Judas slid back several meters, boots scraping harshly against the stone as a shallow trench formed beneath his heels.
Dust billowed around his feet, but despite the force behind the blow, he remained standing, shoulders squared and posture steady.
He exhaled slowly.
"Did that repair also happen to include the Durandal attribute?"
He asked calmly, though a bead of sweat trickled down his temple, betraying the strain of blocking that strike head-on.
Tiona laughed, rolling her shoulders as if she had merely finished a warm-up.
"Yup! Goibniu's smithy really outdid himself!"
She tightened her grip on Urga, the massive double-bladed sword humming faintly as it gleamed under the sunlight.
During the Loki Familia's most recent expedition, they had encountered a previously undocumented species of monster lurking in the deeper floors.
Unlike most creatures of the Dungeon, this one possessed a grotesque biological weapon... an acidic secretion potent enough to melt metal.
To counter this newfound threat, Finn and the other executives quickly convened and reached a conclusion: their standard equipment was no longer sufficient.
The solution was simple, if costly.
They would reinforce their personal weapons with the Durandal attribute.
The expense alone was enough to make even first-class adventurers wince.
But thankfully, thanks to the enormous amount of funds they secured through extortion... no, through the kindness of Freya... such expenses were no longer a concern.
Judas, after listening to Tiona's words, lowered his gaze to his own equipment.
In particular, his eyes settled on Járnglófar.
He let out a quiet breath.
'Now that I have the money... I should probably upgrade my weapons and gear.'
The thought had been lingering in the back of his mind ever since the compensation from Freya Familia had arrived.
Valis was meant to be spent, and power... especially in the Dungeon... was never something to delay investing in.
'The deep floors.'
It was only a matter of time before the Loki Familia would set out on another expedition, aiming to break their record by reaching the 59th floor.
With Judas being a core member and one of their strongest combatants, it was all but guaranteed that he would be placed in a dangerous but important position within the Loki Familia's formation.
'I could meet up with Hephaestus and see if the completed version of Járnglófar is still possible... If not... I could always go to Goibniu's smithy.'
Ais, recalling their visit to the smithy in question, winced internally.
She remembered all too clearly just how much Tiona had made the blacksmiths cry tears of blood.
Urga was already a nightmare to work on... its sheer size and absurd weight alone were enough to test even veteran smiths.
But paired with Tiona's reckless fighting style, which often left the blade chipped, cracked, or outright broken...
It was no surprise that she had earned herself a reputation within the Goibniu Familia.
The ultimate demon.
The enemy of all blacksmiths.
"Owooh! You damn Amazoness! Go bite the dust!"
"I'm so tired, boss! I can't do it anymore!"
"Why!? Why!? Tell me why!?"
Ais could still faintly hear those anguished cries echoing in her mind.
She shook her head, quickly refocusing on the spar unfolding before her.
In the middle of the training grounds, as dust rose all over the area, flashes of black and brown cut through the haze.
Sparks were flying each time their weapons clashed.
"Let's turn it up a notch!"
Tiona grinned as her aura surged violently outward.
Her muscles tightened, veins faintly bulging as she kicked off the ground and charged again... faster than before.
Her movements were no longer playful.
Each step cracked the stone beneath her feet as Urga came crashing down in relentless succession.
Urga came at Judas from unpredictable angles... overhead strikes, horizontal sweeps, sudden feints.
Judas didn't try to overpower her.
Doing so would be pointless.
Instead, he let each movement flow naturally.
His footing was steady, his posture relaxed... almost deceptively so.
Every step was measured.
Every movement was economical.
He deflected blows at the last possible instant, redirected Urga's massive weight with subtle shifts of his wrists, or slipped just outside the edge of her swings by mere centimeters.
It wasn't strength that guided him, but timing and positioning... using the minimum effort needed to avoid the maximum force.
'Quickly... I have to end this quickly.'
Judas was fully aware of the skill Tiona possessed.
[Berserk].
A terrifying ability that increased her physical capabilities each time she took damage.
Pain only fueled her, sharpening her strikes and accelerating her momentum.
Which meant that every second this fight continued was a second spent tipping the scales against him.
If he allowed this to drag on, it will come to a point where he would eventually be overwhelmed.
That realization settled his resolve.
This match would not become a battle of endurance.
He would end it in a single, decisive blow.
Ais watched intently, her golden eyes tracking every exchange without blinking.
Bete clicked his tongue quietly from the sidelines.
"...Tch. At least he has a brain."
Thanks to his experience, the werewolf could sense what Judas was planning.
Tiona swung again... but this time, Judas parried in a way that made her lose control of her momentum.
Her stance widened unnaturally, and her center of gravity shifted just slightly out of place.
'Got her!'
Judas, sensing the opportunity, had already moved.
He slipped inside her guard, twisting his body as his elbow drove forward.
And just as his attack was about to land... his instincts flared.
'This is too easy.'
As far as he knew, Tiona was a seasoned combat veteran, especially in close-quarters combat.
Her time in Telkskruya and her years as an adventurer in the Loki Familia were not for show.
A cold, uneasy feeling crept up his spine.
His gaze shifted upward... and his pupils shrunk.
Tiona was grinning at him, as if to say, "I got you."
Then he realized...
'That was a feint... I got tricked.'
Tiona twisted mid-air, causing his attack to miss... barely an inch from her ribs.
Instead, Judas took a knee to the jaw and was promptly sent flying.
If he were a normal adventurer, his defeat would have been sealed right there.
Being sent backward left his arms and legs out of reach of his opponent.
However...
"Range is irrelevant to me."
Even while still airborne, and with blood dripping from his lips, he raised his index finger toward Tiona, who widened her eyes as her feet touched the ground.
A magic circle appeared, and a beam of compressed wind shot forward, striking her squarely in the stomach.
"Gwah!"
The force sent Tiona flying as well.
Ais narrowed her eyes as she watched, and one word naturally came to her mind:
'Draw.'
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