So this guy was also a descendant of the original Satans?
Badr, however, remained unfazed. He said calmly,
"You don't seem like the type who would care about the position of Satan."
"Indeed. I'm merely the product of a union between the Satan Lucifer and a human woman. I have no interest in the throne. All I've ever wanted is to battle strong opponents."
Vali Lucifer chuckled.
"I simply thought that if you signed the peace treaty, you'd lose your drive to become stronger. How boring this world would become then. As expected, you didn't disappoint me."
"So I've been on your mind this whole time?"
Badr responded flatly, his voice betraying no emotion.
"We're the same, aren't we? You also yearn to become stronger. Come, fight me!"
Vali pointed at Badr, his aura brimming with intensity.
"I do yearn for strength, but we are not the same."
Badr shook his head, then gestured lightly. "However, I suppose you won't give up until I've beaten you, will you?"
"Exactly. What are you going to do?"
"Exactly what you want, of course."
Badr stepped forward. His body held no trace of demonic power, yet he effortlessly rose into the air, floating towards Vali, their eyes meeting across the vast expanse.
"What's going on with him now? How is he doing that?"
Sona Sitri and the others couldn't comprehend Badr's current state.
"It's a powerful state known as Absolute Mastery"
Serafall Leviathan, the Maou, explained to her sister, "Reaching this level signifies complete control over one's magical power, without wasting a single drop."
Whether angel or devil, there's always a degree of leakage or wastage of holy or demonic power, especially during combat. This is what's commonly referred to as externalized magical power.
That's why you often see scenes where the more powerful a spell is, the more intense the externalized magical power, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle.
But in reality, that externalized power is just for show, a pure waste...
Most beings have no way to prevent this wastage, but some, through complete mastery over their power, can achieve a state of zero leakage.
Badr had miraculously reached this state of returning to the basics.
Clang,
King Sword appeared in his hand, and King Shield materialized before him, rotating slowly around his body.
"Heh! I'm attacking! Be ready!"
With that declaration, Vali, clad in his white armor, vanished from his spot.
Without even looking, Badr swung his sword to the right.
Clang!!
King Sword met the incoming Divine Dividing, the white dragon's light wings, with pinpoint accuracy!
A faint smile touched Badr's lips. King Sword in his hand seemed devoid of any menacing aura. His swing appeared effortless, its trajectory clear due to its seemingly slow speed.
Boom!!
He crashed into the ground, creating a crater over a hundred meters wide. The surrounding earth cracked and splintered under the impact.
"A being with Absolute Mastery can mask their attacks, making it difficult for opponents to gauge the true strength of their demonic power..."
Sirzechs Lucifer muttered, a smile spreading across his face. "impressive. To think he could reach such a strength..."
Rias and the others looked on with excitement.
Badr's seemingly ordinary sword strike had actually contained an immense amount of demonic power. Vali had clearly misjudged it, resulting in him being sent flying by the devastating blow.
Vali roared, launching himself back into the air, showing no signs of discouragement. His roar was filled with exhilaration.
"Excellent! You're worthy of my full power!"
Badr merely smiled faintly, his voice calm and confident.
"Come."
...
Vali's demonic power surged as he got serious.
He unfurled Divine Dividing, the white dragon's light wings, and a wave of demonic power washed over Badr.
Badr's heightened senses instantly detected something amiss.
Hum,
Space trembled as a colossal black city materialized within a dimensional gap, filling the entire sky of the pocket dimension.
He had activated the [Endless Dusk City], placing himself in a state of perpetual [Stasis].
"Excellent vigilance. Vali's ability has been countered."
Azazel chuckled, praising Badr's quick reaction.
"The Vanishing Dragon's power is [Half Dimension]. It weakens the target's power by half every ten seconds and absorbs that lost power to enhance its own abilities."
Sirzechs and the others were well-versed in the abilities of the White Dragon Emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons. Badr had also anticipated this move.
His response was undeniably perfect.
The [Stasis] effect of the [Endless Dusk City] rendered him immune to all status changes, effectively nullifying Vali's [Half Dimension].
Vali, however, wasn't discouraged.
"As expected, your Sacred Gear's ability can resist my [Half Dimension]. Truly An impeccable defense..."
Badr smiled faintly, his voice calm.
