerous for Spiritual Lifeforms. "I will be in your care then, Demon Lord Felix."
I nodded. "Rest easy." I said as I sucked him up into Infinity Space.
"Beginning analysis." Othinus chimed in.
'Let me know what you find.'
"Of course."
Now I wonder what the rest are up to.
- Granbell -
Granbell cackled as his blade met his once student's. Hinata had grown far beyond his expectations. She rivaled him in sheer skill, and he had a feeling she was still holding something back from him.
Just what had happened to her? The last time he sparred with her he didn't even have to try, her technique was far from refined, and most of her Arts were mere stolen replicas, nothing truly her own.
"Yes, yes! More!" He yelled as his Fighting Spirit crackled around him.
Granbell's eyes glimmered with a maddened excitement as his blade slid against Hinata's with a shrill screech, sparks flying between them. His Fighting Spirit flared violently, a wild storm of energy swirling around him. He pushed forward with a sudden burst of strength, forcing Hinata back a step.
"You've surpassed my expectations, Hinata!" Granbell sneered, his voice filled with twisted pride. "But how long will you hold out?"
Hinata's eyes remained cold, her expression unshaken. She shifted her stance, her sword ready, the air around her humming with quiet power. "I've learned more than you ever taught me, Granbell, and from a far better teacher."
He raised a brow at her declaration before focusing back on the battle. Kagali should already be inside Luminous' inner sanctum. Luminous would no doubt soon be arriving, she would want to see his demise in person. Though he had a bad feeling for some reason, a feeling that everything was going wrong. His instincts as a Hero and a Champion were extremely strong, ignoring them was foolish.
She parried his next strike with precision, her movements faster, almost fluid. Their swords clashed again, echoing through the space. Granbell grinned wider, reveling in the resistance she provided. In the past he had given up hope on Hinata taking his place, on her becoming the beacon of hope the Western Nations and Humanity needed, but perhaps he was wrong.
He didn't know what changed, but he could tell Hinata was different, she had grown. Whatever mental block she had, it was gone.
Now his only question that remained was why had she not become a True Hero? What was holding her back now? He knew that she had a Hero's Egg, and she was extremely compatible with all kinds of Elementals.
He had no idea why her Hero's Egg hadn't hatched at this point. Was there something else he was missing, or was her Elemental just that picky?
He almost froze as he felt Kagali and Tear's energy flow into him.
His Unique Skill: Unyielding allowed him to empower himself with the souls of his fallen allies. For their energy to flow into him, that meant they had died. Despite being allies of convenience, they were still considered allies as long as they considered him an ally and it was willing on both ends.
Moments later he felt the energy of Maria flow into him. She had died… again.
"Luminous!" He snarled.
Hinata raised a brow. "I am your opponent now. Perhaps your old age is getting to you?"
Granbell's eyes burned with frustration as his barrage of strikes failed to break Hinata's calm defense. He ground his teeth together, his grip tightening on his blade, Truth, as he twirled it in his hand with deadly precision.
"Enough!" He growled, his voice echoing with fury. He was truly enjoying himself, yet he was getting rather frustrated at Hinata failing to show her true self, her true strength. Not to mention that his beloved had passed away yet again.
He knew the undead doll wore just the face of his beloved, yet he couldn't help his anger, emotions did not function on logic. He knew Maria had moved on, that perhaps she made it to the promised land, yet he could not move on, he was an old man stuck in the past.
He leapt backward, creating distance between them. As his feet touched the ground, the air around him began to distort, shimmering with energy. He raised his sword, pointing it directly at Hinata.
"I'll show you something far beyond your little Melt Slash." Perhaps that would get him the reaction he was looking for. He truly just wished to understand why she hadn't Awakened as a True Hero.
Hinata's eyes narrowed. "I was not aware you knew of that."
Hinata was a genius for sure, she relied on her ability to steal Arts and Skills far too much, but when she dedicated herself she could do much. She created Melt Slash all on her own, it was such an excellent attack that he added it to his arsenal and improved it.
His Aura intensified, becoming suffused with a dark, radiant glow. A swirling mass of golden light formed along the edge of his blade, growing brighter with each second. He manipulated the spiritrons himself, not relying on Luminous' faith as a crutch, not that Luminous would even help him with that at this point.
"Melt Strike!" Granbell roared. Hinata's eyes widened.
