Asem, wearing an amused smile, created a black sphere the size of a tennis ball in his hand and tossed it toward me!
Damaged as I was, I couldn't move—I had to take it head-on!
I caught it with both hands, but... I was being pushed back!
How can such a tiny energy ball be this heavy?!
Rizevim was nothing compared to this!
『BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBoost!!』
I used every ounce of my multiplied power to halt the energy sphere.
But even so, inch by inch, my body was sliding backward.
My feet were sinking into the ground; I felt like I was going to be crushed!
I put my entire body into it, screaming as I poured out everything I had!
"Gunu... Uooooooooh!"
I managed to arch my body back and deflect the trajectory of the energy sphere upward.
The deflected sphere drew an arc in the sky and impacted the ground far in the distance.
And then——.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion shook the entirety of the Underworld!
A giant mushroom cloud rose, and the shockwave blasted all the way back to us!
Was that a nuclear missile?!
Asem looked slightly impressed.
"Oh my, you actually deflected that. I intended to give you a fatal wound, though."
"Hah, hah, hah... You intended to stop at a fatal wound with that...?"
"Really? I only used about half the power I can output in this state, you know?"
"Oi, oi, I really didn't want to hear that..."
In his current state? And only half power?
That gauntlet supposedly copied my data and peeped into the "System," so he likely has something similar to a Balance Breaker.
Meaning, I still haven't seen his ceiling.
This is seriously depressing.
To think even CxC can't reach him...!
I leaped up, flying to the same altitude as Asem.
Explosions could be heard from all over the castle.
Everyone else must still be fighting.
Alice is with Vika.
I sent Miwa to help Diarmuid and the others. Bel is too tough for just Diarmuid and Ravel to handle.
...She said she wanted to stay, but in her current state, Miwa can't keep up with our battle.
Well, I'm in pretty deep trouble myself.
And Vali is——.
"Gahahaha! Ora ora, come at me, White Dragon Emperor!"
"Very well! Razul of 'Broken Army'! A battle with you makes my heart race!"
Yeah, he's having a field day outside the ring with Razul.
They look like they're having a blast.
I'll let them do what they want. Battle maniacs!
Feeling the presence of everyone's battles, I charged at Asem.
After deploying all my Wyvern Fairies (Feather Bits), I created afterimages with aura, changing my trajectory to confuse Asem as I closed in.
All-range bombardment from the bits.
Combined with fists unleashed at close quarters.
My fists packed enough power to shake the atmosphere just by being thrown, yet Asem caught them effortlessly!
"Good punches. They resonate every time I catch them. But——they lack the power to defeat me."
Dark aura gathered in his left fist, in that black gauntlet.
A thin, purple glass-like sphere materialized in his palm.
"——Crystal Sphere."
He grabbed my arm, pulled me in, and slammed the glass sphere into my stomach!
I tried to block it with my right hand, but the glass sphere swallowed my hand and rapidly expanded to cover my entire body!
I was trapped inside the enlarged glass sphere!
And the worst part was——.
"Kuh...! I can't move...!"
Trapped inside, I couldn't move a single finger. No matter how much force I applied, the glass sphere didn't budge.
It felt like my whole body had been set in concrete.
"Come on, if you don't hurry, I'm gonna shoot. If you don't break out before I count to three, a nasty attack is coming your way, okay?"
"Gh!"
"Okay, Onnnne."
In that instant, an energy blast fired from him sent me, glass sphere and all, flying!
The glass sphere shattered and I managed to escape, but the impact just now dealt even more damage!
Seriously, this guy...!
"What happened to two and three?!"
"I don't know any numbers like that. A man can survive remembering only 'One'... Or so they said in an anime."
"Anime again?!"
Dammit, stop screwing around!
Am I really getting beaten by this clown?!
It makes me want to cry, for so many reasons!
Argh, he pisses me off in a different way than Rizevim, but he's undoubtedly strong!
Asem crossed his arms and smiled fearlessly.
"Well then, this is looking too one-sided. I could end this whenever I want."
"Then why don't you?"
When I asked, Asem answered with an expression like he'd just remembered something fun.
"You showed it to us in Heaven, didn't you? I'm waiting for that. If it's that form, it might actually reach... the current me. Why aren't you using it? You know what I mean, don't you?"
That, huh...
If I could bring it out, I would have done it ages ago.
The reason I'm struggling this much is because I can't bring it out in my current condition.
I silently took a fighting stance.
Asem spoke.
"Huh? You're not bringing it out? Or is it like last time, where you stall halfway through? Well, either way, it's a pity for me."
Asem slowly raised his arm, aiming his palm at me.
Black aura began to charge there—an energy bullet with the same power as that nuke from earlier.
"Well then, let's end this here——"
Just as Asem declared the end of the battle and prepared to finish me off...
A communication magic circle expanded at my ear.
The person contacting me was——.
『Yo, Issei! You alive?』
It was Azazel-sensei!
Asking if I'm alive right off the bat? That person!
I'm alive!
Barely!
Azazel-sensei's voice continued from the magic circle.
『I know the situation over there. Looks pretty bad. But, we managed to make it in time.』
"In time? Sensei, don't tell me——"
In response to my voice, Sensei replied with supreme confidence.
『Yeah. The adjustment on the device to stabilize your "New Power"—your Nyuu-power—was just finished. I'm sending it over now!』
Suddenly, a magic circle expanded away from both Asem and me.
It was a teleportation circle.
What appeared from the magic circle was——something that looked like a fighter jet.
It was slightly larger than my upper body.
The entire chassis was red, and the gems from the Red Dragon Emperor's armor were embedded in various parts of the machine.
That is——.
『That's right. That is the Stabilization Support Device for Pectoral Power. Its name is——』
Sensei announced its name.
『——The Oppaiser!』
SERIOUS MOOD BREAKER: INCOMING!
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