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For Jeong Gyeoul, it was her first experience of a duel between Transcendent Beings.

Before facing Asmodeus, Jeong Gyeoul took stock of her abilities.

All seven seals that had been in place were now released.

All 365 circuits were open, and the magic power within her body was replenishing faster than it was being used.

If she infused her weapon with telekinesis, it moved as if it had an AI, and her physical abilities were on par with Jeong Ha-yul.

Having even trained in magic since arriving in the Demon Realm, she was practically capable of wielding all her abilities.

The only flaw was her lack of real combat experience in her current state…

But she had faced life-and-death battles frequently since childhood.

‘I’m ready, I won’t lose.’

Jeong Gyeoul was almost certain of her victory. She even considered imposing a limitation on herself for this duel.

“The winner gets what they want, how about that?”

“I have much more to offer, so this seems like an unfair bet.”

“…Scared?”

She used a magical word on Asmodeus, who didn’t seem pleased.

“…I don’t know what you’re saying, but it’s really annoying.”

Demons had no resistance to Korean-style taunts, and Jeong Gyeoul’s intention hit the mark perfectly.

“If I win, give me the Dimensional Stone.”

“What’s so special about that stone that even Satan is making a fuss?”

“Scared?”

“…If I win, I’ll take your body. And your heart.”

“That’s two things.”

Jeong Gyeoul argued that body and heart counted as two, which left Asmodeus speechless.

“I’ll grant you the right to take two things from me.”

“…I only want one thing, but I’ll think about it. Can I tell you later?”

“Do as you please, since I’ll be the winner anyway.”

Asmodeus, who didn’t even consider the possibility of losing, spoke as if he was being generous.

“Now, this is a fair duel witnessed by six lords, and the spoils will proceed as just discussed. As usual, it will continue until one side surrenders. Unlike previous duels, there will be no restrictions on abilities.”

Jeong Gyeoul had been brought here by Satan, and the Lord’s Meeting was held in Satan’s territory.

Naturally, Satan took on the role of the host and called servants to prepare the venue.

Since such duels occasionally occurred during Lord’s Meetings, the conference room doubled as an arena.

“A full-powered duel, it’s been a while since we’ve had such an entertaining spectacle.”

“…Do you think it’s normal to waste the lords’ time over a mere human?”

“Isn’t that how you usually feel about me?”

“Then you should be the one dueling. How about it, want to fight me?”

“Alright, enough. Everyone, please set up your magic barriers.”

Lucifer, who mistakenly thought he had already gauged Jeong Gyeoul’s level, looked annoyed, but the other lords were filled with anticipation.

Though wars often broke out in the Demon Realm, the lords rarely engaged in direct combat.

If seven Transcendent-level beings fought even once or twice, half the Demon Realm might already be destroyed.

For similar reasons, duels between lords in the conference room had restrictions on abilities.

They were all well-versed in each other’s fighting styles, and victory often came down to strategy rather than brute force.

There was no need to destroy the capital in a fight.

Not all lords were interested enough to set up magic barriers.

But the duel between Jeong Gyeoul and Asmodeus was intriguing. Except for Lucifer, of course.

The impossible transcendence of a human.

Though they hadn’t faced her directly, the energy she exuded was on par with theirs.

And Asmodeus, a lustful demon who went crazy over pretty faces.

There was no way they wouldn’t be interested in this duel.

Of course, Lucifer wasn’t, but even he would likely become interested once Jeong Gyeoul’s true strength was revealed.

Even Belphegor, who had planned to sleep in a corner after setting up the duel, was now wide awake and watching.

The servants finished preparing the conference room.

Jeong Gyeoul and Asmodeus took their positions in the center.

The other lords formed a circle, keeping their distance, and set up barriers around themselves.

The barriers were strong enough to prevent the tower from being completely destroyed by the aftermath of the fight.

Though not strong enough to withstand a full-powered attack that missed and hit the walls.

Creating barriers of that strength would require them to exert their full power, which would defeat the purpose.

The swirling vortex of Transcendent beings’ magic power was akin to a natural disaster.

Anyway, all preparations were complete.

The starting signal was the same as in the duel with Dantalion.

“When this coin falls, the duel begins.”

The coin had changed from silver to platinum, but the rule remained the same.

*Ting!*

Satan flicked the platinum coin with his rough hand and immediately returned to his seat.

*Whoosh whoosh—*

Jeong Gyeoul focused on the spinning platinum coin in the air.

She tensed her muscles, gathered her magic power, and prepared to spring into action.

*Ting— Roll roll—*

The platinum coin fell and rolled on the floor.

Simultaneously, Asmodeus and Jeong Gyeoul charged forward.

But… Asmodeus had a slightly faster start.

This was only Jeong Gyeoul’s second duel of this kind.

It was natural for there to be a gap between her and Asmodeus, who had spent his entire life in the Demon Realm dueling with coin tosses.

“She’s keeping up with Asmodeus’ speed? Maybe we should’ve tripled the bet…”

“Hmph, if she couldn’t do that much, it’d be embarrassing to call her Transcendent.”

“…Her speed is passable.”

Mammon, Leviathan, and Lucifer shared their thoughts on Jeong Gyeoul’s start.

The other lords simply watched without comment.

Just as Jeong Gyeoul realized her slow start and tried to create distance to use magic, Asmodeus appeared in front of her and kicked her.

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

Jeong Gyeoul’s body was sent flying several meters, crashing into the barrier Satan had set up.

*Crash—*

First the kick, then the collision with the wall.

Despite the significant damage, Jeong Gyeoul was oddly smiling.

“Was this your plan from the start?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Asmodeus, bleeding from his ankle, glared coldly at Jeong Gyeoul.

“Sacrificing flesh to take the bone… A cowardly tactic fit for the weak.”

