The coliseum erupted as if a volcano had came to life directly below them, massive pieces of stone and earth flying through the air as the ground split open around Akuro and Zealous, who were still glaring own another down.
Inari lay on the ground, avoiding the destruction around her, finding a safe spot to stay as she watched. The other Archdemons simply stood where they were, while Onoma and Gozzu joined her where she was.
"What the hell happened, they are just looking at each other!" Inari exclaimed.
"Well, I guess the saying "if looks could kill" isn't too far off." Onoma joked.
"This is results of their auras makings contacts." Gozzu explained.
"Wait, this is just from them sizing each other up?" Inari asked in shock. "They haven't even started fighting yet?!"
"Nope." Gozzu said.
Akuro could tell his opponent was much stronger than Lucifer had been, it was also evident that Zealous was stronger than Lilith. But why was it, he wondered as everything around him shifted, shattered and burst into chaos, why was it that he felt excited? It was as though everything beforehand had been boring, just chores and favors, but now he had found something that intrigued him, he had found someone as strong as him.
It reminded him of the first time he'd met Sedori, or when he had challenged the gods, he was shaking with anticipation and excitement, though an enemy would mistake this as fear.
Zealous's eyes narrowed. "You shiver, but I can sense no fear in you. What is it that makes you quiver, boy?"
Akuro couldn't help but grin. "You want my honest answer?" He asked, "I am just excited to kill you."
*CRACK*
The ground directly below Akuro and Zealous began to crack and split as tension grew.
And then it burst.
As if it were the signal, Akuro and Zealous exploded into motion as the earth below them erupted skyward.
Akuro's black Aura Cloak took shape around him, though it had slightly changed, as now shadowy chains extended from the Aura Cloak while black spikes of aura stuck out from Akuro's shoulders and arms. He leapt up into the air, landing atop a large Boulder that was floating in the air due to the immense density of the aura in the coliseum giving the illusion of zero gravity.
To Akuro's surprise, Zealous had an Aura Cloak much like his own. Black aura swirled around His large frame, but unlike Akuro's Aura Cloak which was large, wild and chaotic, Zealous's was more condensed, almost like thin armor and cloth, thought black spikes protruded from his shoulders while large black wings of aura grew from his back. Two large black horns of aura grew from his head, mimicking his own horns.
Akuro waved his hand diagonally towards Zealous, and as he did everything in line with his motion was split open, as if he'd swung an infinitely long blade from his hand that could cut anything in its path, splitting the rocks in the air and, as Zealous moved out of the attacks way, it split the wall behind him, causing it to collapse in on itself.
Zealous sent out a wave of dark aura shooting towards Akuro, the shadows splitting off into smaller parts that were similar to black daggers flying through the air. Akuro threw up a wall of aura to block the attack, but as he did, the shadow daggers exploded on impact, surprising Akuro. His was wavered, then as the daggers struck it, it too exploded, launching Akuro back through the air, landing on another rock.
'The hell?' He thought, 'why didn't my aura absorb his?'
"Simple really." Came Mato's voice. "He has a similar aura to your own, meaning he also has the ability to absorb external energies. Normally, that dagger attack of his would've depleted the aura of anyone they would make contact with, but since both your auras absorb, when they make contact it's like a tug-of-war. The two auras pull and pull at one another, and eventually it becomes too chaotic that the auras mash together and explode, as you just saw."
'Shit.' Akuro cursed mentally, 'that's not good for me then, seeing as he is more skilled in distance combat from what I can tell.'
Another wave of black daggers flew at Akuro. Instead of raising an aura wall, he jumped high above them as they dissipated when making contact with the rock he'd been on. Then he kicked off of another rock, launching himself towards Zealous, but as he did so, Zealous pulled out a sword that had its blade broken in half. Extending from the broken sword was a long blade of shadow that extended towards Akuro, making contact with his aura cloak before puncturing his shoulder, then a split second later exploding, ripping a hole in his left side and sending him falling back to one of the lower rocks.
His wound healed itself over, the pain not even bothering Akuro after what he'd been through. As his flesh closed itself around the metal spike deep in his bone, more daggers careened towards him.
Akuro jumped up, over the attack and atop another rock, but as he did, the black daggers then changed course, turning to follow him like heat sinking missiles. Akuro hastily raised a wall of aura, backing away from it as fast as he could as it exploded when the daggers made contact, but then a wave of shadow crashed into him before exploding, sending him soaring downwards slamming into rock after rock until he regained composure and stood atop a large boulder.
"I see now why you are considered the true demon king!" Akuro called up to Zealous.
"Yes, and can see that you are not fit to be the Demon King." Zealous responded, "You are weak, your aura is chaotic and untamed."
Akuro's looked at his aura. "Actually, this is pretty tame. I mean, I could show you what it's actually like, but I don't think that's a good idea."
"And why is that? Are you scared of your own power?"
"No, it's just that I won't be able to promise that you are the only casualty."
"You naive brat! Do you honestly believe you could kill Archdemons on accident?"
"Actually yeah, I really can."
"Doubtful, do not insult us, boy!"
