Im listened to Ritter's conditions but gave no immediate answer.
Ritter didn't care.
Im hadn't asked him for any guarantees.
Likewise, Im wasn't offering any guarantees either.
In the end, Im only said a single word.
"Cooperation."
"Cooperation, huh? Sounds like a decent deal."
Ritter smirked.
"But..."
His tone shifted.
"I should at least know why you're so eager to wipe out Pilurka."
"Besides protecting your precious system of order, what else are you after?"
"I'm pretty sure there's another reason."
"Don't tell me it's for world peace."
"That kind of nonsense might fool a three-year-old."
The smooth white mask seemed to face him directly.
"Reason?"
"Simple."
"The same as yours."
The mental voice paused slightly.
Its attention drifted toward the girl resting quietly in Ritter's arms.
"Destruction."
"Intimidation."
"Consolidation."
"And besides..."
"That 'key' in your arms."
"I'm sure she has made you feel quite... charitable toward Pilurka."
The amusement in Im's voice became more obvious.
"You want their nation destroyed too."
"Don't you?"
The final sentence instantly ignited the killing intent Ritter had been suppressing.
Of course, Ritter was angry.
But he was also doing it on purpose.
He wanted to personally measure the strength of the future ruler of the world.
With his current power, he felt more than capable of testing the waters.
Ritter exploded into motion.
No more words.
No more negotiations.
At the end of the day, a negotiating table was just decoration when faced with overwhelming power.
The Black Tide Greatsword shrieked as it left its sheath.
The blood mist no longer drifted lazily through the air.
Instead, the entire Phantom World darkened.
Everything was stained a sinister crimson.
The illusionary domain transformed into a painted realm.
At his current level, Ritter no longer needed blood as a medium to create it.
Of course, equally powerful opponents couldn't be trapped so easily.
Unfortunately for Im, he had already stepped into Ritter's Phantom World.
Once someone entered the gate, the courtyard belonged entirely to Ritter.
"Mist God Style: Blood Dragon Tribulation!"
Both hands gripped the sword.
A scarlet dragon composed of condensed destructive energy erupted forth.
The blood dragon roared toward Im.
Space itself twisted wherever it passed.
This attack contained no mercy.
Well...
Not exactly.
Ritter was still holding back a good portion of his strength.
But the sheer momentum and destructive aura behind the technique were enough to shake the heavens.
If he truly fought seriously, a battle between him and Im could last an extremely long time.
And Ritter wasn't interested in wasting that much time today.
Facing the dragon's charge, Im's white mask tilted slightly upward.
He still made no major movements.
In an instant, the shadows around him erupted.
Countless black arrows materialized.
A dense swarm that completely obscured the battlefield.
These weren't simple energy projectiles.
They resembled a plague of locusts devouring everything in their path.
The shadow arrows crashed directly into the roaring Blood Dragon.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
This collision was anything but silent.
The battle exploded into life.
Ritter swung the Black Tide Greatsword again.
Despite being a massive heavy blade, it produced countless afterimages.
"Mist God Style: Nine Dragons Raise the Coffin!"
Clang!
Screech!
Slash!
Metallic impacts and corrosive energy howled through the realm.
The Blood Dragon and the shadow tendrils collided endlessly.
Ritter's blade severed one shadow after another.
But each severed tendril immediately split into countless smaller shadow spikes that attempted to invade the blood mist.
At the same time, miniature blood dragons emerged from the mist, relentlessly corroding the shadows.
Both fighters were unbelievably underhanded.
As the old folks back in the village would say:
"Strong and sneaky. The worst kind of bastard."
"More sinister than a shark's ancestors."
The Blood Dragon roared.
Its violent crimson energy vaporized every shadow that came near.
The ground around them cracked apart under invisible pressure.
Chunks of stone floated into the air before being pulverized into dust by the overflowing energies.
The entire Phantom World trembled violently.
It seemed on the verge of collapse.
Ritter didn't stop.
His sword style suddenly changed.
The Blood Dragon coiled through the air.
Its massive tail transformed into a crimson battle axe and swept toward Im with crushing force.
For the first time, Im raised his other hand.
More shadows gathered before him.
A gigantic shield formed.
Heavy.
Dark.
Covered in flowing runes that seemed almost alive.
BOOM!
The dragon's tail smashed into the shadow shield.
A thunderous impact echoed throughout the realm.
The runes flashed wildly.
Cracks spread across the shield's surface.
Yet it didn't shatter.
It endured.
Still, the tremendous force caused Im's white-clad figure to sway slightly.
The two separated instantly.
Ritter stood with sword in hand.
Blood mist surged around him.
His eyes were serious.
And excited.
Im lowered his hands.
The shadows calmed.
Not a speck of dust stained his white robe.
The smooth mask seemed to stare directly at Ritter.
The clash had been brief.
Violent.
And completely even.
Both clearly felt the depth of the other's strength.
Different powers.
Different paths.
Yet equally terrifying.
Im's mental voice returned.
Emotionless as ever.
Though perhaps carrying a faint trace of something new.
"An impressive power of tribulation."
"I look forward to your performance in the capital, Mist Lord."
Before the final words finished echoing, Im's figure began dissolving into the distorted light around him.
Gradually fading.
Until he disappeared entirely.
The suffocating pressure vanished with him.
Ritter didn't pursue.
The Phantom World dispersed.
The harbor's noise returned.
People moved.
Vendors shouted.
Ships creaked.
It was as if the fierce battle had never happened at all.
Ritter gripped the Black Tide Greatsword tightly.
He stared at the place where Im had vanished.
The fighting spirit in his crimson eyes hadn't diminished.
If anything, it burned even brighter.
Of course, it wasn't because Im was powerful enough to freely escape Ritter's painted realm.
That part had been intentional.
The moment Ritter noticed Im beginning to leave, he had deliberately downgraded the painted realm back into the weaker Phantom World.
As far as Im knew now, Ritter's domain could be entered and exited freely.
Maybe one day, during some future battle, that misunderstanding would become a very nasty surprise.
"The capital..."
"Pilurka..."
Ritter muttered softly.
A cold, dangerous grin appeared on his face.
"This cooperation is going to be very interesting."
The salty sea breeze continued to drift through the harbor.
As though the confrontation capable of terrifying most of the world's strongest warriors had never occurred.
The blood mist surrounding Ritter slowly settled.
The Black Tide Greatsword disappeared back into the mist behind him.
The cold battle madness faded from his expression.
In its place appeared familiar laziness.
And a hint of exhaustion.
He looked down.
The girl in his arms had remained astonishingly calm from beginning to end.
Even during the battle.
Even while the world around them seemed ready to collapse.
She had simply continued eating her cotton candy.
One bite at a time.
"Kid."
"Your mental stability is incredible."
The girl replied:
"Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom."
Ritter stared at her.
Then laughed.
"I worked up an appetite after that fight."
He rubbed his stomach.
As though the earth-shaking clash moments ago had been nothing more than a warm-up exercise.
His gaze shifted toward a nearby restaurant that looked reasonably clean.
"Come on, kid."
"Let's get something to eat."
"Let's see whether this place's signature dishes are any good."
He grinned.
"If the food tastes terrible..."
"I'll hang the chef from the bow of my ship and use him as a wind vane."
The girl blinked.
Then continued eating.
"Nom."