Chapter 241: Fierce Battle
"I never expected this generation's Red Dragon Emperor to also possess ancient devil bloodline."
"What ancient devil? That's a symbol of sin!"
"He actually carries ancestral genes. Though only thirty percent similar, he deserves at least a Count title."
Most nobles still respected ancient devil genes, after all, they were the origin of modern devils.
But every race has dissenting voices - a tiny minority of devils intensely loathed ancient devils, and Haruto had consequently been added to their blacklist.
Haruto didn't care about others' opinions. He possessed several bloodlines, but the devil form was his strongest.
Moreover, this form wouldn't expose his ability to replicate talents and bloodlines.
Forgoing magic, Haruto actively chose close combat.
Magic consumed too much magical power and had limited effect against Riser's immortality.
Besides, he wanted to test whether this battle could push forward his long-stagnant martial arts prowess.
Against the crimson sky, Haruto transformed into a black lightning bolt charging toward Riser, whose cold eyes burned alongside the fiery wings behind him.
At the critical moment, Riser twisted his body, avoiding the swift strike.
Boom—
The attack missed. Before Haruto could change direction, the sturdy stone pillar behind Riser turned into dust under the tremendous force.
"What's going on..."
Riser's heart jumped as he saw Haruto completely unharmed through the dust.
"This power and speed... he's truly a monster!"
Despite being a full major realm higher, when Haruto didn't use the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, the difference between them was surprisingly small.
Riser no longer dared to hold the slightest underestimation, simultaneously resolving not to give Haruto any opportunity to activate his Sacred Gear.
Watching Riser enveloped in flames, Haruto brushed the dust off his clothes, revealing an excited expression.
That previous strike could be considered his current full power, yet unexpectedly it was dodged - this proved Riser's strength was somewhat above his own.
But this was perfect. Only under such circumstances was it worth his complete focus.
Wrapped in Phenex's flames, Riser traced a yellow Z-shape across the sky, descending toward Haruto with immense magical power.
Haruto didn't evade. His latent combat-oriented nature fully awakened as he neatly kicked off the remaining stone pillar, fiercely throwing a punch to meet the attack.
Two different magical powers collided, with their intersecting fists as the epicenter. A cross-shaped shockwave bloomed outward, immediately followed by blinding white light enveloping the two combatants.
Noble devils watching the broadcast instinctively raised hands to shield their eyes. Only those with sufficient strength could continue observing the situation within the white light unaffected.
As the magical impact dissipated, Haruto fell from mid-air, a charred fist mark visible on his bare upper torso.
"Indeed, there's a realm's difference. Without using the Sacred Gear, there's completely no chance."
"This generation's Red Dragon Emperor has decent strength, but is too overconfident."
"Indeed, it would have been better to use the Sacred Gear from the start. Now Riser won't give him another opportunity."
Compared to the noble devils' varied discussions, the involved Gremory and Phenex families displayed completely opposite reactions.
The golden-haired twin-tailed young lady in pink Lolita fashion, holding a folding fan, furrowed her delicate brows and turned to look aside.
"Sister Rias, you don't seem worried about this generation's Red Dragon Emperor at all?"
"Red Dragon Emperor?"
Rias was momentarily stunned before realizing Ravel was referring to Haruto.
"Sorry, Haruto rarely uses his Sacred Gear, and his relationship with the Red Dragon Emperor isn't what you all assume, so I didn't make the connection immediately."
Haruto had drawn the Underworld's attention during Azazel's incident, with the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet being the key factor. Thus, most devils in the Underworld referred to Haruto as the Red Dragon Emperor's successor.
In reality, Haruto almost never used this Sacred Gear, treating it merely as a safety net.
He wasn't the Red Dragon Emperor's chosen successor either—their relationship was more like a partnership.
However, there was no need to explain these details to outsiders, so Rias directly changed the subject: "The battle has just begun. Did you really think this was Haruto's full strength?"
As fellow SS+ ranks, Rias had sparred with Haruto more than anyone else. Among devils, she was absolutely heaven's favored daughter.
Both her innate potential and combat talent were top-tier, capable of taking on two opponents of the same level without issue.
Yet when sparring with Haruto, she had almost never won.
Partly because a mage was naturally countered by a warrior, especially once he closed the distance.