With a flash of light, the energy condensed into a beam, a piercing lance of raw Disintegration energy shot from the tip of his sword. It tore through the air, crackling with power as it barreled toward Hinata. The ground beneath the beam disintegrated in its wake, leaving a trail of molten rock, and the air sizzled with the force of the attack.
Yet despite it all, Hinata seemed rather unconcerned. She was surprised at the attack for sure, yet she wasn't worried at all. Perhaps she accepted death? It was a light speed attack, avoiding it was nigh-impossible.
Granbell blinked as his Melt Strike splashed harmlessly against Hinata, it tore through Hinata's initial barrier, and the one after that, and after that, yet another seemingly blocked it.
Hinata cocked her hip with a smirk. "You'll need to do more than that to get past my Multi-Dimensional Barrier. Trust me, I understand the frustration."
"You're holding back." Granbell snarled, as he dashed forward once more. His strikes became more erratic, but still powerful. "Show me everything! Fight me seriously, or I'll force it out of you!" He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming to break her guard.
He wanted to see just how strong she was, to understand if he could truly leave everything to her. One thing he had realized long ago, if he could not accomplish something, then leave it to someone stronger.
Hinata didn't respond to his taunting, Granbell gradually slowed down, deciding to use another avenue. "Are you buying time? Perhaps for… Chloe?" He said, a vicious smile on his face.
It didn't matter if what he said was true, what mattered was that he knew. He knew the identity of Chronoa, something that should have been a well kept secret. He knew Chronoa and Chloe were two different people, Chloe's soul was suppressed inside of Chronoa, while Chronoa was a rampaging beast.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. "How!?"
He raised a brow. "Who do you think I am? Did you think I had no way to eavesdrop on Luminous' and Chronoa's conversations?"
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. "So you don't know everything then. If you did, I suppose you would be acting differently, if you knew what part I had to play."
What was he missing? What part could Hinata have to play with Chronoa, a Hero that had been active long before Hinata even came to this world.
Granbell smirked as he dashed forwards.
Hinata leapt back, her feet barely touching the ground before she propelled forward again. Her sword became a blur, intercepting Granbell's relentless assault, each clash creating a shockwave. Despite the intensity, she remained eerily calm, her movements precise and deliberate.
"You've become obsessed with power." Hinata said softly, her voice cutting through the frenzy of the battle. "You've forgotten what you once fought for."
Granbell snarled. "Forgotten! I've never forgotten! This world is broken, it is a ruined world! Why should I fight for it when it continuously destroys my dreams!"
Despite his desire to unite Humanity, despite his desire to create peace among his people, he still despaired knowing he was fated to lose.
His heart almost broke completely when he felt the energy and soul of Razul empower his being.
"My best friend just died! My beloved just died! This world is one that tramples on the dreams of the weak!" He yelled.
Yet despite it all… he felt… hope. Hope for the future. Hope that perhaps Hinata could succeed where he failed.
Granbell's eyes darkened, and with a roar, he unleashed a wave of pure energy, his Fighting Spirit erupting like wildfire. The force of it slammed into Hinata, sending her skidding back, but her expression didn't falter.
He grinned as he felt the power of Kagali, Tear, Razul, and finally Maria all sublimate into him to create Hope. His body was refined as he finally became a Complete Saint. His youth was returned. He ran a hand through his golden locks, a smile creeping up on his face.
Confirmation complete. Conditions satisfied. The Unique Skill: Unyielding has evolved into the Ultimate Skill: Sariel, Lord of Hope.
"Hahaha, so this is the power teacher always spoke about!" He yelled in enrapture.
Hinata's eyes narrowed as she felt his renewed strength. The energy of his four allies had been enough to stimulate his desires, evolving Unyielding into an Ultimate Skill. The extra energy left over was used to refine him further increasing his power.
Hinata lightly twirled her rapier. "It seems that I can finally take you seriously, Granbell."
Despite him reaching his peak of power, Hinata still seemed rather unconcerned about his new level of power. Just what made her so confident?
"I had been wishing to have a truly equal match up against you. To truly understand where I lie in this world." Hinata stated as she stalked forwards.
Granbell grinned. "Finally! A worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!"
"Woah! A Kung Fu Panda reference!"
Both he and Hinata froze as they looked upwards. Above them Demon Lord Felix was sitting criss-cross on air itself. He was eating popcorn as he looked down on them in amusement.
Hinata groaned in embarrassment. "Can you leave Felix?"
"And miss this epic moment of character development? Hell no!"
Hinata sighed. "I suppose I should have expected that. Ignore him, Granbell, we have unfinished business."
