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"But no matter what happens in battle, you can't ever let your guard down."
Minato pointed out:
"For example, your enemies… they're not that easy to deal with."
"Huh?" Utaha blinked in confusion.
"They're the Phoenix Clan—nicknamed the Immortal Birds."
Minato shook his head. "They're not all that strong, but they really are hard to kill."
Hearing this, Utaha instinctively turned to look.
All she saw was scorched earth and patches of dying flames.
Aside from Riser, over a dozen people lay on the ground, seemingly defeated.
But their bodies… were suddenly radiating life again. Their injuries were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And before long, they all stood back up like nothing had happened—just brushing themselves off.
"Phoenix Tears,"
Minato explained. "Their clan's secret treasure. It can instantly heal any injury."
"They have something like that?"
Utaha twitched at the corners of her mouth, silent for a moment before saying, "Isn't that basically cheating?"
Instant recovery from all injuries?
Isn't that totally broken?
"Young man, I'll admit your followers are stronger than I expected."
Riser's face was calm again as he said coldly, "But with Phoenix Tears on our side, you're still going to lose."
"What blind confidence."
Minato shook his head. "You're just a bunch of small fry. So what if you can heal?"
"He's right,"
Esdeath stepped forward from behind Minato, her long legs striding out as her murderous aura flared.
"At worst, we'll just kill you a few more times."
"Besides, even the best treasure's useless… if you don't get a chance to use it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Esdeath casually lifted a hand.
Mini Ice Storm General!
A terrifying cold wind swept across the area like a hurricane. Not just the streets, but the entire pocket dimension began freezing over at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Riser and the others didn't even have time to react before they were turned into frozen statues—every one of them with shocked, disbelieving looks locked on their faces.
"Her cold aura… Esdeath's gotten stronger,"
Minato muttered to himself as he watched.
After becoming a demon…
Especially Esdeath and Akame—freed from their human limits—they'd been growing stronger at lightning speed.
"She really is terrifying."
Utaha swallowed hard, but then, as if thinking of something, a grin crept across her face.
Hmph.
No matter how strong she is…
When it comes to team fights, she's still trash in front of Master.
Feeling her confidence return, Utaha puffed out her chest proudly.
"…Esdeath."
That woman… seems to be thinking something rude again?
But before she could say anything, Esdeath let out a small "Huh?"
Because in that frozen battlefield, Riser's ice statue began trembling.
Flames flared visibly from within.
And then—
The statue instantly melted into water.
Riser reappeared, looking a little rough but very much alive.
"Oh? Not bad,"
Esdeath's eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous smile played at her lips. "Looks like this hunt might be fun after all."
The moment she finished, an ice blade appeared in her hand.
"A mere reincarnated demon…"
Riser snarled as flames surged around him, forming a vortex that roared in all directions.
And then—
Boom!
They both charged at the same time.
It was like a head-on collision of fire and ice.
The whole street transformed into a battlefield of extremes—half frozen wasteland, half blazing inferno.
Ice and fire clashed violently, the impact echoing like thunder.
Esdeath slashed with one hand, sending countless ice spikes flying, cutting through the flames. At the same time, her ice blade struck Riser directly.
Splurt!Splurt!
Deep gashes opened all over Riser's body—so deep they showed bone.
In raw strength, he wasn't necessarily weaker than Esdeath.
But her combat experience and instincts?
Far above his.
"Argh!!"
With a cry of pain, one of Riser's arms flew through the air.
He was sent flying like a missile, carving a long trench into the ground.
"You…"
Riser's face twisted, full of disbelief.
He'd just lost… to a lower-rank demon?
"Fine, fine. Let's see how many times you can beat me."
Looking at Esdeath—still flawless and untouched—Riser's face turned dark and venomous. "Because I… am immortal!"
His furious voice echoed as the flesh on his severed arm began squirming.
Pop!
A brand-new arm burst out from the stump.
"You think being immortal means you can just drag this out forever?"
Esdeath scoffed. "And they call you a high-rank demon? You're just trash."
To someone like her—a battle maniac—this kind of fight was pathetic.
She craved bloodshed between equals, life-or-death clashes.
Not this—an unkillable weakling who refused to fall.
"You were trash from the start,"
Minato walked forward and said, "Let me handle this. It'll be hard for you to kill him."
"Alright!"
Esdeath nodded and stepped behind him.
Looking at Riser, Minato smiled. "Even if you're trash, at least you helped my followers gain some battle experience. So, not a total waste."
He was smiling, but his eyes were growing colder.
Now that he'd squeezed all the value out of this guy…
It was time to end the farce.
"What did you say?!"
Repeatedly being insulted, Riser snapped. "Arrogant fool! You can't kill me! I'm going to—"
He never finished his sentence.
Minato just casually raised his hand… and waved.
In that instant—
A golden bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
Origin Magic, for the first time, truly revealed itself to the world.
Crashhh!
The golden thunder roared across heaven and earth, its terrifying pressure shaking the entire dimension.
"What kind of magic is that?!"
Riser's pupils shrank, fear flashing in his eyes.
His voice trembled—he couldn't hide it.
His instincts were screaming:That magic could erase his soul.
"Die."
Almost on reflex, Riser poured out all his power. Flames erupted like a tsunami, slamming into the lightning.
But—
The moment they met.
The flames collapsed like dust.
And Riser's entire body was swallowed by the golden lightning—completely and utterly obliterated.
As if… he'd been erased from existence.
Riser… was dead?
Sona Shitori's eyes went wide.
"'Immortal'... yeah, right."
Minato lowered his hand, a cold smirk on his face.
In this world—
There's no such thing as true immortality.
As long as the soul can be destroyed, anything can die.
And his Origin Magic—by its very nature—could return all of existence to nothing.
"....."