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“It’s more doable than I thought.”

Asmodeus was an easier opponent than I initially expected.

Trying to fight while limiting my physical abilities was probably just my arrogance… If I don’t limit my abilities, honestly, I don’t think I’d lose.

I straightened my clothes, which had gotten disheveled from throwing a Demon King Punch, and stared straight at Asmodeus.

He didn’t move an inch, as if he was scared.

“Let’s have a second round, huh? Don’t tell me you’re chickening out?”

“…”

That talkative snake didn’t even respond to me.

Is he really so scared that he’s thinking of surrendering?

No, it’s more likely that he’s pretending to lose consciousness to set up a sneak attack.

I’ve dealt with unpredictable kids in elementary school.

I’ve handled rebellious teens in the academy during middle school.

There’s no way I’d fall for such a cheap act.

“Wasn’t there something about the pride of transcendence? Are you planning a sneak attack or something?”

Asmodeus just gave a subtle smile at my words, not making any move.

He used to get riled up at the slightest provocation, but now it’s not working…

What’s up with this guy?

“Thanks for waiting for me to shed my skin.”

Shedding skin? Just because he looks like a snake, does he actually shed like one?

Looking closely, it seemed like pieces of his shed skin were falling from the tip of his tail.

“What changes after shedding?”

Asmodeus suddenly looked confident after shedding once.

There must be something in the shedding process that I don’t know about.

It’s not like he suddenly gets a cheat code that doubles his power, right?

“From now on, see it with your own eyes.”

“…”

Every time Asmodeus swung his tail, the entire tower seemed to shake.

Even the footsteps from the auxiliary legs sounded unnaturally heavy.

The overwhelming weight made me think the floor might collapse soon.

It’s impressive, but it didn’t really hit me.

The ability gained from shedding… is just increased weight?

Sure, increased weight means more destructive power, but I don’t see how that affects this fight. Just don’t get hit…

“Damn it!”

Increasing his weight to the limit seemed to be part of his plan.

Asmodeus, who had instantly returned to his original weight, charged at me.

Kwaaaang—!

It was an incredibly heavy attack.

I barely managed to deflect it and created some distance.

As he threw a punch, his weight was pushed to the limit again.

It seemed like he could freely increase and decrease his weight.

He might even be able to apply it to specific parts of his body, as only his right arm felt extremely heavy during that punch.

“This is cheating!”

If he lightens his body to move quickly and then increases his weight at the moment of impact?

Even a simple jab could become as powerful as a Demon King Punch.

Honestly, I underestimated him, but he’s quite skilled.

No matter how much of a perverted psycho snake he is, I can’t deny his ability to control this in combat.

But I can’t just take it.

I need to get serious too.

I created ice spears and imbued them with telekinesis.

Even without direct control, the ice spears started moving as if they had a will of their own.

It felt like my subconscious was controlling them, showing the optimal movements I was thinking of.

Anyway.

The ice spears scattered into the air and flew toward him.

At the same time, as everyone’s eyes followed the ice spears.

Only Asmodeus kept his gaze fixed on me.

As the ice spears reached him, I dashed forward and collided with him.

A shockwave distorted the air, and a massive ripple erupted.

Kuuuuuung!

Our fists crossed in a flurry of exchanges.

His scales fell off like rain under the pressure.

The air in the conference room seemed to compress and distort under the force of our punches.

Asmodeus’ tail rose behind him, blocking my path.

It seemed like he was trying to slam me down with maximum weight, but as his tail rose, the ice spears moved.

The ice spears focused on his tail, as if trying to skewer it, and their combat sense definitely came from my subconscious.

It was the exact move I wanted.

He quickly reduced the weight in his tail to deflect the ice spears.

I didn’t miss the opening and threw another Demon King Punch.

Kwaaaaaaaang—!

No matter how skilled he is at weight control, adjusting two areas at once seemed difficult.

He couldn’t make his arm heavy while lightening his tail.

Kwa-jik!

Asmodeus grabbed my fist with both hands, but his legs sank into the floor of the conference room.

His joints looked like they were about to snap.

His scales also couldn’t withstand the pressure, falling off in droves.

“Kuhahaha!”

“Tch.”

I was disappointed I couldn’t finish him with that one hit.

He had just a fraction of a second to brace himself, but he managed to adjust his weight and fully absorb my punch.

His tail also supported his legs, helping him avoid injury.

Even in such a close call, he was still smiling.

“Are you dreaming of killing me?”

“That’s not a dream.”

The situation was really dangerous, so why does he keep such a calm expression?

‘…Something feels off.’

He must be preparing something, or it’s already prepared.

While my brain was trying to figure out his scheme, sweat continued to pour down my back.

“We call something a dream when it’s unattainable. Like the victory you’re hoping for.”

“It’s not a hope, it’s a given. Definitely not a dream.”

“Your mouth is still alive, I see.”

“The rest of me is alive too, you know? Your punches feel like nothing, honey.”

I tried to buy time with conversation, but nothing came to mind.

If he were in the magic or super ability category, maybe.

But as a physical category with a body mutation ability (whether it’s his race or his own power), it’s hard to imagine what he could be preparing.

Then…

I’ll overwhelm him with sheer firepower.

If he pushes his weight to the limit, I’ll pour out my magic to push my power to the limit.

If he lands a direct hit, even I can’t predict what would happen. My monstrous strength was going wild in all directions.

He kept throwing punches using his weight, and we exchanged blows in a tense back-and-forth.

Any one hit could knock me out cold.

Whoever lands the first hit would decide the outcome.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!

Before I knew it, the conference room was a mess, as if a typhoon had passed through.

“I made a mistake earlier. That human is a worthy opponent.”

Lucifer finally started acknowledging me.

“Not double or triple… I should’ve brought him for ten times the price.”

My value was skyrocketing in real-time, but I wasn’t happy about it.

The other lords were praising me too… but it was all meaningless.

‘If they’re this calm about acknowledging me, they must think Asmodeus won’t lose.’

If Asmodeus were seriously injured or killed, the balance of power in the demon realm would shift. They wouldn’t be this calm.

They must think I’ll lose even after all this.

‘Not happening.’

I threw ice spears to create distance.

I created more ice spears and fired them with telekinesis while forcibly drawing out my magic.

The amount of magic I gathered was overwhelming, filling up at an unbelievable rate.

“…!”

In an instant, I had enough magic to throw hundreds of Demon King Punches.

Of course, he wasn’t just standing still.

But the ice spears were bothering him, making his movements awkward.

His punches couldn’t break through the shield of magic and telekinesis.

His desperate attempts to dodge the ice spears and throw punches looked pitiful.

But now, it’s over.

His desperate attacks were all scattered by my slow, deliberate punch.

Thud-thud-thud!

The shockwave alone was enough to make bones crack.

A shockwave over ten meters long erupted behind Asmodeus, and he was knocked down with absurd ease.

“Kuaaaak! Ha, surren…”

This attack also happened to be aimed at Mammon’s direction.

“Damn it! Why is it always me?!”

He probably thought it was better to redirect it than to block it.

Mammon, who had dropped his barrier, punched upward repeatedly.

I didn’t think it would work, but surprisingly, it did.

My magic was guided in the direction Mammon punched, piercing through the ceiling and flying high into the sky.

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