He ignored Hinata's words as he stared into the blue eyes of the Demon Lord. He hadn't even known Demon Lord Felix was there. How long had he been there?
"Performance issues? I suppose that isn't uncommon at your age." The Demon Lord quipped. "I'll hide myself then, if you can't see me then I'm not here. That's how it works, right?" And with that the Demon Lord vanished. Despite scouring the area with his senses Granbell had no idea where the Demon Lord was.
That was the man that had killed his dear Mariabell. He didn't feel the all consuming rage at the mere sight of the Demon Lord, but he was still angry.
"Don't bother trying to understand him. I've been trying for centuries and still haven't managed much." Hinata sighed.
He gazed back towards Hinata.
Centuries? Hinata hadn't been alive for centuries. He had a nagging suspicion about what he was missing all this time, but he brushed it off, it didn't truly matter at this point.
"Very well. Though if you do not mind me asking. How come you have yet to become a True Hero?" He had cooled off slightly as he felt Razul and Maria's power within him. It was like there was a piece of them within him at all times. He truly had hope for the future, and hope was the most beautiful emotion of all.
Hinata tilted her head. "I lost my Hero's Egg."
Granbell's eyes widened. He hadn't even known that was possible.
Still he nodded. "Very well. Let us finish this then."
Hinata smirked before an Aura of absolute holiness emerged from her. Granbell's eyes widened as he unleashed his own Hero's Haki to contest against this unknown Haki.
It seems Hinata had been hiding quite a lot.
- Hinata Sakaguchi -
Granbell stood across from her, the scattered ruins of the Grand Cathedral surrounding them. Hinata could tell that Granbell had undergone a significant change, his returned youth was as clear a sign as any.
She sighed. Perhaps she let things get a little bit too out of control, but a part of her was still excited for their fight. Until now she had been holding back, she was a full on Divine Human with an Ultimate Skill. No matter how skilled Granbell was he stood no chance against her if she chose to go all out, but now, perhaps she could truly test herself. Not against an overwhelming opponent like Felix, but against a former mentor, an equal that she once looked up to.
It was rather surprising that Granbell knew about Chloe, but back then Granbell was a rather close subordinate of Luminous, it made sense that he was able to listen in on their conversations. Though he didn't know that she herself was a part of the identity known as Chronoa.
She hadn't personally met Granbell back when she was Chronoa, mostly out of fear of changing things. She knew Granbell was a traitor and she didn't wish to tip Luminous off about anything. Not to mention Granbell was also intelligent, he would likely feel something off as well.
Granbell tilted his head. "I suppose it is time to end this once and for all. There will only be one victor between the two of us." Granbell declared with certainty.
She could tell he was nervous, not due to her but due to Felix. She could understand that, having a Demon Lord floating above you without even knowing was rather terrifying. If you couldn't sense or see someone how could you defend against them?
Still she nodded, agreeing with him. Granbell had done far too much to be pardoned now. He attacked the city he once swore to defend, he had likely committed various other atrocities in the name of his goal of world domination. If it wasn't for their preparations she didn't doubt that many innocent civilians would have died today,
She began drawing upon Fortuna, her own Ultimate Skill. Now that Granbell had an Ultimate Skill of his own, she felt confident that perhaps Granbell would be able to give her a good fight if she went all out. He wasn't a Divine Human, but the difference in their energy reserves wasn't so large that the gap couldn't be bridged.
She would have to be careful, she was not facing the weak Granbell from before, now he was an actual threat to her. Complete Saints were not to be underestimated. Until she learned the abilities of his Ultimate Skill she would have to be wary, she knew from experience just how bullshit Ultimate Skills could be.
She couldn't afford to be caught off guard by some unexpected ability and then defeated. Felix was watching, she couldn't lose in front of him after giving her opponent time to power up, that would just be shameful.
She didn't even know what kind of Unique Skill Granbell had so she couldn't use that as a base to figure out what abilities his Ultimate Skill may have, while Granbell likely had some idea of her own Ultimate Skill.
When he mentored her she told him about Mathematician alone, not Usurper. However Mathematician is what became an Ultimate Skill, so he could likely make fairly accurate predictions about what to expect, it wasn't as if her Skill's nature changed.
It was still focused on calculation and prediction, only with a few things added in. A few very powerful things. Space-Time Manipulation alone was a powerful ability if used well, though she couldn't manipulate Space like Rimuru could let alone Felix, she only got it because of Felix's Blessing in the first place.
