While Leon was fighting Shalara, on the other side of the battlefield—
CRASH!
The deafening clang of metal echoed as Raiden's hammer collided with Bellarion's twin axes. Sparks of lightning and holy fire clashed between them.
"HAHAHA! Finally, someone who can take my first hit!" Raiden roared with excitement, his blue eyes gleaming.
Bellarion grinned, his axes blazing with sacred flames. "A weak hammer like that belongs in a museum!"
Raiden spun his hammer effortlessly with one hand. "Let's test that claim!"
"Thunder Impact!"
His hammer slammed Bellarion into the ground, followed by a shockwave of blue lightning.
Bellarion, caught in the blast, leaped high—but Raiden was already waiting above him.
"Meteor Hammer!"
BOOM! The hammer struck Bellarion's shoulder, sending him crashing down like a falling star.
Yet Bellarion quickly recovered and countered. "Flame Cyclone!" His twin axes spun, creating a fiery tornado that scorched everything around them.
Raiden smirked and twirled his hammer. "Thunder Vortex!" A swirling storm of wind and lightning erupted from his weapon.
The two attacks collided in a massive explosion, sending sparks of fire and lightning flying. Raiden finished with a spinning 360° strike, smashing his hammer into Bellarion's gut and sending him flying.
Bellarion, mid-air, retaliated instantly. "Inferno Guillotine!" Two massive blades of fire slashed downward.
Raiden raised his hammer high. "Thunder Judgement!" Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck his hammer, forming a shield of crackling energy.
BOOOOM!
The devastating blast sent Bellarion tumbling. Raiden landed in front of him, his hammer still pulsing with power.
A wild grin spread across his face. "You're way more fun than those two Leviathan princes earlier!"
Bellarion slowly rose, blood trickling from his lips as he smirked. "You... are truly... strong..."
Raiden hefted his hammer, exhilarated. "Now this is what I call a real fight!"
Bellarion stood tall, his axes igniting once more. "You're just a lucky demon who happens to be strong!"
Without warning, he leaped high and brought his axes down in a devastating strike—
"Blazing Guillotine!"
A colossal wave of fire shaped like a guillotine descended, incinerating everything in its path.
Raiden, forced on the defensive, activated "Thunder God's Reflex" to dodge at the last second.
But Bellarion wasn't done. He vanished in a flash, reappearing above Raiden with his axes ablaze. "Divine Inferno Slash!" he roared, swinging down.
Raiden couldn't evade in time.
CLANG!
The axe struck Raiden's body with brutal force, splattering blood as his hammer dropped to the ground.
"Too weak," Raiden taunted before retaliating with a devastating punch to Bellarion's gut.
BOOOM!
Bellarion was sent flying, crashing through a palace tower behind him.
Yet he rose again, the flames around him burning fiercer than ever.
"You're truly entertaining!" Bellarion shouted, wiping blood from his lips.
Without another word, Raiden shot forward like lightning, his fist slamming into Bellarion's body.
CRACK!
Bones shattered.
But Bellarion grinned through the pain and swung his axe into Raiden's ribs.
SLASH!
Blood sprayed everywhere—yet Raiden only laughed.
"Still not enough, Bellarion!"
"Damn you!" Bellarion growled before unleashing another attack.
"Dual Flame Guillotine!"
Two enormous blades of fire descended from the sky.
Raiden raised his hands—
"Thunder Judgement!"
A lightning shield formed, blocking the strike—but the force was so immense that his feet dug into the ground from the pressure.
Still, he held firm. "Now it's time to pay you back for that earlier hit."
"Thunder God's Wrath!"
ZZZZT—BOOOOM!
Five blue lightning bolts struck at once, trapping Bellarion in a cage of electricity.
Bellarion screamed in agony as his skin blistered from the pure voltage.
But then—
"NOT ENOUGH!"
He tore through the cage with sheer force, his body now engulfed in golden flames far greater than before.
"I'm not finished yet!"
Raiden leaped high, gathering lightning across his entire body.
"Meteor Thunder Fist!"
He descended like a meteor, his fist driving Bellarion into the earth.
BOOOOOM!
A massive crater formed. Bellarion lay at its center, his body drenched in blood.
Raiden landed beside him, exhaling. "Finally done—"
But suddenly—
Bellarion's hand gripped Raiden's ankle.
"Heh... hehehe..."
Raiden frowned. "What?"
Bellarion slowly rose again, blood dripping from his mouth—yet his eyes burned brighter than ever.
"It's been so long... since I've enjoyed a fight like this," he muttered.
Raiden grinned. "You can still stand? Good."
But Bellarion raised his hand, and a radiant light descended from the heavens.
"You're strong, Raiden. But now—"
"I'll show you the true power of an angel!"
"Sacra... Bellum Divinum!"
BOOOOOOM!
A golden light enveloped Bellarion. His wings doubled in size, his body clad in sacred armor, and his twin axes merged into one colossal weapon.
Raiden smirked, blue lightning crackling around him.
"Now... this is getting interesting!"
=== BAB 14 END ===