"Grant it to me, O Spirits."
Revis's mana solidified, manifesting as a plant-like biomass that encased her upper body like heavy armor. A sharp, grinding sound echoed from the cracks in the plating as the fibers rubbed against each other.
With this transformation, her magical power swelled to terrifying proportions. Sinister roots sprouted from the seams of her armor and across her skin, erasing her human features until her silhouette no longer looked even remotely mortal.
Revis had become a beast overflowing with spirit-corrupted magic. She stood shrouded in green flesh that leaked unstable, bloated mana. Plant-like veins pulsed across her form like arteries, shifting her from a living being into a monster of crimson flesh intertwined with toxic greenery.
Her former feminine grace vanished, replaced by an entity that inspired only dread and revulsion. Portions of the hardened plant tissue sharpened into jagged blades, capable of slicing through anything they touched with effortless ease.
Despite the horror, she retained a certain demonic allure—a beauty stained with sin and corruption, tempting yet foul.
"Damn it..."
Having repeatedly consumed magic stones, her mana had surged past her body's capacity, even as a high Level 7. The massive energy raged inside her, tearing through her limbs and gnawing at her nerves. Her blood vessels burst beneath her skin, and boiling blood surged with an intolerable heat.
"─── Let's go."
"Then come."
●○●○●
"─── Do you have a request, Ishtar?"
"Thanatos, I want to verify the power of the 'Bull of the Heavens' before I move against Freya's boy."
"Mmm. Actually, we don't need to summon a final boss like that just yet. Besides, Revis and her companions asked me not to use it against the Sword Saint..."
"What do I care for their words? Do you realize the scale of the investment I've poured into you over these five years?"
"─── Fine, fine. I'll do it. I shall fulfill the generous benefactor's wish."
"Good."
●○●○●
"Miss Tiona!!"
Just as the waves of lethal venom were about to sweep them away ───.
"Fergus ───!!"
Bache appeared. The young Amazon, wearing her distinct and daring combat attire, lunged forward. She struck the poison worms with a fist charged with black-purple mana, instantly blasting away the toxic stream directed at Tiona and the others.
"Bache!!"
Tiona's face brightened at the sight of her mentor. She immediately turned to face the swarms of poison worms approaching from the opposite direction behind Arcos.
It was a case of fighting poison with poison. Bache, who wore toxins more lethal than those of the worms and used poison-enhancement magic, could neutralize almost any venom regardless of its severity.
"Everyone, please start chanting!!"
Tiona shouted as she swung her massive twin blades with mastery, scattering the endless swarm of larvae.
While Tiona and Bache held the line, the familia members began their incantations. Mana condensed as the words of the chants followed one after another. Even those groaning in pain from the venom endured their agony, raising their magical energy to construct their spells.
Then.
"Miss Tiona!!"
"Fire now!!"
At Tiona's signal, immense heat erupted. Three types of fire magic completely incinerated the swarms of poison worms. Under the weight of the raging flames, the swarm turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
"─── Ah!! Miss Tiona, your arm..."
The relief was short-lived. The familia members turned pale as they saw Tiona's arm; the toxic fluid had burned her, and the flesh was beginning to corrode, giving off a scorched smell.
"It's perfectly fine!! Bache's poisons are much harsher than this!!"
Tiona smiled through the pain. She raised her voice to encourage her worried companions and her mentor, who stood nearby with a scowl.
"Everyone... I can't protect you the way Al does."
Tiona gripped her massive blades again, despite the pain visible on her face. She maintained her usual bright smile, but a fierce determination gleamed deep in her eyes.
She knew she was merely a warrior. She lacked the power to heal the wounded, she couldn't lead her comrades like Finn, and she couldn't fight with Al's genius.
I can't save them, I can't protect them alone.
Tiona honestly acknowledged the limits of her abilities.
And for that reason ───
"So, everyone... could you help me?"
Tiona spoke with a smile as bright as the sun. The familia members exchanged glances and then smiled in return.
"Yes!!"
The despair that had gripped them vanished. Thanks to Tiona's encouraging words, the fighting spirit reignited in their hearts, and they surged forward with her.
●○●○●
".... What?"
"Gyaaaaaah!!"
The mace should have crushed Tione's head, but instead of her skull shattering, a cry of pain erupted from the attacker.
A massive man, nearly two meters tall, collapsed unconscious after an iron fist slammed into his face.
A flurry of punches followed, striking the surrounding assassins. In the blink of an eye, over ten men fell. The last one tried to flee, but a violent roundhouse kick caught him in the face.
"What's wrong with these guys?! They're pathetic!!"
