As time went on, the doomsday spectacle in the basement intensified, causing the barrier separating the inner and outer worlds to become increasingly unstable, looking as if it could shatter at any moment.
The power Leon released was gradually exceeding the limits the barrier could withstand.
Yet, Leon, who was continuously unleashing such power, looked increasingly serious, and his gaze towards Miyamoto Musashi below had changed.
At first glance, the entire battlefield seemed to have become his domain, filled with the power he released, conjuring scene after scene of natural disasters. However, these disasters, which were capable of bringing terrifying destruction to the outside world, were utterly incapable of harming the Miyamoto Musashi constantly blooming in the center of the arena.
The female swordswoman named Miyamoto Musashi simply swung her swords freely amid the calamities, fully displaying her swordsmanship. The disasters that relentlessly attacked her were cut apart again and again by her deceptively simple dual blades, not a single one managing to touch her body.
The surging flames were cleaved in two...
The turbulent flood was cleaved in two...
The lightning descending from the heavens was cleaved in two...
The storm capable of blowing away everything was cleaved in two...
Even the sand continuously rising from the ground and the glaciers assaulting her from all directions were sliced apart by Miyamoto Musashi's repeated strikes, with nothing escaping the dual blades.
The opponent was merely a fragile-looking female swordswoman, and her adversary was nature itself transformed into calamity. Yet, this uneven battle—which anyone would assume represented the limitations of human power and the impossibility of challenging nature—was completely overturned by the sword in the woman's hand. It was a vivid demonstration to all that humanity could indeed defeat nature and overcome catastrophe.
In an instant, the sword light gradually overshadowed the doomsday scenes of the natural disasters, appearing capable of cleaving even the end of the world, a sight inspiring awe and terror.
"As expected, anyone capable of becoming a Devil King's Retainer, no matter how unreliable they might look, cannot be weak."
Leon had essentially confirmed it: Miyamoto Musashi's strength could be ranked among the very best of the Ultimate-Class Devils. She possessed the genuine battle power of a Ten-Winged Devil, Ten-Winged Angel, or Ten-Winged Fallen Angel!
Ten-Winged Devils, Ten-Winged Angels, and Ten-Winged Fallen Angels already belonged to the cadre level of the three factions, truly qualifying as high-end combat power within each respective force!
Furthermore, Miyamoto Musashi was likely already at the apex of this group, a being only a single step away from the Devil King class!
He, Leon, might not be her match at all!
Simultaneously realizing this, Leon let out a heavy breath.
"The final strike—"
Leon's voice echoed throughout the entire area.
"The next attack will be the strongest one I can currently unleash!"
If this single strike still could not secure victory, then the battle, for Leon, would be no different from a defeat.
"Take this!"
Without waiting for Miyamoto Musashi's response, Leon mobilized all the magic power in his body, pouring it into the upcoming strike, instantly unleashing the power of Zenith Tempest.
In an instant, the dark clouds in the sky slowly pressed downwards, and countless bolts of lightning erupted within them. Along with the intense flames gathering from all directions, they converged around Leon.
The earth rose, and the atmosphere continuously hummed, causing various abnormal natural phenomena to appear one after another.
Thunderstorms, gales, floods, sandstorms, blizzards, firestorms... various extreme weather conditions manifested in this basement space, transforming into terrifying, deformed figures under Leon's control.
The descending firestorm became a screaming, burning Phoenix. The flood transformed into a giant, roaring Water Dragon. The gales, thunderstorms, sandstorms, and blizzards also took the form of hideous beasts, letting out frenzied roars that shook the entire manor.
That nightmarish spectacle left Asuna Yuuki stunned and caused Miyamoto Musashi to narrow her eyes and smile gracefully.
"Since that is the case, I shall also unleash my strongest sword stroke!"
The astonishing aura that had been gathering on Miyamoto Musashi since the start of the fight finally burst forth.
She slowly raised her swords, radiating a fearsome pressure. Behind her, a colossal Nio Guardian statue appeared, standing upright with a deafening roar.
This was a phenomenon purely condensed from sword pressure.
Historically, after achieving fame and success, Miyamoto Musashi chose to devote herself to Tenman Daijizai-ten, so the Nio Guardian statue could be considered Miyamoto Musashi's guardian deity, a symbol that naturally formed when her sword path reached its ultimate culmination.
"One-Sword Three-Bows, Breaking Through Infinity to Reach Zero—"
Astonishing magic power gathered on the raised swords of Miyamoto Musashi, making the blades turn into sword light that continuously extended.
"This strike is precisely My Void Path, My entire Life!"
Miyamoto Musashi's declaration easily overpowered the roars of the giant calamity beasts around Leon, reverberating across the entire area.
