CHAPTER 953: CHAPTER 731: I’LL TAKE THIS STRIKE

It really should end.

Putting aside the battles of others, the battle on Reiger’s side is already clear as day.

After activating the "Wind," Reiger has been overwhelming Reveis, while he himself remains unscathed, and Reveis is covered in wounds and drenched in blood.

Even though Reveis’s regenerative ability is taking effect, causing smoke to rise from her wounds as they slowly heal, it’s obvious to any onlooker that Reiger will achieve ultimate victory, and Reveis will meet with a devastating defeat.

"D-Damn it...!"

Reveis’s eyes were bloodshot as she attempted to charge at Reiger, but just as she took a step forward, she couldn’t help but fall to one knee, using her pitch-black greatsword embedded in the ground to support her body as blood continued to flow from her.

"Why? Why is it like this?"

Reveis seemed unable to accept this outcome, her hand gripping the sword trembled.

"I’ve been hunting for so long, consuming so many magic stones, even Olivias’s magic stone was eaten by me."

"I should already be the strongest, unable to be defeated by anyone."

"But why? Why do I still lose to a mere Lv.6...!?"

Reveis simply refused to accept all of this.

"The strongest? Unable to lose to anyone?"

Hearing this, Reiger couldn’t help but mockingly speak.

"If you really think that way, then all I can say is, you’re truly pitiful, so out of touch with the world, completely unaware of your true position."

Indeed, Reveis is very strong now, in terms of basic ability parameters, she might even surpass Ota, claiming to be the strongest in all of Orario, or even the entire world, would not be an exaggeration.

But, if she were to fight Ota, the one who would ultimately lose would certainly be Reveis.

Because, having high ability parameters is just an advantage.

Reveis’s ability parameters are higher than Ota’s, but Ota also has magic and skills, and once he uses these powers, he will undoubtedly be able to suppress Reveis.

Furthermore, even without using magic or skills, Ota possesses extraordinary martial prowess, his complete defense is something Reveis definitely cannot break, and she would inevitably be defeated by this martial expert.

In other words, compared to Ota, Reveis still falls significantly short.

Such a Reveis can hardly be called the strongest, let alone being unable to lose to anyone?

As for Reiger, he was already able to fight evenly with Ota when he was Lv.5, even though it was an Ota who didn’t use magic or skills, but utilizing the [Wind Spirit Swift Walk] in conjunction with Wind Breath, coupled with various blessing magics, Reiger could still contend with a peak Lv.7 while holding back.

Now that Reiger has upgraded to Lv.6, even if he only activates [Wind Spirit Swift Walk] and fights using Wind Breath, without using other magic, his combat power is enough to easily crush an average Lv.7.

Reiger is not an ordinary Lv.6, his normal state combat power is not much inferior even when compared to Lv.7.

At the very least, newly promoted Lv.7s like Finn certainly wouldn’t dare to say they could securely defeat Reiger in his normal state, unless they used trump cards such as Finn’s [Fierce Demon Spear].

In such circumstances, Reiger also activated a transcendent level magic such as [Wind Spirit Swift Walk], using it in conjunction with Wind Breath, his ability had long surpassed the Lv.7 realm.

Therefore, even without using other magic, in his current state, Reiger can still easily overwhelm the prior Ota, not to mention Reveis, who falls a bit short compared to Ota.

This result can only be said to be inevitable.

"I admit, you monsters are indeed threatening, being able to become so strong in such a short time by just consuming magic stones, even if it were Ais, even though she’s learned Wind Breath, she probably wouldn’t be able to be your opponent now, right?"

"But unfortunately, Ais has me by her side, and I am within the Loki familia, so the result naturally wouldn’t go as you wish."

"You picked the wrong opponent."

"With me here, you won’t be able to touch Ais."

Reiger’s overly calm words carried a persuasive force that demanded belief.

"...So, haven’t I said it many times already?"

Reveis, whose wounds had almost regenerated, shakily stood up, her eyes glaring at Reiger with hatred.

"Don’t! Underestimate! Me!"

The pride-stricken monster woman, carrying a murderous intent reaching the sky, suddenly stamped the ground fiercely, raising dust and wind, transforming into a ferocious beast, launching at Reiger like a cannonball.

Unfortunately...

"[Open Wound]."

Calmly watching the ferocious Reveis charge towards him, Reiger no longer swung his sword but finally activated a magic not belonging to this world.

In an instant, an astonishing event occurred.

"Boom!"

On Reveis’s body, those wounds that had almost fully regenerated suddenly burst open.

Under the influence of rank magic that could widen an enemy’s wounds and aggravate the injuries, Reveis’s entire body once again became riddled with wounds, blood-soaked.

"Cough...!"

Reveis’s charging figure involuntarily halted, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Not... over... yet...!"

