Ben's battle with Hades was halted for the moment. They both realized what had happened back at the camp. Ben learned about it from his clones while Hades received word of it from one of his mages' magic.
"Ha ha ha, it seems the battles on other parts of the island have started. Your guild mates will soon be wiped out by my mages." Hades said haughtily.
"You seem really confident." Ben remarked.
"Of course, I've taught them different types of Lost Magic over the years. They are all strong." Hades stated proudly.
"Lost Magic, huh? Now you've got my attention. I need to check your ship out thoroughly after this and maybe your base too. But I don't think they're as strong as you make them out to be. The purposefully avoided Master and Gildarts." Ben noted.
"They aren't ready to fight those 2 yet. But I have someone who is ready." Hades explained.
"Heh, that guy on the ship just left it, didn't he? He has a lot of magic power, but it's only on the master's level. Gildarts will crush him in no time." Ben smirked.
"Humph, the amount of magic power isn't everything." Hades said.
"I know. That's something I always say. But I still think he doesn't stand a chance against Gildarts unless he had some assistance." Ben said.
Ben wasn't interested in continuing the conversation and rushed at Hades. He moved very fast and appeared in front of Hades in less than a second. He immediately attacked Hades with a strong punch.
However, his punch was blocked by an invisible force. Ben knew it wasn't a barrier made from magic because it pushed him away from Hades' body. So he assumed it was due to Hades' Demon's Eye which released the invisible force.
'It must be the Demon's Eye because he didn't use it before when I beat him up. But why doesn't he move? He can't or doesn't want to?' Ben thought.
Ben threw some more punches and kicks at high speed. But they were all repelled by the invisible force coming from Hades' body. The force was strong enough to repel his powerful attacks.
In Devil Force, Ben's physical stats increased significantly and so did his magical stats. It caused his attack power to increase exponentially too. So he was surprised that Hades was able to counter his attacks that have been enhanced.
'As I thought, this old man has a secret skill or tool at his disposal. His magic power hasn't been reduced even after using this strong force to block my attacks.' Ben thought.
While Ben thought about that, a tentacle suddenly came out of Hades' back. It quickly moved to attack Ben's right side like a whip. Ben was so focused on Hades that he didn't realize it and was hit.
There was a lot of power behind the attack and Ben was sent flying until he crashed into some trees, breaking them in the process. An attack like that would injure him if he was in his normal form but he had assumed Devil Force. His durability was enhanced and he didn't take any damage from that attack.
"So you can make tentacles just like the demons you created. You're a creepy old man." Ben said as he walked back towards Hades.
"I don't want to hear that from someone that looks like a real demon." Hades replied.
Hades extended his right hand forward and used his Chain Magic. He fired a pair of chains to attack Ben and the chains moved faster than last time. But they were still no match for Ben's speed as he can easily evade them while moving closer to Hades.
Ben covered both of his hands in red solar energy. His claws are glowing bright red as he started to attack Hades with them. The glowing claws hit the force and push on each other as Ben kept attacking.
Hades kept attacking with his chains and tentacles, so Ben needed to evade them while still attacking. He still attacked at close range to find his limit at close range while in Devil Force.
Ben attacked with more strength and speed but still couldn't break through the force. His solar energy covered hands break the surrounding area but the force that protected Hades is still fine and the area below it is also fine.
"Damn, you use that much energy but your magic power is still as strong as before." Ben said with a grin.
"You talk as if your magic power is being depleted." A pissed off Hades said.
"It is being depleted, but not that fast." Ben said, still grinning.
He finally decided to stop using close-range attacks and fight a lot more seriously. So he moved back and relaxed a little while cracking his neck. His sudden change in emotion surprised Hades who was wary of it.
"Don't be that wary. I'm not the bad person here, you are." Ben said as he continued grinning.
"What are you up to?" Hades asked while moving his chains to attack Ben who pointed his index finger at Hades.
Ben's right hand was suddenly covered in a dark purple aura and then he raised his index finger towards the sky.
"Reduce Gravity: Demonic Flight!" He shouted.
Hades' chains almost reached Ben, but then they stopped because Hades suddenly flew up into the sky at high speed. Hades was surprised because he knew a lot about Gravity Magic as one of his mages used it.
"No way! I've studied everything about Gravity Magic. Even Bluenote wouldn't be able to send me flying like this." A shocked Hades said as he flew up.
"Bluenote? Ah, the guy that stayed on the ship?" Ben asked as he suddenly teleported above Hades.
Hades was surprised again but Ben continued speaking. "That might be a Lost Magic, but it's grade must be lower than my Devil Slayer Magic. Furthermore, there's a special trait with my Sun Devil Slayer Magic. But you don't need to know that."
Ben took a deep breath and accumulated a lot of magic power in his mouth. It alerted Hades so he used his chains and tentacles to attack Ben again. But then again, before they reached Ben, he made his move first.
"Sun Devil Solar Scream!" Ben fired a large and strong red solar energy attack from his mouth. It hit the chains and tentacles destroying them without much difficulty. Hades made layers of defense using magic but he is midair currently, so the impact from above will still push him down.
The red solar beam hit Hades and sent him down to the ground at extremely high speed. It hit the ground below and destroyed a large part of it. A big and deep hole appeared in the forest after Ben stopped his spell.
Ben flew down slowly as he reduced the gravity on himself. That attack used up a lot of energy, so he consumed sunlight as he descended to the ground. He finally landed after replenishing half of the magic power that he used.
Then he looked down at the hole and his mouth twitched in disbelief. Hades is still very much alive and didn't appear to have a lot of injuries. Furthermore, he still had a lot of magic power even when he was in a state like this.
"What a tenacious old man." Ben said.
Suddenly, a tentacle attacked Ben from below and he narrowly evaded it. His chest is grazed and received a small scratch. Hades can still attack Ben even when he is deep underground.
Then Hades emerged from the hole with the aid of his tentacles. Some of his minor injuries were healed almost immediately and he looked very healthy now. His durability and regeneration were unbelievable regarding his age.
"It will take a lot more than that to kill me, kid." Hades told Ben.
"Ha ha, I guess you're right." Ben let out a stiff laugh.
But then his eyes widened when he was contacted telepathically by the clone that infiltrated the airship. His stiff laugh turned into a smirk and then into a hearty laugh. Hades was confused, but was then shocked after hearing what Ben said next.
"Devil Heart, huh? No wonder you have that much magic power when you already smell like a graveyard." He smirked.