In the past month, Yuka achieved remarkable growth. She was taught high-powered magic from Izayoi while also learning how to control her magical power consumption, and Lilith instructed her in swordsmanship and the conduct of battle. Additionally, she leveled up by defeating monsters, thereby somewhat enhancing her basic abilities.
However, Yuka's victories in practice matches against Lilith were few and far between. While her techniques and movements were still somewhat immature, her lack of experience was an even larger issue, preventing her from adeptly responding to unforeseen circumstances.
In contrast, Ryuvius, whom Yuka faced, was essentially a mass of experience. Living through an eternity even beyond Izayoi, he traversed countless battlefields and life-threatening situations. He was a formidable enemy, far more than just a seasoned warrior.
So how should Yuka achieve victory against Ryuvius, who could almost be described as a cheat code of experience? There's only one answer: it all depends on how much she can catch him off guard.
Ryuvius has amassed a colossal amount of experience and for him, unexpected developments or unforeseen events are virtually nonexistent because he has already encountered them during his long history of battles.
Nevertheless, unless Yuka can surprise him, she has no chance of winning. Therefore, she fought desperately. In the midst of combat, where letting one's guard down for a moment can result in an instant death, she continually and vigilantly sought her opportunity.
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Ryuvius' sharp claws were swung down. Yuka blocked it with her left sword, and when its momentum lessened, she shifted it away with a deflecting technique passed down from Lilith — a feat of strength that was possible specifically because Yuka possessed demonic-like power, something Lilith could not do.
Deflecting it and feeling it was now her turn, she threw a right punch, to which Ryuvius responded by thrusting his own fist, covered in tough dragon scales.
---*Paan*!
A bursting sound, reminiscent of a hollow echo, resonated. The collision of fists, released from demonic and demonic-like powers, caused the atmosphere to creak and the earth, unable to withstand the force, cracked.
An impact unimaginable from just a collision of fists surged through her entire body, yet Yuka gritted her teeth and held her ground. And just as she pulled back her fist to deliver another blow, she was forcefully knocked away in the left side of her abdomen by something resembling a whip.
"Cough!?"
A formidable strike expelled the air from her lungs, rendering her unable to brace herself. Yuka's petite body was sent flying horizontally. Even so, she immediately attempted to regain her posture, killing the momentum by placing her hands on the ground and somehow managed to stop while gouging the earth.
"Ugh, what was that...?"
Holding her aching side, Yuka rose and glared at the source of the attack.
What had struck Yuka's side was Ryuvius' robust tail. While she was focused on Ryuvius' hands, he seized the moment and struck her powerfully from her blind spot, just like a whip.
A blow so powerful it could damage several organs if it hit an ordinary person. However, Yuka merely grimaced slightly. Ryuvius was slightly surprised.
"You, are you really human?"
"How rude, I’m very much human..."
Stabilizing her disordered breathing, Yuka poised her left hand with a sword and her right hand in a fist. Her style somewhat resembled Lilith’s dual-wielding. However, in Yuka's case, it was one sword, one fist.
"Haahhhh!"
Yuka closed the distance that had been created when she was blown away and slashed with her left sword.
"Same old trick."
Nonchalantly, Ryuvius lifted his arm, where Yuka's sword was forcefully swung down.
With a *Gakin* sound, Yuka’s sword was slightly repelled. It clashed head-on with the dragon scales covering Ryuvius’ arm and was overpowered.
Yuka's posture was momentarily broken as her sword was repelled. Ryuvius took that moment to release a sharp, thrusting attack with his hand.
"Danger!?"
Ryuvius’ thrust was as potent as a sword thrust. Even Yuka would suffer a severe injury or a fatal wound if she took it head-on, equating to her defeat.
"Damn it!"
Unable to dodge, Yuka struck the thrust with her right fist that had been kept in reserve, deflecting it sideways.
The fist that caught Ryuvius’ arm not only altered the course of the thrust but also created a slight opening in his defense.
Yuka did not miss that momentary opening.
Releasing her deflected sword, she clenched her fist. The abandoned sword flowed behind Yuka, carried by the momentum of being repelled.
Ryuvius slightly widened his eyes at the act of releasing the sword. Yuka's fist assaulted his face.
Ryuvius, undisturbed, evaded the approaching small fist by slightly tilting his head — or so he thought.
"Guh!?"
Ryuvius staggered from a dull impact hitting his right cheek. Yuka pressed on, assaulting him with a punch.
"Uraa!"
A hefty blow, unthinkable from a young maiden, uppercut Ryuvius' jaw.
Ryuvius, completely caught off guard, wore a face of astonishment.
He was sure he dodged it. In a completely defenseless state, moreover, being off the ground, even Lyuvius was effortlessly bent into a "ku" shape and powerfully blown away.
After bouncing off the ground a few times like a stone skipping across the water, Lyuvius's body came to a stop.
He lay on the ground, motionless. Yuka stared at the immobile demon for a while, confirmed he didn’t stand up again after some time, and finally relaxed her readiness.
With a small sigh, she turned on her heel to retrieve the sword she had thrown—
"—Not yet...!"
Wobbling and holding his abdomen, Lyuvius stood up.
His stance was shaky, yet his eyes still harbored a blazing fighting spirit, glaring at Yuka, who had dirt on herself.
"I didn’t think I’d be pushed this far..."
Lyuvius said with a faint smile on his face, a smile that seemed to welcome the arrival of an eagerly awaited opponent.
"The previous human was quite a skilled user, but unfortunately, it was specialized against humanoid... beings. It was too incompatible with my true self."
"You, what are you saying..."
Yuka braced herself against Lyuvius’s smooth talk, sensing that he had some kind of trump card.
"But losing while holding back is meaningless. Therefore, human, I will show you my true form."
