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Tobe's rage surged like a storm, his two iron arms fading away as his eyes glowed with an ominous dark red hue. The air around him grew heavy, crackling with raw, pressurizing energy. He faced Crockus with an unyielding glare, his voice low but filled with menace. With a subtle gesture, he activated Gale Vacuum. A ferocious pull of air dragged Crockus toward him, the golem lord's slender frame momentarily unsteady.
"You think you can overwhelm me?" Crockus growled, his voice reverberating with unnatural power.
Tobe's palms came close together, forming a small but intensely concentrated sphere of wind, 'Shredding Wind Bomb', between them. He didn't reply; his fury spoke for him. With a sharp motion, he hurled the sphere toward Crockus. The Razorwind Explosion detonated on impact, sending Crockus flying, tumbling across the battlefield before skidding to a stop. Dust and debris erupted in his wake, but Tobe was relentless.
"You're not getting a moment to breathe," Tobe muttered, thrusting his arm forward. A serpentine wind construct materialized and roared toward Crockus—Tunneling Wind Dragon. It collided with Crockus, forcing him further back as he struggled against the relentless attack.
Crockus grimaced, his body absorbing the impact of the Wind Dragon spell, but the strain showed as cracks began to form on his reinforced armor. Yet, even as he fought back, Tobe wasn't done. Raising his right arm, Tobe summoned an enormous wind sphere. The air around him swirled violently, feeding the growing mass of condensed wind. His eyes narrowed as he whispered the spell's name under his breath: "Chasing Air Shower."
From the enormous sphere, dozens of wind projectiles shot out, homing in on Crockus with terrifying precision. Crockus snarled, his feet lifting slightly from the ground as he used wind magic to evade. But Tobe anticipated this. With a blur of speed, he appeared directly in front of Crockus and delivered a bone-crushing punch to his face, sending him reeling. Before Crockus could recover, Tobe extended a Mana String, yanking him back with force.
"Let's see how well you endure this!" Tobe said coldly, slamming a powerful punch into Crockus' gut. He moved swiftly as a blur, positioning himself behind Crockus and holding him in place as the homing wind projectiles struck their target relentlessly. Each impact left visible dents and cracks on Crockus' armor. The strikes grew faster and faster, each one hindering Crockus' regeneration.
"ENOUGH!" Crockus bellowed, his voice echoing across the battlefield. A multi-elemental explosion erupted from his body, forcing Tobe to release his hold and leap back. The force shattered the ground beneath them, scattering debris in all directions. When the smoke cleared, Crockus stood, his top clothing and battle armor shredded, his body emanating waves of energy.
"Don't you know I can absorb elemental energy and turn it into my own?" Crockus mocked, raising his palm toward Tobe's wind sphere. Like a vacuum, he siphoned its energy, his body visibly glowing with renewed vigor.
Tobe clenched his fists, but before he could act, Crockus launched a relentless volley of whirlwind and razorwind projectiles. The sheer volume of the attack forced Tobe to halt his advance, crossing his arms forward to block the onslaught. The impacts were relentless, driving him back inch by inch.
"What's the matter, worm?" Crockus sneered. "Losing your resolve already?"
Crockus' gaze shifted to Miri, who was writhing on the ground, Oculis desperately trying to heal her wounds. A sinister grin spread across his face. "Ah... She's your weakness, isn't she?"
Tobe's eyes widened. "What... are you doing?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with urgency.
"Filling your entire soul... with despair," Crockus said, his tone cold and mocking. He raised his other arm, a massive sphere of multi-elemental energy forming in his palm. The sphere grew rapidly, crackling with destructive power, before he hurled it directly at Miri.
"Miri!" Tobe screamed, breaking through the barrage of wind attacks. His arms burned with pain, but he ignored it, his mind focused solely on reaching her. Miri, with what little strength she had left, unfused Bastion from her sword and planted the shield into the ground. She panted heavily, her hope wavering.
AMBITION IGNITION... DARK RED 76%... 77%... 78%... 79%... 80%! Tobe pushed his body beyond its limits, his figure blurring as he reached Miri just in time.
