Though Leo had lost his battle with Miyamoto Musashi, he had still had a great time fighting her.
His "Zenith Tempest" had awakened only recently, and this was the first time he had used it in a battle. Miyamoto Musashi had also been very considerate throughout, giving him free rein to use it. Otherwise, with her abilities, it would have been no trouble for her to get her sword to his throat before he could unleash the true power of "Zenith Tempest."
So although he had lost, Leo felt no resentment. Instead, he had let loose to his heart's content, and he felt as though his mind had been freed.
Besides wanting to give it his all and let loose, Leo had fought Miyamoto Musashi because he wanted to find out what level he was currently at.
He felt that he could probably take on opponents above his level, but that was only his own impression.
Before this, Leo had never fought anyone at the Ultimate-Class Devil level. He had barely even met any High-Class Devils, so he had no real idea whether his own estimation of his strength was accurate.
That was why he had also wanted to use his battle with Miyamoto Musashi as an opportunity to ask her just how strong he was.
Miyamoto Musashi was both a Maou's servant and a veteran Devil who had lived for hundreds of years. She had challenged countless strong opponents and fought even more, so her insight and experience far surpassed his own.
She would surely be able to give Leo an answer.
Sure enough...
"Young Master Leo is definitely strong. At the very least, there shouldn't be many among the younger generation of your era who could match you." Miyamoto Musashi seemed to have guessed what Leo was after. After a moment's thought, she continued, "And by 'younger generation,' I don't just mean Devils. I mean everyone among the Three Factions and beyond."
"Your generation has produced quite a few geniuses. There's the Red-Haired Princess of the Gremory Clan, who inherited the 'Power of Destruction' like the current Maou, Lucifer. And other Devil families have produced some remarkable youngsters, too."
"Especially the Bael Clan. I've met the heir to the Clan Head's position in this generation. That young master is something else. His family doesn't think much of him, but he's already far stronger than his peers."
"The Church has also produced several promising talents who might become top exorcists. And they say Grigori has trained several exceptionally powerful Sacred Gear Users in recent years, including two Longinus wielders. They're the strongest of their generation."
Miyamoto Musashi had taken all these people into account before concluding that "there shouldn't be many who could match Leo."
It was an exceptionally high evaluation.
"Of course, the original Young Master Leo wouldn't have been able to compare with these people. But you possess 'Zenith Tempest,' the world's second-strongest Longinus, so things are different."
Miyamoto Musashi spoke frankly, continuing with her assessment.
"Going by your performance just now, you should be able to compete for a place in the top five among your generation."
"If you can wield 'Zenith Tempest' with ease and reach the Balance Breaker realm, you could even compete for a place in the top three."
"At the very least, an ordinary Ultimate-Class Devil wouldn't be your match."
Leo pondered this, then asked, "By an ordinary Ultimate-Class Devil, you mean an Eight-Winged one, right? What about a Ten-Winged one?"
At Leo's question, Miyamoto Musashi looked a little troubled. Then she answered.
"If your opponent is a Ten-Winged Ultimate-Class Devil, Young Master Leo, you'd still be at a considerable disadvantage." Miyamoto Musashi gave him an honest answer. "There aren't many Ultimate-Class Devils of that level, even in the Underworld. Many older Devils don't have ten wings. Among the Angels and Fallen Angels, Ten-Winged ones are all high-ranking officers, and some can even fight Maou-Class beings. They're much stronger than Eight-Winged ones."
"Young Master Leo is fairly skilled at using 'Zenith Tempest,' but you haven't mastered it completely. You'd probably have the advantage against an Eight-Winged Ultimate-Class Devil."
"But a Ten-Winged Ultimate-Class Devil is another matter. The odds would likely be against you. Even against one who had only just advanced, your chances of winning wouldn't exceed twenty percent—and might be even lower."
In the end, Leo's "Zenith Tempest" had appeared too late. It had only been a month at most. He had managed to use it proficiently largely thanks to the feedback from his "Peerage Transformation" trait. That power was enough to let him defeat an opponent one level above him, but taking on someone two levels above was still too much.
If Leo could master "Zenith Tempest" completely, he might be able to fight a newly advanced Ten-Winged Devil. But to compare himself to someone like Miyamoto Musashi, who was just one step away from Maou-Class, was wishful thinking.
"Of course, that's only my assessment."
Seeing Leo lower his head in thought, Miyamoto Musashi quickly added a few more words.
"I reached that conclusion based on your performance just now. But Sacred Gear Users can't be judged by ordinary standards, especially someone like you who possesses a Longinus. Anything could happen."
