The second Higher Nox's Demonic Providence gave his mana the property of lightning.
The third Higher Nox gained the ability to add vibration to his mana and increase its penetrative power.
The fourth could use flames of hell, black and corrosive, inextinguishable by most means.
Each Demonic Providence was different, and the skill with which each Higher Nox handled their Providence also differed.
Unlike the first Higher Nox who couldn't properly show the power of his summon army, each consecutive opponent showed Damien more skill and more technique, completely different from the Nox he'd fought before.
However, no matter what they did, their power could never match Sebastian's.
'That butler's fist skills were probably a Demonic Providence. If it wasn't for the circumstances and my sudden enlightenment on Life and Death, I would've been pummeled to death from the beginning.'
Damien got extremely lucky in his battle with Sebastian and won in the end, but luck wasn't a skill.
Luck wasn't something that could be controlled.
So why would Damien bank on luck?
He'd rather increase his skill so the same situation never took place again.
"You're the last one." He said through heavy breaths.
9 late-stage Higher Nox had been defeated so far, and Damien's level had seen a solid increase. Now that he was facing his final opponent, it would be a lie to say he wasn't somewhat exhausted.
'Using only Samsara Intent is difficult. I can't fight with the same mobility and firepower I have using Spacetime yet since I haven't refined my skills in practical combat. I need to push myself harder.'
Since there weren't any observers around, Damien cheated slightly by using his spatial advantages to compensate for his weaknesses, but that could be done no more.
Improvement wouldn't happen without struggle.
"Come." He said coldly.
The Higher Nox didn't move, however, and continued to observe Damien instead.
"You are a strange human. Despite acting against us, you smell the same as us. Kekeke, you are no different from us, are you?" The Higher Nox stated with a strange smile.
"What're you rambling about?" Damien scoffed. "If you don't come at me, I'll come to you."
Bang!
His body shot forward and arrived before the Higher Nox in a mere instant. He swung his fists at his opponent with all of his strength, pouring Death Mana into his every attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Higher Nox swiftly weaved through the storm of punches, slightly moving his arms to block and redirect the force elsewhere. Every movement of his body was skilled and planned, leaving Damien no room to land a hit.
"You are skilled, but not skilled enough!" The Nox shouted.
Bang!
His fist roared through the air and collided with Damien's. The impact force of the two fists sent a shockwave several kilometers into the distance.
"Khh!" Damien gritted his teeth and pushed the muscles in his arm to their maximum output. His fist clashed against the Nox's, fighting a fierce game of tug of war to determine the final winner.
At that moment…
BANG!
A gunshot boomed through space.
The Higher Nox's body went flying. A pure white light penetrated his skin and entered his circuits.
Damien grinned.
It was the same trick he'd used on the first Nox, and every opponent that came after him.
It was Damien's secret to success.
"Come at me!"
He threw himself forward with a grin on his face, following the Nox's flight path.
The Nox stabilized himself immediately and glared at Damien with cold eyes.
"I do not know what you did, but it's useless!"
His body suddenly jerked. A gold and black light surrounded him, and a strange holy demonic aura radiated from his every movement.
"Have a taste of my Heavenly Demonic Body!"
The Higher Nox punched out before Damien could even reach his vicinity.
BANG!
Space shattered. The foundation of Damien's isolated dimension shook under the force of the punch.
Damien's body flew backwards, blood pooling in his mouth.
'I didn't even get hit!' He exclaimed inwardly.
Whether it was the initial impact or the following shockwave, neither touched Damien's body.
Yet, he was still injured?
'Does this guy's Demonic Providence have a similar property to Horizon Break?'
To ignore the restraints of space and attack and exponentially increase one's base power, this Demonic Providence was clearly on a different level from those prior.
"Aha, I see how it is. So you're the big boss!"
Damien hit his fist against his palm in realization.
"You must be a pretty big guy, right? So, if I kill you, wouldn't it cause problems?"
The Higher Nox grinned evilly.
"That's right. I am Jared, the Heavenly Demon General! If you manage to kill me, you'll invite calamity onto your race! Hahaha, how does it feel to know you'll lose no matter what?" He asked mockingly.
Damien raised his brow. "Lose? But…I don't really count that as a loss, though?"
Damien's current expression was far eviler than Jared's, causing a shiver to run down the latter's spine.
'This human…'
His brow twitched. The enemy was not only powerful, but also insane. In that case…
"Death is your only option!"
"Hahaha! Let's see if death can truly claim me!"
Damien arrived before the Higher Nox in an instant and punched out.
"Fuck your Heavenly Demon Body, Jared is a stupid name!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Damien immediately entered close combat with the enemy. His fists struck out like lightning, aiming at his opponent's every weak spot. However, he was currently facing someone who outstripped him in physical strength.
CRACK!
The shattering of Damien's wrists and hand bones was so loud and visceral that both fighters cringed, but neither stopped their movements.
Damien's arm moved rapidly to block Jared's punch, shattering in the process. In the time it took for that movement to be executed, Damien was already swinging his shattered fist again.
And by the time the fist reached Jared's body, it was already healed.
BOOM!
A Death Mana-laced blow invaded Jared's defense and shot him into the distance. The latent mana of the blow invaded his system and began corrupting his mana system.
"Hmph! This puny corrosion!"
Jared moved his own mana to repel Damien's invading mana, but the moment he checked his internals, his ashen grey face turned pale white.
"T-this…w-what…"
Damien grinned. "Is it already starting to take effect?"
"What did you do to me?!" Jared roared.
Damien's grin widened. Unexpectedly, the process worked faster than it did on any of the previous Nox.
"Hey, Jared, does your Heavenly Demon Body perhaps draw out vitality in exchange for power?" He asked.
The Higher Nox backed away. "Spouting nonsense! The nuances of my techniques cannot be comprehended by a mere human!"
"Aha, so it really was like that. In that case, aren't you just killing yourself?"
Perhaps in a normal situation, this not-so-intimidating man named Jared could use other means to supplement his lost vitality so it didn't affect his battle capacity.
But what if…
What if something within him was actively sucking away his vitality?
What if he was fighting against an opponent who comprehended the Laws of Life and Death?
Wasn't using a skill that doubled the rate at which his vitality drained just asking for death?
