Each time, he dodged her attacks by the narrowest margin, effortlessly, as though it were all just a game.
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That feeling of frustration when you're just about to land a hit but end up striking empty air again made Phryne want to cough up blood.
"Bastard! Do you dare to face me head-on? What's the point of dodging around like some slippery eel!?"
The enraged giantess cursed loudly; perhaps because of her fury, even her usually steady breathing started to become disordered.
What is the highest level of trash talk? It's when you don't even need words, just a look, a gesture, and you can make someone feel the crushing sense of collapse.
At this moment, Phryne was completely being led by the nose by Fron, like a puppet in his palm, toyed with at will.
"That's it? Didn't you say you'd ascended with magic? You're supposedly level 6, right? And yet you can't handle me, a mere level 5? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? Or are you admitting you're just weak?"
"Ahhhh!"
Provoked once again, her obese body trembled uncontrollably, waves of fat rippling as her face turned a terrifying shade of black-red. Her eyes bulged with hatred, blood vessels straining until they looked ready to burst.
She was like an anger balloon about to explode.
Sensing that her mental state had collapsed, Fron flicked his thumb along the shaft of his staff, setting it spinning freely. Then, sidestepping her vertical slash, he counter-thrust with speed invisible to the naked eye!
Swift, sharp, precise, efficient, his clean, sudden counterattack landed before Phryne's mind could even register it.
Pssht!
The crystal glowing with violet light shimmered brilliantly as pain belatedly burst from her shoulder, freezing her in place.
"Im-impossible! One strike pierced through my first-level armor!?"
Fron's lips curled upward. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her with disdain.
"Doesn't your Ishtar Familia gather intelligence before launching attacks? Sorry to say, but aside from being a first-class adventurer, I'm also a blacksmith. Your gear is indeed fine craftsmanship, among high-grade items, even top-tier, but... no matter how perfect an armor is, it always has weak points. Even seamless full plate isn't an exception."
"Allow me to educate you, the weak points of full armor lie at the joints."
"Ankles, knees, waist, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists."
"As a first-class adventurer, you should know that, right? Or has your rage made you too stupid to think!?"
As he spoke, Fron twisted the shaft of his weapon, driving the tip deeper into the wound.
"Raaaah, you bastard!" Grimacing in pain, Phryne gripped the shaft of Fron's staff tightly.
Feeling the gust of wind rising from above, Fron let out a small laugh. Using his left hand on the staff as a pivot, he leaped lightly, spinning his body around.
Riding that momentum, he stretched his legs straight and delivered two spinning kicks that tore through the air, striking directly at her helmet!
Crack! Crack!
With the groan of metal, fissures spread across the armor, and as Phryne screamed in horror, blood gushed from her nose!
"Ahhhhh! My face! You, how dare you damage my beauty! Unforgivable!!!"
The toad went completely insane.
Fron, who had barely done much and only countered a few times, had pushed her to this point.
Compared to the life-and-death battles of his past journeys, this time, it was Fron who was the stronger, and she, the weaker.
However, even while toying with her, he never relaxed his vigilance. Amazoness, when cornered, are the most terrifying, just like certain people he'd known.
He didn't believe Phryne could reach level 5 without having some trump card.
Clang!
Staff and twin axes clashed, sparks flying as the axe blades scraped against the wood.
Though made from the branches of the Sacred Tree, the weapon's performance surpassed even that of refined metal.
Even against the heavy armor of a level 6 adventurer, it was not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
And with its "Durandal" attribute, it was Fron's most reliable weapon.
"As you wish… then, I'll get serious." Putting away his mocking smile, Fron's expression grew calm and focused.
At that moment, he returned to the state of a true first-class adventurer.
Without giving Phryne a chance to adapt to the sudden shift, in the blink of an eye, Fron's attack arrived.
Charge!
Staff in hand, Fron crouched low to dodge her sweeping axe and stepped straight into her defensive zone.
Then, pouring all his strength into his right arm, he unleashed a storm of thrusts, each movement leaving countless afterimages.
Cling-cling-cling-cling-cling!
A level 5 and a level 6 combatant, this was a duel at the pinnacle of skill and power!
In just an instant, the clash sent showers of sparks erupting like fireworks across the chaotic dock, so bright that even Alicia and the others fighting the Violas could see them through the darkness.
"That's… Fron? Who could possibly be fighting him on equal footing?"
Their confusion was natural, after all, level-five Fron ranked among the top fighters in all of Orario.
So anyone capable of battling him must also be a formidable opponent, which astonished Alicia and the rest.
"Could it be…the Freya Familia has intervened?"
"Impossible. If the Freya Familia got involved, that would be an open declaration of war. My guess is, it's the Kali Familia!"
"No way. With Fron's power, aside from the two Amazoness, Bache and Argana, the Kali Familia shouldn't have anyone else that strong!"
Everyone was shocked by the appearance of an enemy capable of standing against Fron.
After all, a level-five was no roadside cabbage.
While Fron grew serious in his fight, elsewhere at that same moment, Ais was sprinting at full speed down the coastal avenue.
Once she escaped the range of the curse, the magical perception she had been suppressing awakened again, turning her into a human radar.
Following Tiona's aura, Ais moved rapidly.
"Hang on, Tiona!"
…
"Heh heh, looks like… we've won, little shorty."
In the harbor town of Melen, inside a lavish mansion, two gods sat facing each other. The atmosphere in the room grew tense.