Amidst the whirlwind of destruction, a figure appeared, standing tall amidst the ruins. Surrounding the man was a mysterious energy sphere, impervious to any damage.

Emilia saw the silhouette through the thick smoke from afar, her eyes widening in disbelief. "No way... It's him?"

The sphere not only blocked the explosive force but seemed to absorb it, making each shockwave only increase its intensity. When the energy was compressed to its limit, the sphere began to glow intensely. And then, it exploded.

"Watch out! That thing... it's about to blow!" Rias shouted, her voice breaking through the chaotic sounds of the deathly sea.

BOOM!

The explosion from the energy sphere was like a furious inferno, blowing away everything left behind. Shockwaves swept across the bay, submerging the remaining battleships into the icy ocean. Waves of fire surged, seemingly set to scorch the entire sky. Over twenty thousand soldiers and eighty battleships were now reduced to floating debris, scattered across the sea stained red with blood and fire.

An eerie silence settled. Only the crackling fire on the metal remnants, the water dripping from shattered warships, and the faint groans of the dying broke the silence. Burnt bodies floated on the water, creating a deathly seal on the sea.

Standing amidst this desolation, the silhouette in the energy sphere became clearer. Dressed in human combat armor, he exuded a cold dominance. On his right arm, the emblem of an X, the symbol of Josep Nicaracua, commander of the X Legion, gleamed.

Josep laughed loudly, his laughter echoing across the deathly sea, piercing and mocking. The blue energy veins running across his body glowed, emitting an eerie light, like the living veins of a monster.

"Humans!" he shouted, his voice mixing with laughter, echoing like a curse from hell. "You think you can resist me? Resist annihilation?"

He raised his arm, the energy veins immediately glowing brightly.

"Run, if you want to survive. But even death won't save you from me!"

Once again, the energy in his body flared. Emilia and Rias could do nothing but dive deep, pulling themselves out of the range of the second shockwave, which swept away everything the first explosion had missed. The remaining battleships turned to ash, and the sea became a massive grave for everything that once existed.

Amidst the sea filled with warship debris and burnt bodies, Josep stood firm like an angry god. "Pathetic humans!" he roared, his voice echoing across the deathly sea. "They're too foolish to realize death is near! Look!" He pointed to the scattered wreckage, his voice full of disdain. "Is this what they pride themselves on? Their warships? Those weak humans? Ridiculous! This is the end of humanity!"

His right hand glowed, cold blue energy rays shooting out, piercing through the floating bodies. The energy wave tore apart the remnants, leaving no trace of life. He laughed loudly, his laughter tearing through the space. In Josep's eyes, even destroying corpses was a form of entertainment, a peak expression of disdain and hatred.

"Hahaha, pathetic humans..." His mocking laughter dragged on, drowning out the sound of the waves.

But before his laughter faded, another sound echoed. It was also laughter, but not his. The sound resonated through the empty, cold space, shattering the eerie silence of the deathly bay.

Josep whipped around, his eyes flashing with surprise and anger. Before him, another figure slowly emerged from the fog. His eyes widened as he recognized the figure—a perfect copy of himself.

"What are you?" his voice demanded an answer. "Why do you take my form?"

The duplicate didn't respond. It stood silently, but its cold eyes were filled with mockery. The energy veins running down the duplicate's body glowed, but they emitted a bright golden light, starkly different from the blue on Josep's body.

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A sneer appeared on the duplicate's lips, each gesture exuding provocation. Josep narrowed his eyes, trying to anticipate the next move, but the duplicate suddenly broke all rules.

It spread its arms wide, its laughter growing louder, blending into the space like a maddening melody. Golden energy rays burst around the duplicate, forming a blinding halo. The space between the two became oppressive, as if the deathly bay was holding its breath, awaiting the impending horror.

Josep stepped back, for the first time a hint of fear flickered in his eyes. Before him wasn't just a figure—it was a distorted version of himself, twisted by a mysterious power he couldn't fathom.

