For a while after that, me and the Red Cloak bumped swords against each other.

''Chii-iiiiiiiiiiii?!''

　The opponent is seamless and unable to inflict a fatal wound.

　I'm not a fan of that.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea.
　It's not just about strength, it's about skill and intuition, something that can only be honed through experience and training.
　I could even call him a master.

　The blade approached me as if slicing up diagonally from downward to the right.

''Reverse kesa slash........?''

　I reacted and tried to catch it with the Hermes sword, but........!

There you go.

　What's really going on on the left side it was coming at me from the opposite direction.

A feint?

　I can't believe I fell for a feint.
　I didn't move, I didn't feel anything, I didn't make a single sign of movement, I didn't even pretend to. I'm skilled enough to fool my own eyes...?

Ugh.........?

　No body movements can be made in time from here on out.
　I changed the quality of the aura flowing into the Hermes Blade and changed it into the whip form.

''Ho........?''

　No, leaving half the nature of the sword.
　The sword's blade, which is soft and bendy with a sharp blade left behind, undulates like a snake as it closes in on the red cloak.

　Cleave by feint or my snake blade.
　Which will reach you first?

　I'm not going to be able to get a hold of him, but I'm going to be able to kick the ground and dodge the snake blade.
　At the same time, I filled the air with my aura and emitted a large air pressure of range.

　So more and more the red cloak is blown away.

''........Ah, that was close.......?

　If I wasn't carrying a Hermes sword, I would have been hit.

　

　The red cloak that had been blown away had already rolled on the ground and stopped its momentum, and stood up with a scry.

''........Quirks are something to be reckoned with. I dodged it even though I didn't have to.''
What...?
My body doesn't need that kind of attention anymore.

　I don't know what that means.
　What does it mean?　You mean you don't care if you get cut or stabbed?
　If so, you'll just go in for the next one, right?

"What in the world are you.......who are you.......?

　The more you fight, the less you understand your opponent.
　Normally, you only need to hit one target to understand many things about your opponent.

　This is the first time I've ever felt this way.
　All I know is that my opponent is stronger than anyone else I've ever matched up with a weapon.

　A weapon user with an aura....
　More than Radey and Zester.........
　Or maybe..........

　More than Mr. Alanziel...........?

'Don't be so sure....................you're strong enough. There aren't many martial artists who have been able to follow me this far in a pure firefight.......

　The red cape said.

''Even though you have the advantage of that strange weapon, you are still a regrettable gem. It is only with the help of a strong man like you that he can be defeated.
He's...?
You know him. You've spent the first half of your life in the Demon King's Army, haven't you?　The little girl over there told me about it.

　His gaze turns to Selmet, who shrinks behind me.
　I can't even see the light in his eyes, hidden by the cloak on his head, but it's still an intense gaze that I can see.

''Hee!''

　She sagged and couldn't even move.
　That was how frightening the presence of the red cloak was.
　You could say it was horrifying.

　If I could, I would run away with her in my arms.

''What a rare career. You're a human, but you lived as a demon, and now you've changed your affiliation to the human race again. One person who knows two worlds is truly precious in this world...
So....

　I don't go through their paces and just ask them directly what I want to hear.

Who is this 'he'...?
Don't play dumb, he figured it out long ago, didn't he?
'I'm not going to bypass you until I hear a clear answer. That's how good you are at fooling people, isn't it?
Yeah. You can believe it or not, but I'm going to tell you something. It's the Demon King.

　I knew it.

'You gave me that 'I knew it' look, didn't you?　But can we believe it?　We're liars.
''That's the only part I'm willing to believe. A man as strong as you, against an opponent who is willing to put so much careful preparation into challenging you.......

　I don't have any idea who the Demon King is.

　It's scary, but it's true.
　If I wanted to kill him, he could do it at a moment's notice, even if he's dealing with Lady Gram-Burza or Mr. Arantzill.

　That's how good he is.

　Especially in terms of skill.
　It's definitely better than me.

That's a good reaction. ''That's a good reaction,'' he said, ''but it has to be someone who knows what he's capable of. It's even better when it's expressed by someone who shouldn't know the true horror of the Demon King.
What's the point of going after the Demon King?
Reason?　What is so special about that?　There's no reason for him to be in this world from any perspective.

　The red cape raised his sword as he spoke.

''As an aside, I'll show you the power I've prepared for you. The power I prepared to defeat the demon king. It's the crystal power we're aiming for.

　This is not good.
　I knew in my gut that this was a bad idea.

　I thought I had to move faster than my opponent, but in the end, I was faster.

''Encounter with the Sky.''

　A fresh blood red aura 隗 flew towards me with the sharpness of a blade.

''This is........?

　A red 'Great Emperor Splitting Sky'?
　At least that's what I felt at a glance.

　It is a technique that sends aura itself from the sword blade as a slash.
　It's the same as the original.

It was a technique that doubled the size and power of the Ryakusoku Ryakusoku, adding a twist to the Ryakusoku.
　It is a technique created by Arantzill, the predecessor and the most powerful man of all time!

　That red cloak released a 'Splitting Sky', and it was definitely of the 'Great Emperor Splitting Sky' class size.

　But why is it red?
　Is it possible for aura to have a color?

''d*mn the 'Super Empty Sky'!

　Thanks to their awareness of the danger, I was able to make my move in time.
I'm not going to be the only one who's been in the market for a while.

　Both sides collided in the air.

　The huge aura slash blows each other to pieces.

''Guaaaaaahhhh?
"Nuh-uh-uh?

　The impact of the destruction scattered in all directions, hitting both me and my opponent.
　It was all I could do to hold on to prevent myself from being blown away, and I couldn't do anything else.

''Kyaaaahhhh!

　There's no time to bother with Selmet, who is getting blown away splendidly.

　The aftermath has subsided, and the site where the heavy blows collided is a burnt-out wasteland.
　Everything had been blown away.

''It's brilliant........ How could he still have a life after being bombarded with the 'Meeting Demon Splitting Sky'?
Oma, Rekku...?

　Speaking of which.........?
　That guy from Zebiantes said. The mysterious cloak-suited outfit that took the three heroes away used the red 『Great Emperor Splitting Sky』.
　Don't tell me that's what that was...?

　Seeing it with my own eyes, the heterogeneity is once again extreme.



　I said.

"Not only an aura, but also magical power. It's mixed in with the 'split sky' you released. That's why you look red, isn't it?
"How can you spot a single potion? That's right. It's a fusion of aura and magic. It's a combination of the best of both, and the technique that can be considered a prototype of it, is the 'Meeting Demon Splitting Sky'...

　The Red Cloak said.

''It is the key to defeating the Demon King.