"Tobe-senpai!? What are you doing?!" Miri shouted in panic.
Tobe didn't answer immediately. He muttered softly, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "Miri... I just want you to keep smiling. I don't care if it's for everyone or just me. I need to see you smile... Promise me this, okay?"
"What...?" Miri's voice broke, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.
Tobe turned back to face the incoming blast, raising his arms to meet it head-on. The sheer force of the attack seared his skin, his sleeves disintegrating. He gritted his teeth as the blast even scraped his forehead, holding the blast in place as it slowly dissipated. Blood dripped from his forehead, covering his face, but he stood firm.
Crockus growled in frustration. "You're proving to be quite the bother," he said, irked by Tobe's resilience.
"Tobe-senpai?!" Miri's voice broke into a scream as she watched Tobe's body tremble under the strain.
Tobe turned slightly, forcing a warm, struggling smile. "Just... promise... to keep smiling. I won't forgive you if you stop," he said, his voice faint but determined.
Oculis quickly wrapped his tendrils around Miri, dragging her back to safety. Flake clutched onto her collar, Yuka and Max pulling her away despite her resistance. Tears streamed down her face as she shouted Tobe's name. He reassured her with one final glance, his smile radiant despite the blood and pain.
"It seems like we've dominated the demon lord's army thanks to the Brainless and all of your efforts!" Julius' distant voice announced. "But for Demon Lord Crockus, Tobe Kusakabe of the Cheery Black is taking him head on!"
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Tobe turned back to Crockus, his expression shifting to one of sheer determination. His warm glowing yellow eyes darkened, turning into a deep, foreboding black.
AMBITION IGNITION... HATRED BLACK... 100%...
Strength: 99
Speed: 99
Defense: 50
Stamina: 50
Mana: 0
Spell Casting: 0
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The battlefield was shrouded in an oppressive silence, the air heavy with the weight of an inevitable clash. Blackened aura surged around Tobe, twisting into sinuous trails of black paint splatter that wrapped him like living shadows. His eyes glowed with an eerie white intensity, black splatters for pupils, while his hair seemed liquid, defying gravity. The malevolent energy radiating from him sent shivers through the spines of those watching from the distance.
Crockus sneered, his voice oozing contempt. "Do you really think that your feeble transformation can make a dent in me—"
Before he could finish, Tobe's knee collided with his face in an explosive burst of speed and force, a visual spray of black paint marking the point of impact.
"UAGH!" Crockus stumbled back, clutching his face. "YOU DAMNED WORM!"
Tobe was relentless. His fist smashed into Crockus' chest, sending him tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll. The sound of each impact reverberated across the battlefield. Crockus scrambled to his feet, his grotesque rocky form regenerating, albeit sluggishly.
"What is this...?" Crockus muttered, a note of fear creeping into his voice. "My regeneration—it's slowing with every strike!"
Tobe advanced with cold precision, his every step measured, unyielding. In a blink, he closed the gap between them, delivering a right legged roundhouse kick aimed directly at Crockus' head. The demon lord barely managed to block it, his massive arms trembling under the sheer force.
"He's not giving me any openings," Crockus thought, panic lacing his expression. "I can't cast a single spell… he's too fast!"
Tobe's leg recoiled and struck again, the kick shattering Crockus' defense and staggering him. Without hesitation, Tobe unleashed a storm of strikes—a punch to the gut, an elbow to the ribs, and a left legged spinning kick to the head that left Crockus disoriented. The demon lord's attempts to retaliate were feeble at best, his movements slow and clumsy in comparison.
Seizing the moment, Tobe delivered a devastating punch to Crockus' abdomen, the sheer force tearing a gaping hole through his torso and launching him backward. Crockus' body hit the ground with a resounding crash, skidding across the battlefield. He wheezed while crouching on the ground, clutching at the edges of the wound.
"Ugh… my core… it's exposed. He's… he's a monster!"
In the distance, the Vast Star members and many other allies were rushing forward, intending to assist. But Tobe glanced their way, his expression grim.
