Chapter 163: The Apex Warrior, Boses
"Good! Since Mr. Fushiguro has agreed, there's no reason for the Chief to refuse now, right?"
Leo was slightly surprised himself that the Earth representative had agreed so readily.
It seemed his suspicions were correct after all.
How could Earth's people truly accept coexistence so easily? More likely, they wanted to gauge Simurian strength first—determine whether they posed a threat.
"Someone," Leo waved his hand, issuing an order,
"bring Boses here."
The surrounding Simurian warriors stiffened the moment they heard that name.
They were calling Boses out directly?
That was a top-tier warrior—
a living weapon who could withstand one hundred times gravity with his body alone, while also possessing terrifying cursed techniques.
Dex's expression darkened instantly.
The High Priest was clearly trying to intimidate the Earth sorcerers.
One misstep, and this so-called "exchange" could spiral straight back into war.
He would have to watch carefully.
If Boses went too far, Dex would have no choice but to intervene personally.
The next moment—
A crushing aura flooded the training hall.
A towering Simurian stepped through the entrance, standing roughly 2.3 to 2.4 meters tall.
Black markings traced across his forehead.
Long white hair was braided into two thick plaits that hung down on either side of his face.
Two horn-like protrusions rose from his head, setting him apart from ordinary Simurian citizens.
His eyes were lifeless—empty of emotion.
Megumi frowned slightly.
This was the same individual who had accompanied Leo during their previous visit to Earth.
"My apologies," Leo said with a pleasant smile,
"Boses has trouble restraining his aura. I hope our guests won't take offense."
Turning toward the warrior, Leo continued,
"These two are honored guests from Earth. You've met one of them before. Today, I've called you here for a friendly spar."
Boses stepped forward, lifting his dull, emotionless gaze toward them.
"Which one of you?" he asked flatly.
"Or are you both coming at once?"
"Boses—show some respect!"
Dex snapped sharply, his eyes filled with both irritation and resignation.
"To our guests, please forgive him. That's just how he is."
Boses was firmly aligned with the pro-war faction.
He had never believed coexistence with Earth was possible.
When Simurian Prime was invaded, he didn't see war itself as the problem—
only that they hadn't been strong enough.
Megumi and Kinji exchanged a glance.
"Want me to take this?" Hakari cracked his knuckles, clearly eager.
"I'm curious whether this guy can get my blood pumping."
"I'll handle it," Megumi said, stepping forward.
Hakari was strong—there was no doubt about that—but Megumi was wary.
That kind of power…
especially Hakari's,
wasn't always stable.
And against someone like Boses, instability could be dangerous.
At his peak, Hakari could even clash head-on with Gojo-sensei—
but if his condition was off…
"So Mr. Fushiguro will be taking the field personally? Perfect. This will allow us to witness the true might of Earth's Special Grade sorcerers."
Leo had wanted Megumi to step in from the very beginning.
Before this, he had already confirmed that Special Grade represented the highest level of sorcerers on Earth.
And with only four Special Grade sorcerers currently in existence, understanding their strength would essentially reveal the upper limit of Earth's combat power.
At that point, the balance of any future war would tilt decisively in their favor.
Escorted by the attendants, Megumi and Boses entered a vast combat chamber.
The observation stands surrounding it were packed, layer upon layer, with Simurian onlookers.
"Feel free to fight without restraint," Leo reminded them.
"The materials used in this arena are special—damage will regenerate on its own."
The entire chamber was forged from ultra-high-density, ultra-hard, ultra–high-melting-point alloys.
As long as it wasn't reduced to powder, it would fully restore itself.
"This is only a spar," Dex interjected calmly.
"There's no need to go too far. Let's keep things civil."
Unlike Leo, who clearly wanted both sides to go all out, Dex preferred restraint—anything to prevent tensions from escalating.
"Rest assured, Chief. Boses knows his limits."
Leo cast Dex a sidelong glance before turning back to Megumi.
"Since this is a spar, we should give it our all, shouldn't we—Mr. Fushiguro?"
Megumi didn't reply.
He simply stared at the towering figure before him and said flatly,
"Begin."
The instant the word left his mouth, Boses exploded into motion.
In a blink, he was already in front of Megumi.
Terrifying cursed energy wrapped around his massive fist as his body coiled like a drawn bow—
—and then he punched.
Megumi raised both arms to block.
BOOM!
The blow slammed into his guard, unleashing an overwhelming force—
like being struck by a hundred-ton truck traveling at two hundred kilometers per hour.
Megumi was hurled backward dozens of meters.
Two deep grooves carved into the metal floor beneath his feet, slowly regenerating as the arena healed itself.
"Boses! Boses! Boses!"
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers, faces alight with excitement.
Top-tier warriors rarely took the field.
Only when facing exceptionally powerful opponents were they ever deployed.
"His raw physical strength really is far beyond that of Earth's sorcerers…"
Megumi flexed his arms, pain radiating through them.
Purely in terms of physical power, Boses surpassed every sorcerer Megumi had ever encountered—
—excluding, of course, those certain elders who possessed no cursed energy at all.
Megumi formed hand seals.
Cursed energy surged into his palms as a pool of pitch-black shadow spread beneath his feet.
"Divine Dog."
"Awooo—!"
A massive black Divine Dog burst from the shadows, lunging at Boses in a blur.
Boses' expression didn't change.
He bent his knees slightly and raised his fist, preparing to obliterate the summoned beast in one strike—
—but suddenly, his body froze.
He tilted his head.
His legs had already sunk into the shadow below.
Long, shadowy tongues lashed out, binding his limbs in place.
Rip—!
The brief moment of hesitation was enough.
The Divine Dog's claws tore across his torso.
His clothing shredded instantly, and a vivid red gash appeared across his powerful chest.
"Boses is injured?!"
The Simurian warriors watching in disbelief were stunned.
This was their apex warrior.
Even Dex's expression darkened.
At this point, "holding back" was no longer an option.
Meanwhile, Leo's lips curled upward.
"So even Boses can be wounded… Good. That should finally awaken his fighting spirit."
Sure enough, as blood seeped from the wound, emotion flickered into Boses' previously lifeless eyes.
He tore off his ruined shirt, revealing strange markings that stretched from his shoulders down his arms.
Fixing his gaze on Megumi, he spoke in a low voice:
"You're not fodder."
Boom—!
Boses stopped suppressing his cursed energy.
A violent surge erupted outward, instantly shredding the shadowy bindings restraining him.
An overwhelming wave of cursed energy crashed toward Megumi—
—and his wounds healed almost instantly.
Megumi focused completely.
"Cursed energy on this level… it's on par with Okkotsu-senpai," he thought grimly.
"And he can use Reverse Cursed Technique too."
There was no doubt anymore.
This opponent was Special Grade.