Heroes lay scattered all over the floor in various states of defeat.
Aside from being able to twitch their heads, they were like fish stranded on a beach, gasping their last breaths.
The association staff had long since fainted, overwhelmed by the oppressive aura emitted during the battle.
Tread... tread... tread...
Deliberate, steady footsteps echoed, each one causing the heroes' hearts to sink further.
Blade Demon, clutching Nightshade, slowly approached a relaxed Lexon.
"Mr. Lexon?"
"Master Lexon?"
Genos and Mumen both looked toward Lexon, seeking a response.
"Are you taking this one?" Saitama asked as well.
"Leave it to me," Lexon replied with a smile.
Although Blade Demon's strength exceeded his expectations—his performance just now was a bit stronger than imagined—it was still within controllable limits, so there was no need for Saitama to intervene.
Furthermore...
Lexon stood up from his chair. In the blink of an eye, a deep, azure longsword appeared in his hand.
It had been a while since he had used a blade against someone.
Recalling that old feeling once in a while felt quite good.
?
Seeing Lexon holding a longsword, Blade Demon's eyes lit up.
He sought out confrontations with the strong to refine himself.
He didn't mind if the opponent was strong in other fields.
But if it was a master of the blade, he was even more interested.
Slaying a powerhouse in the same domain was far more exhilarating than simply killing a strong person.
"You've already survived one of my strikes..." Blade Demon slowly raised Nightshade, his cold expression gradually shifting into excitement. "I'm curious... just how many strikes can you actually withstand?"
"Want to find out?" Lexon's lips curled into a smile.
"Fine," Blade Demon gave a heavy nod.
Immediately.
Boom!
With a sudden blast, Blade Demon vanished as if teleporting, and the floor of the meeting room instantly cracked into a massive crater.
Clang!
The sound of clashing blades rang out.
Blade Demon had already reached Lexon, swinging his black blade downward. Lexon merely raised his Nichirin Sword slightly to block the attack.
The collision of their forces kicked up a violent gale that swept through the surrounding area.
Lexon didn't retreat a single step, and neither did Blade Demon.
The power channeled into their weapons seemed equal.
Naturally, neither held the upper hand.
But...
Lexon suddenly realized something.
The difference in material was too great; the Nichirin Sword in his hand was about to break.
In the world of Demon Slayer, the material used to forge Nichirin Swords was extraordinary, capable of absorbing sunlight to slay demons.
Furthermore, the blade's durability was determined by the wielder's strength.
That was why someone like Tanjiro in his early days often broke his sword, while the Hashira rarely did.
However, the power ceiling of the Demon Slayer world was ultimately too low. Even if a Nichirin Sword's strength scaled with the wielder, it still had a limit.
With Lexon's power, he could easily push the Nichirin Sword to its absolute limit.
Yet even at that limit, compared to the clearly extraordinary black blade in Blade Demon's hand, the Nichirin Sword couldn't even compare.
'I can't let it break. I've used it for so long, after all.'
As the thought crossed his mind, waves of energy suddenly surged from the arm holding the Nichirin Sword.
Ordinary Chakra... Tailed Beast Chakra... Natural Energy...
Even Six Paths Power and the All-Encompassing Force used to forge Truth-Seeking Orbs... all of it poured into the Nichirin Sword.
Harmonizing, strengthening.
The deep azure blade began to glow with a piercing blue light.
Despite these powers being incompatible, Lexon used an ingenious method to fully integrate them into the Nichirin Sword.
This was a feat possible only thanks to his gains from the world of Food Wars.
Making disparate things exist in harmony.
Consequently, this sequence of powers elevated the Nichirin Sword's durability to a level incomparable to before.
While it might not reach the level of Nightshade, which Blade Demon had refined day and night, it was now sufficient to serve as a tool to test the skill of the wielders.
"Your sword..." It seemed Blade Demon noticed as well, expressing surprise at how his opponent's blade had transformed in an instant.
"It's better when the weapons are somewhat even, right?" As he spoke, Lexon applied a bit more force to his hand.
This strength...
Blade Demon's expression stiffened. The pure physical force being transmitted through the blade already exceeded his own.
Of course, in a duel of blades, having greater raw strength didn't necessarily mean one would win, so Blade Demon didn't overthink it.
If he was outmatched in strength, then...
In a flash of thought, Blade Demon reduced the force he was putting into the black blade, letting it be pressed down by the Nichirin Sword's power.
Just as the blade was forced down, Blade Demon twisted his body, drawing his sword out along the trajectory of the downward pressure before spinning three hundred and sixty degrees to deliver a fierce upward diagonal slash.
In that split second, Lexon's body tilted to the side. The black blade practically grazed him, narrowly missing in what appeared to be a hair-thin dodge.
He dodged it?
Blade Demon showed no surprise, immediately preparing to adjust his blade for another strike.
But before he could act, Lexon had already extended his leg.
"Let's take this fight somewhere further away..."
As the words fell, Blade Demon managed to move his blade in front of himself just in time to block the kick, but the sheer force still sent him flying back.
[SLAYER MARK]
[TRANSPARENT WORLD]
Since he had decided to respond with his sword, it was only natural to use abilities related to Breathing Styles.
Pale markings emerged on Lexon's face.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire."
It had been a long time since he had used Flame Breathing or the abilities he snatched from Kyojuro.
Today was a long-overdue return to that experience.
Sparks drifted from the corners of his mouth, and scorching flames erupted from the azure Nichirin Sword.
Lexon's body blurred, racing toward the direction where Blade Demon had been sent flying.
He left a daunting trail of crimson fire in his wake.
...
"That's a B-rank... right?" The paralyzed Atomic Samurai listened to the continuous, heavy booms and watched the two figures in mid-air, covered in visual effects and moving too fast for the naked eye to track. His tone was filled with shock.
"Yeah... young people these days are truly terrifying..." Cold sweat seemed to break out on Bang's forehead, his expression equally incredulous. Then, looking at his friend Atomic Samurai, he teased, "What was it you said to him before?"
"..." Atomic Samurai went silent. Remembering how he had suggested his disciples teach someone who was currently competing with an opponent who could have killed him instantly, his old face turned red with embarrassment.
'I'm afraid... with my skill, I'm the one who needs to be taught by him...'
Atomic Samurai thought to himself, feeling ashamed.
"He's a powerhouse who doesn't like to show off... He doesn't argue even when questioned, but he steps up heroically when a real crisis arrives, huh?" Child Emperor, who was lying down, said softly. "He really is like a true hero..."
His tone and words were filled with respect and praise.
This S-class hero, who had previously questioned Lexon's identity, now looked at the figure in the air through a lens of admiration.
After all, he was just a child. No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still susceptible to being easily impressed.
Just like how he had joined the Hero Association because he admired the Rank 1 S-class hero, Blast.
Except that after today, the list of people he admired would likely have a plus one.
But well...
The so-called 'not arguing when questioned' was only because Lexon didn't get a chance to before things changed.
The so-called 'heroically stepping up in a crisis' was only because he wanted to complete a side quest and his hands were itching after watching for so long.
"Sister!" At that moment, Fubuki cried out as she ran to Tornado's side.
As part of Saitama's small circle, she had naturally been protected by Lexon and hadn't had her energy drained by Blade Demon.
"Are you okay?" Fubuki asked worriedly as she helped Tornado up.
But her question received no response.
"Sister?" Fubuki asked, puzzled, looking at Tornado.
However, she found her sister staring intently at the figures fighting in the sky, her focus absolute, as if deep in thought.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]