— — — — — —
The next second, under everyone's stunned gaze, the entire pocket dimension finally shattered under the shockwaves of Kazuma and Damocles's battle.
Deep inside the gaping hole torn in the sky, the two figures slowly appeared as the aftermath of their clash began to spill into the real world.
"Holy crap! No wonder it was quiet for so long. They were fighting in another dimension!"
"...And now they've literally blown it up?! Monsters."
"Stop gawking, you two! Help me block the shockwave or this place is going to be wiped out!"
Saotome Zenjuro snapped at the two stunned old men. The crest on the back of his hand lit up as massive magic flared from him. Countless sigils spread across the air as he pushed his power to the limit to hold back the blast.
"Damn… this power is insane!"
Saotome's skin began to burn. Even his magic was starting to ignite under Damocles's breath.
The Emperor of Demise. Under his breath, not just physical matter but even intangible energy was devoured and burned away.
And that wasn't all. Kazuma's attack crashed into Saotome next, then shifted into fire, wind, earth, water, and lightning.
The elements merged into an even more terrifying force. Tiny cuts tore across Saotome's skin, blood spreading across his body until he looked like a complete mess.
"Young people really don't think. You can't defend against this with brute force. The only way is to counterattack and cancel it out."
Ittosai held his breath, raised his famed sword in front of him, and moved so fast no one even saw it happen.
The razor-sharp strike canceled out the remaining shockwaves.
But then…
"My sword! My partner! These two monsters are too much!"
He heard a faint cracking sound and hurriedly drew his blade to check. His once-perfect sword was dented and even cracked, with elemental energy eating at its surface.
"Their energy density is too high, like sticky glue. Touch it and you're done. And both of them have absurd destructive force. Blocking it cleanly is basically impossible."
Genma's muscles bulged as he punched the air. A second later, the skin on his arm turned pitch black from the strain.
"We're hurt just from blocking the leftovers… If they let that attack loose unchecked, this city, this whole country would be gone in an instant."
"But it should be fine now. After unleashing something like that, neither of them can keep fighting. This should be over."
Saotome let out a breath as the sky gradually calmed. They paid a heavy price, but they had stopped the worst of it.
Everyone held their breath as they stared at the rift in the sky. The energy inside twisted reality itself, hiding everything from view.
But as the space slowly healed, they could finally see the result.
"Pah…"
Kazuma spat blood. He was covered head to toe in red, but not just his own. There was Damocles's dragon blood too.
His final strike had hit the dragon directly in the eye, blinding one and even slicing off a chunk of that massive dragon fang.
"I was about to be vaporized."
He had injured Damocles, but his own wounds were far worse. Half of the Stormforge Aetaris Armor was destroyed. His left arm and leg were gone. Half his body was mangled beyond recognition.
His natural energy was completely drained. That final attack had eaten all ten of his energy bars at once.
"Roooar!"
"Human, you did well. It has been many years since I was last injured. And you even endured my attack."
Damocles returned to his dragon form. Blood flowed from his left eye, and fire, wind, earth, water, and lightning seeped into his body, corroding him from inside.
Even dragon regeneration couldn't fix that quickly.
"Among all humans I've met, you are the strongest. If other dragons saw this, they would regret underestimating humans. But you still lost. My wounds are nothing serious. You can't fight anymore."
"So I will kill you now. Consider it a sign of respect."
Damocles began gathering power again. At this point, the battle couldn't simply stop.
One of them had to fall. Only then would the fight end.
"Father, stop!"
Tohru flew in, spreading her arms and standing between them. "If you insist on continuing, then fight me instead!"
"Tohru…"
For a moment, something flickered in Damocles's gaze. His daughter had grown up without him noticing. She was now willing to stand against him for the sake of a human.
For the first time in ages, he hesitated.
"Tohru, move. The fight isn't over." Kazuma's voice came from behind her.
"But Kazuma… your body can't take any more. You'll die!"