Sacred Gears were powers that fed on their owners' thoughts. They could change and evolve endlessly, growing stronger over time. Their strength depended on the user's will: when the host was in low spirits, the Sacred Gear was less effective than usual; conversely, it grew more powerful when the host's resolve was strong, allowing it to unleash astonishing power in battle.
The Red Dragon Emperor in the original story had gone into overdrive because of this more than once. At his most outrageous, he had used a Sacred Gear he had only recently awakened to punch a high-ranking Ten-Winged Fallen Angel out of the sky, showing just how well the saying "Longinus are powers capable of disrupting the balance" applied.
Miyamoto Musashi had also seen many Sacred Gear Users unleash astonishing strength in dire situations through sheer, unyielding resolve, turning the impossible into the possible.
That was why she had said that anything could happen when facing a Longinus wielder.
If Leo unleashed an astonishing force of will, then with "Zenith Tempest's" status as the world's second-strongest Longinus, he might even be able to pin down a Maou and beat him senseless.
But such explosive power was too unreliable. In Miyamoto Musashi's opinion, it was best not to pin one's hopes on it.
"I recommend that Young Master Leo devote more effort to developing your Sacred Gear. Try to wield it with ease, master it completely, and then attempt to reach the Balance Breaker realm."
Miyamoto Musashi gave him the safest advice.
"Once you reach Balance Breaker, with 'Zenith Tempest's' standing, you'll be able to fight a Maou."
If Leo reached the Balance Breaker realm, he ought to be able to match her when she fought with all her strength, right?
At the thought, Miyamoto Musashi felt a little excited.
"I understand." Leo nodded, accepting her advice. "That's what I was thinking, too. I'll first figure out how to wield my Sacred Gear with ease, then try to reach the Balance Breaker realm."
That was currently the fastest way for Leo to grow stronger. He certainly wouldn't lose sight of what mattered most.
Of course, he wouldn't neglect the fundamentals, either. The stronger his own Demonic Power and abilities were, the more effectively and for longer he could wield his Sacred Gear.
Even if he reached the Balance Breaker realm in the future, he couldn't afford to ignore the fundamentals. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to maintain that state for long.
The best examples were the current Red Dragon Emperor and the current White Dragon Emperor.
One was the weakest Red Dragon Emperor in history. Even after reincarnating as a Devil, he had little Demonic Power and couldn't even use teleportation magic circles. All he could do was train his body, nearly ruining it in the process, yet he could maintain Balance Breaker for only thirty minutes. He also couldn't use his Sacred Gear's abilities, since that would consume even more power and shorten the time further.
The other was the strongest White Dragon Emperor in history. Half of his bloodline came from the late Old Maou Lucifer, and he had been born with tremendous Demonic Power and talent. Once he activated his Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker, he could maintain it for a full month. He could use his abilities freely for that entire time without suffering any ill effects—a stark contrast to the former.
Leo's fundamentals were solid, too. He was a genuine High-Class Devil. Even when he casually squandered "Zenith Tempest's" power like he had just done, he wouldn't run out of stamina midway through a fight like Yukino Yukinoshita. If he reached the Balance Breaker realm, he should be far better off than the Red Dragon Emperor, even if he couldn't maintain it for a full month.
But the stronger his fundamentals, the better. If he could possess as much Demonic Power as the White Dragon Emperor and reach the Balance Breaker realm, he should be able to surpass him and become even stronger.
After all, the White Dragon Emperor's Sacred Gear was only the sixth-ranked Mid-Tier Longinus, while Leo's was the second-ranked Top-tier Longinus. If they had the same foundation and reached the same level of mastery over their Sacred Gears, Leo would certainly be stronger.
And the White Dragon Emperor's strength after activating Balance Breaker was... Maou-Class!
"Before I leave this estate, Young Master Leo, you can come spar with me whenever you like."
Seeing that Leo had understood on his own, Miyamoto Musashi felt much more at ease. She offered him an extremely tempting proposition.
"Having an opponent who's strong enough to spar with you should help you quite a bit."
Leo's eyes lit up at that.
Having someone close to Maou-Class spar with him whenever he wanted would be a tremendous help.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Miss Musashi."
Leo nodded without hesitation, and Miyamoto Musashi beamed.
Next, they returned to their usual routine, and Miyamoto Musashi resumed teaching Asuna Yuuki how to use a sword.
Having witnessed the power of two formidable Devils firsthand, Asuna Yuuki seemed to have found new motivation. She became even more serious and diligent.
And so, evening came.
As night began to fall, Leo took Asuna Yuuki with him to attend the last appointment of the day...
Before you continue