“Cowardly? There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight. If you lose, it’s over.”

“Hah, you’re just a lowly human with no pride in transcendence.”

“Pride in transcendence? Oh… I just woke up one day and was Transcendent, so I don’t have that.”

“…”

“Did you spend decades grinding your bones to achieve that strength? Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Shut up!”

Jeong Gyeoul’s trash talk, honed since childhood, was just as effective against the demons of the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm operated on the logic of power.

There was no room for trash talk to develop, which made it all the more effective.

Jeong Gyeoul had never thought much about the importance of taunts, but it had become a habit.

Words flew out of her mouth before she could even think.

Perhaps her verbal skills were on a higher level than her transcendence.

“Pfft, Asmodeus is falling behind in both the fight and the trash talk.”

“Taking a kick and being sent flying, while simultaneously using sharp telekinesis to sever the Achilles tendon… A tactic fit for assassins. But it’s commendable. It was an attack that could deceive Asmodeus’ eyes.”

Whatever the spectators said, Jeong Gyeoul didn’t care.

She had taken away Asmodeus’ mobility, so now she could control the distance and toy with him to end it easily…

‘It should be over, but what’s that?’

Jeong Gyeoul had executed a strategy that would guarantee victory against a human opponent, but she hadn’t considered the unique traits of demons.

Asmodeus was a demon with three heads, webbed feet, and a snake’s tail.

He moved using his two legs as the main support and his tail as an auxiliary, but now he switched.

His tail became the main support, and his legs assisted in movement.

“Dammit… Crawling with your tail is cheating, isn’t it?”

“I was born with this ability, so I use it. If you’re jealous, spend decades grinding your bones to try it.”

Asmodeus threw Jeong Gyeoul’s taunt back at her with a slight twist.

But it had no effect on her.

“…Seeing you crawl like that, I think you made the right choice. After all, snakes should crawl before humans.”

“You arrogant brat!”

*Rumble—!!!*

The rising killing intent, the oppressive weight of magic pressing down on the entire conference room.

Jeong Gyeoul’s taunt had hit its mark, and Asmodeus’ demeanor changed.

*Swoosh—*

His tail moved smoothly across the ground as if swimming.

But the speed was no different from running, perhaps even faster.

His vertical pupils and yellow eyes revealed the true nature of this monster.

Asmodeus smirked as he looked at Jeong Gyeoul, who was staring at him in disgust.

“Now that I’ve revealed my true form, you will die here.”

Immediately after, Asmodeus leaped at Jeong Gyeoul using only the power of his tail and swung his fist.

*Boom—!!!*

The sheer wind pressure from his fist alone seemed to push Jeong Gyeoul back.

But she only staggered slightly, not taking a single step back.

Seeing Jeong Gyeoul standing her ground, Asmodeus nodded in satisfaction.

“Good, it’d be boring if you died in one hit.”

“…Maybe you could go a little easier.”

“If you surrender, I’ll go easy on you tonight.”

*Crash—!!!*

The magical and telekinetic shields, layered over ten times, were almost half destroyed by a single punch from Asmodeus.

*Boom—!!!*

The speed at which the shields were created and Asmodeus’ punches were almost equal.

If the coordination between magic and telekinesis faltered even slightly, Jeong Gyeoul’s shields would shatter, and her ribs would be exposed.

Asmodeus trying to break through, Jeong Gyeoul trying to block.

It was a battle of contradictions.

About a minute passed.

“This is annoying…”

Jeong Gyeoul sighed. She had considered limiting one category of her abilities for this duel.

She thought she’d lift the restriction if she started losing, but she was already being pushed back almost immediately after the fight began.

‘Others do well with just one category, why do I have to use all three?’

Jeong Ha-yul had transcended using only the Physical Category.

Most of the lords in front of her seemed to be Physical Category as well.

Asmodeus, her opponent, was also Physical Category.

They fought and moved around using just one category, so why did she have to use all three?

‘First, let’s deal with this guy, then I’ll increase my training or real combat experience.’

The shields she had been creating suddenly disappeared.

“Finally giving up?”

“Not a chance.”

Now it was Jeong Gyeoul’s turn.

She firmly planted her front foot and shifted her weight from her back foot to her front.

Simultaneously, the power generated from her lower body traveled to her waist, gained additional strength, moved to her shoulders, and was completed at her fingertips.

“Take this, Demon King Punch!”

The distance had already been closed by Asmodeus.

Jeong Gyeoul simply extended her fist.

Asmodeus, sensing the unusual momentum, tried to gather all his energy to block, but Jeong Gyeoul’s fist reached him first.

*Boom—!!!*

The sound of the Demon King Punch was different from Asmodeus’ punches.

The Demon King Punch was a technique Jeong Ha-yul had used throughout her life.

It was already a concept of a finishing move, incomparable to a normal punch.

Asmodeus, hit by Jeong Gyeoul’s punch, flew toward the barrier Mammon had set up.

Mammon’s eyes widened in panic as he saw Asmodeus flying toward him.

But he didn’t forget his role and reinforced the barrier with more magic to barely prevent the tower from collapsing.

“…What kind of punch was that?”

“It’s not just fast…”

“Is she really human?”

The modern technique of the Light Straight.

Refined and refined again for an Awakened One.

The technique used alongside the Demon King, a hero, was a punch even the lords of the Demon Realm had never seen before.

“Ptooey!”

Of course, the duel didn’t end with one Demon King Punch.

Asmodeus, spitting out blood roughly, seemed relatively unharmed.

“You’re right, it’d be boring if it ended in one hit.”

“…I’ll shut that mouth of yours.”

Jeong Gyeoul smirked, throwing Asmodeus’ taunt back at him.

“Let’s go for round two, I need to make snake wine for my sister.”

 

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