Like the other three, Helmwige also panicked when she saw Ex's strange transformation but was able to immediately guess that it had something to do with the now-obsolete 'Juggernaut Drive' that the past Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing hosts had.
Unlike the normal Juggernaut Drive that she studied for a bit as inspiration, however, the current Ex isn't draining his lifeforce, just his massive reserve of energy that's quickly depleting, 'Even the last time he fought seriously, he couldn't use that much.'
Still, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Any of the attacks that Ex dished out, even simple swipes, were enough to completely annihilate a group of High-Class Devils, yet Kisuke was keeping up with him. That, however, was not the unbelievable part because the aura that Kisuke was using right now was only comparable to that of a Mid-Class Devil.
As he doesn't even have any meaningful defenses, even an indirect hit could fatally injure him, and a direct hit would turn him into a mist of blood and flesh.
Yet, he was serenely dancing with a wild animal that could instantly reduce him to nothing, 'Ex's movement has been simplified because of his current state, but the speed and strength he has are still at the Ultimate-Class level and probably even beyond that.'
She watched Kisuke use the most minimal movement to get out of Ex's hand, which had now turned into blades. Aside from the pebbles that nicked Kisuke, drawing slight blood from him from time to time, he was still relatively unharmed, 'He has that advanced movement technique, but how is he telegraphing Ex's movements in the first place? I could hardly predict half of his attacks even with my Magic Analysis, and I doubt Airi-nee-san could do it as easily as him?'
Helmwige hadn't realized it yet, but the back of her clothes was already drenched with cold sweat.
So when Kisuke requested something, she already had some idea of what was happening compared to the other three.
Shirayuki and Kurobara still had some doubts but did as Kisuke asked, urged on by Helmwige.
Ex roared loudly, gathering his strength to go back on the offensive. It was then that the Nekoshou sisters managed to trap him in an illusion. He noticed that something was amiss and turned his head toward his siblings, only to see Shirayuki and Kurobara each taking an arrow through their skulls, with a line of blood dripping from their entry points.
No one knows what was going on in his head, but the moment the sisters dropped to the ground, unmoving and with blood pooling from their heads, he completely lost it and turned toward the source of the familiar arrows.
. . .
Kisuke instantly saw a change in Ex's aura, which had now taken on a more vicious feel.
Ex stared at Kisuke first, as if in shock, before roaring and undergoing a second transformation.
The lanky form he had immediately changed into that of a bulkier type. But instead of a humanoid form, he was now closer to a quadruped, somewhat resembling a Western Dragon, 'Wow... That's way more effective than I thought.'
Contrary to his now heavier appearance, after Ex kicked the ground, he momentarily disappeared from Kisuke's sight, "Shi-"
Kisuke couldn't finish his curse as Ex descended on his position like a crashing meteor. Despite the working dampening features of the underground space, it still rocked the surroundings, creating an explosion akin to a volcanic eruption.
The girls thought he was crushed, but faster than they could process it, Ex emerged from the smoke and debris to resume his assault on Kisuke, who had become airborne.
Ex angrily swung his arm again, and this time, Kisuke couldn't dodge, and Ex's claws pierced through him.
But before anyone could react, 'Kisuke' popped like a balloon, and the next thing they knew, they were already feeling his aura from the opposite direction, where he was pointing his bow at Ex.
Kisuke saw Ex turn to him, and the large green gem in the middle of his chest started shining as the surrounding scales protruded a little, 'Gotcha...' Kisuke grinned.
With red light gathering around Ex's chest, Helmwige and the others panicked, "Longinus Smasher!? Yuki, Kuro, Tina, take distance and set up a defensive perimeter!"
Kisuke ignored them, waited for the right moment, and also started strengthening his arrows.
Before Ex could release the beam of death, Kisuke let go of his arrow first.
In his current state, Ex couldn't care less about the small arrow and ignored it. Kisuke knew that Ex's instincts wouldn't pick up any defensive reaction to his arrow, as the most it could do was chip a bit of his armor, which could be easily regenerated.
His goal, however, was not to hurt Ex.
The arrow reached Ex the moment he finished charging his Longinus Smasher. Ex roared and released a bright red beam that could instantly vaporize anything in front of it. But at the same time, Kisuke's arrow shifted Ex's body a few millimeters, causing him to miss Kisuke by a few meters to his right.
Kisuke was unbothered by the liquified ground flowing like a river beside him and, with singed clothes, drew his bow once more.
Ex became angrier and charged another instance of Longinus Smasher, and as before, Kisuke's arrow hit him again, making him miss a second time.
This repeated three more times until Ex, despite his frustrated roar, ran out of fuel, and Kisuke's safety net kicked in, pulling him out from the artificially induced Juggernaut Drive.
Ex's armor disintegrated, and his siblings hurriedly ran towards him and caught him.
Shirayuki and Kurobara hurriedly inspected his condition, and after a few seconds, they sighed in relief, "Aside from a higher internal temperature and depleted energy, he's alright."
Helmwige and Robertina also sighed in relief before the former stood up and turned toward Kisuke, who was casually dusting his already damaged attire while standing on the tiny island surrounded by a sea of lava. A few seconds later, she asked, "Yuki, Kuro, Tina... Even if you are absolutely sure Ex's Longinus Smasher wouldn't hit you, would you still be able to confidently stand your ground in front of it if you saw him as an enemy?"
The three looked at each other before shaking their heads furiously, "Only insane people would do that, nya! Longinus Smashers from both Heavenly Dragons don't just contain destructive power but also have a debilitating fear effect causing those who can't stand it to freeze on the spot, nya!"
That's what Helmwige thought too, so she asked again, "Then between being able to stand it or being insane, which one is more accurate to describe him?"
The answer was obvious, but nobody could say it. They were certain that Kisuke was insane, but the way he carried himself was giving them goosebumps they couldn't explain, and there was more to him than what he showed them now, '...This is bad. The contract is now enforced, and only we siblings would be able to handle him... Worst is that I have a feeling that he's someone we should never make an enemy out of.'