A red lance tore through the Kaiju's flesh, making it explode with a deafening boom.
Growling, Venom, empowered by almost all Buffs other than Selfless Breathing, landed in front of the Lancer.
Red-Black flashes overtook the surroundings as Lancer and Venom attacked, every move surpassing the speed of sound.
With another loud explosion, both separated, skidding back on the bloody ocean.
Before Lancer could even come to a stop, though, a massive, golden baby took shape in front of him, covered in incomprehensible script.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The golden baby cried, vomiting out a mass of purple mist with blue particles hung in it here and there like stars.
In a fraction of a second, the purple mist covered the Reality Marble from horizon to horizon.
Lancer's eyes widened, realizing the nature of the mist.
"Tricks after tricks!" he shouted, controlling his breath. "Just what gave you the right to call yourself Berserker?!"
A beam of golden light answered Lancer.
The Hyper Beam struck the Heroic Spirit and sent it flying, but failed to get past the lance's defense.
The moment Lancer landed back on the shallow ocean, two scabbed hands latched themselves around his ankles.
A dark figure full of despair revealed itself and inhaled.
Lancer had no true existence to be affected by Dementor. Yet, even he felt an oddness seeping into his heart, all hope abandoning him.
Taking advantage of the momentary listlessness, a black figure blurred behind him.
Time seemed to crawl in Lancer's surroundings because of the sheer suddenness of Berserker's appearance. And, to his dismay, the Heroic Spirit realized that the speed Berserker had shown him till now — was fake.
Lancer let out a murderous shout, exploding the Dementor to smithereens.
Gáe Bolg traced impossible trajectories as it met Berserker's swords that he coated with his own flesh.
Booms and bangs rang out as Lancer and Berserker shared moves, hung static in time.
Then, with an otherworldly display of raw power, Lancer disappeared and slammed Gáe Bolg, Berserker raising his hands to block.
It was like a screech — carrying a rumble.
Bouncing and booming, Berserker was sent flying, Lancer catching up to him.
A monstrous red cloud of Mana exploded out of Lancer as he readied his lance, pointing the tip toward Berserker.
However, before he could thrust the weapon, a wave of Telekinesis hit him squarely on the face — backed by Kai's full power.
Lancer's teeth came flying out as he skidded on the shallow blood ocean, coming to a stop thousands of meters away.
With a flick of his lance, he spun and landed on his feet, spitting out blood.
"What an absolute letdown!" Lancer let out a bloody grin. "I expected more from a Heroic Spirit of the Berserker Class, you know."
Berserker landed hundreds of meters away from Lancer.
Suddenly, the bulky black mass on its body tightened, becoming a skin-tight suit. The Venom's face vanished as black tendrils returned to the body, revealing a face.
Kai's short white hair had lengthened, becoming red.
Cursed marks were running over his face, the white sclera of his eyes becoming black.
And surrounded by that blackness were his slitted, yellow eyes, purple demonic rings flashing vilely around them.
Kai looked down at his hands… broken hands.
If he hadn't shifted Murasame and Sounga at the right time, then Lancer's last blow had all but destroyed them.
Smiling, the Emperor let out a breath.
Cú Chulainn was not Heracles. Containing him within walls to use My House, My Rules wouldn't work, as Mad Enhancement did not affect this one.
Even if Kai were to use Eon Soul Dew and combine it with The Tales of Beedle the Bard, it wouldn't be enough to finish Lancer.
Also, to make matters worse, he couldn't call Black here.
Zelretch must already be outside, trying to see the hidden undercurrents that Kai had created. He had already seen Black reading the Daily Prophet, where the Headline had mentioned Ainz Ooal Gown and others performing this secret ritual on Dark Sakura.
More than that, and Kai might lose the deal he had made with the Deep One.
As if that wasn't enough, Kai couldn't use Selfless Breathing, either.
All these Buffs and Venom, to top it off, were already the limit of his body at this moment.
Just like his fight with Berserker, if he were to add the Breathing Art to his current strength now, even he couldn't predict how he would die first — by Impalement or by Implosion.
Yet, despite all these shortcomings, he needed to win — he needed to kill.
That's what it had all been about… to get an edge over Lancer.
"I…" Kai said, smiling.
Lancer didn't give the enemy that chance.
For the first time, the blood ocean around him reacted to his presence, blobs of blood leaving the surface, levitating around the Heroic Spirit.
"Gáe…" Lancer lifted the weapon in his hand and threw it with all his might. "… Bolg!!!"
Even if Berserker had survived his Noble Phantasm once, Lancer could bet his life that it couldn't do the same a second time.
There was so much power behind Lancer's strike that Kai, despite all buffs, couldn't do anything but see it coming, aimed at his heart.
And Lancer was right about one thing.
Kai couldn't survive the Noble Phantasm.
Not in the same way he had before, at least.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
It was like half the Reality Marble exploded, blinding flashes of red-hued lights making the blood ocean bloodier.
When the tsunamis died, and the world regained a hint of stillness, Lancer stood at his place — shocked beyond measure, his red pupils almost popping out… in confusion and terror. "How… Impossible…"
Far from Lancer, Kai put away the Galleon Attacker and String Beyblade Launcher, not minding the attack one bit.
He had been holding himself back from using it ever since the evil Contestant had attacked Einzbern Castle using Anti-Spiral power.
However, after his last talk with Purple Mist and Zelretch, plans had changed.
"I…" Kai said, cracking a smile and finishing his words. "… am waiting for Swords."
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