In the anime, Mereoleona's eventual defeat came only because she was forced to face five reincarnated elves at once, exhausting her mana and knocking her unconscious.
Based on Yuuki's judgment, with Mereoleona's true strength, defeating one reincarnated elf would pose little difficulty.
Against two, victory would still be hers—though not without cost.
But against three…
She would inevitably lose—yet even then, she would drag one or two down with her.
Of course, the elves Yuuki was using as a benchmark were not ordinary reincarnations, but those of the Apostles of Sephirah, individuals who stood at true captain-tier.
Even among them, there were clear differences in power.
The strongest was undoubtedly Licht, the elven leader himself—whose strength far surpassed the others. Against him, even Mereoleona would be facing overwhelmingly unfavorable odds.
Yuuki's reason for thinking through all this was simple.
By fighting Mereoleona head-on, he could accurately gauge his current level of power.
After all—
The Elf Reincarnation was about to begin.
At this moment, in Mereoleona's eyes, Yuuki—his body wrapped in blood-red, icy mana—looked like a ferocious beast crawling out of the abyss.
Even amid the violent eruptions of the volcanoes, with temperatures soaring to extremes—and despite being a Flame Magic user herself—Mereoleona inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine.
"…This is too interesting."
After a brief moment of surprise, her mouth stretched wide into a savage grin. Excitement burned in her crimson eyes, her expression growing more feral by the second.
No—
Like a lion fully awakened.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Mereoleona exploded as she vanished in a red afterimage, lunging toward Yuuki. With barely ten meters between them, she reached him in the blink of an eye.
Flame Magic — Scorching Arm!
Her blazing fist unleashed a violent heatwave. The air ahead was blasted clean, and the punch slammed straight into Yuuki's chest.
THUD—!
A heavy, muffled impact echoed.
Yuuki's chest caved in slightly as the immense force transferred downward, causing the solid rock beneath both of them to crack and sink.
And yet—
For the first time, shock appeared on Mereoleona's fierce, exhilarated face.
Yuuki had taken her full-power punch head-on…
And merely swayed.
He hadn't even been pushed back.
"That punch was heavy…" Yuuki said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he looked down at her with a radiant smile.
"…But it's still not enough."
His towering, nearly two-meter-tall frame suddenly exploded with speed and agility that defied its massive size.
Yuuki seized the arm buried in his chest, twisted his body sharply, and executed a clean over-the-shoulder throw!
With his other hand, he grabbed Mereoleona by the head and smashed her straight into the ground.
BOOOOM!
The already-fractured terrain collapsed completely, forming a massive crater.
ROAR—!
A surge of crimson, flame-like mana erupted from the pit.
"Then what about this punch?!"
Coughing blood, Mereoleona roared in exhilaration.
Even with one arm restrained, she drove her other fist upward in a brutal uppercut, slamming it into Yuuki's chin.
THUD—!
Another heavy impact rang out.
"Still not enough!"
Yuuki growled, forcing his head down against her fist. He pinned one of her arms, raised the other, and smashed his fist down onto her head.
BANG—!
Mereoleona, who had just begun to rise, was driven straight back into the crater.
The next instant—
Yuuki's fists fell like a torrential storm.
BOOM—! BOOM—!
Each blow shook the earth violently. The crater collapsed further with every strike, magma surging in from all sides.
Scalding, viscous lava swallowed both combatants entirely.
If an ordinary person had witnessed this battle, they would have died of terror on the spot.
Flame Magic — Hellfire!
Crimson mana surged violently. An indescribable heat erupted from beneath the magma, causing the entire pool to boil.
BOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion echoed from the depths.
WHOOSH!
Yuuki was blasted away, slamming into a distant mountainside. Even with Mana Skin, the explosion scorched his arms black, the smell of charring flesh faintly rising.
His clothes were almost completely incinerated. Even his hair was burned unevenly.
Mereoleona burst out of the magma pit, equally battered—her face bloodied, her red outfit torn and barely covering what it needed to.
"Exhilarating!"
"Still not enough!"
She laughed wildly, utterly unconcerned with her disheveled, exposed state.
Yuuki flipped out of the shattered mountainside, hovering midair. Though he looked rough, his injuries were clearly lighter than hers.
The instant he appeared, a massive flaming hand extended from Mereoleona's Mana Skin, ripping a boulder nearly ten meters across from the ground and hurling it at him.
"Too slow!"
Yuuki roared. His blood-red mana surged like lightning, smashing the massive rock to dust as he appeared before her.
He threw a punch—
A sonic boom erupted.
The air blast alone slammed Mereoleona back into the ground before his fist even reached her.
