The Moonlight Sword clashed incessantly with the magic, unleashing bursts of staggering magic power.
The buildings surrounding the duo crumbled with a crash, vast swaths of masonry reduced to rubble.
Zero shouted in exhilaration, "Haha! Incredible! Simply incredible! No wonder you could take down the Wizard Saints and the Oración Seis! It's been ages since I've faced someone of your caliber! Only a man like you is worth destroying!"
Zero waved his hand, unleashing a barrage of magic orbs. Kael snapped his wings, weaving his body through the urban sprawl.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The magic orbs slammed into the structures, obliterating them on impact.
CRASH——!
Zero burst through a building, charging straight for Kael.
"Dark Capriccio!"
Kael swung the Moonlight Sword to meet him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The Moonlight Sword and Dark Capriccio locked in a violent, grinding struggle.
"Hah!"
Zero extended a finger from his free hand toward Kael, who raised a palm to intercept it.
A sadistic grin split Zero's face. "Dark Capriccio is a piercing attack! Even if your body is as hard as steel, you can't block this!"
Splatter!
Kael's palm was skewered, a hole punched clean through it. Simultaneously, Kael drove a kick into Zero's torso.
BOOM————!!
Zero's body plummeted, smashing through the buildings below.
"Hahahaha!! Kid! I have to admit, you're something else. Massive magic power, insane defense, and overwhelming offense. If I gave you a few more years, I might not have been your match."
"But fate is a fickle thing—it brought you to me at this very moment!"
"Destroying someone like you is much more entertaining! Next, I'm going to riddle your body with holes and tear you apart! Hahahaha!!!"
Zero stepped out from the smoke, looking up at Kael with a wild, unrestrained laugh.
Even with Ulquiorra's detached personality bleeding into him, Kael couldn't help but scoff internally: Why are all villains cut from the same cloth?
Still, Zero had some skill. Fitting for a Wizard Saint-level threat; his magic was strong enough to pierce Hierro.
Kael looked down at Zero and spoke flatly, "Does wounding me bring you that much joy?"
"Brat? One of your hands is already useless. Do you still think you can win?"
Zero sneered. In a duel between masters, any injury could dictate the final outcome. A crippled hand meant it was out of the fight, and since hands were the primary conduits for magic, losing one meant his combat potential had dropped by at least thirty percent.
"Oh? My hand is useless? That's news to me."
Kael raised his injured arm. A white substance rapidly filled the cavity in his palm. In the blink of an eye, the wound sealed and vanished, leaving his hand in perfect condition.
"No... how is that possible?! Even the most advanced healing magic can't mend a wound that fast..."
Zero's eyes widened, staring at something he couldn't comprehend. As Brain, he had served in the Bureau of Magical Development and seen countless kinds of magic, but he had never encountered—nor read about—a power like this.
"High-Speed Regeneration. It's one of the abilities of the form I've taken. A hole in a palm is a minor scratch; even if my entire arm were torn off, it would regenerate in an instant."
Hearing Kael's words, Zero quickly regained his composure. "Interesting! Truly interesting! The world really is vast if such magic exists. However, I doubt you can regenerate if your brain is blown out!"
"No. Not just the brain; internal organs cannot be regenerated once destroyed either." Kael pointed to his head and then to his chest, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Hah! Are you an idiot, kid? Giving away your weaknesses to your opponent like that!"
Knowing that the brain and heart were Kael's weak points, Zero's confidence returned.
"I had to give you a glimmer of hope, after all."
"Hope?"
Zero's expression was one of pure disdain.
Kael whispered, "Resurrección: Segunda Etapa!!"
VROOOOM—!!!
A far more terrifying pressure erupted from Kael, a teal-black magic power billowing out and slamming into the surroundings.
The clothes on Kael's upper body dissolved. Black feathers sprouted across his abdomen, legs, arms, and back. The lower half of his robe split into two, forming a black swallowtail.
His wings unfurled completely, tipped with bat-like claws. The horns on his head elongated and sharpened. A long, black tail whipped out behind him, and his hands and feet transformed into lethal talons. A pitch-black hole manifested in the center of his chest, oozing a dark liquid.
"This guy..."
Zero narrowed his eyes, watching Kael's transformation.
Kael looked at Zero and said flatly, "Don't be afraid. This will be over soon."
Zero's face twisted into a snarl at Kael's words. "Stop trying to look mysterious! Just die already!!"
No matter how the kid transformed, his magic power was plain to see. The boy was a full rank below him. No matter how much stronger he got, there was a limit to his potential.
Zero kicked off the ground, surging toward Kael with explosive speed.
"Dark Capriccio!"
Zero unleashed his piercing magic once more. This time, Kael didn't move an inch.
He simply raised a palm to block.
"Hah! You brat! You've already forgotten the pain now that the wound is healed! Did you forget how I punched through your palm? This time, I'm going through your hand and your entire body!"
BOOM———!!!
Zero's spell slammed directly into Kael's palm.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!!!
The magic spiraled violently against Kael's palm, resembling a high-speed drill trying to bore through stone.
After a moment, the Dark Capriccio stalled and dissipated.
Zero stared at Kael's palm, a look of pure terror beginning to dawn on his face.
"This... how... how is this possible?!!"
Kael's palm was completely unscathed. This was a piercing spell designed to punch through steel with ease.
Yet, he had struck Kael and hadn't even broken the skin. It made no sense.
"Now you understand the gap between us."
Kael looked at Zero with an indifferent gaze.
"Huh?! You managed to block one attack and now you're acting cocky, kid?! Next time, I'm going through your skull! Let's see if your head is as hard as your hands!"
One failed attack meant nothing to him. He figured the kid had simply concentrated all his power into his palm for defense.
Kael shook his head. "It seems you still don't understand."
With a snap of his wings, Kael dived toward Zero.
"Hah! Brat! Just die!!"
Zero raised a palm, unleashing Dark Capriccio once again.
Just as the spell was about to make contact with Kael's head.
SHUA!
Kael's figure vanished instantly.
Before Zero could even begin to track him, a hand clamped onto the side of his head.
The battle continued with the same combat intensity.
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Sorry, everyone I had the posting schedule set up incorrectly over the last four days, which is why the latest chapters didn't go up. I apologize for the mistake, and thank you for your patience. The uploads should be back on track now.
Currently on Patreon: Chapter 310 available.
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