But Yuki didn't panic. Since it was just a clone, his connection wasn't too strong, allowing him to withstand the Demon King's aura. He raised his hand, and a flash of light appeared, transforming into a golden spear. His astral outfit changed, as did his power...
"Mukuro, thank you for coming..."
[Fuu~ Whenever Nushi-sama calls Muku, Muku will always answer...]
"Ahhhhh!!"
Sensing the threat from the golden spear, Asmodeus swung her halberd, and black flames consumed everything in their path. Unlike normal flames, these seemed to corrode even the sky, damaging the ozone layer and revealing the vacuum of space.
Yuki inhaled deeply. These flames were far too similar to Itachi Uchiha's Amaterasu, with one crucial difference.
Amaterasu is an inextinguishable flame capable of burning any material, while Asmodeus' flame is feared even by immortals.
It's a fire that corrodes the soul and extinguishes it—a flame that burns the immaterial.
"Michael: Lataib..."
Opening a spatial door, Yuki dared not face such flames head-on and teleported. But Asmodeus was already prepared; her halberd spun again, creating a ring of fire around her.
A wormhole opened, and a spear shot through the ring of fire, aiming directly at Kotori's chest, intending to seal her.
*Clang*
Unfortunately, the halberd intercepted the spear, and Yuki had no choice but to retreat into the wormhole before Asmodeus could strike...
"This isn't good. Asmodeus' battle instincts are terrifying."
Through Michael, Yuki could seal his presence and battle intent, giving him excellent camouflage that even Mio Takamiya struggled to detect.
Kotori, not being a detection-based spirit, shouldn't have been able to sense Yuki's energy.
Yet she could, purely through instinct. Kotori could block any attack around her.
It would be a daunting task to strike her in that state.
[Yui-kun, I found it! I know why Kotori is acting this way~]
"Just in time...."
Sighing in relief at Nia's words, Yuki felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
After all, even if he successfully sealed Kotori's energy and forced her back to normal, that didn't mean Kotori would forgive him or change her mind.
She would still hate him, and bringing her to the crown would be impossible.
That's why Yuki aimed to attack the root of her resentment and end her hatred once and for all.
And the best time to do so was while she was in her inverted state—where there would be no lies, and Kotori's heart would be at its weakest, free from defenses and her distorted mental state.
In other words, Kotori would listen, desperately searching for a way out of the darkness in her heart.
"Hm, thanks, Nia, but I'll need your help..."
[No problem]
With the knowledge transferred, Yuki raised his hand again, and a sword with a book insignia appeared.
"Let's go!"
[Yes! Yui-kun (Nushi-sama)]
----------------------
"Grrrrr~"
Growling like a beast, Asmodeus remained on high alert. Her sharp, beastly eyes scanned the surroundings constantly, and her crimson hair stood on end like radars, searching for her prey.
"...!!"
Suddenly, a spatial door opened, and Asmodeus swung her halberd, clashing with a sword.
*Clang*
With her instincts at their peak, she sensed the attack. It was an evenly matched confrontation, but this time Yuki didn't retreat. Instead, using his physical strength, he pushed Asmodeus back. The flames from the fire circle burned him slightly, but thanks to the crown's protection, his soul was unharmed—though his body was another story.
Still, this wasn't enough to make him retreat. The Apocalypse virus in his body activated, forming a crystal membrane to protect him from the flames. Of course, such a barrier wouldn't withstand Asmodeus' flames in a direct confrontation, but it was enough for Yuki.
He didn't stop attacking, continuing to push Asmodeus back more and more...
*Clang, clang, clang...
"Tsk!"
Yuki's expression grew bitter after crossing blades with Asmodeus. Unlike Kotori, Yuki couldn't land a single hit on Asmodeus—she was a monster of instinct.
Every attack was blocked, and worse, the longer the battle went on, the stronger Asmodeus became.
At first, Yuki had her cornered, sending her flying, with the black flames being the only real threat. But that was no longer the case. Her physical strength was now enough to match his own, and furthermore...