"Argana...!!"
It was Argana, the raging warrior from the combat nation of Telskyura. Tione stared with disbelief as the woman shouted with excitement, despite being covered in blood. Those successive punches, resembling snake bites, precisely finished off the assassins attempting to ambush Tione.
Technically, Argana and her followers had come under the banner of the Loki Familia, but they had entered Knossos in a separate group. Could she have... come to help me?
Tione felt a mixture of confusion and a slight spark of joy at seeing the older woman who was both her mentor and the object of her hatred ───
"Where's Finn? Where is Finn, Tione!! The place collapsed suddenly and we were separated!!"
"─── What did you say, you scum?"
Argana's face shifted from that of the warrior Ashura to that of a woman hopelessly in love. Upon hearing her words, every emotion vanished from Tione's face except for pure, unadulterated rage.
It is the nature of Amazons to fall for the man who defeats them, and this warrior had also fallen for Finn after his previous victory over her.
In an instant, a murderous intent settled in Tione's eyes.
Crack, crack, crack!!
Was that the sound of the curse's shackles breaking, or the sound of her veins bursting from fury? Tione stood up, radiating the flames of her indignation. She screamed with the face of a savage predator:
"─── The Captain is MIIIIINE!! I will never hand him over to women like you!!"
─── Berserker Activation.
A rare skill that transforms rage into power. Red steam billowed from Tione's body as she surrendered to her boiling emotions. The cursed restraints covering her body exploded, and a wave of heat surged through her, granting her body renewed vitality.
"You're wrong, completely wrong, Tione. Finn is my mate!!"
"Shut up, you bitch!! The Captain is completely head-over-heels for me!!"
"Oh boy..."
The two male familia members looked on with disgust as the two warriors argued with peak emotion in the middle of a battle. To make matters worse, Tione was lying through her teeth quite naturally, but no one dared to correct her.
The assassins thought this childish argument was a golden opportunity and swung their hidden weapons ───.
"I'm telling you... you've been chattering and chattering for a while now..."
"You're incredibly annoying, you trash!!"
The fist and the curved knife lunged simultaneously. The sickening sound of crushing flesh and bone filled the air. A massacre led by only two warriors began, as the groups of assassins were wiped out without any means of resistance.
"What is happening?! Doesn't the enfeeblement curse affect them?!"
"T-this is impossible!! Their stats should have plummeted completely ── Gyaa?!"
"Keep your mouth shut!!"
Tione's knife buried itself in the confused assassin while Argana's fist hammered down on him. The assassins died before they even had time to scream.
It was one slaughter after another—a true hellscape. Tione charged ahead, raging as if the enfeeblement curses or stat reductions meant nothing to her.
"Die, you bastard!!"
"Hahaaaa!! Well done, Tione!! Let's see who kills more to be Finn's woman, what do you say!!"
"Deal!! I'll kill you along with all of them!!"
It was a massacre led by a pair of lovestruck Amazons (Level 6). The male familia members trembled as they watched this gruesome sight, swearing in their hearts never to make enemies of these two women.
The end for the assassins caught in the storm of fists and blades was tragic; they drowned in a sea of blood with fatal wounds covering every inch of their bodies.
"Wait, where's the key? If you don't want to die, hand it over quickly!!"
"H-heee?! I don't have it... I-it wasn't me who locked the door ──"
"Useless!!"
"── Aaaaaaa!!"
With a kick from Tione, the assassin slammed into the wall and stopped moving entirely. Drenched in red blood, Tione looked like a demon even to her allies. Argana was no less fierce, fighting savagely and slaughtering enemies one by one with a terrifying Ashura expression.
"Damn it, who are you... what is wrong with these people, really!!"
"Who knows, you idiot!! You're the ones who targeted our familia first!!"
Thud, crack! Argana's fist shattered the assassin's face, and the force of the blow embedded his head into the wall.
"Hey!! If any of you die, I'll kill you myself!! Do you understand!!"
"Y-yes!!"
The familia members shook at Tione's method of raising morale, which bore no resemblance to her younger sister's whatsoever.
●○●○●
With a stride that defied the ordinary, the stone tiles shattered and the spreading roots of green flesh exploded. The two monsters, transcending human limits, lunged at Al in a coordinated assault.
Both were true monsters exceeding Level 7, representing individual power unparalleled even in the Age of the Gods. They were the embodiment of despair, leaving first-tier adventurers with nothing but the choice of death.
── And yet, their opponent was the possessor of the greatest talent since the dawn of the Age of the Gods a thousand years ago.
