I jinxed it. Of course, I did. There's no one in the seven seas who has luck as shitty as mine. I knew even if I didn't think of anything and let the events unfold, the result would have been the same, but I needed something to blame it on. What this shitty luck of mine "caused" was a rematch between Pride and me. According to the intel he gathered on Pride, he knew he was a sore loser, and this just proved it.
"Kid, we're gonna have a rematch," Pride said as if it was a matter of fact. "B-but why? Didn't I b-beat you fair and s-square?" I shivered. The only edge I had against Pride was the wide range of chants I could use and the element of surprise, but since I gave it my all last match, I wouldn't even stand a chance. "Well, since I'm the one training you, you should listen to me without asking silly questions," Pride sneered. Even Pride knew that he could easily win this time. "Looks like we might have to use Lucifer's other chant as well," I suggested to Faith. "Permission to use [Devil's Knight]?" Faith inquired to confirm. "Granted," I replied.
The reason I didn't use [Devil's Knight] in my previous match was because... well, the chant was just too overpowered. While [Devil's Might] increases one's speed and strength to temporarily match Lucifer's, this is what [Devil's Knight] is capable of:
[Devil's Knight] grants one power to protect the one and only ruler of Hell, Lucifer, from all harm. This grants the user power exponentially proportionate to the power of their opponent and how close the user is to faint/die.
During my duel with Asmodeus, I knew just how overpowered the chant could get, finishing the match in just a few minutes, thus I decided against using it on Pride, but now, I'm left with no other option. I knew just how inflated Pride's ego was, to go as far as to do a rematch. He also knew that his ego also contributed to his Personal Magic, his Telekinesis Chant, which would make him a versatile opponent for those who have already defeated him once. "Faith, please tell me you have some good news?" I asked, clearly hinting towards any new chants.
"Master, I did copy Pride's healing spell, then reverse engineer it to be able to combine with other chants, such as [Pyro Blades], [Leeching Slashes], and [Devil's Knight], thereby upgrading [Pyro Blades] and [Leeching Slashes]," Faith reported. "What about [Devil's Knight]? Why has that chant not been upgraded?" I inquired. [Devil's Knight] was already an overpowered chant, now adding Pride's healing chant, [Recover] to it? That would be amazing!
"The chant is the Personal Magic of Lord Lucifer himself. Thus, editing its function is tough, but not impossible. If given time, it could be done," Faith replied. "Well, that certainly some good news," I added, with a new sense of hope.
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Pride leaped back a few meters and readied his weapon. He could already taste the victory in the air, all he had to do was use his Telekinesis chant and hold him in place long enough for him to deal the final blow. "Let's begin!" Pride yelled out. 'The kid actually managed to take me down huh...' Pride thought as he began chanting under his breath.
"From grains of sand, to the brilliance of stars,"
"All is one, and one is all,"
"Secure your victory, and leave behind scars,"
"Move around mountains, from the way afar,"
Pride paused. Everyone knew what chant Pride was going for, as it was famous all around Hell for being one of the most lethal and versatile chants, he was using his personal magic, the telekinesis chant.
"Telenova!" Pride yelled as he put his hand out, reaching out to thin air. I could feel an invisible force smothering me, and if not for my super strength fighting back, I would have leaked blood like a scented candle spreading its scent.
"Unknown force detected. The source is a personal chant. Finding a way to dispel magic. Weak point found in the essence of the magic. Dispelling chant created. What would you like to name the new chant?" Faith mentally spoke monotonously. "Dispelling Array!" I yelled out, as a golden light poured out of my skin, covering me whole. It then began covering the invisible force that was squeezing me, disintegrating it as it spread.
"No... this isn't right! T-there isn't any magic known that dispels personal magic!" Pride exclaimed, with fear reeking out of him. Taking advantage of Pride's mental condition, I mentally ordered Faith to activate it once and for all. "Activating [Devil's Knight]," Faith mentally replied. The same flame-like aura covered me as I dashed forward with Faith by my side, with the intention of tearing through Pride's thick skull. Killing intent was flowing out of my aura as I swiftly slammed the sharp side of Faith into Pride's unprotected head.
Boom! Even more dust piled up and the air around the arena was virtually opaque. But one didn't need to wait for the dust to settle. They could already faintly see Pride, holding back the sword with his bare hands.
I couldn't believe he stopped it. I even used [Devil's Knight], the strongest chant I ha- wait a second. "Faith, is there a downside to [Devil's Knight]?" I mentally inquired. "Yes Master, if the opponent is weaker than you, then the chant brings your power down to the opponent's power level or lower, depending on certain circumstances. Thus it is only effective against strong opponents," Faith replied.
So there really is no such thing as a free lunch, huh? There's no way such an overpowered chant didn't have any drawbacks. *Sigh* I'm such a naive idiot. As the dust began settling down, Pride slowly stood up, still holding Faith in his hands. His palms were bloody and grazed with dirt. He took one hand off Faith, molded it into a fist, and it connected to my face, sending me and Faith flying a few meters back.
Pride walked over to a very exhausted and worn-out me and knelt down. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize my Lord's magic, kid?" Pride whispered, and knocked me out cold.
Right before getting knocked out, I had one phrase riding the electric signals in my neurons...
"Oh, I screwed up real bad."