As soon as the words fell, a surge of violent cursed energy erupted like a storm, bursting forth from Kashimo Hajime's body, sending sand and stones flying in all directions.
Roy shielded his eyes with one hand and took several steps back.
It was as if Kashimo Hajime had decided to expend every last ounce of his remaining cursed energy in this moment, unleashing the full potential of his lifetime in a single burst.
"Truly astonishing cursed energy output efficiency!"
Roy couldn't help but marvel aloud.
After activating his technique, Kashimo Hajime's already peak-level cursed energy output had now shattered its limits, as if he were recklessly squeezing every drop from his body without regard for his own life.
But it wasn't just his cursed energy output that had changed.
Kashimo Hajime's eyes bulged, his skin and muscles suddenly writhing and swelling before being engulfed in blue-purple flames that swept across his entire body. An incredible heat gathered around him, radiating outward in waves.
This was the liberation of Kashimo Hajime's technique—Mythical Beast Amber!
Upon activation, his body underwent terrifying transformations—not only was his physicality greatly enhanced, but his cursed energy output surpassed his own limits. His body transcended the realm of what a sorcerer could achieve, his reinforced physique capable of reducing even a fully defensive sorcerer to fragments with a single punch.
And this was merely a byproduct of the technique.
The true power of Mythical Beast Amber was to materialize various phenomena transformed from cursed energy, elevating Kashimo Hajime's mastery over lightning to an omnipotent level. Techniques previously beyond his reach—such as X-ray scans and electromagnetic wave emissions—were now effortlessly within his grasp.
"My body will collapse once this technique ends."
Kashimo Hajime straightened up, exhaling a crackling, thunder-like aura.
"But I'll defeat you before that happens!"
He planted his feet firmly and let out a fierce shout.
In the next instant, lightning exploded across his body, filling the battlefield with a chaotic dance of silver serpents as Kashimo Hajime himself vanished from sight.
He wasn't using the lightning to obscure his movements—rather, the moment the lightning erupted, he had already launched himself forward at full speed, moving so fast it was as if he'd never been there at all.
Roy narrowed his eyes and extended a single arm.
"CRACK!"
Kashimo Hajime crossed the distance between them in an instant, appearing right before Roy and driving a punch straight through his open guard.
For a moment, lightning branched out infinitely like tree limbs, transforming the surroundings into a sea of thunder, annihilating anything that drew near.
Roy's extended arm shifted into a pushing motion, redirecting Kashimo Hajime's fist from the inside.
Simultaneously, lightning coiled around him like serpents, only to be repelled by the cursed energy shielding his body. Techniques like electromagnetic waves, which he normally couldn't control, were now even less effective than the lightning itself.
"Even at this level, he can still effortlessly block my attacks!"
Seeing this, Kashimo Hajime's grin grew increasingly frenzied, his fighting spirit burning fiercer than ever.
Only his eyes gradually cleared, sharpening with focus.
After deflecting Kashimo Hajime's initial strike, Roy immediately followed up with his right fist, delivering a punch toward Kashimo Hajime's chest without a moment's delay.
The sharp gust of a fist came whistling through the air, carrying a force so intense it felt like being sliced by blades. With lightning-fast reflexes, he arched his back and narrowly avoided the earth-shattering punch.
At the same time, he used the backward momentum to spin around, launching a roundhouse kick straight at Roy. Cursed energy crackled like lightning, saturating the air with bizarre, jagged arcs of electricity.
Roy's brow lifted slightly.
Previously, Kashimo Hajime couldn't withstand even two consecutive moves from him—not just because of the vast gap in their strength, but also because his reaction speed couldn't keep up. It seemed the release of his cursed technique had enhanced the electrical signals in his body, boosting his reflexes by a whole level.
But.
That appeared to be the extent of it.
Roy raised a hand to block Kashimo Hajime's roundhouse kick, then immediately seized his ankle and slammed him into the ground like a hammer.
Dazed from the impact, Kashimo Hajime quickly shook it off, only to see Roy lifting his leg again, preparing to smash him in the opposite direction. Gritting his teeth, Kashimo Hajime detonated cursed lightning around himself, blowing his own calf apart.
Using the explosive force, Kashimo Hajime immediately retreated.
He glanced down at his severed leg, watching as it regenerated at an astonishing rate.
The Mythical Beast Amber hadn't just granted him immense physical prowess—it had also amplified his regenerative abilities.
Raising his head, he locked eyes with Roy.
"That same look again..."
His jaw clenched tightly.
Roy's expression remained as indifferent as before, unchanged even after Kashimo Hajime had unleashed his technique. It was as if this level of power-up couldn't even faze him.
