The center of the Great Plains had long lost its original shape. There was no longer a vast expanse of green grass or flat land comfortable to step on. The area had now transformed into a hellish landscape of craters continuously bombarded by shockwaves, magical explosions, and weapon clashes from the existences occupying the absolute pinnacle of the adventurer hierarchy.
Amidst the dust storms and flashes of magic light, Zald stood firm like a mountain of steel refusing to budge. The man with dark brown hair and a prominent scar across his face wore pitch-black armor covering his entire body. His dark red cloak fluttered, whipped by the winds of battle.
Zald wielded his greatsword, Grattor, with only one hand. His gray eyes swept over the five figures surrounding him. Before him, the current strongest pillars of Orario—Leon Vardenburg, Ottar, Finn Deimne, Gareth Landrock, and Riveria Ljos Alf—were reforming their lines, their breaths coming in heavy pants.
To an ordinary person, the formation of these five elite adventurers was the embodiment of absoluteness. Two Level 8 adventurers and three Level 7 adventurers working together to bring down a single man. However, to Zald, the veteran of the Zeus Familia, this was merely a warm-up routine.
"Let's go again!" roared Finn Deimne. His voice, amplified by his Command Howl skill, echoed across the battlefield, injecting artificial vigor into the veins of his comrades. His spear tip gleamed sharply. "Don't give him an opening to counterattack!"
Gareth Landrock was the first to respond. The veteran dwarf leaped into the air, gathering all his physical strength stats, which had been multiplied by his passive skill, Dvergr Enhance. Gareth slammed his double axe straight down onto the muddy ground's surface.
"Ardigamma!"
Gareth's attack magic detonated the earth, converting the impact energy into a seismic shockwave that tore through the land straight toward Zald. The earth split apart, spewing out giant boulders.
However, Zald didn't evade in the slightest. His development ability, Strong Body, activated naturally. He raised his left foot, then stomped the ground with pure power.
BLAM!
The Ardigamma shockwave shattered instantly upon colliding with Zald's stomp, leaving only billowing dust.
From behind that dust, a giant silhouette shot forward at a speed illogical for a body that massive. Ottar the King arrived in front of Zald. His giant black sword radiated a blinding golden light. The Boaz had chanted Hildis Vini with a super-short incantation, multiplying the destructive power of his strike to a level that could cleave a steel fortress.
"ZALD!!" roared Ottar, swinging his sword vertically.
"Still too stiff, Boaz," Zald replied in a flat tone.
He raised Grattor to parry. The clash between the two giant weapons created a deafening sonic boom. The ground beneath their feet sank three meters deep. Ottar, with his Level 8 status, exerted all his might. Yet, Zald held back that deadly attack with only one hand, without shifting an inch.
The secret to Zald's absurd physical strength was his passive skill, Deus Ambrosia. For years, his flesh and blood had absorbed the essence of the thousands of monsters he had consumed, including the Behemoth's flesh now.
Seeing Ottar held off, Leon Vardenburg dashed in from a blind spot. Ten swords of light floated, orbiting around his body. It was the Blaze of Round magic. Leon pointed at Zald, and the five swords of light launched like glowing missiles.
Zald merely snorted. He twisted his wrist, shifting the momentum of Ottar's sword, then used Grattor's blade to parry Leon's projectiles consecutively.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three of Leon's light swords shattered to pieces. However, the destruction of those weapons precisely triggered Leon's high-risk skill, Dvergr Rebellion. Every time his magic sword shattered, Leon's strength and speed parameters spiked drastically. With his newfound speed, Leon charged in and unleashed a flurry of lightning-fast slashes.
Simultaneously, Finn used the opening created by Leon and Ottar's attacks to thrust his spear toward Zald's heart, while in the distance, the sound of Riveria's incantation echoed endlessly. Thanks to the Chant Chaining system and the Alf Regina skill, Riveria was gathering a massive supply of Mind to cast the Vas Windheim magic.
This sight should have made anyone tremble. However, behind his cold stare, Zald's gray eyes actually projected immense boredom.
This is so... boring, Zald thought while continuously parrying the attacks of Ottar, Leon, and Finn in turn. He spun Grattor, creating a shockwave of wind that forced the three frontline fighters to step back a few paces. Zald let his greatsword rest on the ground, staring at his enemies with undisguised disappointment.
Initially, Zald had been very excited. Fighting against two Level 8 and three Level 7 adventurers was supposed to be a blood-boiling battle. However, as time passed, Zald realized one thing missing from his opponents' formation: Orchestration.
Ottar attacked with pure vengeance. Leon attacked relying on his self-destructive magic system. Finn led, but his commands were too conventional and predictable. They were indeed strong individually, but as a combined unit, they lacked a tactical brain capable of weaving that wild power into a cohesive threat.
