The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

Chapter 409: A Deity of Thunder

“Oh-ho…”

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, the earth — the whole world.

Asley had mastered this spell, Vesment: Thor’s Hammer, by learning from Jeanne the Lightning Flash, imitating and then improving upon her art.

And the ultimate result was so powerful that it amazed even the spell’s original creator…

— So… the most powerful lightning-elemental spell of the ‘Skilled’ rank is Fullspark Rain, right?

— That’s right, Asley. I think we can get a big boost to our power once this is completed.

— Jeanne, Jeanne… Take a good look at my Master’s face.

— Looks like he’s… deep in thought…?

— Any second now… He’ll say something stupid any second now, I’m sure…

— Huh?

— Vesment Fullspark Rain… Hmm… That’s a bit of a mouthful…

— Ooh, you got that right, Pochi.

— Of course I did! I’m a master at predicting my Master’s actions, after all!

— Heh, that’s pretty funny. Maybe I should try it out, too.

— I must warn you: it is not for the faint of heart!

— Oh yeah? How so?

— He’s so easy to predict that you can’t help but doubt your predictions!

— Hahaha! Now THAT is difficult!

— This is what he’ll say next: Hey, Pochi! I have a great idea!

— Hey, Pochi! I have a great idea!

— Wow, it’s like you can see the future.

— Hehehe… Maybe! Yes, what is it, Master?

— Let’s create an all-new lightning spell! We’re gonna make it the Zenith rank!

— Did you see that coming, Pochi?

— Actually, no… I just thought he was going to come up with a new name.

— Hahaha…

Asley and Tūs were the only ones who could invoke Zenith-level magic spells.

This all-new spell had been painstakingly invented by an ordinary Mage.

But perhaps for Asley, an eager pursuer of the arcane arts, this was not much more than child’s play. 

The had been difficulties, of course, but Asley’s inquisitive and ambitious mind had allowed him to succeed at using it.

The newly-created lightning spell, Thor’s Hammer, had then been improved further by its combination with Jeanne’s Vestment series of spells, the process of which had impressed even Jeanne herself.

And now, Vesment: Thor’s Hammer was being invoked right before Devil King Lucifer’s eyes.

A stream of purple electricity ran across the surface of Asley’s body, and his mantle fluttered in the wind.

“The spell formula contains an excessive amount of information. It is not suitable for combat.”

“It IS if it’s used with Ultimate Limit, dammit!”

“And you were able to set it up only because I gave you the time to. Now then, see if those fists of yours can land a hit on me…”

Suddenly, Asley disappeared.

“What!?”

Even the Devil King, Lucifer, could not help but be surprised.

Asley, instantly reappearing behind Lucifer, swung his fist down at the latter.

But then…

“KAH!!”

Lucifer’s body expanded and turned jet-black.

Indeed, this was his true Devil form.

Lucifer proceeded to turn around and grab Asley’s fist.

“Nice try…!”

“Nice try, my ass! You weren’t gonna be hit at all!”

“No, I WAS going to take that… if I had stayed untransformed, that is. You, one of human flesh, have forced me to take this seriously — Commendable.”

“I’d rather be praised by ANYONE ELSE, damn it!”

“Hmph!”

Lucifer threw Asley away. Asley, after sticking the landing, rushed at the Devil King once again.

“Rise! All Up! HAH!”

Then he invoked a physical enhancement spell, then all physical enhancement special abilities, and then swiped his Drynium Rod up.

“Hmph.”

Lucifer caught it with the sole of his right foot.

“Ngh…”

“A solid hit… But still not good enough to damage the Devil King…”

Asley groaned as he kept pushing.

“GRRRRRR…!”

“Hhehehe…! W-what!?”

Lucifer’s foot was slowly being lifted up.

“OOOHHHHHH!!!!”

“Ngh–!?”

Successfully pushing through, Asley swiped his Drynium Rod up all the way.

Lucifer rolled backward, dodging the attack. Once again, he could not hide the look of surprise on his face.

“Hah hah hah… Don’t you… underestimate us…!”

