"Lady Riveria, please go all out."
Everyone: ???
"Go... go all out? Do you even know what you're saying, you little brat?!"
Loki's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, hands wildly rubbing her temples as she muttered to herself,
"Not only is he challenging Mama, an LV.6... he's asking her to go all out? Are we about to lose a precious kid from our Familia?!"
Beside her, Finn bit down on his thumb, frowning so hard it hurt, shooting Riveria repeated glances full of desperate "please don't listen to him" signals.
Even Ais, standing in the back, couldn't help stepping forward to try to dissuade Riveria from taking Ryota's words seriously.
As the person closest to Riveria in the Familia, Ais knew exactly how powerful the Nine Hells truly was.
It wasn't just a question of overwhelming spellpower or physical skill, but the way she combined complex "spell structures" with chained chants — a true work of art.
Attack, defense, healing.
Three categories of magic, each of which Riveria could weave through three separate phases of casting!
That was exactly why she had earned the name "Nine Hells."
Mama Riveria was the magic pillar that had always stood at the vanguard during expeditions!
If she got serious, even Ais herself might not withstand the onslaught of her magical torrent.
Loki stepped forward, already halfway pushing Ryota toward the exit,
"No way, no way, Ryota, you're coming with me to the infirmary right now — you've obviously burned out your brain with a fever!"
But just then, Riveria suddenly spoke up:
"Loki, let him try."
She looked into Ryota's clear, unwavering eyes, a barely visible ripple stirring deep within her gaze.
That wasn't the recklessness of a fool, nor the arrogance of someone blinded by pride.
It was something else — a confidence that only someone who truly possessed power could show.
It was exactly the same expression Ais had worn the first time she faced a monster.
Riveria recalled that calm, blazing light in Ais's eyes back then, and now... she saw it again in Ryota.
So she decided: he needed to try.
At the very least, it might shatter these unrealistic ideas in his mind.
"This isn't a joke, Ryota!"
"We've only just raised this genius up with so much care — what if you get hurt?"
...
On the way down from the second floor to the backyard, Loki had no idea how many times she'd repeated herself, but the meaning was always the same:
Forget fighting Riveria or Ottar, just go explore the Dungeon properly, that's plenty.
Even Finn had joined in, trying to talk him out of it.
But surrounded on all sides by their worried voices, Ryota only smiled and calmly replied,
"Don't worry, it's just a spar, not a real fight. I know my limits."
Loki was so furious at his calm-maniac attitude she nearly exploded,
"Limits? If you knew your limits, you wouldn't say crap like that!"
Seeing Ryota still smiling like nothing could shake him, Loki crossed her arms, absolutely fuming,
"Fine, fine, go ahead — after Riveria knocks you out, I'll save the trouble of dragging you to bed!"
Though she said that, Loki kept winking frantically at Riveria, practically begging her to take it easy.
Unfortunately, that kind of secret eye talk was completely useless.
Soon, the group arrived at the backyard practice grounds of Twilight Manor, where quite a few Familia members had already gathered.
Lefiya, the Hiryute Sisterss, Bete, and Raul all showed up, clearly having heard about this ridiculous "Ryota challenges Riveria" news.
"Lady Ais, um, is Ryota actually serious about this?"
Lefiya had already lost count of how many times she'd stood in this backyard, bearing witness to Ryota's string of outrageous stunts.
Ais let out a quiet mm, then replied,
"He doesn't look like he's joking."
Riveria stepped to the center of the field, fixing her gaze on Ryota opposite her.
"Magic is forbidden inside Orario's city walls, so I will only use defensive magic."
"You attack. If you can break through my defenses, you win."
Vas Windheim — that was Riveria's offensive magic.
Each stage of it could cover a vast area, completely unsuited for use inside Orario.
Even a simple test cast could flatten Twilight Manor's entire backyard.
So, she had chosen defense.
Back when Ryota had sparred with Ais, Riveria had watched the whole thing.
Ryota's speed, reflexes, technique — all of it was beyond what any normal LV.1 or LV.2 could manage.
That match had planted the seeds of curiosity in her heart.
So now, she was giving Ryota this chance — and perhaps giving herself an answer too.
Ryota nodded lightly.
"Understood, Lady Riveria."
Riveria wasted no time, raising her staff, and beginning her chant.
At the same moment, her magic began to weave:
As the final syllable left her lips, a visible cloak of light swiftly wrapped around her body.
This was Riveria's defensive spell, capable of healing her body while also strengthening both her physical and magical resistances.