WHOOSH!
Yuuki landed instantly, grabbed her falling body, and hurled her toward a nearby volcano.
BOOOOM!
The sheer force obliterated the small volcano on impact.
Yuuki exhaled slightly, rolled his shoulders, and grinned.
With Beast Demonic Magic at full output, he had become a humanoid calamity.
In both power and speed—
He now surpassed Mereoleona.
Amid the shattered terrain and flowing magma—
"Pfft."
Mereoleona rose from the rubble, spitting blood to the side.
"It's been a long time since I've felt like this…"
Pain coursed through her body, yet she laughed—low and exhilarated.
"Lady Mereoleona."
Yuuki's voice carried from afar.
"Oh?" She looked up.
"If this continues, your odds of winning aren't great."
"But I remember—during our last fight—you unleashed a far more terrifying power."
"Why not use it?"
Yuuki tapped his temple with a finger, smiling.
Mereoleona sneered.
"You really are an arrogant brat."
Truthfully, even she hadn't expected Yuuki to overwhelm her in close combat.
Compared to their last encounter, his growth was nothing short of monstrous.
And she knew—
Yuuki still hadn't used several powerful magic tools in his possession.
Terrifying growth, in such a short time.
"If you're that eager to see it…"
Her excitement flared even higher.
"…then don't die."
HUM—
Her aura shifted violently.
In an instant, a sun-like blaze of mana erupted from Mereoleona's body, turning the entire world crimson.
The chaotic mana of the grand magic zone froze—then was crushed and dominated by her presence.
Volcanoes that had been erupting nonstop fell silent at once. Even airborne magma froze in midair.
The world seemed to stop.
No—
It was perception itself being overwhelmed.
Yuuki's pupils contracted.
The natural mana around him suddenly felt alien. An invisible force locked onto his body, thick pressure making even movement difficult.
Mana Zone — Scorching Arm: Barrage!
Mereoleona roared and punched forward.
In an instant—
Yuuki's entire body screamed in warning.
The mana-filled air itself transformed into attacks. Countless flaming fists erupted from every direction.
There was no dodging this.
It felt as though the entire world was attacking him.
Within Mana Zone, natural mana became Mereoleona's fists, eyes, senses.
This was qualitative superiority.
True transcendence.
Yuuki finally understood the terror of Mana Zone.
In a world saturated with natural mana, control over Mana Zone meant control over reality itself.
Like a fish being attacked by the sea—
There was nowhere to run.
The air burned thin.
In mere moments, Yuuki endured hundreds—thousands—of blows, his vision consumed by blinding crimson fire.
"Hahahahaha!"
Mereoleona laughed wildly.
She could feel Yuuki's presence at the center of the barrage—unweakened.
She stopped holding back entirely.
This was the first opponent since mastering Mana Zone who could withstand such fury.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions roared endlessly around Yuuki.
The ground beneath him was erased entirely—magma and rock incinerated to nothing.
The earth beneath his feet vanished by over half a meter, leaving him effectively suspended in midair.
"BREAK!!"
Yuuki roared.
A terrifying shockwave erupted as his massive mana forcibly pushed back the natural mana within the Mana Zone.
"Beast Demonic Magic — Iporapuevigu!"
An otherworldly chant escaped his lips.
Mana condensed violently before him.
HUM—
A blood-red magic circle, as tall as a man, materialized. Dense, pure energy exploded outward.
A Beast-attribute shockwave tore through Mana Zone itself and blasted toward Mereoleona.
To counter Mana Zone, one must either deploy a Mana Zone of their own—
Or overwhelm it with sheer, monstrous mana.
And that—
Was something only a handful in existence could do.
And Yuuki happened to possess mana that far surpassed Mereoleona's.
"So, this is power capable of opposing devils…"
Yuuki gasped slightly, reflecting inwardly.
Mana Zone was terrifying—but with his multiple mana origins, mastering it conventionally was nearly impossible.
"Brat—you truly earn your arrogance!"
Mereoleona grinned fiercely as she seized control of the surrounding mana.
The blood-red shockwave bent in midair, redirected skyward.
ROOOOOOM—!
The shockwave punched a massive hole through the ash-filled sky, dispersing black clouds and revealing moonlight above.
"So, you redirected the spell by manipulating surrounding mana…"
Yuuki narrowed his eyes as he landed, exhaling slowly.
Now—
He fully understood Mana Zone.
And his own limits.
"That was a good observation," Mereoleona laughed, cracking her knuckles.
"Now let's keep going!"
Both stood battered—
Both knew neither had gone all out yet.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Bonus Chapter at 2800 Powerstones.