"From Atheria's Valori to the Thunder Energy Dimension Nexus: Thunder Cannon Destruction" - The duplicate of Josep stopped mid-air, its golden eyes flashing with mockery. It clasped its hands together before its chest, like an ancient deity. Without a word, without a signal, it suddenly unleashed a massive energy beam. The green and gold beam tore through reality, slicing the ocean in half, drawing a line between life and death.

"Argh! Damn it! That duplicate! Argh! This body... it hurts!" Josep screamed, the pain spreading through his body, his eyes glowing red with pain and rage, staring at the duplicate, which stood still after the attack.

Contrasting Josep's agony, the duplicate remained eerily calm. It stood there with arms crossed, smiling slyly.

"From Atheria's Valori to the Thunder Energy Dimension Nexus: Thunder Break Fist" - As Josep writhed in pain, distracted by the duplicate's mocking smile, it vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Josep, unleashing a storm of punches.

Each punch echoed like thunder, carrying unimaginable power. The energy shield around Josep shattered like glass, exposing his trembling body. Thousands of punches rained down on him, each stronger than the last, crushing his armor and tearing his flesh to pieces. Blood sprayed, merging with the dark ocean below.

"Bastard! You're... you're not me!" Josep screamed, but his voice grew weaker, like a desperate whisper in the deadly space.

Finishing the thunderous assault, the duplicate gave no room for the opponent to react. "From Atheria's Valori to the Thunder Energy Dimension Nexus: Celestial Thunder Palm" - It channeled all its strength into the final blow, launching a massive strike, sending a beam of energy shooting skyward.

The sky darkened, the energy beam powerful enough to tear through space, blowing Josep's form into dust. When the light faded, Josep's figure vanished into nothingness. The duplicate stood silently in mid-air, looking at the empty space before it, once again smiling mockingly, as if Josep's death was nothing more than a cheap joke.

"Alsmaniac Unified Energy: Black Destruction Thunder Universe" - The sky darkened, thunder echoing across the land, converging at a point in space, forming a bright sphere. From the water below, the flesh of the dead, metal fragments of sunken warships were torn apart at the cellular level, gathering around the sphere.

"From Atheria's Valori to the Thunder Energy Dimension Nexus: Tenfold Celestial Thunder Palm" - Sensing the danger from the forming energy sphere, Josep's duplicate immediately deployed its most powerful skill.

He fired an energy beam ten times more powerful than before, aimed straight at the sphere. The attack's force split the ocean, causing massive icebergs to collapse and triggering earthquakes beneath the sea. However, the tremendous energy beam had no effect on the sphere. Instead, it seemed to accelerate its energy accumulation.

Within seconds, a man with jet-black skin and blue energy veins running across his body appeared in mid-air, at the sphere's center. He looked at Josep's duplicate, his voice dripping with disdain:

"Pathetic imitation, all you did was replicate Josep's skills with more power. I've endured too much humiliation because of that weak body. Now, witness my true strength, the strength of the Third Commander of Alsma - Ios."

"Alsmaniac Unified Energy: Soul-Thundering Strike" - With that, Ios charged at Josep's duplicate, clasping his hands together and firing a blue energy beam at the target. Despite the duplicate's superior strength over the original Josep, it stood no chance against Ios. The energy beam pierced through, nullifying all the duplicate's skills.

Settling his debts with his enemy, Ios teleported behind the duplicate, gathering a massive amount of energy in his right hand and blasting it at the target, weakening Josep's duplicate with each relentless attack.

Sensing imminent defeat, Josep's duplicate decided to use all its remaining strength. It teleported to Ios's position, trying to bind the opponent with its body, enveloping them both in a deadly energy sphere set to explode after draining the activator's energy. Ios struggled, but his strength was immense. He tore off the duplicate's limbs, breaking free in moments.

As soon as the duplicate's limbs were torn away, it detonated its body and the sphere, creating a massive explosion with destructive power over a fifteen-kilometer radius. The shockwaves spread across the Antarctic Continent, shaking the ground as if enduring a great cataclysm. Yet, Ios stood tall amidst the ashes, unscathed. He had absorbed all the energy from the explosion. He was like a cosmic black hole, drawing in all sources of energy and converting them into infinite power.