"Buzz!"
As the air hummed, a series of gigantic Magic Circles rotated into existence around Leo, who was flying in mid-air. Like cannon muzzles, they aimed at Miyamoto Musashi below.
Vast magical power gathered in each Magic Circle, instantly transforming into magic bullets powerful enough to vaporize the air, raining down below.
Each of these magic bullets was exceptionally large, unlike the ones Leo used to casually unleash. The shortest of them was at least two meters long, even bigger than Leo himself.
Any one of these magic bullets could shatter a mountain peak or destroy a building, causing Yuuki Asuna, who was witnessing such terrifying power for the first time, to widen her eyes in shock.
"What incredible magical power."
However, Miyamoto Musashi, the target locked by these incredibly powerful magic bullets, merely let out a sound of admiration.
Immediately after, the sword she carried on her shoulder moved.
"Boom!"
The moment the sword light flashed, a roar directly reverberated through the air.
The sword in Miyamoto Musashi's hand seemed to become a strike that cleaved through time, flashing like a white light, directly slashing at the incoming magic bullets.
Magic bullets poured down, but they were all swallowed by that single, simple sword strike, directly obliterated by the fleeting sword light.
Yes, obliterated.
The instant the sword light touched the magic bullets, all the magic bullets, powerful enough to shatter mountains and destroy buildings, melted away in an instant, like winter snow touching a flame.
"That is...?!"
Leo's expression subtly changed, his gaze somewhat solemn.
He had already activated his magic perception when he made his move, bringing the entire area within his sensory range, striving not to miss any detail in the battle to react in time.
And in his perception, the moment Miyamoto Musashi swung her sword, the entire space seemed to be cleaved open, causing the magic bullets he had released to be swallowed by the gaping spatial rift, instantly banished to another world.
But how could such a thing be possible?
"Nothing is impossible, Young Master Leo!"
As if knowing what Leo was thinking, Miyamoto Musashi spoke.
"I'm actually very stubborn. Once I decide to accomplish something, I'll commit myself wholeheartedly to ensure the goal is achieved."
"In the past, when dueling others, to avoid losing, I've feigned death, used flowery words to deceive people, and made an ugly escape, only to return to challenge them again once I'd fully recovered."
"It's despicable and shameless, isn't it? But that's just how I am. Once I have a goal, I dedicate my entire being to it, with only that goal in my eyes."
"Thus, after reincarnating as a demon and gaining the magical power to materialize imagination into reality, my sword became special."
Miyamoto Musashi raised the sword in her hand, pointing it at Leo in mid-air.
"For example, if I want to cut off your right arm, and I'm willing to use any means to achieve it, then my next slash will become the most rational slash."
"It narrows all means used to achieve the goal down to just 'swinging the sword,' limiting an infinitely possible future to only one outcome."
"In this way, any defensive measures you take will become useless, and evasion will be impossible. All you can do is withstand it head-on, with no other recourse."
This was the Buddha's sword, capable of severing all karma, past lives, curses, and misfortunes with a single stroke. It was the one-cut Miyamoto Musashi spoke of, devoid of any excess, conquering time and space.
"Just now, too, facing your full-power magic attack, I had only one thought: to unleash a sword strike that could obliterate them. The resulting outcome was to cleave them along with space itself."
Miyamoto Musashi displayed a childlike, innocent smile, as if introducing a child she was proud of.
"This is my sword, my blade, after becoming a demon."
Reducing existence to its ultimate form, breaking through infinity to reach zero—such was Miyamoto Musashi's swordsmanship.
"Young Master, you should show your true strength, otherwise, with the next strike, I might just take your head."
Miyamoto Musashi said these words as if joking, but no one who heard them could dismiss them as a jest; instead, they could clearly perceive the seriousness beneath her smile.
Leo was no different.
Therefore, without any hesitation, he revealed his true strength, just as Miyamoto Musashi had suggested.
"Rumble—"
The mid-air began to emit a thunderous roar, and heavy dark clouds appeared out of nowhere.
The dark clouds rolled in, taking less than a second to replace the basement ceiling, transforming it into a sky dominated by Leo.
"Boom!"
Countless lightning bolts rolled within the dark clouds and then crashed down, converging on Leo's slowly raised palm, where he tightly gripped them.
At this moment, not to mention Miyamoto Musashi, even Yuuki Asuna felt a familiar power fluctuation from Leo.
This is... "Sacred Gear?"
Yuuki Asuna was surprised.
"This Sacred Gear fluctuation... could it be a god-slaying tool?"
Miyamoto Musashi was equally surprised, having never expected to see a Sacred Gear on Leo, let alone one of the god-slaying tool class.
