Chapter 231: I Will Be the One to Defeat You!
The moment the horn sounded through the spiritual world, a violent firestorm erupted around Sonic in reality.
Flames surged upward like a pillar, piercing into the sky.
At the center of it all, Sonic slowly rose to his feet.
A low growl of pain escaped his throat.
Something tore free from his back.
One pair of wings appeared.
Then another.
Four pitch black wings spread behind him, their twisted shapes resembling the branches of a withered tree.
The surrounding flames gradually faded.
Only then could everyone see Sonic clearly.
He covered his face with both hands for a moment before slowly raising his head.
His eyes had changed completely.
The whites had vanished into absolute darkness, while his pupils shone with a noble golden light.
The battered armor covering his body repaired itself piece by piece.
But this time, Sonic reached up and pushed the demonic mask away from his face, leaving it resting to one side.
Behind him, between the four black wings, a purple wheel slowly revolved.
His presence changed.
His power climbed once more, rising far beyond the level he had reached before.
Sonic stared at his own hands.
For one brief moment, he felt almost omnipotent.
"So this is your true power?"
Asuramaru immediately answered from within him.
"Do not celebrate yet."
His voice carried a clear warning.
"You have less than five minutes before this state reaches its limit."
Sonic frowned.
"Less than five minutes?"
"Your body is still too weak."
There was nothing Asuramaru could do about that.
In theory, Demonization could continue increasing without limit as long as enough Demon Power was supplied.
The problem was the vessel receiving that power.
No matter how much Demon Power Asuramaru possessed, Sonic's body could only endure so much before collapsing.
Sonic raised his gaze.
Boros had already assumed a fighting stance again.
The alien warrior stared at Sonic's transformed appearance with unconcealed excitement.
"Yes!"
His laughter echoed through the crater.
"Become even stronger!"
"This is the battle I have been searching for!"
Energy surged around Boros.
"Even if Meteoric Burst burns away my lifespan, I will still give everything I have!"
Behind Sonic, Satoru Suzuki forced himself upright and shouted with all the strength he could gather.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Sonic!"
Sonic glanced back with those dark and golden eyes.
"I know!"
Then he turned toward Boros.
No more words were needed.
Both moved at the same moment.
Two streaks of light shot into the sky.
One black.
One brilliant.
They collided.
Boom!
The shockwave rolled across City A.
Then they vanished again.
To everyone watching from below, the battle had become impossible to follow.
Only flashes of light and explosions revealed where Sonic and Boros were fighting.
This time, however, Sonic was no longer being overwhelmed in speed.
He had caught up.
Asuramaru remained in his right hand.
In his left, pure white light gathered and condensed into a sacred spear.
Sonic thrust it toward Boros.
The moment Boros made contact with the weapon, the flesh along his arm began turning into white crystalline salt.
His eye narrowed.
"So touching that spear transforms matter?"
Energy erupted from his body, forcibly resisting the effect and slowing the spread.
Boros understood the danger immediately.
Yet he did not retreat.
His fist came forward anyway.
Even when portions of his hand turned to salt, he continued attacking.
Neither warrior backed down.
Sword light and fists crossed throughout the sky.
The white spear left traces of salt across Boros's body whenever it connected.
Boros answered with overwhelming physical force.
They fought from the ruins into the clouds and back again.
When the two finally reappeared within sight of the heroes below, both had suffered heavily.
Sonic's restored armor had once again been torn apart.
Boros had lost his right arm entirely.
The alien glanced at the missing limb.
His internal energy had been depleted tremendously.
He still possessed enough strength to continue fighting for a long time.
But Boros had no interest in dragging the battle out.
He wanted to wager everything.
To answer the opponent before him with everything he possessed.
An ecstatic laugh escaped him.
"That's it, Sonic!"
His remaining hand tightened.
"This is exactly the kind of opponent worth defeating!"
Space distorted.
Sonic vanished.
Flying Thunder God.
He appeared directly in front of Boros.
Asuramaru thrust forward.
"One Sword Rakshasa!"
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to lose all color.
Everything Sonic had learned through the ten forms of Breath of Darkness converged into a single attack.
His sword moved.
Darkness erupted.
Boros disappeared within it.
Countless cuts crossed his body in the span of an instant.
When the darkness finally dispersed, Boros no longer possessed a complete form.
His body shattered in midair.
Arms.
Legs.
Flesh.
Fragments scattered in every direction.
Only his widened eye remained visible among the broken pieces, revealing the turmoil surging through him.