"It's more powerful than you imagine."
"Is that so? Then I'm even more eager to experience it!"
Vali's demonic power surged as he transformed into a streak of white light, hurtling towards Badr like a meteor.
Even without halving Badr's power, Vali's own strength was not to be underestimated!
Badr swung King Sword. As he activated his Juggernaut Drive, King Sword's amplification reached its full potential, boosting Badr's power tremendously.
This time, King Sword's amplification reached a terrifying twentyfold.
He maintained absolute control over his demonic power, not wasting a single drop, utilizing every ounce to its fullest.
But to outsiders, it appeared as though he was facing the Juggernaut Drive-activated White Dragon Emperor with his bare flesh. Each clash between them sent ripples through space.
This was, after all, just a hastily constructed pocket dimension created by the magicians. After the initial activation of the apocalyptic magic, the dimension had become unstable. Now, battered by the shockwaves of their battle, it seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Doesn't Badr need to Promote?" Akeno Himejima asked Rias curiously.
"It seems... he already Promoted himself,"
Rias replied, a puzzled expression on her face.
She, the [King], hadn't even had the chance to designate a territory for Promotion...
Sirzechs, with his greater knowledge, simply shook his head.
"You underestimate the power of Absolute Mastery. Promotion is a limitation imposed by the Evil Pieces. With Absolute Mastery, he can now break free from that limitation."
In other words, Badr could now freely wield the full power of the Evil Pieces without the need for a designated Promotion area...
"T-that's completely breaking the rules," Sona Sitri said, feeling a sense of helplessness.
She imagined the headache it would cause if she had to face Badr, a walking cheat code, during a Rating Game against Rias in the future.
"I have a feeling this is far from his limit," Michael chuckled.
Behind him, Irina Shidou's expression was complex.
She had been able to spar with Badr before, but after just a short time apart, he had become so powerful...
Just how monstrous was his talent...
Badr was indeed stronger than ever before.
But his current opponent was the White Dragon Emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons.
"Not enough! Your power is impressive, but it hasn't reached my expectations! You can get even stronger, can't you? Right!"
Vali seemed to be getting even more excited, each of his moves infused with immense demonic power.
He had maintained his Juggernaut Drive for a considerable amount of time. The price for using Juggernaut Drive was the consumption of one's life force or demonic power, yet Vali's demonic power showed no signs of weakening.
"Vali has been able to maintain his Juggernaut Drive for over a month since a long time ago. Trying to stall is pointless," Azazel reminded them with a chuckle.
Everyone watching was stunned.
This generation's White Dragon Emperor host was far more powerful than they had anticipated...
How would Badr respond?
Seemingly realizing the same thing, after exchanging dozens of blows and noticing that Vali's demonic power wasn't diminishing, Badr created some distance between them.
Swish!
A longsword radiating holy aura appeared in his hand.
"The Dragon Slayer, Ascalon? My, what a fated coincidence," Azazel chuckled.
The legendary [Dragon Slayer] facing one of the [Two Heavenly Dragons]. This battle was getting increasingly interesting.
"A holy sword that once slew a dragon, huh? A fine weapon, but it won't do much against me. If you think you can defeat me with just that sword, you're delusional."
...
Support and Read 12 Advance Chapters, Ahead of Others!!
https://p@treon.com/dragonnx
[Replace '@' with 'a' to Access Patreon Normally]
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!
avataravatar
Chapter 115: Transcendence, Bikou Appearance!
[A/N] Support & Read Up to 12 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!!
[A/N] For More Chapters — Drop Some Power Stones! ????
...
Vali Lucifer smiled faintly, unconcerned by the holy sword in Badr's hand.
Badr's expression remained calm. He stood poised in the air, King Sword in his right hand and Ascalon in his left.
"Indeed, to me, this so-called Dragon Slayer is just a sword. Did you know that this King Sword I wield was once just a piece of mundane iron?"
Looking down at the two weapons in his hands, Badr spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Is that so? What are you trying to say?" Vali seemed happy to engage in conversation with a strong individual like Badr.
"You consider Sacred Gears to be gifts bestowed by God, but I disagree."
Badr casually uttered words that would have been considered blasphemous in the past, but now, with the God gone, no one would pursue such matters.