A natural disaster who mocked every expectation of the all-seeing gods and shattered them.
Al began tearing through the strongest armor, fashioned from the blessings of corrupted spirits, with total ease. Every strike Al landed carved away pieces of Revis's plating effortlessly.
Each time, the green flesh spreading across the floor tried to compensate and repair the damage, but it could no longer keep up with the speed. As soon as a part regenerated, it was sliced, carved, burned, melted, and pierced again.
In terms of raw stats, there was no vast gap between Al and Revis; but he surpassed her with overwhelming experience and technique, and with skills and magic that outclassed her entirely.
Even as she swung her great black sword of inevitable death with physical abilities enhanced by the spirits' blessing, she was unable to match Al's movements.
"─── Erase everything, O Scepter of Holiness that drives out evil ── Dio Thyrsus."
The real danger Al faced was Ein, that masked monster who unleashed a barrage of magical projectiles with capabilities exceeding his own. Black mana condensed into spears of lightning that shot toward Al. These were destructive bolts even more fierce than the previous attacks, assaulting him without mercy.
"── Firebolt."
In response, Al released several beams of white lightning charged with supreme spiritual power and divine speed.
The stream of concentrated mana, which had turned into a rain of lightning, collided with the thick black bolts of destruction. They succeeded only in slightly reducing the black lightning's momentum without canceling it entirely.
But, as if anticipated, pure white magic circles began to float around Al, charging with white lightning instantly.
It was a simultaneous, multiple firing of the [Firebolt] spell, which was supposed to be a single shot; it was a superhuman feat that defied the logic of standard magic.
As if to say, "If one shot isn't enough, we'll fire two, ten, a hundred—no, a thousand," the arrows of white lightning continued to launch one after another. They all converged into a single beam, transforming into an even more powerful flash of lightning.
"It's just a mimicry of Hedin's style."
Despite being an improvised technique, those lightning formations surpassed the projectiles of Hedin Selland; it was a white lightning of total annihilation. Although the power of each individual shot did not match Ein's black lightning, the combination of quantity and quality shifted the scales.
The violent exchange between the great black thunderbolts and the white lightning produced a state of equilibrium, where each neutralized the other. In that gap, Al evaded Revis's attack—approaching him by a hair's breadth—and countered with an arrow of his own.
He showered her with rapid magic projectiles that exceeded the speed of even the shortest chants. These projectiles, bolstered by his level ascension, possessed enough destructive power to turn deep-floor monsters to ash with a single hit.
Yet, Revis rebuilt her body in moments. A hybrid of monsters, she possessed a human form that reminded one of immortal beasts.
Each time the attacks of Revis, Ein, and Al collided, space itself groaned and screamed under the pressure. The aftershocks alone would have been enough to destroy an entire city if they were on the surface.
Revis and Ein's bodies regenerated instantly from the damage caused by the white lightning bullets, which caused paralysis even if blocked. Nevertheless, Al did not stop his assault.
A barrage of projectiles and explosions at lightning speed. A storm of violent magical bullets carved away Revis and Ein's flesh, burning and sweeping them aside.
Fast cutting strikes and sudden stabs hit both of them simultaneously, but neither retreated; they endured Al's violent assault. Al's combat skills clashed with Revis's demonic techniques and Ein's magical mastery in over a thousand successive engagements.
Two against one. A battle that should never have been equal.
But, why?
(── Why am I facing so much difficulty?!)
This was the question running through Revis's mind. This hero she was facing was undoubtedly strong—stronger and more terrifying than any monster she had ever met.
But he was weaker than Ein.
Ein, the strongest monster, surpassed the hero Al Cranel in everything: strength, endurance, and mana.
Yet, whether it was Revis's speed as she tried to flank him, or Ein's total destruction, Al handled the attacks—even those outside his line of sight—with a divine instinctive sense. Every one of his movements was slower than Ein's, but his reaction speed was enough to respond to everything.
Astonishment colored Revis's face. It was no surprise he surpassed her; even with her flesh armor, she remained within the limits of a high Level 7, while Al was Level 8.
But Ein was different; her power, graced with every favor of the Spirits, exceeded even Level 8.
How can he fight while facing us both together in a two-on-one battle?!
Al's technical mastery was capable of bridging the gap in stats and attributes held by the "Hybrid Monsters." Furthermore, the latent potential within Al was so high that Revis could not comprehend it.
The green flesh covering Revis's body was being carved, torn, and burned, and despite her regeneration, her thoughts became more cluttered with each hit. Their attacks scratched him, but they were diverted from their "essence" at the critical moments.
