Inside the secret chamber — no, more accurately — throughout all of Orario, it felt as though someone had hit the pause button.
Whether it was the gods in the stands, the elves, the pallums, the humans scattered through the streets, even those battered and bruised adventurer parties just returning from the Dungeon — everyone, without exception, froze in place, eyes locked on the projection screens.
Their mouths hung open, yet no words came out.
Fast. It was far too fast!
On the screens, no one could even see the figures clearly. All they could catch were occasional sparks bursting in random corners.
Clang—
Bang bang bang—
Those flashes and deafening crashes were the aftermath of their weapons clashing.
Two shadows wove around the arena, crossing in a blur of afterimages.
Debris on the ground ricocheted like it was caught in a downpour, sending shockwaves rippling visibly through the air.
Everyone held their breath, but more than that, confusion and disbelief filled their faces.
"Hey, hey, hey…"
Up in the viewing stands, Hermes' mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Are you screwing with me…?"
As Orario's unrivaled intelligence broker — a man who even kept secret ties with the banished Zeus — Hermes knew better than anyone just how terrifying Ottar truly was.
That overwhelming strength, that crushing pressure, he had seen it more than once, and every time left a mark.
But right now, in front of him, this youth named Ryota, this supposed Level 2 —
yes, the Guild documents spelled it out in black and white: Level 2 —
was trading blows with Ottar, sending sparks flying.
Speed, power, reflexes — not suppressed at all. In fact, in some brief exchanges, he was even pressing Ottar back!
"…Am I hallucinating?"
Hermes subconsciously muttered, eyes glued to the black-haired blur flickering across the screen at a speed beyond reason.
This wasn't just withstanding Ottar's blows.
It was an even match.
Other gods began to notice something was off too, their expressions shifting from casual to deeply unsettled.
"Damn it!"
Apollo slammed a fist on the stone bench and cursed.
"I put a fortune on Ottar! Would he hurry up and smash that brat already?!"
But he wasn't the only one. More and more gods were turning pale.
In the divine realm, money might be just a number.
But down here in the mortal world, money was the backbone of any Familia.
Sure, Freya Familia's odds were terrible, but even scraps were still meat on the bone — it was practically free money!
There were plenty of gods who'd bet big on Freya.
But now, what was supposed to be an easy, one-sided massacre…
had turned into a fifty-fifty fight?
Unlike the panicked or restless gods around her, Freya's expression never changed.
She rested her chin on one hand, eyes locked on the screen, that long, molten gaze coiling around Ryota's every movement.
Even if the youth's figure only flashed by for an instant, even if it was just a glimpse of his profile, a strand of hair — she watched, enraptured.
As for Ottar losing?
Freya didn't consider it. She never had.
At this moment, her eyes burned hotter than the projection screen itself.
Boom—
A dull impact rattled from the arena.
Two silhouettes collided at the center, then both skidded back, stopping at opposite ends of the coliseum floor.
Ottar stood on a pile of shattered stone, the Supreme Black Sword drooping at his side.
For the first time, the strongest of Orario showed a hint of raw confusion and wariness on his face.
This was wrong — so very wrong!
How could a Level 2 keep up with him?!
Every swing, Ottar thought Ryota would buckle.
But Ryota didn't just block him — he returned the force, again and again!
And worst of all…
each of Ryota's blows was getting heavier, stronger, sharper.
It was like fighting a monster that evolved with every clash.
"What a strange one…"
A memory flashed through Ottar's mind — the face of Zald, an opponent he had once defeated.
Zald's Skill, let him grow stronger by devouring his enemies.
The mightier the prey, the greater the boost.
But this boy in front of him —
he wasn't devouring anyone.
He was growing stronger through the fight itself.
Like a blade that only got sharper with every swing.
Ottar had never faced an enemy like this.
Suddenly, a jolt of electricity sparked through his mind.
"Could it be… he has a Skill like mine?"
Ryota raised an eyebrow at that, of course knowing what Ottar meant.
But Ryota didn't bother answering.
What was this, a shounen anime where people stand around explaining their powers mid-fight?
Even if he explained, would Ottar even get it?
Across from him, Ottar seemed to think he'd figured something out. His face tightened, his eyes gleaming with a savage light.
He understood that this boy — Ryota — couldn't be fought with normal means.
Ottar exhaled, then lowered his stance.
At that moment, the ground under his feet began to quake, as if it couldn't bear his presence.
In the blink of an eye, Ottar's entire body expanded, muscles swelling with impossible force.
At the same time—
his teeth lengthened into wicked fangs, and his eyes narrowed into glowing slits.
The aura rolling off him turned wild, feral, terrifying.
"Here it comes…"
Ryota's Mangekyō Sharingan spun like a vortex.
He'd seen this in the intel reports —
Ottar's second Skill: Vana Arganture!
By transforming into a beast, Ottar unleashed an ancient, primeval power from within, turning himself into a true war machine with unstoppable destructive might and insane regeneration.
