High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor

Chapter 554: Chapter 544 Asem aimed his hand toward an seemingly random direction and produced a blade formed of aura.

Asem aimed his hand toward an seemingly random direction and produced a blade formed of aura. The aura blade extended over a considerable distance—and pierced right through Cao Cao as he materialized!

”Gah...!”

Pierced through the chest, Cao Cao wore a look of agony.

Are you serious... Cao Cao got taken down that easily...?!

Realizing that the leader of the Hero Faction, a threat feared by all factions, had been done in an instant, voices of panic broke out among the surrounding troops.

As the aura blade piercing Cao Cao’s chest vanished, he plummeted straight down. Then—his body turned into light and dissipated.

In the very next instant, Asem’s wrist flew through the air!

Surprised by what had just happened, I blinked, only to see Cao Cao—who was supposed to have suffered a fatal wound—standing there as if nothing had happened!

Asem nodded in realization. ”Ah, right. One of your Sub-Spec abilities allows you to create clones, doesn’t it? I completely forgot. But that last hit definitely felt real.”

”It’s simple, really. I merely created a clone capable of producing that exact sensation.”

That bastard managed to create a clone so convincing that even Asem couldn’t tell the difference! Man, he really is the strongest Longinus possessor!

Moreover, looking closely at Cao Cao’s eyes, it felt like he was looking at a completely different world from us... It was similar to an absolute boundary domain, yet entirely different. It was as if he were standing on a higher dimension—

Cao Cao stared at his own palm and spoke. ”I couldn’t grasp it back during the fight with Apophis, but I’m starting to understand it now. How to handle this power...”

Hearing those words, it all clicked. That was the new dimension Cao Cao had reached. A power that transcended the absolute limits of humanity—

Just as I thought that, Cao Cao vanished. He reappeared right in front of Asem! Was he really planning to take him head-on?!

Contrary to my doubts, Cao Cao launched a fierce assault against Asem with strength that felt entirely unhuman! He had always possessed extraordinary skill, but the current Cao Cao transcended even that! The tip of his spear was impossible to track!

The relentless barrage left cuts all over Asem’s body. Even if they were small grazes, it meant Cao Cao’s speed was something even Asem couldn’t completely avoid!

However, maintaining that level of power as a human had to be putting an insane strain on Cao Cao’s body. Judging by his earlier words, this power was still incomplete. It consumed immense energy and was far from fully mastered. It was purely a power meant for a short, decisive battle. Realizing this, Cao Cao pushed a relentless rush! He deflected Asem’s attacks with the shaft of his spear, utilizing the full array of his Sub-Spec capabilities—raw force, teleportation, clones, and weapon destruction—to launch counterafter-counter!

Catching the Holy Spear with a sword forged of aura, Asem said with enjoyment, ”To achieve so much while remaining a mere human!”

”I’ll take that as a compliment, then...!”

Cao Cao retorted with a fearless smirk, though sweat poured down his face, his expression laced with agony. Asem saw right through it.

”Fufu, you seem to be pushing yourself quite hard, don’t you? There!”

”Guh!”

A sharp thrust from Asem charged at Cao Cao! Cao Cao blocked it with his spear, but he couldn’t kill the momentum and was sent flying!

Because the strike was so overwhelming, he couldn’t control his body in midair. At this rate, he was going to slam straight into the ground.

Right then—

Just before hitting the dirt, Cao Cao’s body floated softly into the air. It wasn’t... Cao Cao’s ability.

”Georg... Sorry, you saved me.”

Cao Cao’s gaze shifted toward the group from the Hero Faction—specifically to Georg, the magician among them. Right, Georg had activated his magic to break his fall.

”Yeah. We bought enough time, Cao Cao.”

Their clash had lasted only a brief moment. Yet, it was enough to buy us precious time—

”””FIREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”””

Accompanying command shouts like roaring thunder, a mass volley of artillery was unleashed all at once! While Vali and the others were fighting, everyone had charged their magic to the absolute limit, and now they let it all loose!

Using this much firepower against a single opponent was the definition of overkill, but against an enemy like this, nothing less would grant victory. The overlapping forces created a synergistic effect, unleashing even greater destruction! The combined assault from all factions tore through space, altered the landscape, and rained down on a scale so absurd it risked swallowing friendly forces whole!

Divine power, holy power, demonic power. Every kind of force imaginable swallowed Asem, ripping the world apart in the process—

▽

The moment that felt like eternity finally came to an end, and the attacks ceased.

All that remained was a bottomless, massive crater and the lingering scars of a world screaming in pain. The shattered space slowly restored itself through the world’s natural regenerative force.

Asem was... nowhere to be seen. That eerie, bottomless presence of his couldn’t be felt anywhere, either.

”Did we... do it?” someone whispered.

Even with him out of sight, no one lowered their guard. Yet, as time passed, Asem failed to reappear—

Asem had been completely eradicated—

”—Or so you thought?”

His voice echoed out. It resonated from the very bottom of the giant crater—

A deeper despair was about to envelop us once more.

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