“Overlord!”

The sky became overcast and a lightning bolt fell on top of Ace and illuminated the area. Ashur felt the earth shaking underneath him. Even those in the stands could feel it.

“What’s this strange feeling?”

Heartbeats quickened and palms became sweaty. Excitement and tension filled the air. They didn’t know what was happening but they could tell that it was something big. A cold sensation assaulted Ashur’s heart and his instincts started screaming for him to flee. Yet, he ignored it.

“How can I run when it’s obvious something epic is about to happen?”

He spread his arms.

“Bring it!”

The light from the lightning faded and the earth stopped shaking. Everyone saw a completely different being. It was a muscular man wearing black armor that looked like it was made using the bones of various races. He had black hair that stretched down to the center of his back. His eyes were gold and beastly, and his face was stern and terrifying. Finally, he had a claymore on his waist that had a skull on the hilt.

“What is that?”

“Ace’s Overlord Character. In this form, he can use all of the power that’s stored in Boost Player.”

Momo wore a smug expression.

“This is when he gets serious.”

“Oh! That form looks so cool!”

Ashur’s eyes lit up.

“…He looks strong too.”

“…….”

Ace silently observed Ashur before speaking.

“I have used this form 3 times in my lifetime. Of those three times, I’ve crushed my opponents with ease twice. Only once have I ever been pushed to the limit.”

“From your tone, I take it that you lost that fight.”

Ace nodded.

“It was a fight against my brother, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

His eyes sharpened.

“The reason I’m telling you this is because I get the same feeling I got from that time from you.”

He placed his hand on his sword hilt.

“So for the first time, I’m going all out from the start!”

He pulled his sword. A horrifying pressure fell on Ashur. A devilish grin crawled on his face.

“Because you are worthy!”

Ashur’s eyes widened. He started grinning.

“I’m honored!”

Ace kicked off the ground with a sonic boom. Ashur aimed his guns at him. The guns were dismantled as they were about to be fired. Ace appeared in front of Ashur. With a boom, Ashur was flung back with large cuts over his body.

(I couldn’t even see when he swung his sword!)

Ashur grinned as his feet touched the ground. He flew towards Ace, who threw his sword in the air. He stepped forward and slammed his fist in Ashur’s face. Ashur stumbled and ducked under a kick. He rose Ace off the ground with an uppercut. Ace caught his sword. A gun formed in Ashur’s hand. Ace swung down his sword. Ashur fired his gun. An explosion erupted and forced them apart.

“Hahaha!”

Ashur flew through the flames and chased Ace. He jumped over a slash from Ace’s sword with a flip. He fired from above Ace’s head. Ace disappeared and the bullet burst open the ground. Ashur crossed his arms and blocked a kick from the side. He crashed into the earth. He started rolling and evade a stomp from Ace. Cannons burst out of the ground and surrounded Ace. An explosion erupted. The flames were divided by his sword and instantly extinguished.

“Hahaha! You’re the real deal! Even my Artillery Magic doesn’t affect you that much anymore!”

Ashur sprung to his feet. The grin on his face grew.

“I didn’t plan I trying this yet because I don’t know what kind of effects it will have on me…”

“Hm?”

Ace saw Ashur’s scales receded but his towering figure remained. Lines reminiscing lava appeared over his body. Ace kicked off the earth. He swung his sword. An explosion erupted. Everything in front of him was blown away. Or was supposed to be.

“?!”

A hand flew out of the smoke and stopped in front of his face. Ace was devoured by an explosion. He stepped out of the flames to attack. A kick hit him in the stomach. He was devoured by another explosion. He flew back with burns on his body.

“As I thought…”

Ashur emerged from the smoke looking at his hands.

“I seem to be having trouble controlling the output.”

He clenched his hands with a grin.

“I’ll just have to keep trying until I figure it out.”

He flew at Ace.

(He switched back to hand-to-hand combat.)

Ace accelerated and threw his sword at him. Ashur evaded the sword. He blinked.

(Huh? Where did he—)

He felt a blow to the side of his head.

“What?!”

He turned around. He received another blow to the back of his head. He turned his head. His face was covered by Ace’s hand. His head was slammed into the earth. He grabbed Ace’s arm. His upper body was swallowed by an explosion.

“Ugh?!”

Ace stumbled back with his torso bare and covered in burns.

“That one looked like it packed a punch.”

Ashur sprung to his feet. He threw a punch. Everything in front of him was devoured by a burst of flames.

“Looks like I put too much power into that one.”

“Nah, it was perfect.”

Ace emerged from the flames covered in even more burns. He wore a huge grin.

“It pissed me off just enough.”

He stabbed his sword into the ground.

“I was going to cut you to pieces but now I’m gonna crush you and your Explosion Magic with these fists..”

“So you figured it out.”

“It wasn’t hard to after getting hit by explosion after explosion. You basically turned yourself into human artillery. You can’t control it yet but you’re like a one-man army.”

His grin widened.

“But it’s the same for me. All my stats are maxed out. I’m currently at my strongest.”

Ashur blinked and found himself in the sky.

“?!”

“That means I can use all of the magic techniques in my arsenal without restraints.

Ace appeared above him.

“Like this.”

Dozen of giant fists appeared behind Ace. He punched Ashur and forced him toward the ground. The giant fists fell on top of him and forced him into the earth. The island shook as Ashur was mercilessly assaulted. An explosion erupted and destroyed the fists.

