— — — — — —
"All things return to nothingness. Let all creation fall to its demise!"
Damocles unleashed his overwhelming breath. The moment it erupted, the air itself began to evaporate. Every scrap of energy in the vicinity was burned away to fuel that one attack, turning it into something even more terrifying.
On the other side, Kazuma charged straight into the torrent with his maximum, ultimate attack.
There was no stalemate. When power and speed are pushed to their limits, battles end in a single heartbeat. One strike decides everything.
"..."
When the firestorm faded, Damocles's scales had been pierced through. A sword and a spear were lodged deep in his body: the Starblade and the Vajra.
A long, brutal wound also slashed across his back.
Kazuma, meanwhile, had lost all strength. He dropped toward the ground like a stone, missing an arm and a leg, his whole body charred like burnt charcoal.
"Why?"
Tohru shot forward and caught him in her arms, holding him as if he might break apart at the slightest touch. Her eyes brimmed with tears, filled with love and guilt.
"...Ok."
A deafening roar echoed.
"This battle is my loss. Tohru, you're free to live the life you want."
"That boy really does have the strength to protect you. Before I go… tell me his name."
Damocles reverted to his human form. He still had energy to fight, but he accepted defeat. Seeing the look in Tohru's eyes, he sighed, shook his head, and prepared to leave.
"Kazuma. He's my partner… and the one I love." Tohru's voice carried pride as she introduced the man she'd chosen.
"Kazuma, huh. I acknowledge him."
Damocles remembered the name, opened a portal, and stepped out of the world. He didn't know what else to say. Comforting others wasn't his talent, and staying any longer would only make things awkward. Better to leave early.
"Hey! What the hell, Emperor of Demise? You just pat your butt and walk off? What about us? I can't hold this much longer!"
Saotome Zenjuro gritted his teeth hard enough to crack them. Every vein on his body bulged as he struggled to contain the aftermath of the final clash.
His magic was completely drained, his stamina long past exhausted, and even then he could barely hold on.
"We can't hold it either!"
"My sword is already broken! If this keeps up, we're all gonna die!"
Ittosai's treasured blade had shattered into pieces. The leftover shockwave alone could wipe Japan off the map. The three of them were only managing to survive for a few seconds on pure stubbornness.
Then a roar shook the air. Elma flew in, adding her power to block the blast, but it still wasn't enough. She shouted for help.
"So troublesome."
Fafnir stepped in as well. But even combined, they were still a little short.
"Tohru! Stop daydreaming over there and get over here! If you don't help, this whole place is done for!"
Elma snapped at Tohru, who was still holding Kazuma like she'd forgotten the world existed.
Your dear friends are breaking their backs here while you're cuddling your man. Can't you save the flirting for later?
"Sorry, I forgot." Tohru gently laid Kazuma on the ground. "I'll be right back, okay? Just a moment."
If Kazuma weren't unconscious from sheer exhaustion, he absolutely would have told her, "Stop talking and go already!"
With Tohru joining in, it didn't take long before the lingering shockwave was finally suppressed. The country survived what should've been certain annihilation.
Once everything settled, Kazuma slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he saw was Tohru sitting faithfully beside him.
"Your old man's really something. Guess I lost this round."
He tried to move a little, and the pain hit instantly. The injuries were too severe. If not for his Gastrea-modified body and Sage Body giving him absurd vitality, he would've died outright. But even with that healing, he wasn't recovering anytime soon.
Damocles's flames weren't just hot. They carried a suppression effect that stopped regeneration, keeping his healing from kicking in.
Tohru beamed when he woke up, but after hearing him, she shook her head seriously. "No, my dad said he lost. You won."
"He's full of crap. That old guy's way too sly."
"I burned every last drop of strength, and he still had plenty left. I couldn't keep fighting, and he walked away with a few scratches. He didn't go all out."
Kazuma accepted the outcome calmly. The gap in power was just too big. If he had more time to grow, maybe he could win. But right now, not even a tenfold buff would've closed that distance.
Still, he hadn't walked away empty-handed. When he recovered, he'd experience a huge leap in physical strength and his mana would be completely purified into natural energy. Any impurity that survived before had been burned away in that inferno, leaving only the purest essence behind.
"Where's your old man now?" Kazuma looked around but didn't see Damocles.