However she could do basic things such as damaging a target through the severing of Space. That was what Absolute End did and she trained in the past to get that Unique Skill.
Not to mention she could still call upon Usurper and Vendetta, both of those would be fairly helpful in this fight as she could elevate their levels to the cusps of the Ultimate level.
Thankfully she had Multi-Dimensional Barrier, with that as her defense she was a lot more confident. She knew personally just how hard it could be to bypass, and while hers wasn't anywhere as strong as Felix's it was still strong enough to block Granbell's Melt Strike so long as she was careful.
Without Multi-Dimensional Barrier she would have been in a lot of danger from that attack. Granbell just kept surprising her with his ability, he improved Melt Slash and then went on to use her own ability against her.
She stopped restraining her Aura, allowing it to freely rampage around the surroundings. It wasn't like the Grand Cathedral could get any more destroyed at this point.
Releasing her Aura had an immediate and overwhelming effect on the surroundings. The air seemed to thicken with power, vibrating with her energy as it spread in waves, saturating the ruins of the Grand Cathedral. Thankfully a barrier was already in place to prevent her Aura from affecting the rest of Lune.
The sheer force caused the remaining stone walls to disintegrate under the pressure, and the atmosphere itself grew dense with energy, distorting the light and sound around her.
As her Aura rampaged uncontrollably, the ground beneath her trembled, fissures forming.
She smiled slightly as she took in the effects. It didn't feel like much time had passed since her full Aura could merely crack a boulder and nothing else. Now she could level entire cities with her Aura alone if she wished to.
Granbell's eyebrows shot up before he began laughing. "Hahaha, so you were holding back this much!?"
She tilted her head. Granbell was acting oddly excited this entire time, she was getting a bit confused about what his goal was at this point. Did he want to take Chronoa or not? What was his goal? Even Felix and Luminous weren't entirely sure what exactly Granbell's goal was. Did he want Chronoa to control her and sick her on Felix and Luminous to get revenge?
She knew he wanted world domination thanks to Mariabell, but with how he was acting she felt like there was something else he desired, she just didn't know what.
"I hadn't know you had progressed this far, Hinata! And is that an Ultimate Skill I feel in you! It seems I've underestimated you." Granbell said as he tightened his grip on his weapon.
She merely smirked. "As I said, I found a far better teacher than you."
"Aww, I'm going to blush, Hinata!" Felix's amused voice echoed throughout the surroundings. She rolled her eyes at his theatrics.
"You don't need to worry about the others, your minions are doing rather well at taking care of the Monsters, while the bigger threats have already been dealt with excluding Granbell, so have fun or something I guess." Felix's voice echoed in her mind.
She smiled, knowing that everything was taken care of was a relief. She wouldn't be telling Granbell of that of course, she didn't know how he would act if he was cornered. Cornered dogs often acted unpredictably after all.
An odd emotion flowed through her being as she knew that Felix only informed her of that so she could truly enjoy herself as otherwise a part of her would worry about everyone else, if she could afford to take her time with Granbell.
"Well, enough with the grandstanding." Granbell said as he raised his blade.
"I couldn't agree more." She said as she raised her rapier, both their weapons lit up in Fighting Spirit.
Granbell dashed forwards. "Rah!"
She met him in the middle with a swift parry, the clash of blades echoed through the ruins, sending out shockwaves that reverberated across the crumbling landscape. The air around their weapons crackled with the power of their Fighting Spirit. Sparks flew from the collision, blue flames flickering to life on Granbell's blade.
Her eyes narrowed as she leaped backwards, narrowly avoiding a stream of the blue flames.
Granbell didn't push on the offensive, he merely stared her down. "It seems you are already aware of the danger of these flames." He said.
She didn't bother responding. Her Usurper wasn't allowing her to copy whatever those blue flames were meaning it was part of his Ultimate Skill.
Granbell's eyes narrowed as the intensity of the flames dimmed ever so slightly. "Ah, this is your ability to weaken others' abilities, hmm."
Her brows shot up. She was not aware that Granbell knew of Usurper.
"Oh don't be so surprised. You can only hide so much from me." Granbell scoffed. She needed to find out more about Granbell's new Skill in order for Calculation Domain to predict the future more accurately.
A moment later she felt Calculation Domain warn her about an incoming attack as Granbell dashed forwards. She raised her rapier just in time to pary Granbell's strike.
