The vast cloud of smoke that covered the entire arena slowly began to dissipate, finally revealing the damage caused by the explosion that had shaken everything a few moments before.
To everyone's amazement, the battlefield had turned into a deep crater, with signs of destruction scattered everywhere.
The floor of the battlefield, which had once been flat with large floors, had turned into a heap of scattered rock fragments.
"What power... is this?"
"How is this possible?"
"It looks like a war has broken out."
As the smoke cleared, everyone could see me. I was standing in the center of the crater, my Boosted Scale Mail armor glowing in its dark red hue. This armor was like a costume from an old Sentai anime, but in a version with lots of metal scales and a helmet with a frosted green visor.
I could still feel the residual heat from the attack on the fingertips of my left hand and in the surrounding air. My senses were heightened, allowing me to perceive every detail around me.
But what I noticed first, and what all the spectators gradually realized, was that there was no sign of Raiser Phenex anywhere in the crater. My eyes scanned the wreckage, searching between the shadows and cracks, but found nothing. Then something caught my eye.
A single shiny feather, like that of a rare bird, floated slowly as it fell from the sky. It came down, swaying gently in the wind. I reached out my hand, and my fingers opened to receive the feather in the palm of one hand. It was the feather of a Phenex. As the feather touched the palm of my hand, it lasted only a moment before it crumbled to dust and collapsed completely.
A murmur of shock went through the crowd. They all understood what had happened. Raiser Phenex, the immortal, had been killed. For the first time in the history of the Devils, a Phenex had been killed. This feat, which had seemed impossible, struck a chord with everyone.
"He... he really did it..." I heard someone whisper in disbelief.
I took a deep breath. I could hardly believe that my crazy plan had worked. It would have been easier to use holy water, but holy water probably wouldn't have had the effect I wanted on the other devils.
I asked Ddraig to release the explosion and the dragon scale mail. Of course, I didn't ask directly, I just asked the right questions, like:
"Can you teach me a very powerful attack that can even destroy something immortal? And is there armor that can completely protect me or minimize the damage of this attack on me?"
Then Ddraig told me about Boosted Gear Scale Mail, and she warned me that I could only hold Scale Mail for about fifteen seconds, and that the attack I wanted to learn, Explosion, would have to be precisely targeted to avoid disintegrating along with Raiser.
"{Do you understand the risks, boy? Holding Scale Mail for more than fifteen seconds will be fatal for you. You're strong, but not strong enough. And using Explosion at the same time... well, you're playing with your life}."
I wouldn't be satisfied with such simplistic answers.
"If I don't give it my all now, we won't get another chance. You're the dragon of dragons, and I'm the one you own. We must show power."
Ddraig was silent for a moment before answering.
"{Very well. Let's do it. You'll have to set the explosion to maximum area damage, though, to destroy every part of Raiser's body so quickly that he won't have time to regenerate. With Scale Mail, you'll be able to protect yourself from most of the damage after a few boosts. Until then, you're pretty much on your own at the beginning of the fight. Think you can handle it?}"
And so we did. The plan was a bit risky, but it was the only chance I had to kill a supposedly immortal being.
Feeling the power of the explosion unleashed was like being at the epicenter of a hurricane of pure destructive energy. Every muscle in my body shook from the force of the lightning bolt coming from my palm, but I activated Scale Mail, which, reinforced by the continuous boosts, managed to protect me from the worst.
"I knew that even if I couldn't fully withstand the blast, Scale Mail would protect me enough to survive." I said to myself as I watched the wind blow the ash from Raiser's remains. "And to think that not so long ago, I would have hesitated to even kill that random priest... I guess I've changed a little."
All eyes in the arena were on me, the spectators trying to process what had happened.
Suddenly, a clap echoed from above, breaking the stunned silence.
I raised my head, still a little dizzy from extreme fatigue, and my eyes met the imposing figure of Sirzechs Lucifer, who gave me a standing ovation with a serene smile.
"Congratulations, Leonard Tonello. You have truly exceeded all expectations." Sirzechs declared.
His lone applause soon began to attract others. First Grayfia, then Sona Sitri and her sister. One by one, until the entire crowd joined in, filling the air with a deafening roar of applause.
Suddenly, I saw a figure leap from the top platform and land softly on the ravaged arena. Rias Gremory, her long red hair flowing behind her, ran toward me with a beaming smile. She threw herself into my arms, wrapping me in a tight embrace that drew gasps of surprise from the crowd.
"Leo, you did it!" She said with tear-filled eyes and a smile of relief.
I hugged her back, preventing us from falling to the ground. "Laugh... I..."
I was about to say, but then a murmur spread through the crowd.
"He's won Miss Gremory's hand!"
"When is the wedding?"
"Will they finally make the rumors official?"
But before anything else could be said, another figure jumped out at me. Asia Argento, her green eyes gleaming with joy, jumped over me and Rias.
"Leo, I was so worried! But you're okay, aren't you?"
"I am, Asia. Thanks to..."
Just then, Akeno Himejima joined the hug with her characteristic smile. I was exhausted, so I fell back. But that didn't stop them from holding onto me. The collective hug of the three girls drew more sighs and comments from the crowd.
"Huh? Looks like Rias actually has some competition!"
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In chapters R-18, there are original and exclusive images for the patreons!
NEXT CHAPTERS:
Chapter 39 - Gremory Mansion
Chapter 40 - System Update
Chapter 41 - Your chances? Very High! (R-18)
Chapter 42 - Asia Deep Throa... Khum! (R-18)
Chapter 43 - My First Time with a Nun (R-18)
Chapter 44 - Rhythms & Poses (R-18)
Chapter 44.5 - Asia Argento POV (R-18)
Chapter 45 - Attribute Points
Chapter 46 - Welcome Back
Chapter 47 - Collecting Artifacts
Chapter 48 - New System Challenge!
Chapter 49 - Heating Akeno (R-18)
Chapter 50 - Tight Walls (R-18)
Chapter 51 - Arara~ (R-18)
Chapter 52 - Smell of S*x (R-18)
Chapter 53 - Dawn
Chapter 54 - Artifacts
Chapter 55 - Disguise