A strong shock wave was produced by Ben's battle with God Serena and it spread around them. The clash from their punches shook the battlefield. Even the ground beneath them cracked from the impact.
God Serena was surprised Ben took his punch head-on without being pushed back. Ben was also a little surprised by how hard God Serena's scales are. Well, they were made of diamond, so naturally they would be very tough.
Ben even needed to pull his right hand back and rubbed it because it hurt. "Damn dude, just how hard are those scales? You made my hand bleed."
August and the Alvarez soldiers can't believe what they've just heard and seen. Ben is complaining about something that will make them glad if they just received that kind of injury from a punch. But here he is, someone complaining about a little blood on his hand.
Aside from that, they are shocked that Ben could match that punch with his punch. God Serena assumed Dragon Force made from the combination of his eight Dragon Slayer Magics. Ben managed to match it in his base form without any power boost.
He didn't even coat his hand in his Sun Magic, yet he managed to match God Serena's punch which was something that would leave a hole in almost all mages. August was once again reminded why Zeref was so worried about Ben. Now he can see for himself that Zeref's concern wasn't exaggerated.
"What a fearsome man. It would seem we will need to revise our whole plan if God Serena can't take him down here and now. Maybe I should fight him as well." August said before he suddenly received telepathic communication from Zeref.
'August, don't interfere. Just watch. I don't want to lose you right now. You just need to observe his power so we can come up with strategies to face him.' Zeref spoke telepathically.
August was surprised after hearing that because it meant that Zeref was certain Ben could kill both him and God Serena even if they fought him together. He had never seen Ben use his full power, so August doesn't know strong Ben really is.
"His Majesty's reaction. There was only one individual who would cause him to be this worried, Acnologia." August said with a shaking voice.
Now August understood why Zeref considered Ben to be as big a threat as Acnologia. He isn't sure if Ben is as strong as Acnologia and he doesn't think that's the case. But he definitely thinks Ben has that potential consider his age and power level.
August decided to follow Zeref's order as he is very loyal to Zeref. So he just observed and even recorded the battle stealthily. His comrades need to know about Ben's power if they would face him in the future.
He watched as God Serena and Ben fight again. They are fighting a real man's battle with their punches and kicks. Both of them also used their magic, but only to coat their legs. They are fighting with unbelievable power which caused the soldiers to be overwhelmed by fear after simply watching this.
Ben had a wide grin on his face as he fought. It's been a really long time since he faced a opponent of this caliber in close combat. Even Gildarts couldn't put up much of a fight with his Crush Magic and years of experience.
Although the most deciding factor that made God Serena a tougher opponent is obviously his tough, diamond scales. The problem with Gildarts is his magic that destroys other's magic. Ben had a way to counter that and nullify the effect.
It's a different case with God Serena's diamond scales though. Ben had a way to pass through those scales to defeat God Serena, but that's just not fun. He wants to find a way to break through the scales, not pass through them just to win.
For Ben, God Serena's hard diamond scales are perfect to be used as training tools. If he can break those scales, then he will have a easier time breaking Acnologia's scales. Although he isn't sure if Acnologia's scales are as tough as a diamond, they are obviously harder than most dragon's scales.
So Ben kept countering God Serena's attacks with the same attacks. He faced punches with punches and kicks with kicks. With his speed, Ben can see God Serena's moves easily and make the same ones like reflections.
The spectators were speechless watching the fight because it's as if God Serena is fighting his reflection in a mirror. Even August was impressed with Ben because his reaction speed must be very high to be able to copy each of God Serena's movements precisely.
But God Serena wasn't happy at all because it felt like Ben was just playing around with him. He can see Ben's fists and feet bleeding after countering his attacks numerous times. Yet, Ben can still deliver powerful blows despite all those injuries.
What God Serena doesn't know is that Ben's super high vitality and the solar energy he receives during the day have healed all those minor injuries quickly. The blood on his skin is just the leftover blood that came out of his wounds. So God Serena basically kept fighting the healthy Ben the whole time.
After a few minutes without a result in close combat, God Serena decided to swallow his pride and back off. He planned to use long-range spells against Ben. The most important thing is for him to win this battle, so he will use anything necessary to do so.
He backed off, but Ben is chasing him and didn't let him escape. God Serena can't get away because Ben is very fast and can chase him easily. He sent a flurry of attacks at Ben but they were all countered with the exact same attacks.
Every time God Serena tried to use magic, Ben will attack him lightly to destroy the unfinished spells. Even small disturbances can stop spells from being activated if mages perform them correctly. With Ben's knowledge and observation skills, doing that kind of thing is easy.
God Serena became madder and madder as Ben kept destroying his spells. Ben didn't even use real attacks other than when Ben countered his attacks. Now God Serena was sure that Ben is looking down on and playing around with him.
But despite knowing that and being angry about it, God Serena can't do anything. He can't escape from Ben's grasp and get out of this hopeless situation. Ben can counter each attack he sent using all eight of his Dragon Slayer Magics. His arrogance is being crushed slowly and surely by Ben who treated this fight like it was nothing.
"DAMN YOU, BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU. KNOW YOUR PLACE, WEAKLING!" God Serena shouted, defending the last of his pride.
God Serena then opened his mouth and Ben can see light with a rainbow color forming inside God Serena's mouth. Ben grinned and also prepared his own attack in his mouth. He can interrupt it, but Ben decided to face it.
"EIGHT DRAGON GOD ROAR!" God Serena shouted before firing a massive beam made from the combination of his eight Dragon Slayer Magics.
Ben grinned and chanted too. "Sun Devil Rage!"
A massive dark red beam came out of Ben's mouth and clashed with God Serena's rainbow beam. They hit each other creating a massive impact upon contact. The surviving Alvarez soldiers were having a hard time standing now because of the impact's pushing force.
The two beams are clashing for a moment before they destroy each other. Ben and God Serena were pushed back evenly, but their reactions are different. Ben is smirking because his Sun Devil Slayer Magic is really strong enough to go up against eight Dragon Slayer Magics, but the same thing didn't happen to God Serena.
God Serena is in disbelief because even after everything he did, his eight Dragon Slayer Magics still couldn't break Ben's magic. He hasn't felt this for a very long time, the feeling of helplessness. For the first time in years since he became the strongest wizard on the continent, God Serena finally felt fear again.
But his leftover pride still can't accept this and he said. "Don't be too full of yourself, kid! This isn't over yet." God Serena got ready to continue the battle and squeeze every bit of power he still has out of his body.
"Well, I never said this was over. Although I wanna say this is getting boring. So let's make this interesting." Ben said as dark red fire started covering his body.
Ben then entered Devil Force. Big, black claws appear on his hands and feet, black armor-like scales appear on his body, his eyes turn black with red irises, black horns also appear on his head and a small yet long tail appeared behind him.
God Serena and August were surprised by this transformation. They can feel the incredible power emanating from Ben now. Even God Serena's Dragon Force doesn't feel as strong as the form Ben is in.
"Come on, I'll finish this in one move." Ben taunted God Serena.
Obviously, this angered God Serena and he squeezed out all of his power. He covered his body with all eight of his Dragon Slayer Magics that shake the world. Ben remained calm and just looked as God Serena rushed at him.
August looks at it intensely because this battle will come to a end soon. But even though he watched intensely, he still can't catch what happened next. Ben suddenly appeared behind God Serena and they remain in their position for a moment before God Serena fell to the ground with a lot of blood coming out of his body.