Tohru turned toward him, her eyes filling with worry and pain as she looked at his battered, blood-covered form.
"At this point," Kazuma said, "a fight like this won't stop unless one of us falls. Either him or me—one of us has to lose the ability to fight completely."
"Stop forcing yourself!" Tears ran down Tohru's cheeks. "Your body's already like this. Why won't you let me help you?!"
She couldn't understand why he insisted on fighting alone when she was right here, ready to face everything with him.
"You can't," Kazuma said quietly. "He's your father. And from the way you look at him… I can tell it's not just fear. You respect him."
"That's exactly why I can't let you fight your own father. No matter what happens, you're still his daughter."
"Tohru, move. This isn't finished."
By now Kazuma's natural energy had recovered. His perpetual core regenerated ten percent of his energy every second—and ten seconds had passed.
He was ready again.
"Tohru," Damocles said, "you've grown up. You're willing to stand against me… for him."
"I should be angry. I should be disappointed. But somehow, I'm happy instead."
"I acknowledge him. No matter what happens in the end, I admit that you've found a place for yourself in this world. I won't take you away anymore. But this fight has to continue. This is an honorable duel."
For the first time, Damocles truly understood: the boy in front of him had chosen to face him alone simply because he didn't want a daughter to fight her father.
A simple reason—one many would laugh at. But to him, a father, it was deeply worthy of respect.
"You two…" Tohru's voice shook.
Their eyes held no anger, no impulse—only pure resolve. A resolve she couldn't break. She could only step aside.
But before leaving, she came to Kazuma, her voice trembling. "Promise me… you'll live."
Tohru leaned in, pressed her lips to his, then flew off with one last look.
"…I feel like she just planted a giant death flag on me," Kazuma muttered, licking the faint sweetness from his lips. "And your face looks like you unlocked a whole new rage buff."
Damocles's expression was dark enough to blot out the sun.
And those eyes—those "you're dead, boy" eyes—made Kazuma wonder if Tohru was trying to help him or get him murdered.
"Die."
Damocles began gathering power again. His breath attack condensed into something even hotter, even more overwhelming than before—an attack meant to erase Kazuma completely.
"Crap—Celestial Star Map*!"
"Stars in the sky, bound by ancient oath—answer my call. Gather and descend!"
Kazuma raised the Star Map, drawing on the power of the world's constellations.
In broad daylight, countless hidden stars flared to life. The whole sky shimmered as if a river of starlight poured downward, flooding into Kazuma's body like a falling galaxy.
The star power gathered entirely on the left side of his body, reshaping it into pure astral force.
"Condense—the Sword of Stars!"
Kazuma lifted his left arm. The astral force swirled and formed a blazing blade of starlight in his hand.
Left hand: the Starblade. Right hand: the Vajra.
At this moment, he pushed past every limit he'd ever known and stepped into a level beyond his previous peak.
"Stormforge Aetaris Armor—tenfold output!"
Power surged, the multiplier reaching its absolute maximum—twice as strong as before.
"Devil Fruit—thirty-times attribute boost!"
His power skyrocketed, surging past what any human body was meant to endure. If he held this level too long, he didn't need Damocles to kill him—his body would explode on its own.
"I can still push it further! Celestial Star Map—Reality Marble!"
Gritting his teeth, Kazuma activated the final layer. All eighty-eight constellations flared to life around him as star-energy strengthened him once more.
He launched forward.
This strike carried everything he had—his strongest power, his sharpest intent, and the absolute peak of his will.
It was Kazuma's maximum, ultimate attack.
.
.
.
*Celestial Star Map's effects (from chapter 91):
[Effect 1: Summon all celestial spirits, including the Spirit King.]
[Effect 2: Directly channel and absorb starlight to attack foes.]
[Effect 3: Create a Reality Marble, a small Celestial Spirit World where starlight is infinitely amplified.]
[Note: All effects work in any world with stars.]
[Another Note: Effects vary depending on the world.]