It wasn't "Absolute Defense," nor was it magic; it was incredibly skillful physical movement. She felt as though all her movements were exposed, as if Al were moving while reading the future.
"Skill and Maneuverability."
That power is sometimes more important than an adventurer's level. Al reaching the pinnacle of this skill allowed him to surpass Revis, who relied on her nature as a monster.
───
Unlike Revis, who was gripped by fear, Ein was perfectly calm. Ein knew that the man before her was a true hero, a living legend.
Because of her excessive power, Revis had misunderstood. A "Hero" is not the one who is challenged; he is the one who challenges. Hardship is his constant state, and in adversity, his true value appears.
The essence of Al Cranel lay in "slaying those stronger than himself."
And then ───.
Dong... dong... the sound of a bell rang out. A holy and majestic tone. It wasn't drums beating in the ears, but sound waves that shook the soul directly, spreading throughout the hall.
Particles of black light began to envelop Al along with the sound. Something similar to what his younger brother possessed, yet entirely different.
"── Requiem of the Fairy."
A chant woven with particles of light. It was "Parallel Chanting" while using "Hero's Path" and "Firebolt."
A simultaneous execution of magic that shouldn't be possible. While Revis and Ein felt terror at this supreme technique achieved by Al, the black light enveloped him completely.
Even Ein, from behind her mask, opened her eyes in shock at this illogical use of magic. It was a reactivation of the fire enhancement magic he had previously granted to Ais.
In parallel with the chant, several white lightning platforms spread around Al. Rapid magic projectiles intended for distraction shot toward Ein and Revis. Ein swatted them away easily, but Al's chant was progressing at the same time.
Despite Revis's great cursed sword, Ein's thunderbolts, and the rain of murderous intent capable of toppling a first-tier adventurer, Al's rapid chanting did not stop as he evaded it all.
He ran, followed by more running. White lightning arrows chased Al's back as if protecting him as he ran at projectile speed. Shielded by the barrier of lightning arrows, Al's speed increased even further.
Al's speed surpassed the limits of sprinting, to the point where Ein was stunned and Revis trembled with terror.
Attacking, running, dodging, and chanting; four simultaneous actions in addition to defense. If you include the skills and rapid magic, his parallel actions reached "seven." This was a divine feat transcending human limits.
It was an achievement only possible for Al, who had reached the pinnacle of being a Magic Swordsman. Amazingly, he showed no decline in his combat abilities or movements during the chant.
"O remnants of funeral ash."
It was no longer just parallel chanting; it had become sequential chanting. The magical circles of lightning created a wall of bolts to block Ein and Revis.
"Abide, O authority of flame, O Lord of the Heavens."
Even Hedin Selland, known as the "White Fairy Staff" and the most dangerous magic swordsman, might find this barrage of projectiles impossible.
It was a use of magic never seen before, shattering the fundamental concept shared by all magic: "magic cannot be activated without a chant," the rule of the Gods' Blessing.
It was magic transcending the limits of skill, magic outside the scope.
Ein himself, being a user of parallel chanting for more than two spells, realized the abnormality of this entity. Not a front-line warrior, nor a back-line one, nor just a magic swordsman; but a complete "individual."
"Transform my body into a burning bird ───"
It was a simultaneous activation of magic that even the Witch of "Silence" could not perform. A miracle considered a violation of the Underworld's rules—neither a talent nor a mere technique.
That miracle was made possible by rapid magic, which requires no chant. It was an abnormality outside of logic, one of the possibilities of the Underworld.
The foundation of those superhuman combat techniques likely traced back to the training he had previously received from the "Storm" (Ryuu). That technique, which surpassed his teacher, completed the magic without making a single error like a mana explosion.
"── Ria Phoenix."
With the sound of the bell ringing at that very moment, the "Strike of Holy Fire" sliced through Revis's body and tore it apart.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Note:
"How to defeat Al": Raise your level and strike him physically. Magic works, but physical attacks are more effective. Trying to overwhelm him with numbers backfires. Poisons, curses, surprise attacks, and diseases are meaningless against him. Even if you raise your level to be stronger than him, that will trigger his "Giant Killer" switch. Therefore, the optimal choice is for the opponent to be slightly weaker than him and target those around him to force him to protect them (Revis in Volume 3 chose the almost perfect solution).
"What would happen if Airmid or others died?": Al's essence is goodness; he is a perfectly sane person unless subjected to severe injustice. Thus, he would completely rampage. He would stop playing around, show no mercy to anyone, and enter an immediate "Head-harvesting" mode; at that point, death is the only fate for the opponent.
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[100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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