No one believed Genichi could win.
After all, Bete was a first-tier adventurer of the Loki Familia, a Level 5.
Even in Orario, his speed ranked among the very best.
The burst of acceleration from those legs was enough to leave most opponents unable even to react.
And on top of that, he was a veteran forged through undeniable battlefield experience.
Dungeon expeditions, monster exterminations, clashes with other Familia - he had seen more than many adventurers saw in their entire lives.
And Genichi?
An absolute nobody.
Though Tiona had just said he defeated Amphisbaena within two months, most people did not believe it at all.
From rookie to solo-killing a Level 5 floor boss in two months?
What a joke.
Even if someone started training in the womb, there was no way they could grow that fast.
So nearly everyone believed that Genichi was going to lose.
This fight was nothing more than a one-sided beating.
Except for one person.
Demeter.
She stood at the tavern entrance, watching the two facing off in the open space. Her amber eyes were calm.
She knew Genichi's level.
Level 5.
The same as Bete.
But she also knew what Genichi possessed.
The Seven Deadly Sins, Apotheosis, Devil, Dragon Eater, Thou Art Dragon, Index, Heavenly Dominion...
Any one of those skills or spells was enough to drive an ordinary adventurer into despair.
Not to mention the countless spells he had learned from Alfia, Riveria, Ais, and Alise.
How could someone like Genichi possibly lose?
Her only concern was that he might hit too hard.
If that happened, things could get troublesome.
In the clearing, Genichi and Bete stood facing one another.
Bete rolled his wrists, excitement brimming in his wolfish eyes.
"Kid, you ready?"
He grinned, baring sharp fangs.
"Ready to get crushed?"
Genichi said nothing.
He simply stood there quietly, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt at his waist.
That blade was called Mitsukotoba.
Under the moonlight, its polished edge shone with a cold gleam.
Seeing that Genichi still was not speaking, Bete sneered.
"Who the hell are you trying to impress-"
Before he could finish, his figure moved.
His wolf legs exploded with force, and he shot forward in an instant.
He was unbelievably fast, like a silver bolt of lightning rushing straight at Genichi.
The people around them could not even follow his movement. All they saw was an afterimage.
That was the speed of a Level 5 werewolf.
The kind of speed that could overwhelm the vast majority of opponents at the same level.
Bete's claws shot out, reaching for Genichi's throat.
Cruel light flashed in his eyes.
Even if this strike did not kill him, it would be enough to leave him badly wounded.
And yet...
At the very instant Bete's claws were about to touch Genichi's neck, Genichi vanished.
Bete's pupils contracted violently.
What?
Before he could even process it, a burst of agony exploded from his back.
He looked down and saw the tip of a blade protruding from his abdomen.
Blood dripped from the steel.
"Wha...t..."
His voice came out hoarse, full of disbelief.
When?
How had he gotten behind him?
Why...
Had he not sensed a thing?
Genichi stood behind him, his blade driven clean through his body.
There was not the slightest ripple in those black eyes.
It was as if he had merely done something trivial.
"You..."
Bete struggled to turn, but his body was no longer listening to him.
That thrust had pierced his lung with perfect precision, making even breathing difficult.
But Genichi had no intention of letting him off that easily.
He was going to make him pay for that foul mouth.
At the same time...
The Loki Familia was going to pay for trying to test him.
Genichi did not pull the blade out.
Instead, he gripped the hilt and slowly twisted it.
The edge churned inside Bete's body, turning his insides into a mangled mess.
"Uwaaagh!"
Bete let out a shrill, miserable scream.
The sound rang through the entire street.
His body shook violently, his legs going weak, almost collapsing beneath him.
It felt as if his intestines had been torn apart.
If Genichi had not held back, Bete would already be a corpse.
"Stop!"
An urgent voice rang out.
Finn rushed forward, that youthful face of his now filled with gravity.
Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Lefiya, Tiona, Tione -
all of them rushed out as well.
A moment ago, they had still been in a testing mood, wanting to see what Genichi could do.
They had never expected the fight to end this fast.
So fast they could not react.
So fast Bete had not even managed a single move before being skewered in one stroke.
Genichi raised his head and looked at them.
There was no fear whatsoever in those black eyes.
Only a calmness so complete it bordered on cruelty.
He kicked Bete in the back and sent him flying toward the Loki Familia.
Bete's body arced through the air like a torn sack before crashing heavily to the ground.
Blood poured from the wound in his chest, quickly pooling beneath him.
Riveria immediately crouched down and cast healing magic.
Green light enveloped Bete as the mangled organs inside him slowly began to mend.
But his face remained pale as paper.
He lay there gasping for breath, his wolf eyes overflowing with terror.
In that instant just now, he had truly felt death.
If Genichi had not shown mercy, he would already be dead.
Genichi did not look at them again.
He only flicked the blood from his blade, then slowly slid it back into its sheath.
Mitsukotoba returned home with a soft metallic click.
Then he turned and walked back toward Demeter.
From beginning to end, he had not said a single word.
The Loki Familia just stood there, watching his departing back.
No one spoke to stop him.
No one dared.
Because...
It had been too fast.
Too fast for any of them to react.
Too fast for any of them to intervene.
If Genichi had wanted Bete dead, he would already be dead.
And if Genichi had decided to attack them instead...
Could they have stopped him?
Finn's brow furrowed deeply.
He watched Genichi's retreating figure, a complicated light flickering in his blue eyes.
Riveria was still treating Bete, but from time to time her gaze drifted toward that steadily departing boy as well.
Ais stood nearby, something difficult to describe shining in her golden eyes.
She remembered the first time she had seen him.
Back then, he had only been an ordinary person rejected by the Loki Familia.
Now...
He had become this strong.
Tiona opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.
Just moments ago, she had been excitedly asking how he defeated Amphisbaena.
Now she had watched him defeat Bete with her own eyes.
The gap was too huge.
Standing beside Ais, Lefiya muttered under her breath.
She had never seen a fight like that.
No, that could not even be called a fight.
That had been a complete stomp.
Absolute domination.
Gareth stroked his beard, deep thought passing through his seasoned eyes.
He had lived long and seen countless geniuses.
But never one like this.
Two months.
From nothing to crushing a Level 5.
That was not genius.
That was a monster.
Loki stood at the very back, her face filled with complicated emotion.
Shock, regret, resentment...
And something impossible to describe.
That boy had once come to her Familia.
He had wanted to join.
And she had turned him away.
And now...
He had become someone even she could no longer ignore.
If she had not rejected him back then...
Loki shook her head, refusing to think any further.
There was no if.
What was done was done.
What mattered now was how to deal with this mess.
She looked at Genichi's back, a complicated light flickering in her eyes.
Just what kind of person was that boy?
(End of Chapter)
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