Right now, Ottar was no longer a man.
He was a humanoid beast whose very instinct was war.
In the secret chamber, Lefiya's eyes went wide at that monstrous transformation. She turned to the wolf-boy beside her and asked in a hushed voice:
"Bete, is this like your??"
As a werewolf, Bete naturally had a beast transformation skill.
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and snorted.
"…No way."
"My skill only works under moonlight, with strict conditions."
"But that guy's? It lights up the beast inside him anytime, anywhere, no matter the environment."
Finn, chewing his thumb, jumped in.
"But Vana Arganture isn't without consequences."
"Every time he uses it, it puts an enormous burden on his body and mind."
Lefiya's eyes went even wider.
"Then why—"
"Because he has another Skill — Stortus Ottar."
"The burden of Vana Arganture gets canceled out by Stortus Ottar, creating a delicate equilibrium."
Finn paused, as if delivering an unshakable truth:
"That's Ottar. The only Level 7 in Orario, Freya Familia's ultimate trump card."
As the beast in human skin completed its transformation on the projection screen, the entire atmosphere seemed to ignite.
High above, the gods who'd been quietly gossiping suddenly sat bolt upright, their faces split by manic grins as they rooted for Freya Familia:
"Here it comes!"
"This is Ottar's true form!"
"That damn brat Ryota's finished!"
"Freya's victory is assured!"
…
All around Orario — in inns, on the streets, in taverns — the crowd watching the screens went wild as well.
"Beast mode? That's terrifying!"
"Man, Ryota's handsome and all, but he's about to get smashed."
"Genius is genius, but against a monster? No contest."
…
Some cheered, some worried.
Hestia was clinging to the railing, her beautiful eyes full of worry. She turned to Loki and whispered urgently:
"Hey!! does Ryota have anything else? Can he transform too?"
"How could our kid not have a trump card?"
Loki tried to stay confident, but seeing Ottar's aura, practically hitting Level 8 in that beast state, she felt a chill.
"B-but… I don't know if he can stand up to that…"
"Agh! You're the worst!"
Hestia stomped her foot in frustration.
"Get Hermes to send a message inside! Have Ryota surrender — at least keep him alive!"
"Uh…"
For the first time, this little goddess had scolded Loki so harshly that Loki actually forgot to sass back.
Hephaestus and Hermes exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same worry for Ryota.
Loki could sense it too.
Much as they didn't want to admit it…
Ryota's odds were now basically zero.
Inside the projection, Ottar moved.
BOOM!!
The instant he charged, the entire floor caved in.
His speed was several times — no, dozens of times — faster than before!
That massive Supreme Black Sword tore straight for Ryota's throat!
But just as the blade was about to connect—
Whumm—
The air twisted violently!
Ryota's right eye spun like a whirlpool, and in an instant, his entire body seemed to vanish into another dimension!
Crash—
The giant sword smashed down, carving a trench so deep it vanished into the earth.
Ottar froze, his slit pupils shrinking.
"Magic without a chant?!"
Zzzzz—
The air warped again with a buzzing sound, and Ryota reappeared atop a stone pillar dozens of meters away, steady as could be.
He looked down on Ottar and grinned.
"Kamui sure is handy."
"But transformations? Yeah, I've got those too."
The next second!
An overwhelming surge of chakra burst from Ryota's body, instantly crushing the pillar to powder.
Then, blue-violet chakra began to swirl, tearing the air, condensing —
First, a massive rib cage formed around him, protecting him. Then, muscle fibers and tendons took shape, sketching out its outline.
Next came the arms.
The initial stage of Susanoo — complete in a heartbeat!
"Still missing some intimidation factor… guess I'll push it further!"
The chakra continued flooding out, making the rib cage squirm and grow.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic skeleton wrapped Ryota inside.
He swung its two arms experimentally, but his face clearly said "not good enough."
"Doesn't feel threatening enough. Let's take it one step more!"
As he spoke, the blue-violet chakra exploded outward again, sprouting enormous energy wings from the skeleton's back, its arms doubling from two to four, each gripping a chakra blade that swung wildly.
But Ryota wasn't finished.
BOOM—
Another massive blast!
Susanoo's third stage was fully realized!
A colossal chakra giant, nearly scraping the arena's dome, loomed before everyone's eyes.
At the giant's head, Ryota looked down like a god gazing upon mortals.
And Ottar—
he froze in place.
"W-what… is that…?"
Even in full beast mode, his mind seemed struck by lightning, completely unable to move.
For the first time, he truly felt what it meant to stand before an unbeatable power.
"Don't look so shocked. I still wanna try this next."
Ryota flashed a grin from within Susanoo's skull-like head, turning his wrist.
A glow of Sage Jutsu Chakra erupted from his hand.
"Let me show you…"
"Sage Mode layered over Susanoo!"