"Roar!!!"
With a beast-like roar, a powerful surge of energy erupted from Takashi's body. Perhaps due to excessive killing, the once pure energy had been tainted with a thick, blood-red hue, exuding a scent of blood and death. It swirled violently around him, making him look like a demonic Asura risen from hell!
Without a moment's hesitation, Takashi stomped the ground, creating a massive crater, and shot toward Aoi like a cannonball!
There were no flashy moves, no unnecessary actions—just a simple pounce. Yet, the sheer force of it made the air itself seem to scream in agony!
On the castle walls, Sora and the girls watched intently. While outsiders might see only the spectacle, these seasoned warriors could immediately gauge the power behind Takashi's strike.
Clearly, after countless life-and-death struggles and battles, Takashi was no longer the same as he once was. Among the surviving humans, it was unlikely anyone could surpass him now!
Normally, the girls wouldn't be too worried, but knowing Aoi's current physical condition, they couldn't help but show a hint of concern. They glanced at their carefree, mischievous master, who was still enjoying the show, and couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.
Sora, of course, noticed their expressions, but he wasn't worried at all. On one hand, he had full confidence in Aoi's strength. On the other hand, even if Aoi were at a disadvantage, he would step in to ensure she wasn't harmed.
After all, compared to a good show, Sora cared more about the safety of his woman.
Though her body was still somewhat weak due to her mischievous master's antics, Aoi showed no panic in the face of Takashi's ferocious attack. With a charming smile, she leaped into the air, dodging the strike.
"Flame Sphere!"
She raised her hand to the sky, and the flame in her palm grew larger and larger. In an instant, to the astonishment of the girls on the castle walls, Aoi had formed a massive fireball, dozens of meters in diameter, radiating intense heat!
Without hesitation, Aoi hurled the fireball down at the figure below her.
Boom!!!
As expected, Takashi was engulfed by the massive fireball. Not only that, but the fireball's power continued to spread outward, sending debris flying. Except for the areas protected by Sora's barrier, the entire castle was reduced to ruins!
"Amazing! So amazing! Go, Aoi! Go, Aoi!"
Far from being frightened, the carefree women cheered at the top of their lungs, as if they were the ones in the battle.
Meanwhile, Saya, still sitting in Sora's lap, was dumbfounded, her face filled with sorrow:
"The castle… my castle…"
She muttered to herself, on the verge of tears. If she had known they would fight so fiercely from the start, she would have made them take it somewhere else!
"Alright, you silly girl, stop whining! We're leaving soon anyway. When you see my holy temple, you'll know what a real castle is!"
Sora tapped Saya's head, scolding her in a tone that suggested she was being childish.
"You big jerk, you…"
"Hmph! If you're lying, I'll bite you to death!"
Saya covered her head, glaring at Sora, but his words did make her feel a bit better.
She wasn't particularly attached to the castle that once belonged to the Takagi family. It was just that, as someone who aspired to live a life of luxury, she felt that without a grand and beautiful castle, how could she truly enjoy life?!
"That guy… he wasn't taken out in one hit, was he?"
Though she wasn't too concerned, if Takashi really was that weak and ended the show before it even began, Saya would definitely lose it. Even if she had to die, she'd jump over and kick him twice!
Wait, no—that would dirty her pretty little feet. Better to throw stones at him instead!
"Don't worry, it won't end that quickly."
"See? He's still standing. As the original protagonist of this world, even if he's not the strongest in attack, he's at least the strongest in taking hits!"
Sora spoke with a hint of mockery.
Sure enough, when Saya looked down, she saw that as the flames and smoke cleared, a massive crater hundreds of meters wide had formed. And in the center of the crater stood Takashi!
Though he looked a bit worse for wear, he was indeed still alive.
Well, at least after being burned by Aoi's Flame Sphere, he was a bit cleaner than before. A bit of sterilization and disinfection, huh…
"Hmph, is that all you've got?"
With a sneer, Takashi taunted Aoi.
Though the flames were indeed terrifyingly hot, even melting the rocks in the ground, the protective energy flow around him had minimized the damage.
Frowning, Aoi felt a hint of caution. At her full strength, he wouldn't have been able to withstand her flames, but now he had managed to block them.
She knew it was probably her mischievous master's doing—he had likely orchestrated this to make the fight between her and Takashi evenly matched.
While Aoi was lost in thought, Takashi had already sprung into action again. His body moved like a human tank, cracking the ground wherever he stepped, yet his speed was astonishingly fast!
In an instant, Takashi was right in front of Aoi!
A cruel, bloodthirsty grin spread across his face. Though this woman was his mother, she had betrayed him, abandoned him, and even joined forces with the man who had taken everything from him, blocking his path.
If that was the case, then he would kill her—free her from her sins with his own hands!
Without hesitation, Takashi punched toward Aoi, the blood-red energy swirling around his fist as if it could tear apart the very fabric of space. Even Aoi, who had been trained by Sora for so long, would be blown to pieces if she took this hit directly!
At the critical moment, however, Aoi showed no fear. She stood her ground, not even attempting to dodge.
As a mother, it would be truly shameful to lose to her own child!
Of course, in her heart, she no longer considered him her child…
A faint smile played on her lips. Though her master was a bit of a scoundrel, she had absolute confidence in the power he had bestowed upon her and the skills he had taught her!
"The Phoenix of Destruction!"
As the woman's crimson lips parted slightly, a look of shock spread across Komuro Takashi's face. From the woman's chest, a massive flaming phoenix erupted!
"Screech!!!"
A high-pitched bird cry echoed through the air. Before Takashi's fist could even reach Komuro Aoi, the flaming phoenix had already collided with him!
Without pause, the enormous flaming phoenix pushed Takashi's body backward, its fiery wings flapping as it lifted him into the air!
Burning with intense flames, the phoenix was a legendary bird entirely composed of fire, resembling a miniature sun that radiated immense heat and dazzling light in the sky.
"Explode!"
Although it was highly likely that Takashi would die from this attack, Aoi had seen it clearly—the look in his eyes when he had tried to kill her without hesitation!
Having lost all memories and emotions, and under the tutelage of Sora, Aoi was no longer the kind-hearted, delicate woman she once was. A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she softly uttered the command.
Under Aoi's mental control, several blinding beams of light shot out from within the flaming phoenix. With a deafening explosion, the beams erupted in front of Takashi's horrified face!
The ear-splitting noise, a massive fireball spanning hundreds of meters, and waves of scorching heat turned the entire sky into a blood-red inferno…