~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon

~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!

Meanwhile, in the competitors' lounge backstage...

"TH-THIS POWER IS..."

On the sofa, watching the live broadcast of the arena battle on the wall-mounted screen, Rias shot to her feet in shock.

How should she put it? While she didn't particularly dislike Kuroka, they were still rivals at the end of the day, constantly arguing over sleeping arrangements with Bokue.

But she never imagined that this seemingly perverted Nekomata—who appeared to think of nothing but lewd activities all day—possessed such overwhelming strength!

It was like suddenly discovering that the trash-talking gaming buddy you'd been playing with every day was actually the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Could it really be this extreme?

❁❁❁❁

"I never expected Miss Kuroka to be this powerful..."

Akeno Himejima beside her was clearly stunned as well, covering her mouth with one hand, her expression filled with disbelief.

"But isn't Miss Kuroka a Nekoshou? Even if Nekoshou are the strongest among Nekomata, it shouldn't reach this level..."

Indeed, Akeno had absolute authority to speak on this matter.

After all, the Himejima family was essentially similar to the Keikain family—one was an exorcist clan, the other an onmyoji clan. Though their names differed slightly, their work was practically identical.

So even as a daughter of the Himejima branch family, Akeno had read virtually every text about yokai since childhood, including detailed information about the Nekomata clan.

The point remained—Nekoshou might be the strongest among Nekomata, but they absolutely shouldn't be this powerful... This had completely transcended racial limitations!

"Seems I've been feeding her too well over the years..."

Listening to the girls' whispered discussions, Bokue covered his face with his hand.

Thinking back to when he'd journeyed westward and first encountered Kuroka, they'd traveled together ever since. Without money for inns, they could only travel and fight during the day, then find random places to rest at night.

With no entertainment available, they could only do 'that' to pass the time.

Now, in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed. He'd somehow transformed a weak, helpless (but lazy and gluttonous) Nekomata girl into a Transcendent.

Just as Bokue was thinking this, the white-haired cat-eared girl beside him suddenly twitched her ears. In her beautiful golden eyes—identical to her sister's—her gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Wait, that big dark guy... seems to have other powers he hasn't used yet."

Hm??

Bokue lowered his hand from his face. When his gaze returned to the screen, he saw Gald—who'd been completely crushed by Kuroka's aura seconds ago—somehow struggling back to his feet.

And his appearance seemed to have undergone some changes.

❁❁❁❁

"Ngh..."

On the arena platform, Gald—who had completely shed his human appearance—wiped the blood from his mouth, supporting himself on one knee as he slowly straightened up.

Inky blackness stained his sclera, making his dark golden pupils appear startlingly clear. Blood-red demon horns grew from both sides of his forehead, and the crimson patterns on his cheeks became even more vivid, as red as fresh blood itself.

His sharp demonic wings burst from Gald's back like projectiles, the resulting shockwave mixed with waves of scorching flames.

Hisssss—

A drop of crimson fell from his fingertip, hitting the ground and sending up a wisp of smoke.

That wasn't blood, nor was it sweat—it was... magma!

Having completely released his demon form, Gald was like Akainu from One Piece at full power. What flowed through his body was no longer hot blood.

He was a flame demon! What coursed through his veins was boiling magma!

"Oh~"

Kuroka made an 'I see' sound.

"Though nobody wants to admit it verbally, your actions prove it—you really are stronger than your Demon Lord. After all, without power surpassing Satan-class, under my aura suppression, forget standing up—you wouldn't even be able to think about resisting."

"As I said before..."

Gald's eyes blazed with fighting spirit, showing no fear.

"Becoming a king requires more than just raw power. Lord Leohart is better suited to lead the Northern Territory than I am. And I... must fulfill my duty here!"

"Like fighting with everything you've got even though you can't win?"

"...Even so, I cannot disgrace the Current Demon Lord faction's reputation here!"

"Is that so? Then let's see what you've got."

Kuroka beckoned mockingly with her index finger.

"Do your best. Don't forget—you only get one punch against me."

"Hmph!"

No more words were needed. The crimson flames erupting from Gald's body said everything.

A Satan-class being throwing a punch at a Transcendent—this was an unprecedented feat.

Even if the result was still defeat, he, Gald, would never retreat!

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Satan-class magical power exploded forth at full force. Gald roared as he gathered all his magic into his fist.

Two extremely opposing auras collided chaotically within the arena's barrier like turbulent currents, pushing the already strained protective barrier to its breaking point. Dense cracks spread visibly across its surface, as if it would shatter in the next second.

Even the cat-eared referee girl—who'd been trying to hype up the atmosphere—couldn't help but panic, uncharacteristically beginning to plead:

"Um... both fighters seem so powerful that just the clash of their auras has pushed the barrier beyond its limits. This referee has to remind all participants to prioritize safety. Traditional rules say to stop when—"

But these words had absolutely no effect on the two on the platform.

As his power reached its peak, Gald stomped forward with enough force to shatter the ground beneath him.

Before his flaming fist even moved, suffocating heat had already swept through the arena.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Finally, with an ear-splitting roar, Gald threw forward this strike containing all his power. Explosive flames capable of easily vaporizing an entire city transformed into a dragon, charging straight at the cat-eared girl.

Yet facing this unstoppable blow, Kuroka merely stuck out her little pink tongue to lick her wrist in boredom.

"Well, since I rarely get to fight, might as well try that move I got inspired by Bokue ages ago."

With that, she also clenched her fist. Without any charging time, powerful yokai energy instantly condensed at her knuckles, emitting a faint white glow.

Then came a casual punch.

"Kitty... Blast Punch!!!"

When this strike launched, a massive white pillar of light erupted skyward from the arena, effortlessly shattering the protective barrier and piercing through the clouds straight into the sky, sweeping clean the sky for thousands of miles around.

~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

Keep the chapters coming—Support with Power Stones!