Kazan stepped forward, approaching the silent Dairoki, his sword ready to deliver a swift end. But after only a few steps, suddenly...
"GRAAAHHH!"
Dairoki fell to his knees. His hands clawed at the ground, his breath coming in ragged, irregular gasps. His body began to change drastically.
Glistening, dark black scales started covering his skin from his arms, spreading to his back, chest, and across his entire body. His eyes transformed—his left eye blazed with red fire, his right eye shimmered with blue electricity, with icy crystal pupils at their centers. His fingernails elongated into sharp claws, while a spiked tail grew from his tailbone.
Most terrifyingly, two additional hydra heads sprouted from his shoulders, moving independently. His body swelled with unnatural muscle, his voice echoing like several hoarse voices speaking simultaneously. His right hand blazed with roaring flames, his left was sheathed in sharp ice crystals, while the scales on his body paradoxically radiated both heat and cold at the same time.
"I... I WILL NOT LOSE!" Dairoki roared in a monstrous voice.
His drastically surging aura caused everyone in the area to pause for a moment and stare in his direction.
Kazan, sensing the danger before him, immediately leaped back several paces, adopting a defensive stance. Right at that moment, Dairoki vanished and reappeared behind him.
"Frostburn Claw!"
A claw of ice and fire slashed from behind. Kazan spun rapidly, "Reppū no Kamae!" His protective vortex of energy blocked the attack, but the force sent him flying back several meters.
"Dragon's Maw!" The three hydra heads didn't give Kazan a chance to breathe, spewing destructive energy. Kazan swiftly evaded with "Shiroi Senkō", leaving a trail of white lightning.
"Absolute Zero Cannon!" A beam of freezing cold shot like lightning from Dairoki's finger, speeding towards Kazan. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Kazan barely managed to dodge, his left arm getting grazed and partially frozen.
"Tch!" Kazan shattered the ice with his sword, then launched a counterattack, "Byakko no Ikari". Four slashes forming claws struck Dairoki's chest, but only left scratches on his scales.
"Ionic Mirage!" Dairoki created duplicates of himself. Kazan, in his "Tsuki no Shirabe" state, quickly distinguished the real one and destroyed the duplicates with "Tatsumaki no Iaigiri".
The cunning Dairoki lashed out with his tail from below. "Hakuja no Kōgeki!" Kazan thrust his sword precisely into the base of the tail before it could hit him, making Dairoki groan in pain.
"Blitz-Freeze Strike!" Dairoki moved with lightning speed, leaving a trail of ice crystals. But Kazan was faster, "Mushin no Ittō" - his perfect, intentionless slash managed to wound Dairoki's hardened shoulder.
"Cauterizing Touch!" Dairoki's burning touch nearly grazed Kazan's neck, who evaded at the last second and retreated a few steps.
"Trinity Disintegration!" Dairoki gathered all three elements at his fingertip. Kazan knew this was dangerous; he gathered his energy for his final technique.
"Zettaizetsumei!"
Kazan's sword glowed with a bright white light, ready for the ultimate slash.
Just as the tension peaked, Nix's voice echoed from the final gate.
"AT LAST! THE GATE CAN BE OPENED!"
Everyone who heard it turned towards the final gate. Inside, a figure could be seen standing bound by numerous chains, a mysterious smile on his face, as if he had been waiting a long time for this moment.
The battle between Kazan and Dairoki halted momentarily, distracted by the immense and terrifying aura radiating from the mysterious figure within.
=== CHAPTER 41 END ===