At this moment, Asta's body had already begun to suffer damage. He had entered the danger zone of the Eight Gates. This was the true meaning of entering the Eight Gates state; his strength and speed had now reached an unprecedented level of improvement!
"Is Asta using that taijutsu that suddenly increases combat power again?" This thought flashed through Vanessa's mind as she was sent flying backward. But does this world really have taijutsu that can go head-to-head with magic that seems capable of destroying the world?
"Step!" The Red-Robed King in mid-air took a step forward and made a slashing motion. With just this single action, an energy storm came crashing toward them like a landslide!
Kryss and Nero had already closed their eyes. Although Noelle and Vanessa had their beautiful eyes wide open, they were filled with shock. It was like an ordinary person witnessing an avalanche on the Himalayas; the scene of mountains collapsing and the earth splitting was truly impossible to resist!
But just at this moment, a monstrous surge of energy burst out from within Asta's body!
Two beams of light, resembling blue dragons, snaked up from beneath Asta's feet. Asta's silver hair stood on end, and his fair face turned a terrifying dark red at this moment!
"Gate of Limit!" Asta lifted the demon-slayer sword and tapped his feet on the ground, instantly exploding with a deafening sonic boom. His speed now exceeded the speed of sound, and his entire body seemed to transform into a sharp sword as he slashed toward the Headless King!
"Bang!" The first thing to collide between Asta and the Headless King was the aura generated by both, or what could also be called a barrier!
The death barrier condensed by the Headless King was shattered in an instant by Asta's demon-slayer sword. This giant sword that cuts through all magic was truly worthy of its reputation!
"Boom!" Asta's sword clashed fiercely with the Headless King's seven-colored sword. Looking from the ground, it seemed as if two Kings were dueling in the sky; one side shone with seven-colored brilliance, while the other was a mix of red and green, forged from blood and sweat!
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!" The two swords emitted a harsh grinding sound. Both of their reserves were almost exhausted at the same time, and they were then repelled by the immense recoil generated by the collision.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!" As the Headless King was sent flying backward, countless magic stones in the military formation exploded due to overload. Those Headless Soldiers also vanished into smoke as a result. In an instant, a massive vacuum zone appeared before everyone's eyes!
"Thud!" Asta slammed heavily into the ground not far from Noelle and the others. The moment he was repelled, he had already exited the 'Gate of Limit' state. In reality, his current stamina could only sustain a single strike in the Gate of Limit state. Fortunately, many of the magic stones supporting the Headless King's energy had also shattered, which meant the Headless King could not even maintain its flight state!
"Asta!" Noelle ran over quickly and then placed Asta's head on her lap. Although she didn't know healing magic, she had seen her royal sister Mimosa Vermillion let Asta rest his head on her lap like this.
"Apply the medicine!" Asta exchanged for a large amount of healing potion and recovery potion from the system and said weakly, "Take it internally and apply it externally!"
"Oh, oh, I understand!" After a brief moment of panic, Noelle immediately poured the healing potion onto Asta. The sensation in that instant was a hundred times more intense than putting salt or alcohol on a wound. Even Kryss gasped, because he had experienced the pain of having healing potion poured on himself!
"Brother, are you alright?" Nero said worriedly.
"I'm fine, it's just that the boy before us is a true hero!" Kryss said sincerely, especially regarding that last sword strike between Asta and the Headless King; it was simply earth-shattering!
This was a collision that could only be unleashed by a King against a King!
This was a full-power strike from Kings of two different eras!
Although the collision lasted only an instant, those who witnessed this duel would never forget it for the rest of their lives!
"Let's go quickly!" Vanessa and Noelle worked together to lift Asta onto the magic broom, and then the group took advantage of the gap before the Headless King could issue an attack command to quickly head toward the outside.
Asta looked back one last time at the Headless King standing in place, his mind filled with countless thoughts. What kind of earth-shattering battle had taken place here back then, to result in such an peerless powerhouse having their head removed?
If he didn't possess a weapon like the demon-slayer sword in his hand, even if he had opened the Gate of Limit, he would only be able to remain in an invincible position; trying to head-on resist a strike from the Headless King that gathered seven types of majestic magic would be absolutely impossible.
Snap!
Soon, Vanessa brought the group across the edge of the ancient battlefield and returned once again to the small path that led into the Village.
"We're saved!" Noelle heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed weakly onto the ground. She then turned her delicate face and stared blankly at Asta. How handsome...
"Benefactors, thank you for risking your lives to save us!" Kryss knelt heavily on the ground, the tattered red robe behind him gently fluttering in the breeze. How did this red robe compare to that of the Headless King?
"You should thank your sister." Vanessa smiled gently. If it weren't for Nero's persistence and special intuition this time, they wouldn't have been able to find Kryss so accurately to complete the mission.
Of course, the most important factor in all of this was Asta!
If it weren't for Asta, they would have been finished off by those mutated insects back when they entered the magic-less barrier.
Therefore, Vanessa touched Asta's forehead with motherly kindness. "You've worked hard, little Asta. Leave the rest to Sister. The mission report will definitely be written beautifully—so beautifully that the higher-ups won't even need to look at it a second time. Your little secrets will only be known to us!"
When Vanessa said the last part, she leaned down close to Asta's ear. The warm breath made the roots of Asta's ears turn red, and he couldn't help but open his amber eyes. "You're cheating again, Sister Vanessa!"
"Haha!" Vanessa chuckled lightly. After the group rested for a while, they finally said their goodbyes.
"Everyone, goodbye!" Kryss and Nero watched reluctantly as Vanessa took Noelle and Asta and left.
"Kryss, a hero is not defined by strength. You are a true hero. Continue to protect Wind and Thunder Village from now on!" Asta gave a thumbs up to Kryss as he left, which made Kryss burst into tears in an instant!
"I will protect the Village!" Kryss nodded heavily. At this moment, he had finally received recognition from others. He had become a hero; he had done it! He had really done it!
From now on, his sister would be able to socialize like a normal girl!
"Brother, please don't sacrifice yourself for me anymore!" Nero crouched down and hugged the man who was crying a mess on the ground. Under Nero's comfort, Kryss gradually calmed down...
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