Eldric, picking himself up from the dust, looked upon the scene with a mixture of horror and a newfound respect for the creature before him. The battlefield, once teeming with life, was now a graveyard. His righteous fury had been replaced by a chilling realization – he had been utterly outmatched. Yet, a flicker of defiance still burned within him. He might not be able to defeat this monster alone, but perhaps there was another way. Perhaps this Roland, despite his destructive power, wasn't the ultimate evil he initially perceived.
Eldric, despite his divine protection, wasn't entirely unscathed from the explosion of Roland's Taimatsu technique. The shockwave, a brutal testament to the raw power unleashed, slammed into him with the force of a battering ram.
The initial impact sent him tumbling through the scorched earth, his armor offering little protection against the sheer force. He likely emerged with a multitude of bruises, some potentially severe, and a general feeling of being shaken to his core.
The intense heat radiating from the explosion, even at a distance, would have singed his exposed skin and hair. The sudden burst of light could have temporarily blinded him or left him with spots dancing in his vision. The sheer power of the detonation might have also left him dazed and disoriented.
The holy aura that normally crackled around Eldric, a manifestation of his divine blessing, would have flickered and sputtered in the face of such raw destructive power. It's possible the explosion overloaded or temporarily weakened his connection to the divine energy, leaving him feeling drained and slightly vulnerable.
Belial, the demon lord, fared slightly worse than Eldric due to his closer proximity to the blast. While his demonic resilience offered some protection, the sheer power of the Taimatsu was unlike anything he had encountered before.
Unlike Eldric's singed hair and exposed skin, Belial's demonic form would have sustained more severe burns. His closer proximity to the explosion would have left him with singed fur, blistered skin, and a throbbing reminder of Roland's power etched onto his flesh.
Similar to Eldric, the shockwave would have sent Belial sprawling, leaving him shaken and disoriented. The sudden, intense light might have also affected his vision momentarily.
The raw power of the explosion might have caused a temporary disruption in Belial's demonic essence. This could manifest as a feeling of weakness, a dull ache throughout his demonic form, or a slight dimming of his magical abilities.
Roland surveyed the scene with a hint of remorse in his crimson eyes. The devastation wrought by his Taimatsu technique was undeniable. He hadn't intended to level the battlefield, but the sheer power of the attack had a mind of its own. As he watched Belial and Eldric struggle to their feet, a sigh escaped his lips.
"Alright, alright," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Maybe that was a tad much overkill. Honestly, I was holding back most of the time. If I went all out, you two would be nothing but wisps of ash on the wind."
His words hung heavy in the air, a chilling testament to the power he held in reserve.
He glanced at the two figures before him, the remnants of his former opponents. Eldric, the once proud paladin, lay sprawled on the scorched earth, his armor singed and blackened. His divine aura, a mere flicker compared to its earlier intensity, pulsed weakly as he chanted a healing prayer. Beside him, Belial, the demon lord, looked far less worse for wear. His demonic form, however, had undergone a drastic transformation. Gone was the humanoid figure with the manicured nails. In its place stood a hulking beast, its head the formidable visage of a ram, its body a mass of rippling muscle and thick fur.
A wry smile spread across Roland's face. "Looks like you two finally decided to get serious," he remarked, his voice laced with amusement. "Though, I must say, Belial, the sheep look is not your best one."
Belial, his voice a guttural growl emanating from the ram's head, ignored the jibe. "Don't underestimate me, fire-breather," he rumbled. "I may not be used to your flamboyant displays, but I've faced far worse threats than a glorified torch."
Eldric, finishing his chant, rose to his feet, a determined glint in his eyes. His body had undergone a metamorphosis as well. Gone were the days of the white-clad paladin. Now, he stood impossibly tall and muscular, his veins pulsing with raw power beneath his now red skin. His once brown hair spiked upwards in defiance, a fiery aura, a privilege reserved for only the elite of his world, crackling around him.
"You may be powerful," Eldric boomed, his voice filled with newfound power, "but you are a destroyer! You have laid waste to this land and its people. I, Eldric, shall be the one to bring you to justice, even if it costs my life!"
Roland sighed internally. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid – another grandstanding hero complex. Yet, he couldn't deny a begrudging respect for Eldric's determination. This wasn't a pushover by any means.
A vein throbbed on Roland's forehead. He wasn't built for drawn-out battles, especially against opponents who, while impressive, weren't pushing him to his limits. This whole charade – the grand pronouncements, the righteous indignation – was starting to wear thin.
"Alright, alright," he declared, his voice cutting through the tense silence. "Enough of this playground squabble. Time to get serious."
He raised Ryujin Jakka high, its flames casting an eerie glow on his face. "Brace yourselves," he warned, a hint of amusement laced with a dangerous edge in his voice, "because you're about to witness the true power of Ryujin Jakka."
With a burst of flame that propelled him skyward, Roland soared above the battlefield. Below him, Belial and Eldric, momentarily stunned by his sudden ascent, craned their necks to follow his fiery trajectory. The silence that descended was thick with anticipation, a suffocating weight that hung heavy in the air.
Then, a change began. A slow, ominous glow spread across the horizon, pushing back the darkness of the approaching night. This wasn't just the flickering orange of ordinary fire; it was a deep crimson, a color that bled into the very fabric of the sky, painting it the hue of a dying sun. The heat, even from this distance, was palpable, a relentless wave scorching the battlefield and sending tremors through the earth.
Roland, bathed in this infernal light, raised his voice once more, his tone echoing with a power that transcended mere words. "Bankai!" he roared, the word carrying the weight of a thousand suns.
A blinding light erupted from Ryujin Jakka, engulfing the entire blade and then, in a magnificent display of power, spreading outwards. The red glow that had been creeping across the sky intensified, transforming into a blazing inferno that obliterated the darkness, leaving only an unnatural crimson in its wake.
"Zanka no Tachi, Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui!" he declared, the final words a death knell for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of his ultimate technique.