"She's learning... she's growing as a warrior!"
Asmodeus was adapting to Yuki's fighting style and had already begun counterattacking. She was a born warrior, a being forged on the battlefield...
The nightmare of every fighter...
Winning like this wasn't possible, so Yuki could no longer hold back. Even if it meant exhausting all his Chakra, he had to stop this ticking time bomb.
*Creak...
*Clang...
The Mangekyo Sharingan spun again, and Susanoo's arms reappeared. The giant palms tried to trap Asmodeus like an insect, but Asmodeus had anticipated this. She leaped, and her halberd extended horizontally, preventing the skeletal palms from closing. Yuki applied more force, and Susanoo's palms entered the next stage, closing tighter. But even so, it wasn't enough to trap her.
Yuki didn't give up. He attacked with his sword while Asmodeus' weapon was occupied, but he miscalculated. The halberd began to grow, successfully breaking Susanoo, and using the halberd's shaft as a shield, she blocked the sword strike.
"Got you!"
But this was enough for Yuki. He had managed to enter her fire ring thanks to Susanoo, and his eyes narrowed as he activated his Dojutsu.
[Apocalyptic World!]
At such close range and without her fire ring, Yuki didn't believe such an unavoidable attack wouldn't paralyze Asmodeus...
"Ahhh!!"
*Boom*
"What?!"
Reality was disappointing. As soon as Yuki activated his Dojutsu, Asmodeus' astral dress disintegrated and created a wall of fire, successfully protecting her.
"She can even defend against microscopic attacks?!"
Microscopic attacks are nearly impossible to defend against, being too small for the eye to see. This was the confidence Yuki had.
But it was all in vain—Asmodeus was a monster of instinct. Striking her was incredibly difficult.
*Boom*
While successfully defending against the Dojutsu, Asmodeus' Qlipha crystal cracked, and Reine's shadow became more visible.
Asmodeus' power had taken another great leap.
Low-tier Rank 5 Destroyer...
"Nia, can you activate the Domain?"
[Eh? I don't think that's a good idea.]
"Asmodeus' strength and mine are equal—no... she's already surpassed me..."
Even with 12% of the original Yuki's power, Asmodeus had already surpassed him. Yuki couldn't break through her defense like this.
Though the spirits were stronger, on par with the original.
Such power couldn't be exerted by a clone. Not to mention that the original Yuki had ordered not to activate the Domain and unleash full power.
They were facing Westcott, who possessed Pandora's Box.
If Requiem was unleashed, they would need every bit of energy possible to face him. It couldn't be wasted on a Domain.
"Don't worry, it'll only be for 5 seconds..."
[Still...]
With Nia's overwhelming power, it would be easy to subdue Asmodeus, even if she was a monster of instinct. Five seconds would be enough to seal Asmodeus and free Kotori from her resentment.
But once again, Nia hesitated...
[Leave it to me, Danna-sama...]
Another voice intervened, and another sword with a clock insignia appeared.
Kurumi had arrived, and seeing her restored Yuki's confidence...
[It will only take 3 seconds...]
"That's enough..."
With both swords in hand, Yuki once again faced Asmodeus, who responded by charging up her cannon...
[Zafkiel: Aleph]
*Tick, tock*
The clock on the sword moved its hand, and Yuki moved at terrifying speed.
*Clang*
But even so, Asmodeus managed to block the attack, albeit with difficulty. Without missing the opportunity, Nia moved Yuki's hand, holding his sword (Rasiel), in a fraction of a second, dodging the halberd and aiming for Asmodeus' shoulder. But once again, Asmodeus used the halberd's shaft to block the strike.
*Clang*
*Creak...
At the same time, a sword from Susanoo struck, but using the halberd's momentum and the in-between strikes, Asmodeus twisted her body and dodged again. The black flames were unleashed, and Susanoo was engulfed in the flames.
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TN: Ok I get it Asmodeus is a monster of instincts.. you dont have to repeat it to justify yuki struggling against her author 😭