"Whether it's the Dragon Slayer or King Sword, their power stems from certain unique properties.
Is it the one who draws the hero's sword that makes them a hero? No, it's the sword wielded by a hero that becomes the hero's sword."
"...An interesting perspective," Vali mused, seemingly lost in thought.
"The Dragon Slayer became the Dragon Slayer because the one who wielded it killed a dragon. King Sword became King Sword because the one who wielded it was a king. And now... I am the one wielding them."
Badr smiled faintly. "After my recent Progress, I've come to understand these intriguing concepts."
With that, he casually swung the Dragon Slayer.
-Balance Breaker."
Hummm~
As everyone watched in stunned silence, the Dragon Slayer, Ascalon, which was not a Sacred Gear, transformed into one right before their eyes, allowing Badr to successfully activate a second Balance Breaker!!
...
If Badr's previous feats were still comprehensible to a few Maou-level individuals, his current actions were beyond the understanding of even Sirzechs and the others.
The Dragon Slayer, Ascalon, was undoubtedly a powerful weapon, its might comparable to some ordinary Sacred Gears. However, it was not a Sacred Gear; this was a universally acknowledged fact.
But Badr had completely overturned this common knowledge!
He had transformed a holy sword into a Sacred Gear right in front of everyone!
There was no mistaking the distinct aura of a Sacred Gear. Sirzechs and the others couldn't possibly mistake it.
Azazel, in particular, was astounded. He had been researching Sacred Gears for a long time, even creating artificial Sacred Gears himself. Yet, the method Badr employed was something he had never witnessed before.
With the Dragon Slayer successfully transformed into a Sacred Gear and its Balance Breaker activated, Badr's gaze turned serious.
After the Balance Breaker, Ascalon, the newly ascended Sacred Gear, gained new abilities.
In addition to the significant increase in attack power that came with the Balance Breaker, it also gained the [Penetration] effect.
Only Badr, with his absolute control over the weapon, knew the explosive power contained within him.
The feeling of overwhelming strength gave him the illusion that he could split the heavens with a single hand.
Whoosh!
Badr vanished from his spot.
Vali's heart pounded in his chest. Even with his heightened senses, he could only perceive a faint blur approaching rapidly from his side!
He barely managed to raise his White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings to shield half of his body before he was sent hurtling backward.
While still in mid-air, a deep gash appeared on his chest, spraying blood everywhere.
I was hit?
The thought flashed through his mind.
He forcefully stopped the bleeding with his demonic power, but the intense pain still assaulted his nerves. It was the Dragon Slayer's inherent anti-devil attribute.
Badr, now a hybrid of holy and demonic power, wielding a weapon specifically designed to slay devils, was indeed a formidable opponent.
But what truly bothered Vali was his inability to comprehend the power Badr demonstrated.
How could he transform a holy sword into a Sacred Gear?
Weren't Sacred Gears created by God?
And he could even activate its Balance Breaker...
Were Sacred Gears supposed to be this easy to create?
It's not the sword that chooses the hero, but the hero who chooses the sword...
The phrase echoed in Vali's mind, stirring a flicker of understanding, but a thin veil still obscured the complete picture.
What kind of power had Badr grasped that made him so powerful?
The same question lingered in the minds of everyone present.
"Could it be... that you've touched upon that Domain?"
A voice suddenly emanated from Vali.
The crystalline fragments on his body shimmered, as if breathing.
Badr looked at Vali, recognizing the voice as belonging to the Sacred Gear residing within him.
"The White Dragon Emperor?"
"I am Albion, the Vanishing Dragon."
"It's an honor."
Badr responded calmly, but everyone could tell it was mere politeness. He didn't sound particularly impressed...
"Albion, what Domain are you referring to?" Vali asked curiously.
He was truly itching to know. The feeling of being on the cusp of understanding but unable to grasp it was driving him mad.
"...That Domain is called [Transcendence]."
The words sent shockwaves through everyone present.
With Albion's explanation, Sirzechs and the other top-tier individuals of the Three Factions finally understood.
It was that unique state!
"Transcendence... It's said to be a Domain attainable only by those who become [Transcendent Beings]. I always thought it was just a legend... Has Badr truly reached it at his current level?" Serafall Leviathan exclaimed in astonishment.
