Guiado, was to the rescue!!
He cannot take enough time to get back his stamina once again...
In order to save his men, he created a huge transparent protection wall on top of the side in which his allies are taking. Ofcourse he wasn't going to protect the enemy.
However, the seal didn't last long until it was broken by the sheer force Judas and Astaroth were using in their fight!!
Luckily for the humans, it stopped raining magma at that same moment. And ironically, it started raining waterdrops!!
Typhone has gone far away,he's nowhere to be seen in the sphere.
The clouds got even bigger and darker, then...
A blow of Thunder went right down on Judas!!
He just stood there holding his hammer, looking badass as all hell. His exciting smile got even larger...So it must be his doing!
His whole body was covered in white lightning, the electric power buzzing sounds filled the place, his long curly hair floating in the air as the ground shattered and disintegrated...
Judas grabs his hammer and throws it with all his strength towards Astaroth, who doesn't take the bet and dodges, but it still followed him everywhere at an incredible speed.
Using this to his advantage, the general attacked from the other side, his quickness got massively enhanced in this new form!!
Astaroth for the second time finds himself open, as he was dodging the attacks of the automatic hammer. Judas thrusts his thunderous punch right into the stomach!!
Then the hammer followed and hit him from the back and explodes with flames!!!!
Judas retreats back and pulls away his weapon, even with his incredbile force he remains cautious...
This opponent isn't to be taken lightly at any case!!
From within the explosion, Astaroth stretches the hand holding the polearm and turns it around as fast as you could imagine, creating a windstorm and putting down all the flames and lightning that surrounded his body!!!
Judas. '...How he's able to keep that same cold frightning look is admirable.
Even after taking two of my most powerful attacks...But atleast.
He's bleeding!!!!'
Indeed, Astaroth finally had some blood lurking out of his closed mouth...His grey skin suddenly turned lightly red as the flames were able to burn it to a certain degree this time!!
Astaroth whips the blood with his finger, and looks at it for a second.
Judas notices something...
'...Hm!?
Something...is being drawn on his chest!!
Is that a scar...'
It was neither an illusion nor a scar! Previously, Astaroth's chest was all just muscles and clean grey skin, but now a black vertical line appeared in the far right side of it.
Astaroth breaks his silence.
"...Impressive!!
I did not think someone other than Bartholomew and Charlemagne could push me to use this much of my strength."
Judas' face changed a bit when he heard that.
"...Bartholomew!
You mean...Nathaniel?!"
Astaroth looks straight towards the eyes of his enemy, and coldly says.
"I killed him!"
The excited smile that once was on Meccabus' face has disappeared...Instead, anger took its place!!
His eyebrows tightened, his eyes got sharper and he bit on his teeth so hard.
As a result, the thunder strikes got even harder and louder...They all were focused on Judas. But as they got bigger and larger they whiped out the entire area arround him...Even reaching Astaroth, who was a dozen meters away!!
Judas rushes in with even higher speed than before, He grabs Astaroth by the neck and throws him on the ground!!!
The hammer comes in from waay above to burry his face in deep flames, but Astaroth manages to break away from Judas' tight grab before the hammer could reach him.
Using his polearm, he pushes the Atlantean far away with one little push!!
Then he got on the attack.
Both frightening snakes on his back extended on the air and flashed gallons of black liquids from their mouth. It was obviously venom!!
Judas doesn't dodge thinking that it won't reach him because of the thunder surrounding his body. But he was wrong!!!
It went right through and splashed on his armor!!!
Judas acts fast as he felt it burning his skin at an extreme rate, and disintegrates his armor before it got into him!!
"NOT THAT I NEEDED IT ANYWAYS!!!"
Judas hits Astaroth with his hammer, the latter blocks it with his polearm!! And for the first time there was no flames coming out of it!!!
Judas' shocked face described his surprise, but it wasn't time to be distracted at all.
Both similtaneaously let go of their weapons and turned it into a complete classical fist fight!!!
They clashed. And the power they both generated seemed to have given both equal damage!!!
Astaroth goes for the stomach once again, but Judas does the same!! Yet both were able to block the other's attack using their other hand!!
Their movement was symmetric.
Judas does the unthinkable and headbuts Astartoh's chin so hard, which made him lose some of his balance and ability to counter. Wasting no time he condenced all of his thunder into both of his fists, creating a round electric white aura arround them!!
Then, like a martial artist he double punches Astaroth using both of his fists simultaneously!!!!
The destructive power behind this attack was so terrifying it reached all the way to the human soldiers, who seem to get the worst of every attack the Atlantean Generals use...
Some got obliterated by it!!!
But even then, Astaroth was not to be bested!
Judas' didnt realize it until he was kicked in his ribs so hard he got sent right in between the soldiers!!! The force in which he landed on their bodies alone was able to kill 20 of them, as they absorbed the contact and accidentally helped the General not to get thrown any further.
Judas got so annoyed that his face expressed neither anger nor excitement.
He jumped right back towards his enemy...At this point, even he forgot about the well being of his soldiers!!!!
'Again, he broke most of my left ribs even with my body hardened with steel!!!
Physically, i have no rival within our Association...It is still odd to this day the amount of powers i was granted. And still...'
Meccabus remembers Astaroth's words.
'He killed...Nathaniel!!!
To think that someone could kill him...It had to be someone this strong!!!!
...IMPOSSIBLE!!
It doesn't make any sense for him to be this strong...It doesn't make any sense for them to have anyone this strong other than Satan himself!!!'.
Halting and bleeding, the General gets back in front of Astaroth...And nothing can break the spirit of a great warrior like realizing that your invincible power doesn't have a psychological effect on your opponent!!
The Dragon Demon...Still has the same cold crushing look!!!
Although the double punch succesfully left its mark on his body...Judas looks a little higher and notices that another vertical line has been drawn on Astaroth's chest!!
This time it was on the far other side...
"Judas Meccabus!!
I hope that you have more under your sleeves.
These black lines that get drawn on my chest, are a symbol of how much power I am being pushed to exert."
Astaroth stretches his hand towards Judas, as if he was inviting him.
"So far, you've been able to draw two lines...
How many do you think I have?".
these words were just like thunder for Judas, a thunder that he cannot control!!
'...Is he trying to fuck with me!?
Is that why he's trying to keep on that same face...Even after starting to feel the wrath of my fists!!?
NO.
I cannot let him succeed in that...
I AM THE HAMMER!!!
THE HAMMER THAT NEVER BREAKS!!!!'
Judas finally gets his excited smile back.
"However much you have...I'll have your head crushed at the end!"
He raises his weapon high on the air, and It started sucking the power of thunder into it.
Until it was lit up with electric power!!
Astaroth grins.
"I have to admit that you have my respect!
you're the first opponent not to be phased after two lines..."
"I do not need your respect!". Replies the Hammer.