Chapter 210
"No. I refuse to believe he can maintain that state indefinitely."
Inside the tavern, a handsome young adventurer slammed one hand against the table, his expression twisted with frustration.
"A ’magic’ that powerful must consume an absurd amount of energy. No matter how talented he is, he’s still only Level 4. He can’t keep it up for long."
The reasoning sounded perfectly sensible, and the people around him quickly nodded.
"That’s right. He won’t be able to act so smug for much longer."
"He’s fighting Ottar. The King’s strength and endurance are both monstrous."
Their confidence restored, the crowd turned back toward the Divine Mirror, eagerly waiting for the moment Kiriya finally began to weaken.
Mama Mia watched the towering red-gold warrior surrounding him with a grave expression.
"How long can you keep that up, boy?"
...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kiriya controlled the armored tengu form of Susanoo, bringing its enormous sword down upon Ottar again and again.
Ottar did not dodge.
He drew the massive greatsword from his back and met every strike head-on.
The weapon was called the Supreme Black Sword.
It had been forged from materials dropped by Udaeus after Ottar defeated the Floor Boss alone, then completed through the combined efforts of the finest smiths in the Goibniu Familia.
It was unquestionably one of Orario’s greatest weapons.
Only a blade of that caliber could withstand Susanoo’s sword without shattering.
Each collision produced a deafening crash.
Sword winds tore across the battlefield, carving enormous scars into the ground.
Stones from the collapsed walls were pulverized by the shock waves and scattered into dust by the violent winds.
"Damn. That strength are terrifying."
Even Kiriya could not help admiring Ottar’s physical strength.
The third stage of Susanoo resembled a god of war. Kiriya was confident that even a Level 6 Floor Boss would be cleaved apart by a single direct strike.
Yet Ottar blocked the enormous blade again and again without giving up a single step.
"Your ability values must already be at the absolute limit of Level 7."
Kiriya spoke suddenly.
Ottar did not answer.
He simply continued swinging the Supreme Black Sword against Susanoo’s blade.
The battle was difficult, but he was accustomed to facing enormous opponents.
Udaeus and Balor were both colossal monsters, and after challenging them alone many times, Ottar had accumulated vast experience fighting enemies far larger than himself.
Of course, Susanoo possessed far greater strength than either Floor Boss.
Kiriya’s sage body and Mangekyō Sharingan brought together the powers of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines.
When combined with Falna and his Skills, the interaction appeared to produce an extraordinary result.
His Susanoo was far more powerful than it had any right to be.
Its movements were still slightly less refined than Ottar’s, but that hardly mattered.
Yasaka Magatama repeatedly interfered from different angles, bombarding Ottar with overwhelming firepower whenever he attempted to exploit an opening.
Even Ottar’s Level 7 Strength and Endurance, both at S rank, were beginning to struggle under the pressure.
Slash! Slash!
Sword winds cut across his body, opening bloody wounds.
The strange, overwhelming force battered his muscles and bones, tearing fibers and bursting countless blood vessels beneath his skin.
Large sections of his body were soon stained red.
Yet the worse his condition became, the brighter Ottar’s eyes shone.
This was it.
This was the pressure he had desired.
This was the battle he had been waiting for!
Kiriya noticed the excitement in his gaze and narrowed his eyes.
BOOM!
Susanoo brought its sword down once more.
Ottar raised the Supreme Black Sword to block, but the force launched him across the battlefield.
He tore through the remaining wall, crashed through the corner of a tower, and finally disappeared beneath the ruins.
BOOM!
The debris exploded outward a moment later.
Ottar emerged from the rubble, his massive body covered in blood while his presence grew even more savage.
His G-rank Strong Body Development Ability and S 999 Endurance had granted him an extraordinary physique.
The previous strike looked devastating, but it had not caused serious internal damage.
Still, enduring attacks forever was not Ottar’s style.
He had already tested the depth of Susanoo’s strength.
Now it was time to destroy it with everything he possessed.
"Mercy of the silver moon, fields of gold, grant this body the form of the raging boar..."
Ottar began chanting.
Golden light appeared around his body.
His eyes remained fixed on Kiriya, filled with solemn intent.
’Try to withstand this.’
"Bearing the will of the goddess, charge ever onward..."
The chant rapidly approached its conclusion.