"Oi." Akuro threw his head back with a groan. "Do I really need to show you?" He sighed, holding up his hand and putting his middle finger to his thumb. "Fine then. I'll show you why I am king."
Akuro snapped his finger then and a wave of black aura burst from his hand, extending outwards and catching all of the Archdemons in its range. Thought the wave of aura didn't actually have a physical effect on the surroundings, it did cause sound to completely stop, the aura being so dense that sound literally couldn't travel through it. All seven Archdemons froze, including Zealous. Their aura had been forced out of their bodies, just as Akuro had done to Lucifer.
As the bodies of the Archdemons began to collapse one by one, Akuro snapped his finger again, the aura dissipating and as he did, he manipulated their auras, returning it to their bodies. The demons rose, groaning and growling about feeling sick and dizzy.
"Whoa… did I just, like, die..?" Said Xell, the lazy demon, his tone reminding Akuro of a stoner or a hippie.
"The hell did you just do..?" Zealous asked, getting to his feet.
"I simple removed your auras from your bodies, killing you, and then returned them, reviving you. All of you." Akuro answered with a bored tone. "You get it now? If I wanted, you'd all be dead. And it's really too bad you weren't more of a challenge, Zealous, it seems I was excited over nothing."
Inari stared at Akuro in awe. He had become so strong, to be able to snap his fingers and end all life around him, he was like….well she didn't know what he was like, she didn't want to say he was like a god, seeing as she knew what gods were actually like. Akuro was greater than gods, his power unlike anything she'd ever seen. To be able to kill the seven strongest demons of hell with just a snap of his fingers and bring them back to life, it was extraordinary.
"What.. the fuck is he?" Onoma asked in awe.
"He… he's the Omnipotent Death." Inari answered.
Zealous's expression contorted into that of anger and rage.
"No, I do not accept this!" He roared. "Archdemons, I command you to kill him! Now!"
"Dude, seriously? Did I not just show you that I'm stronger than all of you?" Akuro asked in irritation.
At that moment the creepy demon, Tetsuno, flashed into existence above Akuro, a massive sword held over his head, the cloth falling away to reveal a bone sword with a serrated edge like a rib cage. Akuro let himself fall off of the rock, then pushed off of it from below, sending it soaring into Tetsuno. The Boulder crashed into the Archdemon, then continued to crush him against another large rock.
Akuro shoved his hands down his pockets as he landed on another boulder. He figured if he fought with his hands in his pockets, that's get the point through to them.
Then Akuro felt a cold run over his feet. He looked down and saw his feet had been encased in ice all the way up to his ankles.
"Ooh, good move, now I can't do shit, cuz I was gonna fight without my hands." Akuro joked as Tetsuno, now enraged after being squashed like a bug, ran at Akuro full speed, jumping from rock to rock, before leaping at Akuro, who exhaled at that moment. A pulse of pressure emitted from Akuro, striking Tetsuno, causing the demon to stop moving and drop his sword, his body going limp as he crashed into a boulder before spiraling downward.
"I'll revive you later." Akuro said.
Then the sisters came into view.
"Well, hello, you mind removing this ice, it's quite annoying."
"Not a chance." The sisters said in unison, and then Rezzaiel inhaled before blowing out a stream of fire that engulfed Akuro's body, but the flames didn't even manage to burn his skin as it was unable to break through his aura cloak, but it did manage to melt the ice.
"Oh, thanks, I appreciate it." Akuro said, then nodded at the girls, a sudden wave of power crashing into them and sending both of them into the ground. "Next."
And arrow then sunk into Akuro's back at that moment. Akuro felt a stream of aura in the arrow.
"So you must be Xell, the one who can manipulate those who are struck by his arrows. Well, bad news, it doesn't work on me." Akuro pulled his hands out of his pockets, then spun, grabbing a barely visible thread attached to the arrow, then yanking it, pulling Xell down from a rock higher up. As the Archdemon careened towards Akuro, he tried to pull out a short sword, but he was too late as Akuro's fist crashed into his head when he came close. Xell's head was crushed between Akuro's fist and the rock below, which shattered completely, making Akuro jump to another rock as Xell's body fell to join his allies below him.
Mettrag let out a gurgling bellow of a roar, and then Akuro's vision went black. 'Ah, so this is what the chick in the dress does, she can change the light in my eyes.' Akuro observed, but it didn't matter, he could sense their auras. Akuro dropped off of his rock as the obese Archdemon, Mettrag, crashed into it.
"Glad I'm blind right now, because you are just gross." Akuro said, then his foot pounded into the demon's stomach, popping it in an explosion of blood and gore, it's huge body plummeting into a wall before tumbling to the ground.
"Gross, I got it on me." Akuro said before he turned to Kessana. "You know I can sense you there. I hope you are smarter than the other ones, I mean, come on."
Suddenly, Akuro was unable to sense her aura anymore, or any auras, including his own, it was as if his power were stripped from him, but he knew they were still there, he just couldn't sense them. 'I see. So all you can do is disorient your opponent.. still may be bothersome.'