He thought, his resolve hardening. "I won't let anyone else get hurt. No more casualties… no more deaths..."
Tobe surged forward, his speed blinding. Grabbing Crockus' left arm, he yanked it upwards and delivered a bone-crushing kick down to his torsop, dislocating the limb with a sickening snap before flinging Crockus into the air. The demon lord's slender form hurtled through the sky, crashing into a nearby village and obliterating several buildings.
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Julius' voice echoed across the battlefield, amplified through Helrin's Monitoring Orb. "THE DEMON LORD HAS BEEN FLUNG INTO A VILLAGE NEARBY! TOBE KUSAKABE IS THE ONLY ONE HOLDING HIM BACK! HEALERS, ATTEND TO THE INJURED IMMEDIATELY! OTHERS, ASSIST TOBE KUSAKABE!"
Tobe noticed that he completely severed Crockus' arm from his body as he then tossed the limb aside and blurred toward the village, weaving effortlessly through the chaos and all of the villagers running out and away from the village. Crockus poked atop a shattered house, his form shimmering as his basalt-like skin hardened further.
"Material change… IRON!" Crockus roared, his voice booming. His body glowed with a metallic sheen, now reinforced with iron.
The demon lord roared in fury as he launched a volley of multi-elemental energy projectiles. Tobe swatted the projectiles aside with precision, catching one mid-air and crushing it effortlessly, Tobe then blurred in front of Crockus and delivered a left legged spinning whip kick to the left side of his head, he launched Crockus down through two houses.
The onslaught resumed. Tobe's fists pounded against Crockus' iron-reinforced body, each blow creating cracks in the seemingly impenetrable surface. Crockus staggered under the relentless assault, his once-confident sneer replaced by a grimace of desperation.
"Even with this form… I can feel pain," Crockus thought, panic rising. "His punches… they're slowing my regeneration!"
Tobe began the exchange with a ferocious left knee strike to Crockus' gut, forcing a guttural gasp from the Demon Lord. Following up with a swift right punch to his side, Tobe's movements were fluid and precise. Crockus staggered, trying to maintain balance, but Tobe capitalized on his opening with a straight kick to Crockus' left leg. The force of the blow buckled the limb, and Crockus stumbled. Before he could recover, Tobe blurred into the air behind him and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the left side of Crockus' head, the impact echoing like a thunderclap.
Crockus barely managed to regain his footing when Tobe blurred in front of him and delivered a powerful left handed slap that sent Crockus hurtling through multiple house walls. As Crockus' massive frame crashed through the village's outer wall, creating a cloud of dust and debris.
"He's too fast..." Crockus thought, frustration mounting as he tried to push himself up. But Tobe gave him no reprieve. In an instant, Tobe appeared again, landing a crushing kick to Crockus' gut, making him skid across the ground like a ragdoll.
Gasping, Crockus muttered internally, "Each hit he lands on me… actually hurts. It's slowing down my regeneration." He forced himself to stand, his body trembling with rage. His arm began to surge with multi-colored energy, expanding and growing to monstrous proportions. His arm and hand alone became large enough to crush a house.
"But… I… WON'T GROVEL BENEATH THIS WORM'S FEET!" Crockus bellowed, thrusting his massive fist toward Tobe. The ground shook as the colossal limb thrusted forward like a freight train.
Tobe didn't flinch. With an almost casual air, he caught the gigantic fist with one hand. Crockus' eyes widened in disbelief. "What is with this guy's strength?!" he roared in frustration.
Tobe launched himself into the air, landing on Crockus' arm. At top speed, he sprinted down the length of the limb, leaped into the air, and with tremendous force, drove his heels down onto the forearm. The sound of the limb snapping echoed across the battlefield as Crockus' massive forearm was severed cleanly from his body.
Before Crockus could react, Tobe blurred in front of him once more, delivering a relentless barrage of punches. Each strike was calculated—to the lungs, disrupting his breathing; to the core, weakening his stance; and to the face, leaving Crockus stunned and disoriented.
