.>ZZZZZTTTTZZZZ<


    As the brilliant spark of lightning crackled, I saw it charge in my direction.


    It rushed towards me like an unstoppable stream of water, threatening to consume all that it touched. The dense quality of Mana residing inside was immense as well.


    … For an Intermediate Spell, that is.


    ''Is he being serious right now?''


    With a mere sigh, I deflected the assault with a barrier. I was already beginning to feel agitated—not because of the Spell in particr, but because of the thought process behind it.


    ''I really don''t like being underestimated to this insulting degree. I suppose this works to my favour, but still…''


    Kuzon must have thought an Intermediate Spell would be enough to destroy me, which was why he used the purple lightning Spell to attack first.


    ''I thought he''d use something shier, you know… to strike fear into everyone.''


    I guess I was wrong about him, though. Who would have thought he was considerate enough to severely dial down his Magic Power when fighting me?


    ''He could also be conserving his power for the big guns…''


    There was also the possibility that this wasn''t entirely an act and that perhaps I was the one overestimating him. For now, I decided to walk on careful ground.


    "I''m impressed you repelled that." Kuzon''s voice suddenly distracted me, snapping me out of my inner thoughts. "It seems you''re not as weak as I thought, are you—?"


    Before he could conclude his statement, I utilized the watered-down Aether flowing from me to create my own Spells.


    "[Air Strike Barrage]"


    Before he could finalize his taunts, which I thought were to simply buy time for himself—for reasons unknown—I decided to take the first step.


    ''If he''s strong enough, he''ll sense the Spell and he''ll be able to avoid it.'' My thoughts trailed as I watched him.


    Surprisingly, though…


    >BAM!<


    >WHAM!<


    >BOOM!<


    The p and blows of multiple wind strikes were sent to Kuzon, and I saw his shocked expression as it connected with his body and he writhed in pain.


    ''E-eh…?''


    ''That was just a moderate Advanced Spell. I was using it to test the waters, but…''


    To my surprise, Kuzon took it on. Did he do it intentionally, or…?


    ''No, at this point, I''ll have to stop finding excuses for him.'' While it was best to remain cautious, I could no longer operate with my earlier theory.


    If the unforeseen urred, I would just have to revert to my initial position. However, for now, I had to act with the assumption I had fought so hard to ignore.


    ''This world''s Kuzon… could also be weak!''


    It made logical sense and so far as this person had given me no reason to think he was more superior than he appeared—both from his external and even what I sensed from his Internal self.


    ''I can think of millions of ways to beat him, but something is off…''


    He had only shown one Spell, so I couldn''t get too cocky.


    "Y-you… It seems I went too easy on you, eh?"


    >VWUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!<


    Suddenly, several shes of lightning began appearing around him. Violent winds also blew, and it seemed as though he was covered in a very deadly storm.


    "I won''t make the same mistake again."


    The Kuzon I knew would only mess around if he wanted to have fun, and he was pretty decisive in his actions. If he had been in the shoes of this person, he would have already done what he could to eliminate me, and then go after the other Outers for the same purposes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No, he probably would have just fought against all of us on his own terms.


    ''But this guy…''


    "[Divine Lightning Maelstrom]"


    Forming a massive spiral, the violent whirlwind charged at me, coated with brilliant bursts of electricity.


    The ground shook and I could feel vibrations all around me. Despite the effects it was having on my surroundings and the obvious threat it would pose, I couldn''t help but sigh in disbelief.


    ''This is an Advanced Spell. But it''s still verycking…'' With yet another but more concentrated surge of my power, I was able to deflect the Spell with a barrier.


    "Tch!" Kuzon''s face twisted into a rage.


    "What kind of defensive artefact are you wearing? Ah, I see… so this was your n, Neron."


    What the hell was he saying now?


    "No wonder you wanted me to fight this one first. You already made him a sophisticated defensive artefact, didn''t you?"


    ''Ah, is this guy for real?'' I nearly rolled my eyes as he continued his theatrics.


    "You must really think you''re clever. Do you really think that if you hold out for long, you''ll be able to escape me? You think you''ll resist my power for a long time?''


    I nced at Neron with a raised eyebrow, but he just smiled and shrugged. Did he know something I didn''t?


    In any case… this whole thing was now bordering on the ridiculous.


    ''Maybe I should just get this over with and then we''ll get the n underway. It''s not like we have all the time in the world.''


    "I''ll show you, then… the difference between us…"


    >VWUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<


    Suddenly, I felt a rupture of Mana that put all the earlier attempts to shame. No, since my arrival in this world, this was most likely the strongest amount of Mana I had ever sensed emanating from a single person.


    It was golden, glorious and highly concentrated. The bountiful flow caused me to marvel at its beauty.


    "I will now reveal one of the two gifts I received thanks to my ultimate position as the Absolute Emperor."


    The purple shes of lightning around him turned golden, and his appearance slowly changed.


    Suddenly, he now had arge golden ne, and arge crown floating on his head. Bangles covered his right arm and rings littered his left fingers.


    A golden sceptre made its way to his grasp and a golden cape floated behind him.


    "T-this… this form is…" My eyes widened as I recognized the Mana Signature and Transformation Process.


    If I wasn''t mistaken, then…


    "I will show you the ultimate ability of the Midas. The true dominant race of this. Feast your eyes on thest thing you''ll ever see before your inevitable demise!"


    I wasn''t wrong, after all. There was no way to mistake this.


    "... My Emperor Mage Mode."


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    Yes. It''s a silly battle, I know.


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