Suffering injuries more serious than when she previously knelt on one knee, Reveis had no intention of stopping or retreating, as if intending to burn her life and give it her all, she growled lowly and took difficult steps towards Reiger’s direction.

"[Flame Volt]."

Greeting Reveis was still Reiger’s calm magic chanting.

"Boom!"

A thick flame thunder immediately tore through the space, crashing onto Reveis’s body, leaving her scorched and lacerated.

"......!"

Reveis let out an inarticulate scream, her whole body nearly engulfed in flames and blown away, but relying on sheer will and defiance, she forced herself to stand firm. Ignoring the nearly burnt clothes and her charred skin, she gritted her teeth and continued to step towards Reiger.

"[Flame Volt]."

The merciless Flame Thunder continued to shoot, striking Reveis and setting her ablaze.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh...!"

Reveis let out a low moan, her body blasted meters away, yet she still managed to stand, trembling legs continuing forward.

"[Flame Volt]."

"[Flame Volt]."

"[Flame Volt]."

Reiger was not moved by Reveis’s astounding tenacity; instead, his gaze grew colder and colder, continuously chanting magic, releasing swift Flame Thunder in a relentless bombardment on Reveis.

Reveis endured the thunderous flames, suppressed her agony, and with trembling, wounded legs and body, roared like a fiend time and again, relentlessly advancing towards Reiger.

Frankly, by this point, even Reiger was almost in awe of this female monster.

Such incredible perseverance... no, it should be called obsession, was indeed rare.

And this was not based on some belief or forced by some uncompromising reason to constantly push beyond limits, but rather from a monster’s desire to harm others, bring offerings to the vile creature, motivated by pride and unwillingness.

To not be outdone by a mere human and to prove herself the stronger, the red-haired female monster burned her own life, striving towards the peak blocking her path.

Finally, enduring the continuous barrage of thick Flame Thunder, the monster with most of her flesh scorched away reached the lofty peak.

"Ugh... aaaaahhhhhhhhhh...!"

She let out a hysterical roar, her hand, burnt to a crisp, clung tightly to the black greatsword without letting go, delivering a final blow using every ounce of her strength towards the adventurer before her.

This strike, its power no less formidable than her full force when unharmed, even miraculously erupted with greater power.

Thus, the slash turned into a flash, the sonic boom turned into a shockwave, causing a faint distortion in space where the black greatsword passed, as if a black flame flickered, creating an illusion (mirage).

Faced with this strike that embodied utmost dignity and defiance, Reiger’s calm facade was ultimately shattered.

"Impressive."

Reiger first uttered a small sigh of admiration.

Then—

"For your determination, I will take this sword strike."

Reiger chanted quietly.

"[Radiant Golden Red Body]."

Crimson golden magical light unfurled on Reiger’s body surface at once.

"Boom!"

The next second, the black slash struck violently.

"Splat!"

The flash-like slash swept across Reiger’s body, cutting down from his left shoulder to the right side of his abdomen, forming a perfect Casual Robe Slash.

The damage from this slash was astonishing and, barring exceptions, should have been able to slice the adversary in two, causing the top half of his body to slide down smoothly along the cut, reminiscent of that certain deceased god of death captain’s demise, with blood spraying everywhere.

However, despite being hit this way, there wasn’t even a cut on Reiger’s body, nor did his steps falter, and his expression remained unchanged from start to finish.

A defensive magic that nullifies the damage caused by an attack with slashing properties rendered the female monster’s final struggle futile.

Immediately after, a wind-covered crystal longsword replaced the black greatsword, turning into a flash, and struck violently.

"Splat!"

This time, blood did indeed spurt out.

And it was a considerable amount.

Empowered by the wind, the slash effortlessly pierced the female monster’s tough skin, cut through her body, in a tit-for-tat manner, similarly slashing down from the left shoulder and cutting out from the posterior side, tracing a Casual Robe Slash.

"————"

Time stood still.

Reiger and Reveis stood opposite each other.

Reiger stood on the left, maintaining the posture after delivering the Fool’s Sword, the crimson golden brilliance on his body gradually fading.

Reveis stood on the right, maintaining the stance of delivering a downward slash with the black greatsword, but blood gushed from her body in torrents.

In the wound, a faintly colored magic stone could still be seen.

That magic stone had also been cleaved, split in two, and gradually disintegrated.

"Reiger... Brilliant... aaaaahhhhhhhhhh...!"

In the end, the sound Reveis made was still full of unwillingness and resentment.

"Bang!"

The multicolored magic stone shattered, and the red-haired female monster gradually faded into ashes and vanished.

The hand that had desperately reached out also dissipated before touching Reiger.

"Clang..."

The black greatsword dropped and hit the ground with a clear, crisp sound, exceptionally distinct.