She sidestepped his next slash and countered with a rapid thrust aimed at his side. He deflected it effortlessly, their weapons dancing with precision and ferocity.
Their clash continued like that for a few moments before Granbell raised his weapon, the blue flames lighting up in intensity. "These flames… they do not just burn, they erase." He said as the flames surged around his blade.
He swung his sword downward, likely aiming to cleave through her Multi-Dimensional Barrier, but Multi-Dimensional Barrier was harder to get through than that.
Even an Ultimate ability like Granbell's flames would fail, she was certain of that so long as she devoted some of her focus and energy to maintaining the barrier. This was a Skill Felix's Manas had created explicitly to serve as Felix's last line of defense according to Felix. Her Multi-Dimensional Barrier wasn't as powerful as Felix's due to not having as much energy available, or a high enough mastery of Space, but it was still strong.
The flames intensified, attempting to bypass her defenses, but rather than allowing them to tear through a few layers of Multi-Dimensional Barrier, she opted to conserve energy in the long run.
As Granbell's blade neared her, she activated Absolute End, severing the space between them with a sharp flick of her rapier. She may not have had the Unique Skill version of Absolute End, but she could recreate its effects with Space-Time Manipulation due to her own experience.
Space itself warped for a moment, creating a chasm between her and Granbell's sword, halting his advance. The blue flames sputtered momentarily giving her a moment to come up with a plan. Until now she had been winging it, but if she wanted to end this fight anytime soon she couldn't just rely on her raw power, she needed to think too.
She darted backward, regaining her composure as Granbell's blue flames failed to reach her. "You'll have to do better than that." She taunted, her eyes narrowing as she analyzed his movements.
"Spatial Manipulation?" Granbell muttered before shaking his head. "You are truly becoming more interesting as this fight goes on." Granbell said before whispering. "Can she be the one?"
She blinked in confusion at his statement. Could she be the one for what?
Granbell raised his blade once more, this time it lit up with green flames. Her eyes narrowed as she felt some of the Fighting Spirit her rapier was coated with weaken as it was absorbed by the green flames, strengthening the flames.
Granbell didn't give her time to react as he appeared in front of her, capitalizing on the disruption. His sword descended, flames roaring with the authority of his Ultimate Skill, he targeted her flank that seemed weakest. She merely smirked. Preemptive Strike warned her of Granbell's attack ahead of time, she quickly adjusted and blocked Granbell's strike with her rapier.
She blinked as the moment Granbell's blade touched her rapier, she felt the Fighting Spirit dim further.
Granbell smirked. "Sariel allows me control over life and death, this includes an energy so related to life like Fighting Spirit." Granbell boasted, seemingly not worried about giving her that hint on its abilities, though she would have figured that out in a few moments either way, Granbell merely saved her the trouble.
Sariel? Was that the name of his Ultimate Skill? She remembered from her old world that Sariel was an angel mainly from Judaic tradition as far as she knew.
It seems Granbell awakened an Angelic Series Ultimate Skill then, maybe it was even one of the Virtue Series. Angelic and Sin Series Skills had the potential to be far more threatening than normal Ultimate Skills, she knew that.
Her eyes narrowed as she counterattacked. She felt Sword Flow activate as it elevated the power behind her attacks with each consecutive strike, easily making up for the loss in her Fighting Spirit's potency.
Granbell grunted as he was put on the defensive. Her body moved before she even needed to think as Calculation Domain and her own instincts guided her actions. her rapier spinning in a blinding arc to deflect Granbell's blade. The force of their clash sent out a shockwave, shattering the stone beneath their feet.
"Judgment Wave!" She called out, unleashing a burst of purifying energy from her rapier. A radiant explosion of holy light erupted around them, momentarily pushing back Granbell's flames and forcing him to retreat a few paces.
Granbell clicked his tongue. "Tsk."
They lunged at each other once more, blades clashing in a blur of motion. Granbell's mastery of swordsmanship combined with the authority of Sariel made him difficult to predict due to her lacking data, but as the fight went on she learned more and more, resulting in Granbell becoming more and more predictable. Her calculation and adaptability kept her just ahead of him. At the rate the current battle was going, she would win.
–
She panted as she began to feel the effects of their extended battle. It felt like it had been hours, yet it hadn't even been an hour. Granbell's evolution allowed him to pressure her, leading to more exhaustion from her. Her energy reserves weren't infinite, or as monstrous as Felix's. Even Luminous had almost double her reserves, and each little burst of Fighting Spirit, or Holy Power would eventually add up. She had been training to expand her reserves, but those things required time. Her efficiency wasn't as good as it once was either, meaning a lot of her energy was wasted during this battle.
