Even now, he could not sense the presence of true power radiating from the black-haired man, Kai Heinemann. He imagined it was the same for Zenki and Goki. Yet, no one present thought for a fraction of a second that he was merely a powerless weakling. After all, Kai Heinemann's very presence had warped into an anomaly that anyone in this world could perceive.
The black and red battle aura surging from all over Kai Heinemann's body stretched into countless lines that pierced the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, thoroughly shattering them and disintegrating everything into fine particles.
(M-Monster!!)
He was different! He was distinctly different from the Six Great Generals of the Evil Army with whom Asura stood on equal footing, distinctly different from the Six Heavenly Gods of the Heavenly Army whom he had always regarded as his sole adversaries, distinctly different from the Commander-in-Chief of the Evil Army whom he believed he could never defeat, and distinctly different from Beelzebub, who had treated Asura like a mere insect. The disparity was far too decisive! Now, he understood all too well why Beelzebub, the strongest devil, had bowed in submission. Kai Heinemann—this man was, without a doubt, the strongest creature Asura had ever encountered.
Surely, Asura was going to die here. Despite the utterly hopeless situation,
"Kuha! Kihi! Kuhahahahaha! Amazing! You're seriously incredible!"
What burst from his throat was a refreshingly pure laugh of admiration. When the gap in power was this immense, he couldn't even feel jealousy. That was an emotion reserved only for opponents whose strength one could vaguely fathom. Kai Heinemann—this man's depth was completely bottomless. At the thought of facing the supreme, strongest opponent in recorded history, his heart pounded with fierce excitement.
"Hmm. It has been tens of thousands of years since anyone reacted like that to me getting serious."
Kai Heinemann narrowed his eyes as he offered his thoughts.
"I bet! Of course! Wanting to fight a genuine monster like you... I'm probably the only one who ever will, past or future!"
Roaring as he gripped his beloved blade,
"You've finally returned to being our true King."
Zenki wiped away a tear with the back of his left hand, filled with deep emotion, and swung his kanabō club.
"Big brother, we're with you to the bitter end!"
Goki shouted as well, dropping his center of gravity.
Kai Heinemann pondered for a brief moment before speaking.
"You are far too weak. If we clash without restrictions, it will not even qualify as a battle. Therefore, I shall grant you a handicap."
Making a declaration completely beyond Asura's expectations, he pulled a black glove out of empty space and slipped it on. Instantly, the red and black battle aura that had been raging like a storm came to a dead halt. In stark contrast, an intense chill that they hadn't been able to perceive in the slightest rushed through their bodies as a piercing shiver. That meant—
"Whoa?!"
"W-W-What the hell is that...?"
Zenki and Goki, who had maintained a relatively calm composure until now, reacted the same way. The blood rapidly drained from their faces.
"A handicap... Don't tell me..."
As Zenki forced out the words with a grimace,
"Yeah, that's gotta be it."
Asura gave a firm nod. From Kai Heinemann's demeanor and his words, what Zenki was getting at was the truth. However, it was undeniably a reality far too merciless for Asura and his retainers. It was only natural that Zenki was left speechless. In other words, the reason Asura and the others hadn't sensed his strength before was simply because they weren't strong enough to register it. Ironically, it was only after the man suppressed his power that they could finally, barely grasp the scale of his might.
"That's... a restriction?"
Large beads of sweat poured down Goki's face as his voice trembled with disbelief.
"Even if I restrict my abilities, that does not make you any stronger. It remains true that this cannot function as a battle. Therefore—"
Addressing Asura and his subordinates, who stood paralyzed with dread, Kai Heinemann sheathed the long sword in his right hand into the scabbard on his back, drew a simple wooden stick, paused for a moment, and then—
"Focus every nerve in your bodies and envision an attack capable of outmaneuvering me! Wring out a strike that can actually reach me! Otherwise, this will end in an instant!"
—he raised his voice. With those final words, Kai Heinemann vanished.
"Whoa?!"
Seeing the figure materialize right before his eyes, Asura desperately attempted to leap backward, but a sideways strike from the stick caught him dead-on.
Amid an impact that felt as though it would tear his entire body apart, his vision spun wildly. As he struggled to his feet through the haze of clouded consciousness, the tip of Kai Heinemann's stick was already resting against his throat.
"Completely hopeless. Zero points."
As Kai Heinemann muttered quietly, Zenki's club and Goki's long claws bore down on him from behind. Without even turning around, Kai Heinemann intercepted the strikes with his stick and casually swept them away. The two were sent flying, but despite staggering, they immediately scrambled to their feet and took up stances against him once more.
"You got eyes in the back of your head or something?"
At Asura's question, Kai Heinemann knitted his brows in annoyance.
"Your presence is far too obvious. Use your heads! Imbue every single motion with purpose and intent! I told you already, didn't I? Weak as you are, unless you think things through thoroughly, your attacks will never reach me!"
He spoke as if lecturing them. Seeing Asura and his retainers bewildered by his demeanor, Kai let out a heavy sigh.
"I suppose words are wasted on muscle-heads like you. In that case, let us proceed a bit more roughly."
Kai Heinemann lightly tapped his shoulder with the wooden stick and began walking toward Asura.