Faint embers still flickered across the shattered ground as Tenra gazed up at Bikou, floating on his cloud. With a thought, Tenra dismissed his dragon armor—no need for the Red Emperor's power this time.
"Hey, hey, you're not using your dragon gear? If you're not fighting all out, where's the fun in that?"
Bikou's eyes narrowed, a hint of irritation in his voice.
He thinks I'm underestimating him. He's not wrong.
"Relax, I promise you won't be bored. Besides the Red Emperor's gauntlet and White Emperor's wings, I've got plenty more tricks. In fact, there's one artifact that's just right for you."
Tenra's lips curled into a sly grin as a silver staff shimmered into his hand—his [Ruyi Iron Staff], one of his prized Sacred Gears.
He spun it, the air whistling with sharp flourishes, then pointed at the distant horizon. The staff shot out, stretching impossibly long—and with a thunderous crack, it blasted through a distant mountain peak.
"How's that? Not disappointed, I hope."
Tenra retracted the staff, giving Bikou a cold, challenging smile.
Bikou's eyes lit up with wild excitement. "Oh-ho… That's the legendary staff the old man mentioned—the one said to rival my Ruyi Jingu Bang. You really do have a collection, Red Emperor."
He grinned, battle spirit blazing. Even his Ruyi Jingu Bang vibrated with anticipation.
"Come on, before the Maou get here—let's go all out!"
"As you wish."
Tenra called, "Hermes' Boots!"
Golden wings unfurled at his feet, propelling him skyward. His iron staff spun like a turbine, then lunged straight at Bikou.
Bikou laughed, launching himself from his cloud, Ruyi Jingu Bang thrusting forward to meet Tenra's attack.
The sky split as staff met staff—metal shrieked, light flared, and then—
BOOM!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two golden streaks crashed and rebounded through the air, no magic, no tricks—just raw, explosive force.
Bikou's staff sent Tenra flying ten thousand meters; Tenra's iron staff smashed Bikou deep into the earth. Blow for blow, the two traded strikes, their weapons stretching and shrinking in dizzying patterns that blurred the sky.
"Extend—Ruyi Jingu Bang!"
"Extend—Iron Staff!"
Miles apart, both fighters roared in unison. Two monstrous staves, thick as pillars, swept across the heavens and collided with a deafening crash.
BOOM!
Thunder rolled. The sky and earth groaned in agony.
Far below, Rias and Koneko clapped their hands over their ears, grimacing against the shockwave.
Bikou threw back his head and laughed, wild and free. "Ha! This is living!"
Tenra grinned, eyes gleaming. Together, they unleashed a thousand staff shadows, filling the sky with a barrage of strikes that detonated in a blinding storm.
The blast sent both men tumbling, but Bikou, riding his cloud, steadied himself first.
"Ruyi Jingu Bang—shoot him down!"
His eyes flashed as the staff shot out, extending like a bullet toward Tenra.
Tenra, still spinning through the air, whipped his staff into position—
CLANG!
He barely blocked the strike.
But the assault didn't stop. The Ruyi Jingu Bang kept stretching, pushing Tenra higher and higher into the sky—ten meters, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand. Soon, Tenra was nearly launched into orbit.
With a twist, he slipped aside, letting the staff rocket past his ear. His expression turned cold, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.
Not bad, Bikou. Now, let me return the favor.
Raising his iron staff high, Tenra poured spiritual energy into it.
"Bigger! Bigger! Bigger! BIGGER!"
The staff swelled, growing into a colossal pillar that blotted out the stars.
Bikou clicked his tongue, sensing his staff had missed. He reeled it in, shrinking it back to normal. Golden flames danced in his eyes as he scanned the sky for Tenra.
And then—
He froze in horror.
Not just Bikou—Rias and Koneko, watching from below, stared up, mouths agape.
A gigantic staff, vast as a mountain, came crashing down from the heavens—
Slow only in appearance, its speed was terrifying. Even from afar, the pressure was suffocating. Winds howled, the air churned.
Rias's face blanched. She summoned her Red Emperor's armor, swept up Koneko and the unconscious Kuroka, and fled as fast as her wings could carry them.
Staying here was suicide.
Rias and the others escaped, but Bikou was locked in place—nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Every hair on his body stood on end as he raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang in desperate defense.
"Ruyi Jingu Bang!"
He poured every last drop of spiritual power into the staff, forcing it to expand and shield him.
But compared to Tenra's world-crushing iron staff, it was pitifully small.
No time left.
Tenra's iron staff, now a sky-piercing titan, crashed down, the wind pressure alone threatening to pulverize everything.
BOOM!
It was like a nuclear blast—night turned to day as a blazing sun erupted. The shockwave flattened the forest, carving a barren wasteland in seconds.
"Gwaaaah!"
Bikou spat blood, flung like a ragdoll. His staff bent, cracked, and finally shattered under the force.
"Hahaha… I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!"
Even at death's door, Bikou laughed, wild and exhilarated.
But just as the colossal staff threatened to obliterate him, a sword-shaped shadow sliced through the void. A crack opened, and a hand shot out, yanking Bikou into safety.
BOOM!
The iron staff slammed into the earth, unleashing a final, earth-shattering explosion.
Mountains trembled, the ground split like a spider's web, rivers of molten lava burst skyward.
It looked like the end of the world.
Long moments later, a lone figure descended from the sky.
Tenra.
He landed lightly, surveying the devastation.
"Maybe I went a little overboard…"
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