...No Different

The young lady of the House of Etoile looked at the spectacle with an increasing worry. Although she had little to do with Damian, and could even be said to be an enemy, that didn't mean she was about to let her fellow Earthling get killed.

However, she hesitated. Wasn't Damian supposed to be a member of a Power higher than hers? Yes, she had no doubt he was.

After all, it was probably because of his impressive background that he could recognize the House she hailed from through the Edict that was unique to them at a glance. This was further reinforced by the Artifact she just saw him brought out of the ring in his hand.

Such Artifact clearly wasn't something that should be present in the hands of someone with no background at least on her House of Etoile's level.

But still, why did his aura feel so weak? When he was battling the 15 elite Draconians, she had sensed his aura, and truthfully, were she to judge, it was not impressive at all.

For any other normal Human, his strength was obviously well above even impressive, however, for someone from a Power supposedly higher than hers, it was… subpar.

This had the young lady thinking. Was he not a genius in his Power like she thought he was? Was he just some insignificant fry the Power backing him wouldn't even deign to take notice of?

However, she shook her head. Even if he was some insignificant fry, said insignificant fry was from a Power even above hers. The talents they considered insignificant in his Power was already enough to drown and suppress those at and beneath the Fifth Sphere, and obviously, Earth still currently fell under such category.

As such, he should not have problem defeating the Duchess. And yet, the scene playing before her spoke otherwise.

Her brows furrowed as she watched the Duchess who had literally subjected herself to her anger. She felt threatened by the Duchess, or more specifically, by the strange Edict she wielded, a realization that still had her reeling from shock.

She really couldn't understand how an existence at the First Sphere, in a mere First Sphere World, place her under pressure, even the slightest bit.

She squinted her eyes but then, she shook her head once again. She didn't have the luxury to dwell on that at the moment. She needed to save Damian. Although, she could be considered a nuisance to him, she might as well utilize this moment to make him indebted to her.

Although she felt threatened, it definitely wasn't to the point she wouldn't be able to decapacitate the Duchess in few moves. At once, she took to her heels. She really needed to be quick, after all, she could sense Damian's aura weakening.

However, she had barely taken two steps when her body suddenly stiffened, a shiver running down her spine as sweat began to drip down her forehead in lumpy beads.

She abruptly looked upwards, her dazzling black eyes constricting into slits.

*

Damian's mind almost went vacant. Was he really going to die here? He longed to face the skies and sigh in melancholy, alas, such a feat was now beyond his capabilities.

With how mangled his face was, it was really surprising how his skull even held on under the continued assault of the Duchess. Perhaps the most shocking part of it all was that, he was still capable of thought. A feat that should long have since left his grasp. However, he held on.

But then, he suddenly began laughing, a mocking, self-deprecating guffaw. A laugh that reverberated in the minds of all those present, thrumming in their hearts with the cadence of the deep, humming voice of a man finally realizing himself.

'I really am an idiot…'

What benefits did he glean from choosing to unlift the limiters that were placed on his talents? Talents that were his in the first place? Talents he was born with? What need was there to limit himself? If he continued sealing them, how was he supposed to even improve them?

Damian's laugh sounded again, affecting all in varying degrees. And by the growl that escaped the Duchess's lips, she was most especially affected by this.

Why was this idiot laughing? He was about to die, and yet he was still laughing. He was laughing as though every one of her attacks didn't seem to affect him.

When the Duchess thought reached this point, her rage reached an all-time high. Almost immediately, the dark-golden Edict around both of her fists glowed brighter. She enclasped both fists together and raised it high above her head, intending to completely finish Damian with it. And then, she brought it down.

The very air seem to freeze, the world around them slowing to a crawl, the trees environing them moving eerily calmly, and yet, the Duchess's fist descent continued unimpeded.

However, just as the fist was about to connect with Damian's mangled mess of a face, completely eradicating his existence, a silent sigh sounded from him, because at that moment, Damian had decided to unshackle his talents, and the results? They spoke for themselves.

At first, his face was nothing but a bloody mess. However, the next moment, a boundless golden light erupted from his body, extending into the skies as though it wouldn't be satisfied until the whole world acknowledged its existence.

The clouds dispersed, retreating several hundred meters like the receding tides of a wave. The sun seemed to dim, as though taking several steps backwards for the King to shine.

Even then, the Duchess never stopped her attack. So, what if he had suddenly become stronger, what did that amount to before her speed? However, she was bound to fail.

"Enough."

Damian's voice sounded from within the golden light, his tone carrying a regality the likes of which few could match. His hand extended from behind the curtain of gold, a light-golden aura coating it as it collided with the Duchess's fist.

BOOM!

The world seemed to dim. The results of the collision was catastrophic, to say the least. To the Duchess's back, the very air seemed to break into chunks as a heavy pressure beared down on it. A pressure the likes of which had never been felt.

To Damian's back, however, it was the exact opposite. The crater that had formed around his body increased in size, or more specifically, it increased in depth.

From barely over 10 meters deep, the crater increased to a whopping hundred meters, an aura of destruction and ruination wafting from its depth, tickling at the senses of anyone who felt it.

And the Duchess was no different.