Granbell smirked cockily. "I suppose you are regretting giving me a chance to strengthen myself?"
She scoffed. "As if." She still believed she would win this fight, it just wouldn't be as easy as she was expecting it to be at the start.
Granbell held remarkable control over his Ultimate Skill already which was a surprise. It seemed to have something to do with souls, similar to Luminous' own Ultimate Skill. Granbell's blade was coated in pale blue flames that could even harm her if she allowed the flames to touch her directly.
However Granbell was having similar troubles, he had failed to get through her Multi-Dimensional Barrier, and so he couldn't land any direct attacks on her, and even if he did break through her barrier, she was still confident in avoiding his attacks.
Granbell lunged again, flames dancing along his blade as he swung it in a wide arc. "We are just getting started!" His voice was filled with confidence, but she saw the glimmer of fatigue in his eyes, his reserves were even lower than hers, he was still a Saint.
With a quick sidestep, she avoided the flames that erupted from his sword. She could see the trajectories of his attacks thanks to her own Calculation Domain and Preemptive Strike which allowed her to avoid most attacks fairly easily. The more data she had on Granbell and his abilities, the easier he was to predict.
She rolled her eyes as he continued his attack with a flourish of his blade, just as she predicted he would.
As he pressed the attack, she found her rhythm again, deflecting his blows while searching for an opening. Even if she could predict most of his attacks, that didn't make her invincible as her fight with Felix showed.
Granbell wasn't an overwhelming opponent like Felix however, but that didn't mean his defense was weak, that didn't mean his combat instinct was nonexistent. Granbell was a Champion for ages, even if he couldn't predict her attacks he could still react to them in time to block or dodge them.
Granbell's movements were relentless, his pale blue flames flaring with each swing. Usurper was weakening his power ever so slightly, but in the end it was still just a Unique Skill. It couldn't directly combat an Ultimate Skill, but that didn't mean it wasn't useful.
"Is that all you've got, Granbell?" She taunted, shifting her weight to the side and countering with a quick thrust of her rapier. She was enjoying this fight of theirs.
Granbell grinned, narrowly dodging the blade as he pivoted away. "You know better than that, Hinata. I'm just warming up!" He countered with a series of rapid slashes, his speed increasing as he unleashed a burst of energy.
The air crackled with intensity, and Hinata felt the pressure building around them. The ground shook as the energy from their duel spiraled outward, causing the remaining debris that were made of more higher end material to shatter into millions of pieces around them.
She felt bad for those who would have to clean up after their mess, but Magic would make it easier.
She felt Sword Flow activating once again as it enhanced the power behind her strikes.
Granbell clicked his tongue as he leaped backwards. "Tsk. That annoying ability of yours to enhance your blows is truly troublesome." He sighed.
She narrowed her eyes as she felt the effects of Sword Flow fade. She needed to continue striking for Sword Flow to enhance her blows, something it seemed Granbell had picked up.
She could see the few weak points in Granbell's form through the sub-skill Hunter, yet she found out early on that many of those weak points were merely feigned weak points. They were traps for Granbell to take advantage of, and Vendetta couldn't differentiate the fakes from the real ones.
She had been holding off on using Guaranteed Strike as it was more of a trump card, and she could feel that this battle would be coming to an end soon.
She had yet to use Virtual World yet, it was also another one of her trump cards and it drained her reserves rapidly, but it seems she would have to use it soon. But for now she was content with this back and forth between them. Despite her experience she was picking up new things from Granbell which went to show that she still had a lot to learn.
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Author's Note: Hello everyone, how're you all doing? I had a lot of fun writing Damrada's Galaxy Impact, Haki is pretty badass after all. As for Granbell vs Hinata? I am a bit less enthusiastic on that, I apologize if the quality of that fight is a bit lacking but I've been feeling pretty down lately. I'll try and make sure that doesn't affect my writing but I can only do so much. Not to mention I'm getting pretty bored of writing so many other povs, Felix is the main characters and I want to focus on him lol. Thankfully this should all be wrapping up soon.
I'm hoping to wrap up this whole arc soon, it's getting me pretty burnt out since it's gone on so long. Hopefully it doesn't seem like I'm drawing it out because that's pretty much the opposite of what I'm going for.
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Also, you guys should check out @BonVoyage Tensura fic, it's pretty damn good.
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