"Sword Roar Draw, Go!"
As the words fell, Miyamoto Musashi swung the swords in her hands, and the Nio Guardian statue behind her also brought down its blade, cleaving towards Leon.
This was a strike that seemed capable of cutting the world apart, reducing everything in existence to naught.
As this strike fell, both Leon and Asuna Yuuki could only see a flash of light separating the two ends of the world, causing them to begin to misalign.
The roaring calamity beasts charging out from around Leon suddenly touched that boundary line separating the world. In the end, they failed to cause even the slightest disturbance, splitting and vanishing without a trace as the world misaligned.
"————"
Time seemed to freeze at this moment, causing all the booming and crashing sounds that had been echoing throughout the basement until just now to utterly vanish.
Leon and Miyamoto Musashi remained where they were: one in the air, one on the ground; one soaring with wings, one standing firm with swords raised. They looked at each other, but one was silent, and the other maintained a perpetual smile.
Leon raised his eyes, shifting his gaze from Miyamoto Musashi to the entire basement.
He saw that this basement, which had been ravaged beyond recognition by all kinds of natural calamities, now had a bottomless abyss-like trench running down the center, virtually splitting the entire space in two.
And the barrier that had encased the whole basement had soundlessly disappeared, as if it had been cleaved in two long ago without causing the slightest ripple.
"...Well, then."
Leon let out a wry laugh, retracted the wings behind his back, and landed on the floor.
"I lose."
As the declaration of surrender was made, the static time seemed to flow again, causing the tension that had filled the basement to dissipate completely.
"My sincerest thanks, Young Master Leon."
Miyamoto Musashi sheathed her two swords and walked towards Leon, her expression one of refreshment.
"Ah, it's truly been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight. I was right about you, Young Master. You are indeed an opponent worthy of a fight."
Miyamoto Musashi, the warrior, seemed completely content.
"You are both so amazing!" Asuna Yuuki, belatedly approaching, said with rare excitement. "Can the power of a Devil really be this strong? That was truly incredible!"
Asuna Yuuki was not someone who worshiped power, but after seeing the display by Leon and Miyamoto Musashi, she could hardly suppress the excitement in her heart, making her wonder if some unknown element of violence was hidden deep within her.
In reality, it was just a natural human reaction.
Just as people feel a spontaneous excitement when they see a towering mountain or an irresistible surge of emotion when they look at the boundless sea, Asuna Yuuki's feelings at this moment were similar.
After all, before this, she was just an ordinary human. She lost consciousness after being attacked by a Stray Devil and woke up to be told she had become a Devil, but she hadn't seen much of a Devil's power. This was Asuna Yuuki's first time witnessing a supernatural battle scene like the one they just had, so her emotions were inevitably stirred.
"It's nothing. If you work hard, you can certainly step into this domain in the future."
Miyamoto Musashi smiled and encouraged Asuna Yuuki. From her tone, it was clear she wasn't just being polite.
At the very least, in Miyamoto Musashi's view, Asuna Yuuki had the potential to reach her level.
Whether that potential could be realized, however, depended on Asuna Yuuki's own effort.
"And Young Master Leon, you should easily surpass me in the future, right?" Miyamoto Musashi looked at Leon with bright eyes and genuinely lamented: "I never thought the legendary Zenith Tempest would appear on you, Young Master. If Lady Serafall... my Master knew about this, she would be extremely surprised."
Let alone Miyamoto Musashi's Master, if the Devils of the Underworld knew about this, it would cause a complete uproar.
The second strongest Longinus in the world appearing on the inheritor of the long-broken Eligos Clan—if this news spread, it would likely alarm the top brass of all three factions, wouldn't it?
To put it mildly, Leon, who possessed this Longinus, already had the power to influence the future balance of the various factions.
Once exposed, all forces, including the Devil side, might take action.
"Please keep this matter a secret for me for now," Leon said to Miyamoto Musashi. "I don't want to expose it yet."
"I understand, I understand. I will definitely keep this secret." Miyamoto Musashi agreed readily: "As long as I am still enjoying food and lodging here and haven't finished this task, I will not actively reveal this matter."
In other words, once she left the manor, completed this mission, and returned to the Underworld, Miyamoto Musashi probably wouldn't be able to keep the secret for Leon.
After returning, she couldn't possibly fail to report everything she experienced during this trip to her Master, could she?
Therefore, Miyamoto Musashi could only keep the secret for Leon until that time.
"That's enough."
Leon didn't intend to keep it hidden forever; he just wanted as much time as possible to grow stronger so he could command more initiative when the truth was exposed in the future.
Under these circumstances, Leon asked Miyamoto Musashi a question.
"In your opinion, what is my current strength?"
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