Moreover, Haruto's numerous copied talents allowed him to find solutions to any predicament, coupled with his brawler nature—the longer the fight, the stronger he became.
Not to mention his "cheating" abilities, like Berserk for temporarily doubling his attributes, or Body-Drawn Divine Insight for stealing opponents' techniques...
If Haruto hadn't been going easy on her, Rias doubted she could have won even once.
Hearing Rias's words, Sirzechs also showed an interested expression.
The power Haruto had displayed so far was already absurd—and this wasn't even his full strength?
While outsiders were buzzing with discussion, Haruto and Riser weren't idle either. They had exchanged blows multiple times, but Haruto consistently came out worse.
After being knocked down from the sky once more, Haruto grimaced uncomfortably.
His clothes had been completely incinerated by flames during the battle. Although he had nothing to be ashamed of physically, he had no interest in fighting while "airing things out."
No wonder Riser had started with such minimal gear—shirtless, with only pants that, while seemingly lacking in defense, had self-repair capabilities and remained intact.
That material must be incredibly expensive—even the wealthy Phenex family hesitated to make a full set for Riser.
Hmm, if not for saving face, he probably wouldn't even have long pants—just briefs at most...
Using his Instant Illusion talent to change into a fresh set of black casual wear, he glanced at Riser, thinking to himself.
Though he had reacted quickly, his impeccable physique and impressive "assets" had still been seen by the devil audience.
The noblewomen and young ladies blushed faintly, while the male nobles gazed with envy and admiration—truly, the dragon clan's successor was extraordinary.
High above, Riser, currently dominating the fight, felt immensely satisfied.
"See now? Without the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, you're just trash!!!"
Gathering immense magical power in his palm, he continuously attacked Haruto while venting his pent-up frustrations through taunts.
"Is this all the strength you've got?"
Relying on his Undying Body and superior attributes, Riser had been trading blows with Haruto.
Only the sensation of fists meeting flesh could slightly soothe the fury in his heart. In this violent, aesthetically brutal exchange, Haruto was clearly at a disadvantage.
Though it was meant to vent his anger, Riser's approach happened to neutralize Haruto's technical superiority.
It wasn't that Haruto hadn't considered using techniques to maneuver, but upon seeing Riser's shock of yellow hair, he ultimately chose to confront him head-on.
As a martial purist, Haruto had no aversion to brute force. He still had Mirror Alice and numerous innate talents—so what if it was an exchange of blows? Who was afraid of whom!
Sparks flew, blood splattered, and explosions of Magical Power continuously erupted across the arena.
With the advantage of a full cultivation stage, Riser gradually suppressed Haruto. Just as he smugly prepared to continue his taunts, Haruto landed a punch squarely on his face.
The force and speed, far surpassing anything before, caused Riser to bleed for the first time. Under the relentless mental strain, his Undying Body's regeneration couldn't keep up with the damage.
"How is this possible?"
Riser actively created distance, staring at Haruto in disbelief. "Bastard... what did you do?"
"I did nothing. Game time is just over."
Haruto circulated his Magical Power throughout his body, causing the chain-like spectral contract mark on his neck to involuntarily surface.
Going head-to-head was indeed exhilarating, but it offered no benefit to his martial path. He had originally hoped Riser would provide enough pressure to attempt a breakthrough in combat.
But after all this time, it seemed his opponent's strength truly only amounted to this much.
There was pressure, but only because Haruto hadn't been going all out. Achieving a breakthrough under these conditions was utterly impossible.
With no benefits to gain and still having to endure his opponent's nonsense, he might as well spend this free time flirting with the silver-haired beauty instead.
Thus, Haruto activated his Berserk Ability.
"If this is all the strength you have, the fight will end within five minutes."
The Berserk state could last ten minutes, but his doubled physical attributes now completely surpassed Riser's. Combined with the gap in combat skill, saying five minutes was Haruto being conservative.
After all, completely draining Riser's mental energy was necessary to break his Undying Body. Without revealing other abilities, he wasn't certain exactly how long it would take.
"Arrogant..."
"Whether it's arrogance or not, you'll experience it firsthand next."
Haruto cleanly cut off Riser. Having humored him for so long, he considered it thanks for Riser's initiative in offering up his sister.