As Jerry presented himself in his full strength, he stared at Legris, with only one thought in mind.
"I don't care if I'm the weakest or not. But… thinking I'm easy prey was your biggest mistake!"
Jerry did not know how long had passed since he began his trial, but he was not messing around during that period.
He had honed all the powers he could and applied them in every conceivable way.
His [Original Magic: Purgatory] was the peak of his accomplishments, and he was also able to improve his most powerful form.
All he had done in this place was grow.
This was the result of all that—the culmination of his efforts.
"There's no way I'm going out without a fight!"
******
'It seems I underestimated him.' Legris thought to himself as he stared at Jerry.
As he floated about the sea of lava, watching the pillars of molten magma constantly erupt from all four corners of the domain he was in, and witnessing the innumerable minions Jerry had accumulated with his power, Legris found himself being impressed.
'So, he found a way to use his pyrokinetic abilities to manipulate other targets. Those subordinates of his are being controlled by his flames, which are being controlled by him. Interesting…'
However, that was just scratching the surface of the power that Jerry was displaying.
'Does that mean he'll be able to control his opponent if he manages to drown them in his flames? I wonder…'
The fact that the entire area around Jerry made it easier for successful combustion lended credence to Legris' theory, but he couldn't draw his conclusions just yet.
After all, despite how impressive the aforementioned abilities were, they weren't the real threat to Legris at the moment.
'The real problem is the domain itself.'
Legris had sensed it earlier, which was why he chose to float above the sea of flames and magma. If he had stayed in his position, he would have taken damage, even if he used his black ability.
And that was due to one major factor.
"He's using real flames… not Magic."
Or, at the very least, he was mixing both of them in his domain.
'I found it surprising that someone like him was able to generate Magic of this scale, but once I take this major component into account it makes a lot more sense.'
Jerry's pool of energy was extremely limited, and to complement his lacking abilities, he must have found ways to ignite the oxygen in the air and burn carbon for real flames to manifest.
'That's just my theory, though. I'm not sure how far he planned this, or how intentional his actions were, but…'
This placed Legris at a disadvantage.
"My ability devours existence—Aether and Nether respectively, it does not discriminate."
When it came to Magic and Spells, it had the same effect.
The problem was, however, that his power was limited within certain boundaries.
Legris still had to breathe, and he still had to regulate his temperature, or feel stimulus.
As a result, not everything could be erased by the darkness that surrounded him.
That included the heat and burning abilities of Jerry's real flames.
'I can handle the minions since they're made of Aether. Jerry's body is coated in dense Aether, but it's not a problem if I am able to catch him.'
The real challenge remained the lava and flames that pervaded the area.
'Whatever. They won't matter if I distance myself from them.'
In the end, this was still Jerry. It wasn't like he could manage this level of Magic for very long.
'Sooner or later, he'll reach his limits. I doubt he'll be able to survive that long, though.'
With a wide, almost maniacal grin, Legris prepared for his first assault, readying his body for departure.
'Let's see you handle this… hm?!'
Legris instantly widened his eyes, and in that split second, he ceased his plans to attack. Instead, he focused all his strength and speed into tilting his body at least a meter away from his position.
And just in time too.
~WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!~
An immensely concentrated burst of energy sped through the air and passed through the very location that Legris had previously occupied.
The blast resembled light in both its speed and appearance, though Legris could only catch a glimpse of it.
In the end, the missed shot ended up being buried under the rising sea of lava.
'That was close! If I didn't move, it would have overfeed my head.'
That meant instant death.
Of course, the death only applied to one variant, but Legris found it absurd that he would require more than one version of himself to deal with someone like Jerry.
It wasn't due to pride or anything like that, but simple logic.
If he used more than one version of himself, it meant Legris was implying that Jerry was stronger than him.
That was just wrong.
'In any case, how was he able to target me so accurately, and at such a point blank range?' Legris gazed to the sky, where he first noticed the accumulation of energy.
'Ahh… it's that orb of his. He plans on using that for long-range assault. If I come closer, he'll use his blade for mid-range and close-range combat, all while the environment deals constant damage to me.'
Legris had to admit… that was brilliant.
Still, he couldn't help but suspect that he was giving Jerry too much credit. Perhaps he was simply reading meaning into a majority of his attacks and patterns.
'That doesn't stop them from existing, though. Alright, then. Now that I know all the elements involved, I should begin my comeback.'
With a smile on his face, Legris prepared himself for his own counterattack.
'Let's see how you do in a real fight!'
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