Desperation gripped the Demon Lord. He attempted a headbutt, but Tobe weaved back with ease. Crockus tried to gain distance, leaping back and charging a concentrated beam from his chest. Before he could fire, Tobe closed the gap again, his speed overwhelming. A left knee strike to the gut halted the attack, followed by a right knee to the face that sent Crockus reeling.
Mid-air, Tobe spun and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent Crockus crashing to the ground below. The earth shattered beneath him as Crockus struggled to rise. But Tobe was relentless, already standing over him. A gut punch with his left fist followed by a kick to the face sent Crockus sprawling. Tobe delivered a driving elbow jab to Crockus' chin, lifting the Demon Lord into the air. Grabbing Crockus by the legs, Tobe spun like a tornado before hurling him back toward the village.
Tobe blurred once more, appearing mid-flight and delivering punch after punch, shooting Crockus even further forward. The impact blasted Crockus through the village wall again and several houses, as the Demon Lord's slender frame finally smashed through the church's walls, coming to rest amidst the shattered statues of the Five Gods of this world.
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Gritting his teeth, Crockus pushed himself to his knees. His arms regenerated back to their normal size as he glared at the divine statues. "You accursed gods! What type of beings have you dragged into this world?!" he roared, slamming his fist into the ground.
From the gaping hole in the church's wall, the sound of footsteps echoed ominously as Tobe's figure emerged. His expression was cold and unreadable. "Don't blame the gods," Tobe said, his voice like ice. "Blame your lack of adaptability, skills, and weakness."
"Shut up, you worm!" Crockus bellowed, the church trembling with his rage. "I AM DEMON LORD CROCKUS! THE DEMON KING'S LEFT ARM! THE SUPREME GOLEM THAT MASTERED ALL ELEMENTS!"
A shockwave erupted as countless multi-elemental spheres detached from Crockus' body, floating in the air and glowing ominously. Beams of fire, ice, electricity, and wind shot toward Tobe in rapid succession.
Activating 'Ricochet,' Tobe became a blur, bouncing off walls and pews, dodging every shot with surgical precision. As he moved, he struck down the multi-elemental spheres and struck Crockus' body with blinding speed, each hit almost leaving gaping wounds.
Crockus roared, firing more beams from his palms as Tobe skidded right in front of Tobe as Crockus attempted to strike with a massive multi-elemental sword he conjured. Tobe weaved through the attacks with ease, his 'Cat-like Instincts' allowing him to anticipate every move. Countering with a straight punch to the Demon Lord's side, Tobe dodge another sweeping blade as he then delivered a reverse roundhouse kick to Crockus' head, sending him reeling.
Using his body, he leapt into the air, Tobe brought down a mid-air rolling axe kick down at Crockus, shattering the church's floor. As the dust settled, Tobe stood over Crockus, his opponent's body in ruins. Crockus' torso was separated from his legs, his right arm obliterated. Yet, the Demon Lord smirked, coughing out mana.
The battlefield was a wasteland of chaos and destruction. Amid the ruins of a once-grand church, Tobe stood tall, bloodied and battered, over the mutilated form of Demon Lord Crockus. Crockus' torso was severed from his legs, his right arm blown off entirely, and his once-dominant aura reduced to a faint shimmer of defiance. Yet, even in such a state, Crockus clung to life, sneering through his agony.
Tobe's cold, unwavering eyes bore into him. Lifting Crockus by the head with his left hand, Tobe's voice was a chilling whisper that carried across the battlefield, amplified by the unnatural silence of the moment.
"What good is it... being a Demon Lord... if you have nothing to show for it?" Tobe's words were laced with venom and finality. Black colored splatters dripped from his clenched right fist, oozing like liquid shadow. "If all you have is the title of Demon Lord, then you're a joke... a hack... a fraud.... you're nothin'... it's unfortunate for you... that your opponent... is me!"