A thin layer of radiant light clung to her like rippling water, as if blessed by holy spirits, and even the mere trace of mana it released filled everyone present with an oppressive awe.
This — this was the power of level 6.
"Tch, looks like that last expedition made Mama even stronger."
Hearing Riveria declare she wouldn't attack, Loki finally let out a sigh of relief, slipping into spectator mode,
"If he can break that... hell, I'd gladly tear down this backyard myself!"
"He can't break it."
Finn watched ahead,
"Riveria's defensive magic isn't something you can compare to ordinary barriers."
Bete and the others shared the same sentiment.
In the center of the practice grounds, Ryota stared at that shimmering light cloak, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
And in the very next instant—
his eyes narrowed sharply, his pupils twisting into a strange, complex pattern.
Dual Mangekyō Sharingan — fully unleashed!
Vmmm—
It felt like a monstrous power was slowly waking inside him, the ground quivering, and the air around him itself seemed to tear apart.
"What... what is going on?!"
Finn gripped the railing in front of him, brow tightly furrowed.
Lefiya behind him had gone completely pale, stammering,
"M-magic? Is that Ryota's magic?!"
Riveria in the center of the field immediately sensed something was wrong. Her eyes hardened as she started a new chant on the spot:
Assemble, breath of the land - my name is Alf
The syllables poured out at incredible speed, and the gathered magic wove itself into a second, veil-like protective barrier slowly blooming around her.
This was the second-tier of Riveria's defensive spells, known for being able to repel virtually all enemy attacks.
At the same time, Ryota murmured softly,
"Susanoo — initial form."
In the next moment—
BOOM!!!
A massive arm and ribcage of blue-violet chakra burst forth, wrapping around Ryota with terrifying speed.
Crack-crack-crack-crack—!!
As the skeletal structure finished forming, the flagstones beneath Ryota's feet began to splinter, spiderweb cracks spreading across the entire backyard.
Then he lunged, wielding that enormous chakra arm toward Riveria.
"—Danger!"
Riveria's pupils contracted, mana surging like a tide!
An intricate, ancient magic circle bloomed at her feet, its power gathering from every direction,
—Dance around spirit of the atmosphere, lord of light
Contract with the guardian of the forest, and envelop us with the song of the land—
Surround us become a great barrier of forest light and protect us—my name is Alf!
As she completed the chant, a massive hemispherical barrier sprang up, a crystal-clear magical dome that enveloped her completely!
Riveria's strongest, third-tier defensive magic!
BANG!!
The colossal chakra hand slammed down on the dome!
Crack—!!
A fracture appeared on the barrier's surface, but barely half a second later, Riveria's formidable mana control smoothed it out like rippling water.
Still, in the middle of the barrier, Riveria frowned deeply,
That destructive force...
Just a single impact had been enough to break through its integrity.
Meanwhile, Ryota raised an eyebrow slightly and murmured,
"I underestimated you... Lady Riveria."
Then he whispered again,
"Susanoo — first form."
Grrrr, grrrr—
With a skin-crawling sound of twisting bone, the chakra construct around Ryota began to rapidly transform!
The blue-violet ribcage squirmed like something alive, rising behind him into the shape of a gigantic half-torso skeleton!
Where there had been one giant chakra hand before, a second one appeared in the blink of an eye!
"Go!"
With Ryota's command, the two massive hands swung forward simultaneously, striking at the barrier from both sides.
BAM!!!
A thunderous impact rattled the entire courtyard, fences around them collapsing, broken stones and dust flying.
And then—
CRACK!
Riveria's third-tier barrier, unable to withstand such terrifying force from both directions, shattered like glass!
BOOM—!!
Mana exploded outward in a shockwave, forcing Riveria to stagger back several steps!
Her feet sank into the ground, her robes whipped around her wildly, her chest heaving, her face filled with pure shock and disbelief.
Riveria's eyes were locked on the enormous skeletal phantom, and on the boy below, whose gaze was still so calm — even with a faint smile on his lips.
Far off, Finn almost bit his own thumb clean through, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
Bete, Gareth, the Hiryute Sisterss — they were all frozen on the spot like statues.
Even Ais, who rarely made any expression at all, had her mouth hanging open in a huge O.
As for Loki, she stood there in a daze for several seconds before finally croaking out from her throat,
"O-our Ryota... is he really Level 2?!?!"
----
Join my Patreon for early access to chapters: Patreon.com/rivyura :)