Leaving aside other things, the mere appearance of a Sacred Gear on Leo was enough to cause astonishment.
Because Sacred Gears are unique powers created by gods for humans to use; only humans can be chosen by Sacred Gears.
Like Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuuki Asuna, they were Sacred Gear Holders before reincarnating as demons, which is why they could be chosen by Sacred Gears and become Sacred Gear Holders.
But Leo is a natural-born demon, an otherworldly being who inherited the bloodline of a pure-blooded demon. Logically, he shouldn't be able to be chosen by a Sacred Gear.
"No, Young Master Leo only has half pure-blooded demon lineage; the other half is the bloodline of a human Exorcist!"
Miyamoto Musashi finally realized, discerning the truth within.
Because he possessed half human blood, Leo also had the possibility of being chosen by a Sacred Gear, and becoming a Sacred Gear Holder was an understandable matter.
The only question was... "A god-slaying tool capable of controlling the sky and natural attributes... could that Sacred Gear be...?"
Miyamoto Musashi was indeed a demon who had lived for several centuries. As a Retainer of the Demon King, her knowledge and experience far surpassed ordinary people.
However, by the time she realized what Leo's Sacred Gear was, Leo had already swung the hammer of lightning in his hand.
"Rumble!"
Amidst the fierce thunder, countless lightning bolts intertwined, forming an enraged divine hammer, carrying boundless thunder light, striking towards Miyamoto Musashi.
"Bring it on!"
Miyamoto Musashi, far from being surprised, was instead delighted, her eyes shining dazzlingly. Her figure, like a bursting storm, directly charged towards the incoming furious lightning.
"Pfft!"
She unleashed an astonishingly brilliant sword strike, the sword light as dazzling as ten thousand bolts of lightning, instantly severing the incoming electricity, causing countless intertwined lightning bolts to explode on the spot.
"Boom—Boom—Boom—"
Leo seemed not to have expected to defeat Miyamoto Musashi with a single strike. Seeing Miyamoto Musashi cleave his unleashed furious lightning with one sword, he immediately and mercilessly drew down bolts of lightning from the sky, continuously striking Miyamoto Musashi.
Miyamoto Musashi had already drawn another sword from her waist. With two swords dancing in her hands, she unleashed a series of dazzling sword lights at astonishing speed, continuously cleaving lightning and breaking through the thunderous glow.
Seeing this, Leo continued to summon lightning while raising his other hand, activating the power of Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison, causing the ground to tremble.
The next second, the earth and rocks on the ground rose up, dust filled the air, and countless clumps of earth and stones coalesced into an earthen dragon with prominent horns, roaring as it charged towards Miyamoto Musashi.
This scene further confirmed Miyamoto Musashi's conjecture.
"It really is the second-ranked god-slaying tool—Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison!"
Miyamoto Musashi finally understood why she felt an urge to fight when encountering a junior demon.
"One of only thirteen god-slaying tools, and a top-tier one ranked second among them, is more than enough as an opponent!"
Miyamoto Musashi's fighting spirit was fully ignited. Laughing heartily without any regard for her image, she suddenly turned and unleashed another swift and fierce sword strike at the incoming earthen dragon.
The sword light flashed, and a simple, unadorned strike directly severed the earthen dragon's head, causing the earth and stones to disintegrate and dust to fall.
But immediately after, the sound of exploding flames and sweeping gales began to reverberate.
Rolling flames transformed into a fiery wave assaulting Miyamoto Musashi from her left, while a violent tornado, like a drill capable of piercing the heavens, erupted from her right, forming a pincer attack that roared and engulfed her figure.
"Bang!"
Miyamoto Musashi broke through the flames and storm, her clothes showing some signs of damage, but the swords in her hands slashed even more intensely. Sword light flashed in waves, actually splitting the pursuing flames and storm in two, severing them with a single stroke.
"It's not over yet!"
Leo, relentless, furiously unleashed his magical power, pushing Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison to the maximum power he could currently control, causing blizzards and great floods to appear in the basement.
The vast basement instantly transformed into a scene of natural disaster. Ten thousand bolts of lightning fell from the sky, earthen dragons roared amidst the dust on the ground, raging fires rolled like a sky-obscuring sea of flames, violent storms swept everything away, and blizzards and great floods wreaked havoc. The spectacle was grand, comparable to a corner of the apocalypse.
"Is this... is this Mr. Leo's power?"
Outside the barrier, Yuuki Asuna was dumbfounded, gazing at the man standing amidst the natural disasters, her eyes filled with both shock and a hint of elusive admiration.
Leo was completely oblivious to this, his entire being immersed in the battle, fully displaying all the knowledge he possessed.