Ren Kuroda himself was one thing—but for ordinary low-ranking devils, being scorched by the Flas of the Phoenix could inflict lasting damage to both magic power and even the soul.
Even if no one could truly die within this ga space, that kind of harm fell into the category of hidden injuries.
And besides… those three girls had, in their own way, provided him with quite a bit of "fanservice." Since it was no trouble at all, Ren had simply decided to save them.
The razor-sharp arc of his blade split the sea of fire in two—and with a single stroke, cleaved Riser, who had taken the form of a phoenix, clean in half!
Wrapped in blazing flas, Riser looked imposing enough—but in truth, his defenses were far from impressive. The fiery exterior was torn apart instantly by Ren's slash.
The strike didn't just part the flas—it carved a deep trench into the ground itself.
And this… was the first ti since entering the arena that Ren had truly gotten serious.
A pure-blood, high-ranking devil who had just unleashed his trump card… was casually cut down in a single blow.
The sheer display of power sent shockwaves through the pure-blood devil families in the audience.
Sure, Riser might be nothing more than an incompetent noble in their eyes—but he was still a pure-blood high-ranking devil!
Yet even after being split in two, Riser did not leave the field.
As flas surged from the severed edges of his body, the two halves began to reconnect—fusing back together as though nothing had happened.
This absurd regenerative ability went far beyond simple healing. To Ren, it looked less like regeneration and more like sothing straight out of an entirely different system—almost like a natural-elent ability that simply couldn't be hard in a conventional way.
"The Phoenix is an immortal race! We can never die!" Riser shouted, his voice rising with forced confidence. "No matter how strong you are, you can't kill ! I refuse to believe your stamina and magic are limitless. As long as you can't finish off, the one who wins… will be !"
In just a few monts, all of Riser's injuries had completely healed. Though there was a trace of fear in his eyes, he still believed himself firmly in control of the outco.
His earlier attack might not have done the damage he expected—but in protecting both himself and his three servants, Riser was convinced that Ren must have drained the last of his magic through his Sacred Gear.
All he had to do now was outlast him—wear down Ren's stamina before being defeated.
After all, he couldn't be killed.
He was a phoenix.
"Immortal?" Ren let out a quiet scoff, his expression filled with disdain."Monsters die when they're killed. Gods and devils are no exception. Even beings as powerful as the Dragon God Ophis or the True Red Dragon Emperor wouldn't dare claim true immortality.And you—at your level—think you qualify?"
Ren had traveled across worlds, seen gods and demons alike. True, absolute immortality? He had never encountered it.
And soone like Riser—a textbook side character—daring to call himself immortal?
It was almost laughable.
There were countless ways to kill Riser. Ren could think of more than three on the spot.
He could use the Simulated Star Map to strip him of his phoenix nature and reduce him to an ordinary human—making him easy to kill.
Or he could invoke the power of All the World's Evil, consuming and corrupting him entirely, phoenix or not.
But both of those thods were off the table for now. His body was still injured, and using such trump cards wasn't worth it for soone like Riser.
There were other options, too.
The Phoenix's immortality only applied to the physical body. It didn't make the soul or mind invincible.
While Ren didn't have many techniques that directly targeted the soul, he wasn't entirely lacking when it ca to ntal attacks.
High above, Riser kept his distance, wary of the suffocation tactic Ren had used earlier to counter his regeneration. Though he spoke boldly, he was clearly on edge.
But Riser had overestimated himself—and underestimated Ren.
There were countless ways to defeat him. Ren had no interest in repeating the sa trick.
"You all seem to think that because I'm injured, my strength has dropped to a fraction of what it was," Ren said calmly."And you wouldn't be entirely wrong. But magic power can be restored.And for dealing with soone at your level… what I have now is more than enough."
The mont his words fell—
A terrifying surge of magic erupted from his body like a dam bursting.
The sheer density of it beca almost tangible, forming a massive crimson pillar that shot upward, towering over the entire ga space.
The ground cracked under the pressure. His overwhelming yokai aura spread outward like a thick mist, engulfing everything around him.
Entering his Half-Oni Transformation, Ren reached into the void and pulled out the Endless Sake Gourd. Then, spending a large amount of accumulated system prestige, he exchanged it for several high-grade Yokai Power Crystals.
Rich, fragrant sake poured into his mouth as he drank deeply.
At the sa ti, he grabbed a handful of the crystals—tossing them into his mouth like peanuts to go with the drink, crushing them between sharp fangs before swallowing them down.
With the combined effects of high-grade crystals and the Drunkard's Constitution, his magic power began to surge upward at a visible rate.
The crimson pillar of energy grew thicker and thicker.
Under the overwhelming pressure, it wasn't just the ground cracking anymore—even the entire space began to tremble violently.
Compared to the specially prepared battlefield used during the Three Factions Summit, this arena was clearly far less durable.
After all, battles among the younger generation of devils weren't supposed to reach "Maou-class" levels.
To outside observers, Ren's power seed to be continuously rising—growing stronger and stronger.
But only Ren himself knew the truth.
He wasn't surpassing his limits.
He was rely returning to what he once had.
"No matter how much power you have… you still can't kill …" Riser said, but this ti his voice wavered.
The bravado was cracking.
Because the magic power Ren was now emitting had undeniably reached the level of a Demon King.
"Oh? You really believe that?" Ren's lips curved into a faint smile."Then let's see if you can keep saying that next."
"Maou Pressure—activate."
Ren's Maou Pressure was a ntal-type ability, its strength directly proportional to his magic power.
In another world, he had once used this very technique to strip an entire kingdom's army—hundreds of thousands strong—of their will to fight in an instant.
Now, he turned it on Riser.
Without the amplification of All the World's Evil, it wasn't at full strength—but against soone like Riser, it was more than sufficient.
A chilling, sinister aura burst outward.
In an instant, the oppressive, bone-deep cold overwheld even the searing heat of the surrounding magma.
Behind Ren, a massive, ominous gate—etched with the grotesque visage of a demon—slowly materialized.
The Rashōmon Gate.
And then…
It began to open.
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