With a chuckle, Lyuvius strenuously spread his arms wide.
The transformation occurred immediately afterward.
First, his entire body grew significantly larger. Then, his entire body was covered in black dragon scales, and his claws and black wings became even more robust, taking on a dragon’s form. His face lost its human features, becoming elongated like a reptile’s and, while doing so, transformed into a fierce countenance.
"Kuhahaha! It's been a while since I took this form, but indeed it's invigorating!"
Lyuvius spoke with a mouth that showed no trace of humanity. Perhaps the transformation influenced his tone, voice, and attitude. His previous sternness was gone, and now, raw battle intention was directed at Yuka.
Seeing Lyuvius, who had discarded his half-dragon, half-human form to transform completely, Yuka stood there, mouth agape. If this was Izayoi, he might have instantly realized it was a unique ability, but unfortunately, Yuka didn’t know that. Therefore, she was left standing there, stunned.
"You said you would stop this battle, human. If so—"
Lyuvius, now in a form that could perhaps be described as dragon-like, having fully abandoned his human appearance, took a step forward, and the distance of more than ten steps was closed in an instant.
"—Try stopping it by force."
"—!?"
Before she could even scream, Yuka’s petite body was blown away like a piece of paper by an attack that gouged the air.
▼
When she realized it, Lyuvius was in front of her, her body had somehow danced through the air, and she had fallen to the ground. That was Yuka’s own sensation.
She had instinctively felt that she had managed to block Lyuvius's attack with her left arm, but it had practically no effect as she was blown away as if she had been hit by a truck.
She had seen Lyuvius take a step forward. That he had closed the distance with a leap and punched her flying was logically understandable.
However, she couldn’t track him with her eyes or react in time.
—An overwhelming difference in specs.
If she had the specs of a true hero, she should have been able to combat even the now-transformed Lyuvius equally or more, but unfortunately, Yuka was a failure. With her mediocre specs, she couldn’t compete against Lyuvius when he was serious.
So, what to do? The answer was simple. If it wasn't enough, just supplement it. And there was a way to do it.
—Layering body enhancement.
A low-level, non-attribute magic that only had auxiliary effects. But if it was layered numerous times, it could temporarily significantly enhance physical abilities.
Luckily, body enhancement was a low-magic-consuming spell. Even Yuka, who had only an average amount of magic as a failed hero, could handle it without worrying about exhausting her magic power.
However, the backlash from such excessive body enhancement was incalculable.
Body enhancement, after all, doesn’t raise the physical limits but allows for movements beyond those limits, which are normally impossible. Applying such magic numerous times could cause the body to scream in pain, and if mishandled, it might even break down.
Even so, Yuka didn't hesitate.
If she gave up here, it would be irreversible. Humans would suffer massive damage, and demons would be completely annihilated. Her intuition pleaded with her that she must prevent that at all costs.
She applied the body enhancement magic to her painfully screaming body. Then, a little power flowed into her fingertips. But it still wasn’t enough.
Triple, quadruple, quintuple – it was only after applying it many times that her body managed to get up.
She gritted her teeth, scolded her trembling knees, and finally managed to stand up with great effort. But it still wasn’t enough to fight. As she was now, she couldn’t deal with Lyuvius in his dragon form.
Six-fold, seven-fold, eight-fold – she applied even more body enhancement, and then a different kind of intense pain attacked Yuka.
"Aggh...!?"
Sharp, grinding pain ran through every part of her body, making Yuka gasp.
It was pain like being crushed by a gigantic hand – a warning emitted by her body due to the excessive body enhancement.
Holding her aching body, Yuka still enacted the body enhancement.
Nine-fold, ten-fold, eleven-fold, twelve-fold. When she reached that point,
—*SN "Huh? What is this..."
Yuka, with eyes widening in disbelief, gazed at her body, which still emanated a pale, phosphorescent light even after the belt was undone. Her appearance was so fantastical that it seemed out of place in the blood-soaked battlefield.
"...Huh, the pain in my body is gone."
The disappearance of pain was not the only thing. Even the minor injuries she had sustained so far, and even her left arm, which had taken a punch from Lyuvius, had recovered as if nothing had happened. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that her physical condition was in perfect shape.
Tilting her head at the unrecalled rapid recovery, she, however, realizes she has seen a similar light before.
That was when she broke Izayoi's defensive barrier. Her consciousness was dim and her memories were vague, but she remembered seeing a light similar to this at that time.
She hadn't particularly cared about it at the time. At best, she had only perceived it as some sort of magical power leaking out when Izayoi's barrier broke. But this spectacle made Yuka reconsider.
Yuka doesn’t know the true nature of this pale blue light. However, she somehow understands that it's her own power. She had absolutely no memory of it, but she could affirm and nod that it was her own power. So, there was no need to hesitate.
Yuka clenches her fists and takes a stance. The existence of the sword that had already been thrown away was completely forgotten from her mind, and she seemed fully ready to engage in a hand-to-hand fight.
Lyuvius, seeing her form, did not feel scorned or the like but rather rejoiced.
"Oh, good. There has never been a soul daring enough to challenge this form of mine with bare hands, but I actually welcome a physical battle."
"Have you changed too much, you think?"
Yuka can't help but interject, wondering where his previously stern demeanor has gone. The transformation in Lyuvius was so drastic, both in appearance and substance, that it threw her off completely.
"Well, it doesn’t matter. What we're doing doesn’t change in the end."
"That’s right. Show me you can stop me this time, human. Don't disappoint me, alright?"
"I’ll stop you just as you wish!"
Lyuvius, baring his fangs in a grin, and Yuka, enveloped in a pale phosphorescent light, collided as if they were repelled into each other in the next moment.