Yusuke's weakest stat was strength. It was two points lower than spirit and agility, and three points lower than physique. Even so, it was still more than a million times stronger than the peak of an average human.
With the addition of Armament Haki that he had just acquired, even at only level one, a simple punch thrown into the empty air already held enough power to completely erase an entire city from existence.
The force of the punch erupted outward like a massive air cannonball. It violently shoved the surrounding air aside, producing a piercing screech that resounded through the silent desert. In the next split second, a deafening explosive boom erupted as the invisible pressure hit Sirzechs. Sand exploded outward in every direction, spiraling upward in a violent tornado of golden grains.
When the swirling dust and sand finally settled, a gigantic deep crater gaped in the ground where the impact had landed, its edges still crumbling inward.
"You have grown stronger, much stronger than before."
Yusuke turned his head to the left. There stood Sirzechs, completely unscathed. A rippling black-crimson aura danced across his body like living flames as he watched Yusuke with a puzzled expression. "Strange... How exactly did you manage it?"
Sirzechs, Grayfia, and the others had all estimated that Yusuke's strength was around the level of an Ultimate Class Devil, and even then on the weaker side of that rank. It was already extremely impressive for someone his age, especially for a human. The massive difference in strength he displayed right now made Sirzechs feel both surprised and suspicious. It made him wonder if Yusuke had been hiding his true power all along, or if he had somehow gained it through some unknown means.
"I don't know. It always happens whenever I get pushed into a truly dangerous situation," Yusuke said with a casual shrug. He clenched both fists tightly and continued, "But I do know one thing though..."
The moment the first half of his words left his lips, his figure blurred into a flash of motion. In an instant, he reappeared directly in front of Sirzechs, his right fist already rocketing forward with ferocious speed.
"People get punched when they fight!"
BOOMM!
The punch exploded toward Sirzechs at point-blank range, carrying the same devastating force as before, if not more. This time, the impact released violent shockwaves from the point of contact, blasting sand and air outward in every direction.
Bang!
A black-crimson aura suddenly erupted outward like jagged lightning ripples, tearing through the thick curtain of dust and swirling sand, scattering everything apart. When the scene cleared, Sirzechs stood there with Yusuke's fist caught in his hand. From his palm, the crimson Power of Destruction glowed before exploding outward, blasting Yusuke away.
'Shit, he is really freaking strong.' Yusuke felt genuine surprise that Sirzechs had managed to stop his punch. Didn't Sona say that Sirzechs was considered the ultimate wizard technique type Devil?
He looked down at his hand and noticed that his skin had actually been injured. A light bruise had formed across his knuckles before quickly mending itself, thanks to his high recovery.
It had to be the Power of Destruction that Sirzechs emitted earlier. Just that tiny amount had been enough to actually damage his skin.
[Don't you say, stupid cunt! Did you think he was a glass cannon or something?] B2 snorted at his stupid misconception. [Even if this red-headed cuckold is more adept at ranged attacks, that doesn't mean he is completely weak in close combat. If he were like that, he wouldn't be considered the strongest Devil.]
'Yeah, true.' Yusuke never held any stupid hope of beating Sirzechs with just his punches. For the most part, he was simply testing his new strength, while also gauging how strong Sirzechs actually was.
"My turn," Sirzechs spoke. His expression remained calm as numerous small spheres suddenly appeared, floating around him.
These small spheres were Sirzechs's signature technique, known as the Demonic Bullets of Annihilation. Through years of training, along with the natural demonic power talent of the Gremory House, Sirzechs had learned to shape his Power of Destruction into numerous highly mobile spheres. Each one could erase things without leaving a trace and even bypass the defenses of his target, which allowed him to eliminate enemies while causing minimal damage to the surroundings.
Just one of these bullets was enough to erase an Ultimate Class Devil from existence.
Swoosh!
All the bullets shot toward Yusuke from every direction at incredible speed.
Although Yusuke was confident in his tough body, which now had 24 points in physique, he was not stupid enough to take these bullets head-on. Without any hesitation, his figure blurred as he evaded them with astonishing speed. He moved so fast that numerous afterimages trailed behind him, while explosions of sonic booms echoed across the empty desert.
High speed, coupled with high reaction speed and also Observation Haki, was a frightening combination. Although the bullets continued to pursue him, he was having an easy time dodging them as he predicted their paths before they could even move.