At this point, Kashimo Hajime was almost certain—Roy's claim of using only ten percent of his strength likely wasn't a lie.
That expression was proof enough.
Before the fight, Roy had shown some semblance of battle intent.
But as the battle progressed, his interest in Kashimo Hajime had gradually waned.
Because Kashimo Hajime had failed to meet Roy's expectations.
He couldn't make Roy fight seriously.
A surge of frustration welled up in Kashimo Hajime's chest once more.
It was the same feeling as when that guy had looked at him with those eyes before—only ten times more intense.
He had the pride of a warrior.
His frustration wasn't directed at himself for failing to satisfy Roy, nor did he blame his own lack of strength.
It was the ordinary, competitive frustration any athlete would feel toward the victor—Roy.
True, his strength wasn't enough to excite Roy—
"But at the very least, I'll make you show a different expression on that face of yours!"
Kashimo Hajime's brows furrowed in rage as cursed energy surged violently throughout his body, responding to his fury. Power beyond his limits converged in his mouth like rivers flowing into the sea.
His mouth twisted and contorted, transforming from lips and teeth into a circular, fleshy cannon muzzle.
"Take this—my strongest attack!"
He stomped his freshly regenerated right foot into the ground, sinking half a foot deep to brace against the recoil.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
In an instant, an ear-splitting sound like the shuddering of steel rails assaulted their eardrums. The sheer force of the sonic waves alone was enough to rupture a person's organs and make them bleed from every orifice.
An incredibly pure surge of cursed energy erupted from Kashimo Hajime's mouth, accompanied by his furious roar. Carrying the force of thunder, it surged toward Roy with astonishing divine might in a frontal assault!
Without a doubt, this was the most refined power unleashed after pushing cursed energy output beyond its limits!
It was the distilled essence of violence manifested through cursed energy.
Roy watched the scene unfold.
He slightly parted his lips, revealing an expression that seemed to say, "This move is somewhat interesting."
Then he clenched his fist.
Sapphire-blue cursed energy enveloped his fist like flickering flames.
At that moment, the cursed flames suddenly contracted.
The blue cursed energy deepened abruptly, taking on a hint of purple hue. The flowing energy became several times more viscous, transforming from liquid to something akin to mercury, encasing his fist like a gauntlet.
He threw a punch.
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening, brief explosion flashed past.
The entire world fell silent in an instant.
Whether it was the raging storm or the dancing lightning—everything vanished without a trace, leaving behind an eerie stillness. Not even the chirp of a bird or the buzz of an insect could be heard.
It was as silent as a desolate desert, a place even birds avoided.
Kashimo Hajime lay on the ground.
All his fighting spirit, all the madness on his face—everything had vanished from him at this moment.
In its place was the exhaustion of defeat.
And the emptiness of a life nearing its end.
Everything below his chest was gone, leaving only a slow trickle of blood pooling beneath him, forming a crimson lake.
The outcome was clear.
"...That just now... was cursed energy with a special trait, wasn't it...?"
Kashimo Hajime clung to his last breath, using cursed energy to sustain his fading life as he spoke weakly.
He, too, wielded cursed energy with a special trait.
So he understood.
The explosive power Roy had unleashed in that single punch was achieved through some unique trait of cursed energy.
But it wasn't lightning.
It was something he couldn't comprehend.
"More or less," Roy admitted.
Standing not far behind Kashimo Hajime, the blue-purple cursed energy around his fist gradually dissipated.
"This technique isn't fully perfected yet. It still needs more refinement."
"How much of your power was that?"
"Barely two-tenths."
"And it's still incomplete..."
Meaning there was still room for growth.
Yet even in its unfinished state, this technique had obliterated his cursed energy blast head-on.
A single punch shattered his defensive cursed energy and reduced his body, pushed to its limits, to nothing.
"I would've loved... to see this technique... in its completed form... Too bad... I won't get the chance..."
Kashimo Hajime lay on the ground, blood seeping from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Not an ounce of strength remained in his body—he couldn't even turn his head.
But his mind still worked.
He voiced the final question lingering in his heart.
"Was this... a good fight?"
Roy thought for a moment.
Decided to be honest.
"That last move was pretty impressive."
"Then... good... that's..."
With those faint murmurs, Kashimo Hajime fell silent.
Roy stepped closer.
The power unleashed by Kashimo Hajime's release technique was indeed remarkable, comparable to—if not surpassing—that of the curse-enhanced Mahito from before.
Roy crouched down and placed his hand on Kashimo Hajime's body.
He considered for a moment.
But ultimately, he abandoned the idea of preserving his corpse, opting instead to simply record his genetic pattern.
Let her body rest in peace.
And so, the great battle came to an end.