Then Boros forced his regeneration to its absolute limit.
Every fragment reversed direction.
Flesh rejoined flesh.
Bones reformed.
His body rebuilt itself through sheer regenerative power.
By the time he stood whole again, Boros had made his decision.
He would hold nothing back.
"I will be the one to defeat you!"
Energy erupted from his entire body.
"Next, I will release everything I have!"
Lightning lashed outward from Boros and struck the surrounding ruins.
His body began shining brighter and brighter.
"I will erase you together with the surface of this planet!"
All of his remaining energy gathered before him.
The sky darkened.
For a moment, Boros seemed to become the only source of light in the world.
He burned like a star suspended above City A.
Sonic immediately understood the danger.
Flying Thunder God could allow him to escape.
He knew that.
He could simply leave the attack behind.
But Sonic did not move.
For this final clash, he chose to meet Boros directly.
He would answer everything his opponent had with everything he possessed.
Sonic gathered his remaining power.
Asuramaru's warning echoed within him.
Less than thirty seconds remained before Demonization collapsed.
Boros raised his hands.
Energy reached its limit.
"Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon!"
The world seemed to tremble.
Behind Boros, countless points of light appeared like distant stars.
Then all of that power found its release.
A massive navy blue beam descended from the sky.
Sonic looked upward.
His golden pupils burned.
He extended his left hand.
"Now!"
Pure white light erupted.
"Turn into a Pillar of Salt!"
An endless white tide appeared before Sonic and surged upward.
White and blue collided.
For one brief moment, the two forces struggled against each other.
Then the Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon tore straight through the white tide.
Sonic tightened his grip on Asuramaru.
There was no time left.
He raised the sword.
And slashed upward with everything he had.
The edge struck Boros's energy head on.
Boom!
Sonic's feet sank into the ground.
Then deeper.
The overwhelming force pushed his entire body downward.
The earth beneath him shattered.
His four wings spread wide, trying to stabilize him against the descending beam.
Cracks appeared across the first pair.
They shattered.
Then the second pair broke apart as well.
All four wings disappeared into fragments of darkness.
Sonic continued resisting.
His armor cracked.
His body trembled.
But he refused to release the sword.
Above him, Boros roared as he poured out the last of his energy.
Then the flow weakened.
The Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon began to fade.
Boros had exhausted everything.
At that exact moment, Sonic disappeared.
Flying Thunder God.
Boros's eye widened.
Sonic appeared directly before him.
His body was barely holding together, but Asuramaru was already raised.
"It's over, Boros!"
The sword descended.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
A pitch black crescent tore through the sky.
It struck Boros directly across the chest.
His body was blasted downward.
He plummeted into the ruins like a meteor.
Boom!
A massive column of dust rose into the sky.
Sonic descended after him.
By the time his feet touched the ground, the transformation had already ended.
His left arm was gone.
His armor had been completely destroyed.
The Demonization faded from his body, returning him to his ordinary appearance.
He could barely remain standing.
But Boros was in far worse condition.
The alien lay at the bottom of the crater, severed completely at the waist.
His once powerful body had shriveled.
The enormous reserves of energy that had sustained him were gone.
Even his eye had deteriorated, leaving behind only an empty socket.
Sonic slowly walked toward him.
Each step looked heavier than the last.
Boros sensed his approach.
His dry lips moved.
"Did I…"
His voice was barely audible.
"Lose?"
Sonic stopped beside him.
There was no arrogance on his face now.
No mockery.
After everything they had exchanged, Boros had earned something Sonic rarely offered.
Respect.
"You're still alive?"
A tired smile appeared on Sonic's face.
"You really are something."
He looked down at the dying warrior.
"Other than Saitama, you're probably the strongest person I've ever met."
Boros laughed weakly.
"So…"
His breathing became shallow.
"The prophecy was true after all."
His ruined body no longer possessed the strength to move.
"It really was… a battle between equals."
"Both of us used everything."
"We risked everything."
A trace of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"At last…"
"I found what I was searching for."
There was no regret in Boros's final moments.
He had crossed the universe searching for an opponent who could give meaning to his strength.
And on this distant planet, he had finally found one.
Sonic did not raise his sword again.
There was no need.
Dragging his exhausted body across the broken ground, he lowered himself beside Boros and sat there.
Then he simply watched.
Silently.
Seriously.
Until Boros's breathing stopped.
Until the last trace of life vanished from his body.
At that exact moment, the system notification sounded within Asuramaru's mind.
....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].