Since I realized I had an inexhaustible source of magic within me, my fighting style grew bolder. "Triad Seal!" I unleashed a black-purple curse seal from my hands, which transformed into three giant palms charging straight at Emperor Ba. This move was a new skill I created under Ernith's guidance. Seeing this, Emperor Ba didn't hold back. Wielding his magic sword, he slashed through the air, sending a sharp blade of light that cleaved one of the magic palms in two. The remaining two continued hurtling toward him. "Not bad, somewhat interesting," he remarked, casually countering with a burst of magic bullets that neutralized the other two palms. The collision between the palms and bullets exploded, dissipating into nothingness. "Ugh, I was pretty confident about that move," I muttered helplessly. "Compared to the trash around here, it's decent, but this level is far from enough," Emperor Ba lectured me. "Kid, let's take this outside. Don't wreck my palace." He pointed to the sky. I followed him through a hole in the palace roof, and we soared into the high skies. Dark clouds still loomed overhead, with occasional flashes of lightning in the distance. "Here I come, Your Majesty!" I charged first, swinging my sword at him. Emperor Ba engaged me with amusement, and the wind pressure from our clash formed several tornadoes around us. The gale swept across the land, leaving devastation in its wake. "Demon-Breaking Thunder!" I unleashed another new move, roughly on par with what Ernith had taught me. Countless massive white thunderbolts rained from the sky, scorching the earth within a hundred-meter radius, leaving nothing alive. Emperor Ba wasn't fazed. "Calamity Emperor's Blood Soil!" he roared, summoning countless black, jagged spikes that pierced upward from the ground. I dodged frantically—any slower, and I'd have been impaled like a skewer. "Not bad. How about this one?" he taunted, swinging his sword through the air. Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through my chest, and blood gushed out. A deep gash had appeared from my shoulder to my waist, inflicted by some unknown force. "Ugh!" I clutched the wound, enduring the agony. I'd been careless; I hadn't expect a dimensional attack. Emperor Ba kept swinging, and no matter how I dodged, I kept getting hit. My body was soon covered in wounds, and I plummeted downward in pain.
I lay on the ground, struggling to swallow a pre-prepared healing potion. As it took effect, my wounds slowly began to close. Emperor Ba landed nearby. "What's this? That's all you've got?" he said, shaking his head at me. "I won't give up so easily!" I grabbed my sword and charged at him again. He snapped his fingers, and I instinctively sensed another dimensional attack, dodging to the left. "Pretty sharp senses," he said with a grin, snapping his fingers repeatedly. I weaved left and right, struggling to close the distance. Finally, I got close—only for Emperor Ba to grab my collar and unleash, "Oblivion Ring!" Countless black circular blades sliced into me. Even with my magic shield, I couldn't escape the damage. "Agh!" I screamed in agony, blood pouring from my wounds. "Break!" With a single palm strike, he sent me flying. My body careened uncontrollably through the forest, snapping trees in half until I crashed into a mountain, embedding myself in the rock wall, coughing up blood. "Ugh… he's just too strong…" I muttered, using the healing magic Ernith taught me to slowly mend my wounds. Emperor Ba teleported over. "Looks like you're nothing special after all." "Ugh… I was never some chosen one. I just came to mediate the war," I said, healing myself. "If you want to mediate, you need strength to back it up," he replied, pointing his sword at me. At that moment, I felt a surge of energy within me, similar to when I saved Pona before. My magic was rising endlessly, my body growing hotter. With a surge of excitement, I leaped out of the stone wall. "Ha!" I clenched my fists and roared, feeling the spirits of the former Demon King and Hero coursing through me. "I'm back!" I declared confidently, my body radiating purple and golden light. I had now fully mastered their combined power. "Oh? I don't know how you suddenly harnessed this power, but it looks like this fight won't be boring anymore," Emperor Ba said with a grin, readying himself. "Come on, let me show you true power!" I raised my sword and charged. This strike was precise and powerful, and Emperor Ba struggled to block it. "Looks like you've improved. Time for me to get serious too." A ferocious aura erupted from him, shaking the trees and trembling the earth. His strength had risen several levels. Our clash leveled the mountain in an instant, splitting the dark clouds in the sky into two endless halves. The slash marks stretched to the horizon, and nearby magical beasts fled in terror.
"Absorbing their magic has made you much stronger. You're starting to look like a chosen one," Emperor Ba remarked. "This is borrowed power. I won't get cocky over it," I replied, gripping my sword. "You've got some backbone. No wonder Ernith sees something in you," he said, rare praise from him. "If you can defeat me, I might consider a ceasefire. Otherwise, you'll end up like the rest of the trash—wiped out. Even if you're Ernith's man, I won't hold back." "If I can't beat you now, I'd be unworthy of the power lent to me by those two predecessors. Bring it on, Your Majesty!" I unleashed a barrage of multi-flame projectiles. Emperor Ba countered with similar purple flame bullets, neutralizing them. "Hmph, come on, kid!" We soared into the sky, trading sword strikes and shockwaves. Our battle raged across the entire Demon Realm plains.