“Now we’re talking!”

Ashur threw a punch. Ace appeared in front of him. He twisted his body to evade it. He was still forced away by an explosion.

(He predicted that I was coming in for an attack.)

Ashur pounced at him laughing. He kicked him in the head. His leg was grabbed and devoured by an explosion. He gritted his teeth. Several copies of himself surrounded Ashur. They punched and kicked Ashur from all sides. He released Ace’s foot.

“Bring it!”

He took a punch to the face and buried an Ace with a stomp. He got kicked in the side. He broke one of their necks with a hook. Two attacked him from behind. He blew them apart with quick jabs. The real Ace gathered power in his fist and rose him off the ground with a liver blow. The other Aces pounced at him and attacked him in unison.

“I have no time for fakes!”

He spun around with a kick. A ring of explosions devoured the copies. His feet touched the ground.

“I only want the original!”

Ace flew through the flames. Ashur stepped forward. They crossed fists and punched the other in the face. An explosion erupted between them and separated them. Ashur stumbled with widened eyes.

“Did you just use my technique?”

Ace lifted his fists.

“I don’t know. Come find out for yourself.”

Ashur burst out laughing.

“Then, I’ll just do that!”

They rushed at each other. Ace blocked a punch with his arm. It was hit by an explosion. He replied with a gut punch. Ashur’s midsection exploded. He punched Ace in the jaw. Ace’s face was burnt by an explosion. He kicked Ashur’s leg. He was brought to his knees by an explosion. Ace kicked him under the chin. An explosion blew his head back.

“Hahahaha!”

He quickly got up and avoided a jab and countered with a cross punch. Ace stumbled back with a bloodied face.

“Hahahaha!”

Yet, he burst out laughing. They stepped in and slammed their fists in each other’s sides. Blood seeped through their teeth as they smiled through the pain.

“What a brutal fight.”

“Neither seems to want to back down.”

The audience watched on as the two clashed.

“I can understand Ashur because of his high resistance to pain and regenerative abilities, but how is that Ace kid still standing?”

Al-Shura was visibly confused.

“I told you.”

Momo smirked.

“Don’t underestimate Miko’s Apostles.”

Ace landed an uppercut causing Ashur to stumbled back. His legs were wobbly and his breath was heavy. However, Ace was no better off. His face and upper body were stained with blood and covered with burns. Yet, the two still wore smiles on their faces.

“Ahh!”

“Ahh!”

They charged and exchange punches. An explosion erupted on their bodies, but they stood their ground. They started throwing punches and kicks with no sign of stopping. Explosions tore and burn their bodies. Still, they didn’t stop. Fists to face, kicks to stomachs, palms to chest. A barrage of brutal attacks hit them one after the other. This went on for several minutes before stopping.

“………”

“……..”

The two glared at each other as blood-stained their vision and their breaths raced. They straightened their bodies and clenched their fists. A fiery aura concentrated around those fists. Soon, it was as if those fists had become miniature suns. They grinned at each other. And then-

They pounced.

“Ahhh!”

“Ahhh!”

They threw punches with all of their strengths. The fists clashed. A light formed between them. An enormous explosion followed. The two were devoured along with a huge portion of the island. Once it faded everything on the island was reduced to ash. It had turned into a scorched wasteland.

“……..”

Ace and Ashur laid out on the ground with only the sound of flames flickering being heard.

(Both parties’ emblems have been destroyed! Hence it’s a double elimination!)

“What?!”

Al-Shura’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. The announcement continued.

(Following this result, the Quintus Team has been eliminated and only the Primus and Quartus teams remain with one member each! Since the difference between both remaining teams are two large, the Primus Team automatically wins!)

“So, it’s over?”

“Even though Miko and Krul haven’t fought?”

“That’s kinda anticlimactic.”

The audience wore frowns and looked troubled.

(I agree!)

This time Alec’s voice echoed in the stadium. His face appeared on the monitors.

“I also think it would suck if the competition ended without the main event. So I have a proposal for the remaining participants.”

He placed his foot on the railing in front of him and leaned forward with a grin.

“How about we decide the winner with a fight between the two of you?”

The stadium broke out into an uproar. Alec continued.

“I know that it’s unfair to everyone who has fought up until now, but having the competition end like this is a waste. I need to know, we all need to who.”

He smirked.

“Who would win in a fight between Miko and Krul?”

The audience started to cheer.

“That’s right!”

“It can’t end like this!”

“I want to see the best of the best fight!”

“…This guy really is a Devil.”

Karim mumbled.

“He’s just doing whatever he wants to entertain himself. He doesn’t care how hard everyone fought to earn their points.”

“That’s just how he is.”

Alec wore a devilish smile ignorant of how his generation was viewing him.

“So what do you two say? Will you let it end here or will you let it end with disappointment.”

In a frozen world, Krul listened to Alec’s words with a dry smile.

“Like I can say no after the way you rallied everyone behind you.”

Alec nodded.

“Miko, I don’t need your answer, right?”

Miko was laying on a beach with Ishma and Regis. He slowly opened his eyes and he smiled.

“Of course. My answer could only be one thing.”

“Alright.”

Alec got off the railing and spread his arms.

“You’ve heard them, folks! They want to fight!”

“Ohhh!”

The cheers rained down on Alec. Some even chanted his name.

“…….”

His generation looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“Like I said, the Devil.”

Alec laughed as chants of his name rung out.

“Now then…Let the final battle begin!”