The golden radiance around Ottar grew increasingly brilliant until he resembled a war god cast entirely in gold.
Then his right foot struck the ground.
Ottar charged.
The distance of more than a thousand meters vanished almost instantly.
He appeared before Kiriya, the Supreme Black Sword blazing with dazzling light as he released a slash of absolute brilliance.
For one moment, Kiriya thought he was watching the sunrise tear through the darkness.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
"RAAAAH!"
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly.
With a roar, Kiriya drove Susanoo’s power to its limit and brought the enormous red-gold sword down upon Ottar.
BOOOOOOM!
Golden and crimson light erupted into the sky.
Everything within several hundred meters was consumed, destroyed, and erased by the collision.
The two colors twisted together, grinding against and canceling one another until both finally vanished.
Watching through the Divine Mirrors, the people of Orario were almost too stunned to speak.
That level of power seemed less like the work of adventurers and more like a clash between gods and demons.
"What happened?"
"Who won?"
"They didn’t kill each other, did they?"
"Don’t say something like that!"
The spectators argued nervously while refusing to look away.
At last, the dust began to settle.
The scene at the center of the battlefield became visible.
Ottar knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
His left shoulder had nearly been split open, and blood poured freely from the wound.
Kiriya was in no better condition.
Most of his armored Susanoo had collapsed.
A horrifying slash stretched from his shoulder to beneath his ribs, nearly cutting his body in half.
Through the wound, sharp-eyed spectators could see pale bone and the movement of his exposed organs.
A collective shudder passed through Orario.
The War Game’s true brutality had finally revealed itself.
"Cough... What was that technique called?"
Kiriya coughed up a large mouthful of blood and asked in a weak voice.
"Afterglow," Ottar answered. "A sword technique I learned from one of the greatest swordsmen."
It compressed the user’s strength to its absolute limit and focused everything into a single strike, producing power that approached the realm of the divine.
"Impressive."
Kiriya praised him sincerely.
"You nearly killed me."
Ability values approaching Level 8, a magic that enhanced his body, and a finishing technique like Afterglow...
There was no shame in the third stage of Susanoo losing to that combination.
Susanoo’s mechanics were exceptional, but Ottar’s raw powers exceeded Kiriya’s by far too much.
"You were impressive as well."
Ottar offered the compliment without reservation.
"But this victory belongs to me."
"Heh. You’re getting ahead of yourself."
Kiriya grinned.
The ability within his right Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
’Time Rewind.’
His body returned to the state it had been in ten seconds earlier.
The chakra he had already consumed remained gone, but his physical injuries vanished completely.
Trading one use of Time Rewind for the opportunity to witness Ottar’s ultimate sword technique had been worthwhile.
"Well then."
Kiriya rolled his neck and smiled.
"Ready for round two?"
Ottar fell silent.
...
"His injuries disappeared instantly."
Not only the adventurers but even the gods stared in disbelief.
"The abilities that boy possesses are far too powerful."
Many deities practically salivated as they watched Kiriya.
Was this also part of his bloodline?
They wanted desperately to study it!
Better yet, they wondered whether his extraordinary traits could be inherited by the next generation.
Countless increasingly shameless ideas flashed through the gods’ minds.
Hestia merely snorted and ignored them.
At this point, nothing in Orario could truly threaten Kiriya.
The gods were bound by their oaths and could not use their divine power, so he was safe.
She had nothing to worry about—
"Kiriya! What are you doing?!"
Hestia slammed both hands onto the table, her sudden movement drawing everyone’s attention.
Kiriya had dismissed Susanoo!
The technique that had crossed several levels and suppressed Ottar had simply vanished.
"What happened? Did Sylvan finally run out of energy?"
"That’s probably it. A technique that powerful couldn’t possibly be free."
"Oh, this is bad. The King is going to crush him now."
"Maybe not. That boy is famous for having an endless supply of hidden cards."
"True. Who knows what else he can do?"
"That uncertainty is exactly what makes this entertaining!"
"Hehehe..."
The audience had not expected Kiriya to release Susanoo.
Neither had Ottar.
"Why did you dismiss it?" he asked.
"No particular reason."
Kiriya stretched his shoulders.
"I’ve finished testing Susanoo."
His smile widened.
"Now it’s time to try something else."