Asley panted heavily. He pointed his Drynium Rod at Lucifer; the weapon glowed faintly, as if to show the power of humanity.

“You only achieved that strength in the heat of the moment. One attack took all you had — and now you can barely catch your breath. Your chance of winning against me is… ten percent. At most.”

“Nah… looks more like thirty percent to me!”

“Hehehe… Not shooting for the moon, I see…?”

“Shut up! That specific number is important to me, damn it!!”

“Give it a try, then. And know that you will not succeed…!”

“KAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Pure and violent arcane energy at maximum power covered the whole area.

The released arcane energy then mixed with Vesment: Thor’s Hammer, making it shine even more brightly.

“Ultimate Limit… Hmm…”

Explosions of arcane energy echoed as Asley rushed forth, his aura rampaging.

Asley was not the only one running, however. As if to match his move, Lucifer charged at Asley and said to him,

“…Try not to die!”

Lucifer invoked his Ultimate Limit and swung his fist — a punch loaded with a literal Devil’s arcane energy.

Asley raised his Drynium Rod overhead.

Their eyes, as well as their attacks, foreshadowed an unprecedented impact.

“”BURST!!””

The Devil King’s fist and Asley’s Drynium Rod accelerated… and collided.

The first thing that appeared in Asley’s eyes was a dull glow — a reddish black sparks of light flying in between him and Lucifer.

It was the result of the Drynium Rod’s destruction.

The following moment, it was as if time flowed differently for the two of them.

The Devil King rejoiced at the destruction of Asley’s weapon, while Asley was left awestruck.

It was but a mere moment, however, as by the time the sound followed the sparks of light, Asley had already regained his composure.

The Fool’s eyes continued to glow sharply through his glasses, while Lucifer’s eyes were even more tinged with smug assurance.

“”OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!””

They proceeded to fight hand-to-hand, each of their hits creating blinding flashes of light and thunderous explosions.

Lucifer mixed in some feints, forcing Asley to be constantly on guard as he desperately caught, dodged, parried, and blocked his enemy’s attacks — and sometimes traded blows with him.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Many of Lucifer’s attacks landed direct hits on Asley, while all of Asley’s attacks were blocked.

Despite his body being increasingly wounded, however, Asley did not show any sign of being in pain; he just kept attacking Lucifer.

And then, the end of their unstoppable clash was caused by… as one would expect, Lucifer’s attack.

“Hmph!”

A kick to the abdomen blew Asley away.

Asley regained his bearings in mid-air and stuck all of his fingers into the earth to kill the momentum. Lucifer looked on, cracking a grin.

“Ha ha hah… Ngh–!”

Asley clutched his abdomen in anguish at the pain that lingered throughout his whole body.

Then, while his face was down, strange sounds echoed in his ears — sounds of something popping, coming from straight ahead.

Upon looking up, Asley realized that they were from Lucifer. The Devil King was clapping his hands.

Lucifer kept on clapping, his rhythm perfect the whole time.

Eventually, the sounds became quieter, leaving only echoes before Lucifer proceeded to say,

“…Wonderful.”

Lucifer’s voice echoed through the sky.

“You are like a deity of thunder — every single blow packed with power, weight, and energy. Wonderful power, wonderful skill… I almost want you under my command.”

“…Heh, no way in hell I’m gonna–“

“–I said ALMOST. All I praised was your capabilities. I do NOT want a jester among the ranks of my associates.”

“I know.”

“Now, what will you do? How will you save yourself? Your powers are far below mine. There is no changing that… Hehehe…”

Lucifer laughed, but then Asley laughed back.

“…Heh, you haven’t noticed, huh?”

“What?”

Lucifer felt a drop of liquid touch his cheek. He wiped it with his finger, and saw that it was blood… his own blood.

He did not remember sustaining a would. Unable to comprehend where and when the blood had been shed, Lucifer could only turn to Asley with his question,

“…What…… What did you do?”

His eyes were full of rage… but he failed to direct it at Asley, as the latter had already disappeared.

Shortly after, Lucifer realized that his cheek had been pierced — by the fool’s fist, with an attack unlike any other he had felt before.