I eased my breathing and kept a focused gaze on Kuzon, ensuring to keep my Aether Cores prepared at all times.

The Outers had already taken a considerable step back, moving some distance away from both me and Kuzon. Even the Dragon King limped away from what was now seen as the battleground.

“The rest of you should not bother running away. I’ll deal with you all next.” Kuzon had even said not too long ago.

It concerned me a little.

‘Even though we’ve isolated him, and the Dragon King was easily beaten by Neron, he’s very confident. Why?’

There was one explanation that kept pounding in my head. And it made me even more tense as I considered the battle that would ensue very soon.

‘He’s strong!’

Why else would he be so confident about taking down all the Outers? He must have had enough justifications to prop up this aura of dominance.

That meant I couldn’t underestimate him.

It was a good thing Neron chose me to fight this guy. If any other Outer had done it, then they most likely wouldn’t stand a chance.

‘If I’m correct, then this is indeed the best arrangement.’

Of course, this was all pure speculation. After all, I had already noticed a lot of issues that were incompatible with the power Kuzon supposedly possessed.

‘For example, why is the barrier around the Midas Empire so weak? I mean, it’s not extremely weak, but it should be way better.’

It bothered me a lot that even my evil version hadn’t invaded this place yet. Then again, perhaps evil Jared was more concerned about other things and simply didn’t think the Midas were that much of a threat.

‘But if Kuzon is this strong, then he is supposed to be taken as a threat. What if evil Jared is even far stronger than Kuzon, which is why he doesn’t see him as someone worthy of his attention?’

The Outgroup also mentioned how they were always very careful to ensure evil Jared and his forces would be unable to decipher their movements and capture them. But if Kuzon was this strong, it meant evil Jared was far stronger, which meant he would have been able to easily defeat the Outers.

‘Is he letting them get away with it? Am I just overthinking things?’

Yes, that was probably the case. I was making too many assumptions without any substantial evidence to back them up.

‘Rather than thinking about all that, let’s focus on what’s in front of us.’

Using my Magic to perceive my opponent and sense their energy wavelength, I could decipher how powerful they were. Of course, it was possible for someone to hide their true strength, but it was worth a shot.

‘Hmm… he doesn’t appear very strong.’ This Kuzon also had a Special Core Grade, but something about it felt… unfulfilling and weak.

Was he hiding his true strength?

‘In my world, Kuzon has a range of abilities; ranging from Original Magic to Bond and Fusion Magic, to pretty much a superior use of Magic compared to most Mages. He is also more adept than most experts in Martial Arts.’

In essence, he was a golden boy in all fields.

‘Even if I have confirmed that Arcanas don’t exist in this reality, the Midas Royalty must have trump cards that should make this battle tricky.’

I wanted to avoid using my full strength since I was conserving my energy, so I would only be responding to his heightened powers if he used them.

‘Everyone I’ve met in this world has been weaker than I expected. I mean, it’s to be expected given how Magic hasn’t really advanced that far.’

Magic Technology was still limited.

There were no such concepts as Familiars

Original Magic and Mage Mode were extremely rare. Not even the Outers could use them.

The disparity went on and on.

However, there were certain exceptions to this rule.

For example, even though things were not as advanced here, there were certain things that existed here that I had no knowledge of in my world.

‘For example, Neron’s [Overdrive] pill that will temporarily grant him amazing Mana Abilities before ultimately killing him.’

Or the fact that he was able to develop a serum using Edward’s blood and his Magic Research to decrease his ageing and increase his physical strength.

‘Neron in my world used Time Magic to keep himself from ageing, but this world’s Neron used extensive research to achieve the same result. He’s merely slowing it down, but still…’

There were many other innovations this world had that didn’t appear in mine, which made me all the more cautious.

‘Besides, this is the Midas Empire. Magic Innovations, technology, and extensive research are their forte. I can’t afford to get careless.’

Even Kido didn’t know the true secrets of the Royals since he wasn’t the heir. When I asked him, he said only the one to inherit the throne was blessed with the hidden knowledge and power of the Midas Rulers.

‘I just have to operate on the assumption that he’s stronger than what I expect. I’ll prepare every countermeasure and make sure I win this, no matter what.’

I leaked out a diluted form of my Aether, mimicking the Mana of this world, so as to hide my cards. I didn’t want him to consider the possibility of me possessing even more power.

“Hehe… I see you’re already set.” Kuzon stepped forward, descending from his throne as he shrugged off his ridiculous robe.

He revealed his regal garment, a simpler white shirt and trousers—which were also imbued with golden designs.

“I’ll end this quickly…” He grinned mischievously, and I braced myself.

‘How far do I need to go? If push comes to shove, I’ll surprise him with my Familiars.’

Currently, I had a massive amount. If I caught him off-guard, then…

‘No. Let’s see how far he pushes me first.’

“[Special Purple Bolt].”

In a brilliant burst of power, I witnessed a flash of powerful light radiate from Kuzon’s fingertips.

Cackles of purple electricity danced on his fingers, and I instantly felt a coalition of surprising emotions wash over me.

‘T-this is…!’

*

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[A/N]

Let the battle begin!

Here’s the link.