Stella had actually been wielding a fraction of this overwhelming dragon might from the very start, but only unconsciously. It was why she’d had such impressive physical strength. Of course, the full power that she was putting on display now was exponentially greater. Her body was strengthened dozens of times beyond what she’d shown in her previous battles. The immense speed and strength she now possessed were enough to easily bat aside Ouma’s slashes and slowly close in on him. After she parried another three slashes, she’d be able to step into punching range.
“Hmph!”
However, Ouma wasn’t about to let her reach him that easily. He gave up on trying to keep her at bay with a flurry of slashes and instead raised Ryuuzume high. Tensing all of his muscles, he twisted his body so far that his back was turned to her. That allowed her to close in even faster, but he didn’t care. He knew that all of his regular attacks would just get blocked. His only hope was to try and push her back with his strongest move.
This motion was necessary to focus his whole body’s strength into the tip of his sword. He was about to unleash the Rising Sun Style’s fastest technique. His body was coiled like a spring, and he would use the moment of release to further increase the speed and power of his slash. With how this technique worked, however, he wouldn’t be in any position to counter or dodge if Stella was still able to attack him afterward. It was a technique that focused on speed at the expense of all else.
“Rising Sun Style—Amaterasu!”
“Kh!”
His sword moved so fast that it made no sound as it sliced through the air. This one slash of Ouma’s was faster even than Ikki’s fastest technique, and was as fast as Twin Wings’s own slashes. Not even Stella, with her enhanced draconic reflexes, was able to react in time. Ryuuzume bit deep into her shoulder, and blood sprayed everywhere. The sword went deep enough to hit bone, and while it wasn’t able to cut through any of her organs, Ouma was confident that his attack would at least slow Stella down some.
“You’re wide open!”
“Gah!”
But contrary to Ouma’s expectations, Stella didn’t back off. Rather, she continued advancing even as Ryuuzume cut through her and launched a devastating kick at Ouma’s right leg. Her leg easily pushed through his Heavenly Armor and slammed into his shin with enough force to break it.
Staggering backward in pain, Ouma stared at Stella in confusion. He was sure that Amaterasu had done enough damage to slow her down even though it hadn’t dealt a lethal blow. A second later, though, he realized why Stella hadn’t been fazed.
I don’t believe it!
Blood stopped pouring out of Stella’s wound almost immediately, and her bones, muscles, and skin started stitching themselves back together before Ouma’s eyes. This, too, was one of a dragon’s many boons. Since time immemorial, legends had always claimed that the only way to slay a dragon was by cutting its head off. Their regenerative power was so strong that no other wound would stick. Stella’s body was the embodiment of a dragon right now, so she had the same supernatural regeneration. Only a decisive blow would leave any lasting damage.
“Tch!”
Realizing that he needed to draw out more of Stella’s abilities to get a grasp of the full extent of her powers, Ouma took his left hand off of Ryuuzume and raised it high in the air. He started gathering mana in it, forming a wind bomb in his palm. His plan was to throw it at Stella to knock her back a little and gain some distance to regroup.
“Not good enough!”
But even that plan was meaningless against the might of a dragon. Stella punched the wind bomb with the back of her hand, dispersing it. Ouma’s expression stiffened as he saw that.
She’s able to destroy my techniques with the hardness of her mana alone! It’s like crushing stone with steel!
Stella leaped forward, once again putting her in punching range of Ouma. He quickly brought his left arm back down to block.
“Nnngh!”
But naturally, that meant Stella’s punch crushed the bones in his arm and seared it with third-degree burns. He was sent flying once more, and he dropped to his knees when he came to a halt. He couldn’t stop her. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop Stella’s advance. His honed body, his skills, his speed, his mana—they were all meaningless in the face of her overwhelming might. Everything he’d built up was being effortlessly trampled on by sheer force. It reminded him of the time he’d been crushed by the Tyrant.
He flashed back to that pair of merciless cold eyes that had been looking down at him from atop a chair fashioned like a throne while he crawled helplessly on the ground. Nothing he’d tried had fazed the Tyrant. None of his best techniques had managed to get him to so much as stand up from his throne. He’d been unable to defend himself from the Tyrant’s counterattack either, and he’d been pathetically crushed. He started shivering as he recalled the searing pain and overwhelming helplessness he’d felt that day.
“Nnnnngh!”
Despite his fear, Ouma forced his shivering body to get back up and fight. He looked resolutely forward as Stella rushed at him once more, this time aiming to pierce his heart with a thrust. With his shin broken and his body trembling, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make any precise movements. Still, he managed to block her thrust by holding Ryuuzume out in front of him. She had to alter the trajectory of her attack to avoid slicing her hand on his blade, raising it up out of the way. But she didn’t stop charging, and instead slid her hand down the length of Ouma’s sword and grabbed the cross guard.
“Caught you, Ouma.”
Shit!
It was too late for Ouma to do anything. With her free right hand, Stella drove her fist into his chest.
“Haaaaaaah!”
She didn’t end her assault with just one punch either. She rained blow upon blow on Ouma’s unguarded ribs, determined to end the fight there. He couldn’t back away from the barrage either, since Stella had Ryuuzume in her other hand. If he let go and unsummoned his Device, Stella would finish him before he had a chance to summon it back. Letting go meant defeat. So he couldn’t run away. But he also had no means of defending himself as fists heavier than cannonballs pounded his chest. Furthermore, each punch charred his skin, seared his muscles, and pulverized his bones.
“Gaaaaah!”
Finally, Ouma’s chin drooped for a split second, and Stella took that as her cue to hit him with a devastating uppercut. Though his body weighed well over four hundred kilograms, he still flew high into the air before crashing into the stone ring in a heap. For the first time since the tournament had started, the Gale Emperor was down.