With a dismissive motion, Tobe released Crockus' head, letting him fall like a discarded rag doll. Then, with a ferocity unmatched, Tobe unleashed a barrage of fists. Each punch sent shockwaves through the air, keeping Crockus' broken body suspended. Helrin's Monitoring Orb, hovering nearby, captured every brutal second of the spectacle, broadcasting it live to the entire world. Kingdoms, capitals, towns, villages, and even other Demon Lords watched in stunned silence as the battle unfolded.
Tobe's relentless assault was more than a fight; it was a statement. Crockus, one of the feared Demon Lord, was utterly outclassed. Tobe clutched Crockus' throat mid-air and slammed him into the ground with such force that the earth cratered beneath them. He continued pummeling Crockus, each punch driving the Demon Lord deeper into the shattered ground. The church walls groaned and buckled under the strain.
As Tobe pulled back his arm for a final, devastating blow, he roared with raw determination. His fist connected with Crockus' core, the impact shattering the ground and collapsing the entire church. The Monitoring Orb was struck by a falling debris, crashing to the ground but continuing to record the carnage from a skewed angle.
When the dust settled, Tobe stood, panting heavily, over Crockus' ruined form. The Demon Lord's torso was shattered, and his body barely held together. His core, however, gleamed in the debris — encased in pure diamond, unscathed by Tobe's might.
Crockus chuckled weakly, his voice ragged. Half his face was gone, revealing the raw, pulsating mana beneath. "Hahaha... cough cough If... my... core... cough isn't shattered... cough cough my regeneration... still... activates... Hahaha..." He coughed up mana, his smirk unwavering. "What will you do, boy? Keep pummeling me until I'm completely broken? Good luck breaking through pure diamond... With my core intact... my form will regenerate. So... what will you do?... HAHAHAHA! It's unfortunate... that your opponent is me!"
Tobe's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he stood still. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a worn, folded picture. It was of him and Miri as children, their innocent smiles frozen in time. His Ambition Ignition flickered and faded as tears welled in his eyes, dripping onto the photo.
"Miri..." he whispered, his voice breaking. "Just keep on smiling for me... I'm sorry that... I couldn't... say this to you... in person..."
As his tears fell, Tobe's mana surged. White light began to emanate from his body, cracks forming across his skin as the light shone brighter and brighter. Crockus' mocking demeanor faltered, replaced by panic as he recognized the energy.
"What... are you doing?!" Crockus' voice quivered. Realization dawned on him, and fear overtook him. "Wait... no... HOW?! HOW DO YOU KNOW THE MANA END NUKE?!"
Tobe didn't respond. His calm smile returned as he clutched the picture tightly in his hand. His tears floated upward, caught in the glow of his overwhelming mana. He muttered one final time, almost inaudibly, "I know... I never showed it... on my face... but... keep smiling for me."
Crockus screamed, thrashing desperately. "NO! NO! NO!" He fired mana beams at Tobe, but they dissipated against the growing light. Even as he managed to destroy Tobe's cracking forearm, the white light only intensified.
With one last, wide grin, Tobe's thoughts echoed in the quiet: I... have always...
The world erupted in a brilliant, blinding explosion. The Mana End Nuke consumed everything within its radius, leaving nothing but ash. The village houses, the church, and Crockus' core were obliterated in an instant.
When the light faded, silence reigned.
From the edge of the cliffside, Julius stood, his face pale and his heart heavy. He turned his voice directing it towards the surviving allies, his voice steady but laden with sorrow. "...It seems like... Demon Lord Crockus... has been defeated. And we... have won the battle..." He paused, his gaze lowering. "But for Tobe Kusakabe of the Cheery Black... he... has sacrificed... his own life... to save ours..."
...as we then see Miri... grovelling on the ground where Tobe once stood... tears flooding from her eyes... as she held onto the picture Tobe clutched in his hands.... while Yuka comforted her by softly rubbing her back...
The people of the Village of Seturia, The citizens of the Capital of Munth, The citizens of the High Kingdom of Riscone, The entire world... still watching the static through the completely disintigrated Monitoring Orb, fell into hushed mourning... A hero's sacrifice had been etched into history, and his name... would never... ever... be forgotten....
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