"He left. But he told me I can stay, and he said you're accepted as my husband. So we can be together from now on. Oh, and he left one of his dragon fangs for you. It's really powerful."
"It can tear through divine power. A god-killing fang."
Tohru hugged the massive dragon fang and brought it over. It was practically a divine artifact.
Kazuma glanced at it and, in the next second, the shape of the fang began to twist. Before he could blink, it had reshaped itself into a blade.
[Noble Phantasm: Fang of Damocles.]
[As the apex of dragonkind, Damocles possesses strength beyond measure. His scales can deflect the attacks of gods. His fangs can rip through anything. Yet even he was injured by a human.]
[Even though it happened in the human world, even though he didn't fight at full power… As recognition of that human, and as a blessing for his daughter, he left one of his fangs as a gift.]
[He hopes that human grows stronger, strong enough to surpass him one day, so he can keep Tohru safe.]
[Unique-binding Noble Phantasm: no one except the chosen wielder can use it.]
[Effect 1: Absolute sharpness. Whether god or dragon, no defense can withstand the Fang's piercing power.]
[Effect 2: The Fang is tainted with Damocles's blood, carrying the king's aura. It can command weaker dragons.]
[Effect 3: All things burn. When activated, it releases heat strong enough to incinerate any energy it touches.]
[Effect 4: Dragonification. When activated, the user's body partially transforms into dragon form, increasing strength, speed, and durability.]
Kazuma stored the Fang of Damocles inside his Treasury. But as he turned it over in his mind, something felt a little off.
"Wait… did Tohru say I'm her 'husband'? And did I just get a boss drop?"
Before he could sort out the confusion, Tohru leaned in close and pressed her lips to his.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me. I'll give you everything I have, so please get better soon."
There was no hesitation in her voice anymore. She wasn't trying things out or teasing him. She genuinely loved him.
And honestly, who else in the world would do something like this for her? Probably no one.
"…Okay."
Seeing Tohru look at him with that mix of relief, hurt, and happiness, Kazuma suddenly realized something was definitely wrong… but he didn't get the chance to ask.
"Kazuma! You brat, get over here right now!" Ittosai stormed in. "That was a family shrine, handed down for generations! I was planning to pass it on to Aoi one day! And you managed to blow it up so completely that not even the front gate is left! Don't run! I'm going to chop you in half!"
Ittosai was ready to explode. After settling everything, he walked up to the shrine gate… and couldn't find the gate. He actually admired the demon barrier at first, thinking it was cleverly hiding the entrance.
That lasted about three seconds.
Then he ran into Yolda and the others and got hit with the worst news imaginable.
"Barrier? Oh, you mean the concealment spell? Damocles destroyed that."
"Destroyed it? Then why can't I see my shrine? Did you guys hide it in another dimension?"
"No. Damocles just vaporized it. One big boom and it was gone."
Ittosai almost passed out on the spot. Generations of his family's shrine, gone without a trace. That alone was enough to break him, but his treasured sword had been destroyed too.
"Tohru, run! Hurry! Don't let him catch us!"
Kazuma reacted instantly, telling Tohru to grab him and escape. Compensation could come later. Survival first.
Chaos erupted behind them while baby Beel just sat there tapping his tiny hands against the ground, looking helpless, like he was saying, "Adults are so noisy."
---
Meanwhile, on his way back, Damocles crossed paths with Lucoa. She floated beside him, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"That human clearly couldn't fight anymore," she said. "Why did you surrender?"
"..."
"He's young, by human standards. He has a long future and a lot of potential to grow stronger. I only won because I'm older. If he were a dragon, or if he simply had more time… I'm not sure I'd win."
The title "Emperor of Demise" made him sound like some world-ending villain, the leader of chaotic destruction. But reality was far from that.
Damocles had led dragonkind into rebellion against the gods only because he refused to live under constraints. The Chaos Faction pursued freedom, not evil.
Damocles understood that clearly. Other than necessary battles, he rarely raised his claws.
"Tohru's really lucky," Lucoa said softly. "She found someone willing to go that far for her. I'm kind of jealous. I want one too."
She laughed and flew off.
Everything seemed quiet on the surface, but the impact of that battle rippled across every land. Dragons, Demons, Humans… everyone began to move.
They didn't dare go after Damocles.
But Kazuma… they were bold enough to track.
.
.
.