"How troublesome," Sirzechs created more bullets and controlled them to form a tight net, trying to block Yusuke's path. But Yusuke moved like a slippery eel, always finding a way through the gaps as if he already knew their direction beforehand.
The bullets possessed incredibly destructive power. Each one of them was as strong as Venelana's strongest attack. But if they could not hit their target, they were useless.
'My speed is still great,' Yusuke moved through the gaps while dodging the bullets chasing him. Sometimes he rushed straight through them, sometimes he moved in a zigzagging pattern. Despite the intensity of the situation, he remained very relaxed as he assessed the improvement in his speed.
With his current speed alone, he did not need to worry about being hit. In a sense, speed itself was a form of defense. As long as someone was fast enough, they would not get hit and could keep the initiative to either stay or escape. That was far better than having strong defense but slow movement speed, which would only turn someone into a punching bag.
'Alright, that's enough testing.' Suddenly, Yusuke used his Telekinesis to push the bullets away. However, to his astonishment, he failed.
It was as if the Power of Destruction could erase even something as intangible as Telekinesis.
'This is ridiculous!' Yusuke clicked his tongue once again at the terrifying potential of the Power of Destruction and at Sirzechs's absurd talent. The man was literally a monster.
But he also felt excited. The moment he remembered that he too would obtain the Power of Destruction, his anticipation grew. The greater the potential Sirzechs displayed, the more excited Yusuke became.
"Come, Lævateinn," As he stretched his hand forward while moving through the air and dodging the bullets, a column of flame suddenly ignited before him. Yusuke reached into it and pulled out a golden longsword.
Without hesitation, he turned around and swung the sword with all his strength, injecting his magic power into it. A gigantic arc of flame erupted from the blade. The blazing wave surged forward toward the numerous bullets, submerging them in a sea of fire as it continued its path straight toward Sirzechs.
But something strange happened. The moment the flames touched the bullets, they were dispersed and destroyed. Every part of the fire that came into contact with them was erased as if it had never existed, leaving conspicuous gaps in the sweeping arc.
Bang!
The massive arc struck Sirzechs and created a huge explosion. Scorching waves of heat spread outward as a sea of flame engulfed the area, the intense temperature even crystallizing the surrounding sand. However, as expected, Sirzechs stood calmly within the flames without a single scratch.
"A Sacred Gear?" Sirzechs was once again surprised. Just how many surprises did Yusuke still have? If this had happened a few weeks ago, he would have been genuinely happy and excited to witness all the unexpected abilities Yusuke could reveal. After all, Yusuke was supposed to become his brother-in-law and his ototo.
But the man standing before him now was the one who had seduced his wife and even his mother, turning the entire Gremory household into a nest of cuckolds.
Who knew what might happen in the future? What if he ended up seducing his grandmother as well, or even worse, his son's future wife if he ever had one? Sirzechs shivered just imagining such a scene. This Yusuke was the nemesis of their entire bloodline!
Yusuke did not bother correcting him. He turned and shot toward Sirzechs. Dragon Slaying Fire engulfed his body, leaving a long blazing trail behind him in the air. He dodged the bullets with minimal movement while rapidly closing the distance between them.
The reason Yusuke had been so pleased when he obtained Lævateinn was that it was extremely compatible with Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. Lævateinn embodied the very concept of a dragon and granted its wielder the abilities of one. When combined with Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, the two formed a perfect combination.
This time, it was Sirzechs who took the initiative to move. He retreated while firing more and more bullets. Some of them were small while others were large, and they moved in complex patterns.
'He seems able to predict my attacks. Is it some kind of mind-reading ability? If that is the case...' As Sirzechs observed Yusuke, a thought crossed his mind. Although he did not know what Observation Haki was, he possessed extensive combat experience. In the past, he had even fought enemies who could read minds and had still managed to defeat them.
He quickly abandoned precise control of the bullets. Instead, he willed them to move chaotically in every direction. This way, even he, the caster, did not know the path the bullets would take.
Bang! Bang!
His guess proved correct. Not long after he changed his tactic, Yusuke began to show slight difficulty dodging the bullets. Some of them grazed his clothes, erasing parts of the fabric wherever they touched.
Even so, this tactic might have worked against someone else, but Yusuke's speed and reaction were ridiculous. He still managed to dodge the bullets at the last second every time, which only made Sirzechs grow increasingly annoyed.
It felt like reaching out to eat something, only for someone to snatch it away right before it could enter your mouth.
**
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