Zald's gaze unconsciously shifted toward the eastern wing, past the thousands of scattered adventurers. His eyes caught the figure of Hedin Selland from this timeline. The elf man bearing the title of Freya Familia commander lay unconscious on the muddy ground, knocked out at the very beginning of the battle purely due to carelessness and stubbornness when facing the elf sisters.
Zald let out a long sigh, an exhalation filled with frustration.
He remembered the Hedin from his timeline—the Hedin who joined the Barbatos Familia. Back in the Kaios Desert, Hedin had devised layered tactics so insane they were capable of bringing Zald to his knees. The Hedin of the past used perfectly hidden Stasis Hildr lightning mines, dynamically manipulated formations, and controlled the rhythm of the battle like a conductor of a symphony of death.
That Hedin could amaze Zald. But the Hedin of this world? The elf was knocked out even before the main stage reached its climax.
"Truly... disappointing," Zald muttered. His baritone voice vibrated the air around him. "Without a brain that can unite your fangs, you are nothing more than a bunch of children swinging tree branches randomly."
Hearing that crushing insult, the veins on Ottar's temples bulged. The arrogance and pride of the Freya Familia Warlord boiled over, reaching its breaking point.
"Don't underestimate us, Zald!!" Ottar roared, his voice turning into the growl of a wild beast.
He planted his sword into the ground. The air around Ottar suddenly exploded. The giant body of the Boaz began to enlarge. His muscles swelled wildly until they tore part of his protective armor. His hair lengthened, and his facial features sharpened like a giant wild boar.
Ottar had activated his ultimate skill: Vana Arganture (Beastification).
In an instant, a wave of pure, barbaric physical pressure erupted from Ottar's body, forcing Leon, Finn, and Gareth, who stood nearby, to jump back to avoid suffocating from the aura. Ottar's physical status exploded, breaking through the limits of Level 8 and landing firmly upon the throne of Level 9. This artificial miracle rivaled the power of Haruhime's level-boosting magic, but demanded a horrifying toll in the form of an extreme drain on stamina and mind.
To withstand that agony, the Stortus Ottar skill worked at maximum capacity within his body. Automatically, his Healing Power and Spirit Healing development abilities activated, repairing torn blood vessels and burned nerve cells, creating a torturous tug-of-war between the savage magical damage and natural healing.
Witnessing that transformation, Zald's eyes widened for the first time. A feral smile formed behind his heavily scarred face.
"Ho? I see? A fake Level boost, huh?" Zald chuckled, lifting Grattor and this time gripping it with both hands. "Interesting! So the Ottar here has an ability like that."
Ottar charged. The ground he stepped on shattered to pieces for dozens of meters simply from the thrust of his legs. In the blink of an eye, Ottar was right in front of Zald, swinging his black sword.
BAMMMMMM!!!
The clash between their weapons this time was different. For the first time since the battle began, Zald was pushed back! Zald's feet dragged backward for three meters, carving a trench in the ground.
Ottar's slashes did not stop. With a rhythm like a hurricane, the Warlord—who now possessed Level 9 power—rained down dozens of flawless slashes upon Zald. The shockwaves from every clash of their swords tore the clouds in the sky and cleaved the air, creating momentary vacuums. Hot steam billowed from Ottar's boiling body, while Zald parried every single one of those attacks while laughing.
"Hahahaha! Good! Your physical strength now truly touches my realm!" Zald laughed, twisting his body and countering Ottar's slashes with an earth-shattering swing of Grattor.
The two exchanged brutal blows. An artificial Level 9 against a true Level 9. This battle of pure power made it impossible for Leon and Gareth to interfere frontally.
However, Finn Deimne realized the bitter truth behind Ottar's deadly dance. The Pallum captain's sharp tactical instincts saw blood starting to seep from the gaps in Ottar's armor. Even though Stortus Ottar worked hard to heal him, the drain from Vana Arganture was too massive. Ottar was burning his life force to hold off Zald's movements and create one absolute opening.
"He won't last long! Do it now!" Finn ordered.
The captain chanted Hell Finegas. A glowing red spear tattoo appeared on his face. His bloodthirsty instincts boiled. Finn took an extreme stance, preparing to unleash his spear-throwing magic, Tir na Nog, which converted his entire Falna history into a single destructive strike.
In the air, Leon Vardenburg deliberately let his three remaining swords of light be destroyed by the residual shockwaves of Zald and Ottar's battle. With the destruction of the last sword, his light protection vanished, but Dvergr Rebellion reached its peak. The skill triggered Supreme Light, enveloping Leon's body in a blindingly holy radiance.
Behind them, Gareth Landrock activated Ardigalea, pushing his endurance to its maximum limit, while charging forward as a living shield.
And at the very backline, Riveria Ljos Alf finally finished her Fairy Anthem incantation.
"Burn in the wrath of the earth! Rea Laevateinn!!"
