Ottar had long walked the path of combat, seeking power worthy of his goddess's favor. His strength was forged in a crucible of hellish battles.

He had always challenged foes stronger than himself—that was the secret to his terrifying growth.

But after the Black Dragon subjugation, with the complete annihilation of the Zeus and Hera Familia, the LV8 "Hero" and LV9 "Empress" vanished without a trace.

Since then, during the era of the Great War, Ottar had no worthy opponent—not after defeating the "Glutton" Chaldo and rising to LV7.

He longed for battle so perilous it stretched every nerve taut, for pain that made his soul tremble.

Because only by overcoming truly fearsome enemies could he become even stronger.

But he was already Orario's strongest adventurer—who could possibly push him further?

That frustration had festered inside him.

Until Charles appeared.

That day, he had merely followed his goddess's orders to test this rising adventurer. But Charles had revealed power comparable to his own.

What thrilled Ottar even more was the unmistakable feeling that Charles had held back.

He might actually be stronger than me.

Realizing that had made Ottar feel joy from the bottom of his heart. But without Freya's command, he couldn't abandon everything for an all-out fight.

Until today.

Finally, the goddess had given him the order he so longed for.

Hedin stepped forward. "Ottar, you're here."

Ottar nodded silently, his eyes never leaving Charles.

Hedin frowned. "You'll take the front. We'll support from the flanks."

Ottar drew the Dread Obsidian Sword from his back and coldly replied, "No need."

"This isn't the time to act tough! You'd risk disappointing Lady Freya!?" Hedin snapped.

But Ottar ignored him.

Charles, too, paid no mind to the gathering encirclement. The only one that mattered stood right in front of him.

"We don't need to say anything more, do we?" Charles said.

"Yeah," Ottar answered simply.

The next instant, both vanished—and collided with an explosion of power.

Hedin immediately understood why Ottar didn't need their support. This wasn't a fight they could interfere in. Their presence would only be a liability.

The shockwave from just that first clash was enough to choke them where they stood.

Charles's palm clashed against the flat of Ottar's massive sword. Sparks danced along the Dragon Slayer gauntlet, as steel shrieked and fire burst.

Muscles bulging with brute force, Ottar forced the sword downward against Charles's arm.

But Charles let it go—guiding the blade into the ground—and followed up with a blazing upward kick.

Fire Dragon's Claw.

His leg crashed into Ottar's face, making the man stagger two steps. But Ottar immediately swung his sword in retaliation, forcing Charles back.

With a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth, Ottar wiped it with his thumb—his cold expression finally breaking into a wild gleam.

At that moment, the two moved in perfect sync—both activating their burst skills.

"Call of the War Boar!"

"Dragon King's War Form!"

Beastly features surged forth from Ottar, while Charles ignited in raging flame. The two clashed again.

Charles twisted away from a heavy swing—though the gale from Ottar's blade still sliced part of his clothing.

Charles's Malicious Dragon Gauntlet now looked like a dragon's claw, lunging at Ottar's chest.

Ottar raised his sword just in time, deflecting the vicious strike. The next second, their weapons blurred into an exchange too fast for the naked eye.

Every impact would've broken bones and drawn blood from any ordinary high-tier adventurer. But the two of them seemed immune—locked in a frenzy of punches and strikes.

Allen, groaning, used his spear to support himself and walked over to Hedin, scowling.

"We're seriously just going to stand here and watch?"

Hedin shook his head. "This is a battle we can't enter. Damn it... is the gap really that big?"

Hegni, still holding his broken sword, muttered, "Shouldn't we, like… move a little farther back?"

And he had a point—because the next second, their power clashed in full.

The earth exploded beneath them. Stones flew like shrapnel. Trees were shredded by the shockwave.

Was this really a fight between humans?

Everyone watching thought the same thing in stunned silence.

Charles and Ottar paid none of them any mind—they were fully immersed in their battle.

The force of their latest collision pushed them apart for a moment. Ottar growled, his beastly eyes glowing red.

"Fire Dragon King's Crushing Fist!"

Charles punched at the blade swung straight down at him. The resulting explosion sent both flying in opposite directions.

Charles landed first and retaliated instantly—Fire Dragon's Roar erupted from his mouth.

Ottar halted, planted his massive blade in the ground, and blocked the torrent of flames. The Obsidian Sword carved a deep groove in the floor as he slid back under the blast.

With a roar, Ottar cleaved the fire in half.

And in the next instant, both men pierced through the sea of flame—colliding yet again.

The sheer force of their impact carved a vacuum from the fire, extinguishing a massive portion of the blaze.

Their battle raged on—movement, clashing, dodging, striking—tearing through one of the Dungeon's rare underground forests.

The Twenty-First Floor would never be the same again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

They had exchanged so many blows, no one could count.

Charles was now radiating white steam—his Dragon King War Form healing the sword wounds scattered across his body.

Ottar's body, covered in burns and bruises, was recovering under the effects of Call of the War Boar and My Battle, My Existence.

Panting, Ottar now wore a grin. His instincts had been right—Charles was suppressing him in this fight. And it was clear Charles still had more in reserve.

This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.

Letting out one last wordless roar, Ottar began to chant.

"Mercy of the Silver Moon, golden fields of might, bestow upon me the strength to charge forward—war boar of the goddess, trample all who stand in my path!"

Ottar activated his magic—Hiltdis Vini—and golden energy bloomed around him.

Charles didn't know much about this spell, but clearly, it was a power-type enhancement.

No wonder Ottar had defeated Chaldo during the Great War—this spell let him surpass even level boundaries.

Charles grinned wildly. "Now that's more like it!"

He unleashed his full Dragon King form without restriction, his power roaring to maximum.

Golden radiance and burning fire intertwined as the two charged once more.

This time, it was colossal.

The floor of the 20th level crumbled beneath them, the two fighters plummeting through. Mid-air, they clashed again, blasting apart and falling in separate directions.

They landed at the same time.

And without hesitation, each prepared their strongest move.

Charles summoned his Dragon Slayer Secret Art—the flames of Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade condensed onto both hands, then launched like twin dragons toward Ottar.

Ottar leveled his Obsidian Sword—golden energy from Hiltdis Vini flowing into the blade. Then he swung it with all his strength.

To Charles's surprise, Ottar threw the reinforcement spell through the sword as a ranged attack.

What kind of absurd mastery does it take to channel magic like that?!

The golden slash clashed head-on with the Crimson Lotus.

KRAKOOOOOM!

The explosion shook the entire 21st floor.

The 19th through 24th floors of the Dungeon were all forest-themed—each structured differently. The 19th was all canopy and trunks. The 24th was filled with thick, coiled roots.

The 21st was grounded by dense, metallic roots holding everything together.

And yet—even that wasn't enough to withstand the force of the clash.

The ground shattered. Both men plummeted again.

In the exchange of ultimate techniques, Charles's Crimson Lotus flame overpowered Ottar's golden slash.

The resulting explosion blasted Ottar away mid-fall, hurling him off course.

Charles landed with bent knees and perfect balance.

Watching the rising dust where Ottar had fallen, Charles didn't relax for a second.

If Ottar went down that easily, he wouldn't be Ottar.

Then, he heard it.

A wail—echoing deep and loud.

And it didn't come from any ordinary monster.

No, Charles realized. That sound…

It came from the Dungeon itself.

He glanced up at the gaping holes they'd blasted open in the upper floors.

Charles let out a bitter laugh.

"...Don't tell me we've woken that thing up."

(End of Chapter)

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