An hour later, the battle still had no winner.
The spectators had become completely numb to it. A Level 5 matching a Level 7 was practically a miracle in their eyes.
"No wonder everyone outside talks about him like he's some kind of legend…" the white Elf murmured softly.
For an entire hour, both Ryoji and Ottar had fought with everything they had, pushing their bodies to the limit in an attempt to defeat each other. The wounds and blood covering their bodies were proof enough.
Even though Ryoji repeatedly used the techniques of 'Harmonizing Light with Dust', Ottar had broken through his stance several times by deliberately exchanging injuries for openings.
Ryoji had no intention of using his Blazer ability, so he continued to take hits.
Ottar's strength and speed were simply too far beyond his own. Even with swordsmanship far superior to his opponent's, Ryoji couldn't completely protect himself.
"Gentlemen, please take a short break."
A female servant pushed a cart onto the field and dumped everything on it onto the ground.
Crystal bottles clattered against the earth, their multicolored light dazzling Ryoji's eyes.
Ottar silently walked over, picked up a potion, and drank it. His body quickly recovered completely.
"That's insanely extravagant!" Ryoji was consumed by envy.
The mountain of potions piled up before him was made entirely of 'Elixirs'!
Each bottle contained enough medicine to save a life, yet Ottar was casually using them to heal ordinary cuts, bruises, and broken skin.
That was just ridiculously rich!
"Does Freya Familia have a really talented Alchemist?" Ryoji walked over and picked up a bottle himself.
It wasn't his, so using it meant getting something for free!
"I'm afraid I can't disclose that information," the female servant said, looking embarrassed.
"Then you could've just said nothing." Ryoji helplessly spread his hands.
The two Elves nearby also gave the servant a look that practically screamed, 'Are you stupid?'
By saying that, hadn't she basically confirmed everything?
Elixirs were practically impossible to buy, and even Loki Familia couldn't produce this many at once. Judging by how casually Freya Familia was using them, this entire cart was probably only part of their stock.
The difference between the two Familias was obvious: Freya Familia definitely had an Alchemist capable of producing Elixirs.
Freya really did have an impressive collection of talented people under her.
"Were the enemies you encountered in the artificial labyrinth very strong?" Ottar picked up several Stamina Potions and drank them as he asked.
The black and white Elves and the Pallums also perked up their ears. They were all quite curious about how Loki Familia, despite having so many experts, had been defeated inside the artificial labyrinth.
"Enemies?" Ryoji thought for a moment. "The strongest enemy was probably the labyrinth itself. Without that labyrinth, Loki Familia wouldn't have lost."
He paused before continuing. "But the enemy also had some terrifying experts. The strongest one had physical abilities that surpassed even yours."
He thought of the red-haired woman, Revis.
That woman could grow stronger by devouring Magic Stones. The last time they met, she had already possessed Level 7 strength. She had defeated Finn and Ais in a single encounter, and her strength and speed were absolutely superior to Ottar's current level.
"How did you defeat her?"
"I used Magic."
Ryoji had used his special ability to force her back at the time. If he hadn't used it, who knew how long they would have had to fight?
And someone as monstrous as Revis also possessed an extremely powerful regeneration ability, giving her incredible endurance. The longer the fight continued, the greater Ryoji's disadvantage would become.
Ottar said nothing.
Even an enemy whose physical abilities surpassed his own had still been driven back by Ryoji.
Perhaps unwilling to accept that, he raised his massive two-handed greatsword again, pointing its tip directly at Ryoji.
"Your stamina has recovered. Let's continue."
"Sure!"
A warrior's spark lit up in Ryoji's eyes. Having Ottar as an opponent allowed his Ability values to rise rapidly.
If this continued, perhaps he could reach the limits of Level 5 before their second assault on the artificial labyrinth!
The clash of steel and thunderous impacts once again rang across the field as the two warriors resumed their battle.
Whenever their stamina ran out, they drank high-grade Stamina Potions. Whenever their bodies were injured, they used Elixirs.
The cycle continued endlessly.
Ryoji maintained the highest possible fighting frequency. Over the course of the entire day, he probably spent less than an hour resting. That was the level of ruthlessness required to break through his limits as quickly as possible.
Kali Familia had taken things too far, but they had also proved this principle beyond doubt.
'Knock knock… BOOM!'
Suddenly, a heavy knocking sound came from the entrance of the mansion.
"I challenge you!" A cold, dignified voice followed.
"Is someone here to challenge Freya Familia?" The battle stopped, and Ryoji was left completely confused.
'Seriously? Someone actually came to Freya Familia to challenge them? Were they completely insane, or was this some clueless newbie dreaming of becoming famous?'
But that voice sounded vaguely familiar. Perhaps because of the unusually loud tone, he couldn't quite place it.
Before he could think about it any further, the Elves and Pallums beside him were already furious. In their minds, this was Freya-sama's sacred ground; absolutely no idiot was allowed to set foot here.
Ryoji was a special exception they couldn't do anything about, but some nobody? They would never allow such a person to leave alive!
The group immediately formed up and rushed toward the entrance.
Soon, the gates of Folkvangr opened, and the challenger appeared before them.
The moment the Elves and Pallums saw her, their expressions changed in surprise.
"You?"
"Who?"
Ryoji tilted his head and looked over.
The instant he saw her, an overwhelming urge to run away surged through him. The ground beneath his feet suddenly felt scorching hot, and he wanted to disappear immediately.
Unfortunately, the field in the center of the mansion was enormous, leaving nowhere to hide.
"Eh… what a coincidence!" He could only put on an awkward but polite smile and greet the newcomer.
She froze as well, clearly not having expected Ryoji to be here.
It took her a moment to recover, her pure golden eyes gradually filling with something strange while her long golden hair fluttered in the wind.
She normally never spoke that loudly, which was why Ryoji hadn't recognized her voice immediately. But now that they were face-to-face, he realized it was already too late.
The girl was none other than 'Ais'.
Fully armed, she stood at the entrance to Freya Familia's headquarters.
The Executives of Freya Familia watched her warily, ready to draw their weapons at any moment.
"Oh? Isn't that Ais? What are you doing here?" Ryoji called out in surprise.
'He had to act first! If he seized the initiative, they couldn't catch him off guard!'
"…I want special training." As expected, Ais paused before sincerely stating her purpose.
Ottar's eyelid twitched.
The expressions of everyone else weren't much better.
'Seriously? One Ryoji was already enough, and now there was Ais too. Did you two really think Freya Familia, and the strongest experts in the city, were just experience points you could farm whenever you wanted?'
(End of Chapter)
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