"Jihahaha! I am the Golden Lion!"
Shiki's laughter was cold, revealing a mouthful of white teeth and exuding a powerful killing intent.
"My apologies, Golden Lion-san." Aeridar tilted his head, licked his lips, and grinned savagely. "From now on, it's either I kill you or you kill me!"
"Jihahaha! You're a long way from that, you damn brat!" Shiki laughed loudly, spreading his arms wide.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sky seemed to be covered by a gigantic shadow. Aeridar looked up to see two actual islands emerging from the clouds above, a sight that felt like they were blotting out the sun.
"Whoa, whoa... Carrying two islands with you? Is that even possible?" Aeridar's eyes widened in dumbfounded amazement.
In truth, the two islands above Aeridar were not particularly large compared to most islands—they were small ones, about three to four square kilometers in size (for context, the Senkaku Islands are about 3.91 square kilometers), and Shiki's own island ship was just over one square kilometer.
But relative to a single person, even a giant, they were unimaginably immense, especially when floating directly overhead. It was no exaggeration to say they blotted out the sun.
"Jihahaha! Now die!" Shiki laughed maniacally, waving his right hand. One of the islands suddenly accelerated, hurtling toward Aeridar.
"Damn it! You can't get me with that trick!"
Aeridar cursed, then clenched his fist. The veins on his arm bulged, and the muscles hidden in his sleeve swelled like coiling dragons as he launched a powerful punch into the air.
Impact Cannon!!!
In an instant, a blinding white light burst forth. A massive amount of air condensed into a visible white column three meters in diameter, which shot into the sky like a pillar meant to pierce the heavens. It slammed directly into the oncoming island.
Boom!
The entire island shook violently. A huge amount of rocks, dirt, and tall trees rained down from it. The column of air tore through the island with overwhelming force, completely piercing it from the bottom up.
Using the tunnel created by the air cannon, Aeridar dodged the island's collision and landed on top of it.
"Perfect! Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!!!" Shiki roared, waving his hands.
Rumble!
The island shook as the ground flipped up like giant waves. Countless chunks of dirt, rocks, and trees were kneaded together to form several giant, roaring lion heads, which lunged at Aeridar on the island.
"Shinra Tensei!!!"
Seeing the lion heads closing in from all sides, Aeridar was fearless. He stretched out his arm, and an invisible repulsive force surged out from his center. Everything on the ground beneath him was lifted and flung away by this unseen power.
Rumble!
In a flash, the terrifying impact shattered the surrounding giant lion heads just as they were about to converge. Countless fragments of dirt, rocks, and trees were sent flying outward, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
When everything settled, a circular crater, one kilometer in diameter and two to three meters deep, was left in the ground beneath Aeridar's feet.
"Jihahaha! Die!"
Shiki's fury turned to delight. He brought his hands together, and the island Aeridar was on began to ascend, while the other island in the sky descended. The two islands flew toward each other, set to collide.
Rumble!
The two islands flew at incredible speed, colliding in an instant like two giant meteorites. A deafening roar erupted, and the terrifying impact sent out visible air currents, creating a storm of powerful, hurricane-like winds.
"That trick won't work on me!"
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind Shiki. Almost at the same moment, Shiki twisted his torso and swept his leg back.
Clang!
Another violent airwave burst forth. Aeridar's hand was shiny and black like metal, gripping Shiki's blade tightly.
"Heh heh, you won't know until you try!"
Shiki shrugged dismissively, then flipped his body, and his other leg swung down in an aerial slash.
"Tch, you old monster!" Aeridar didn't meet the blow. He let go and dropped, avoiding the slash.
Swish!
In an instant, a golden sword slash shot past Aeridar's head and flew for at least a thousand meters until it was out of sight.
Aeridar then threw an aerial punch at Shiki. A white glow burst forth, and a shockwave of condensed air blasted Shiki, who was too slow to dodge.
Boom!
Shiki was sent flying hundreds of meters, slamming directly into the remnants of the two broken islands floating in the air, creating a plume of dust.
"You damn brat! Lion's Threat: Shattering Valley!!!"
A few seconds later, Shiki's enraged roar echoed from within the two broken floating islands. At the same time, a dozen or so brilliant golden sword slashes flew out, enveloping the space where Aeridar had been.
"Pathetic!" Aeridar sneered and instantly vanished.
With repeated combat, Aeridar was becoming more proficient with his instantaneous movement ability. It was safe to say that with his ability to fly and teleport, he was in an unassailable position.
Boom!
The second after Aeridar disappeared, the two broken floating islands suddenly exploded and completely disintegrated. The terrifying impact created a series of shockwaves that sent countless rocks, dirt, and trees flying.
In the sky.
"You damn brat! I'll kill you! Lion's Threat: Imperial Earth Bind!!!" Shiki's roar reverberated through the hazy sky.
Then, the ground from the two islands that had been destroyed was forcibly merged together by an unseen force, forming a good twenty or so giant lion heads, each dozens of meters tall and all floating in the air.
"Hohohoho! Golden Lion! Let me use the power of your rival to bring down the curtain on you! Impact: Grand Airquake!!!"
From within the smoke-filled haze, Aeridar's insane laughter rang out.
Crack!
Crack crack crack crack!
The next moment, the atmosphere began to crack. Dense, spiderweb-like fissures continuously spread through the air. In a moment, the air within a hundred-meter radius was a network of fractures.
"No! This is impossible! Impossible!"
A hysterical voice cried out. Shiki's face twisted into an expression of ultimate horror.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The air warped, and powerful vibrations passed through it in waves. The giant lion heads made of rock, dirt, and trees were instantly shattered, releasing a hurricane-like blast that ravaged the sky.
If this were on the ground, it would have surely reduced several kilometers of land to rubble and torn the earth itself apart.