A sea of annihilating fire erupted from Riveria's staff. At the same time, realizing his remaining energy was spent, Ottar roared and focused all the remnants of his Vana Arganture into a single downward strike, forcing Zald to hold his sword in a locked position, providing the perfect opening for the other three pillars to attack.
Riveria's sea of fire, Leon's absolute light, and Finn's apocalyptic spear hurtled toward the exact same epicenter.
Zald stood in the middle of an energy storm ready to swallow him. He gazed upon the magnificent combined attack that had finally been synchronized thanks to Ottar's sacrifice. His boredom finally evaporated, replaced by respect for the tenacity of this generation.
"Good job, Boaz. You've given it your all..." Zald murmured softly. The veins on his neck and arms bulged hard, withstanding the incredibly dense flow of magical energy due to the full activation of Deus Ambrosia. "...therefore, I will respond with equal seriousness!"
Zald kicked Ottar's stomach with full force, forcing the Boaz to be thrown backward until the forced cancellation of Vana Arganture occurred, making Ottar vomit blood and pass out instantly.
Zald closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his gray eyes blazed with pure killing intent.
"Rea Ambrosia."
Hellfire, pitch-black and blood-red, erupted from the blade of Grattor. The surrounding air temperature evaporated. Zald twisted his waist, pulled Grattor back, and swung it in a single horizontal trajectory.
"Afterglow."
It wasn't an ordinary projectile slash. It was a shockwave of absolute apocalypse.
That reddish-black light slash tore through the structure of air and space. The shockwave of Afterglow, reinforced by the fire of Rea Ambrosia and Supreme Attack, collided directly with the three strongest ultimate attacks of Orario.
The laws of nature shattered in milliseconds. Riveria's fire was extinguished instantly, swallowed by the wrath of Zald's hellfire. Leon's Supreme Light cracked and shattered in the air. Finn's Tir na Nog spear was deflected into outer space. Zald's giant shockwave advanced unhindered.
Gareth, who was at the very front, tried to withstand the rest of the slash with his axe and his body coated in Ardigalea. The dwarf's defense was crushed in the blink of an eye, blown away like a broken ragdoll.
Leon Vardenburg took a direct hit to the chest; the Level 8 knight was blown backward, crashing into the ground until he lost consciousness instantly.
Finn Deimne was sent tumbling across the ground with severe burns all over his body, canceling Hell Finegas and rendering him unconscious.
The remnants of that black firestorm swept toward Riveria. The Elf Princess was thrown by the scorching whirlwind, her consciousness fading instantly as her back slammed into the ruins of grassy earth.
In just one serious swing of the sword. In just one second of absolute destruction.
As the bodies of Orario's five strongest adventurers flew through the air towards unconsciousness, a collective thought crossed their minds.
So this... is this the true power of the Zeus and Hera Familia? A power so pure, absolute, and completely devoid of common sense? they thought simultaneously, before their vision finally went pitch black.
A horrifying silence descended over the center of the Great Plains.
The dust was slowly swept away by gusts of wind. In the middle of a giant crater still billowing black smoke, Zald stood tall. He rested Grattor, stained with the remnants of hellfire, back on his shoulder. His breathing was steady.
Around him lay the helpless bodies of Leon Vardenburg, Ottar, Finn Deimne, Gareth Landrock, and Riveria Ljos Alf. The Gluttony had fulfilled his promise. He had demonstrated the absolute difference in tier between the past generation and the new generation.
"The engine was just getting warmed up..." Zald complained softly in the silence.
Suddenly, the ears of the Zeus Familia veteran caught the sound of a final explosion coming from the direction of the eastern wing.
Zald turned his body, shifting his gaze through the remnants of thick water vapor fog billowing in the distance. On the eastern wing, a combined explosion of ice magic, starlight glow, white light, and fire had just subsided.
At the bottom of a newly formed crater lay the figures of the elf sisters, Dina and Vena, who had lost consciousness. And near the bodies of the knocked-out sisters, a white-haired youth stood with trembling legs. His body was covered in blood and slash wounds, yet his right hand still tightly gripped the Hestia Knife. But he was beginning to heal thanks to the Vanadis Tevere ability.
Bell Cranel had managed to achieve an impossible victory.
From the distance of hundreds of meters separating them, Bell's ruby-red eyes slowly lifted. The white rabbit's gaze crossed the sea of destruction, until it finally locked onto the giant black-armored figure at the center of the battlefield.
Zald stared straight at Bell. There was no longer any boredom in his eyes. There was only the spark of anticipation of a monster who had finally found his main prey. Zald's sharp gaze seemed to send an absolute challenge echoing through the air.
You managed to pass the test of those elf sisters, huh, Bell. Now, do you have the courage to step onto the main stage?
The battle of the Orario adventurers against the elf sisters might have ended, but under the gaze of the Gluttony, the true battle was only just beginning.
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