Drip—drip—
Staring at the split mouth in his black greatsword and the torn webbing between thumb and forefinger, Zald's lips curved.
Strong. Too strong.
All that fighting just now really had been nothing but a warm-up for Takumi. Watching the surging aura climbing off his body and feeling that mounting pressure, Zald's fighting spirit roared to life. To die at the hands of such a hero, to become a stepping stone for a new era—what an honor!
"Forgive me, father god. For partaking of the banquet of the gods. Hunger, entrapping tongue of flame. Devour all, fangs of scorching heat.!"
Eyes blown wide and battle intent flooding his frame, Zald bellowed. He cast the one spell he knew—[Rea Ambrosia]. A vast, otherworldly flame erupted, sheathing the ebon blade and wrapping his entire body. Blood-slicked right hand clamped over the left atop the hilt; he poured every last ounce of might into the sword.
This time the Tyrant wasn't receiving a challenger—he was the one challenging the hero standing beyond his age.
"Rrraaaahhh!!"
With a last life-squeezing roar, Zald unleashed the most resplendent blaze of his life.
Faced with an enemy who embraced death so squarely, Takumi gave him due respect. Up to now he'd met Zald head-on with pure physique; now he summoned the Boosted Gear, the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet.
"Meet your finale, Tyrant who dares challenge a hero!"
"With the Ultimate Flame that burns all things to ash, I acknowledge your resolve and your courage!"
Crimson fire exploded across Takumi, a red dragon's silhouette howling into being. He gathered every thread of muscle power into his right arm and hurled his fist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sonic booms stitched the air as fist met blade. The crimson-gauntleted fist tore through the black greatsword like rotted wood. The world-scouring Ultimate Flame swallowed the Tyrant's fire in a breath. Pulverizing force condensed to a beam and punched through Zald's plate and body in the same heartbeat.
KRAKOOM!!
A column of flame roared skyward, outshining the sun and lancing for the stars. Space itself seemed to warp under the heat. Anyone on the continent need only look up to see that beam threading heaven and earth.
"I've lost, hero—lost and convinced."
"I may not live to witness your glory, but I've been granted a share of it."
"May you one day conquer the Dungeon and slay that damned Black Dragon."
"This is as far as I go. Captain Maxim… I'm coming."
A gentle smile softened Zald's scarred, savage face. With those last words, he drifted away as ash on the wind.
[Ding! Cross-World Gate progress +20%]
[Ding! Randomly plundered traits: Overeat (Purple)]
Overeat (Purple): By eating, you can strengthen yourself; the stronger the thing consumed, the greater your increase.
Drawing his fist back, Takumi exhaled, eyes following the fragments of Zald scattering like motes. To face death so calmly—such a powerhouse deserved respect, and remembrance.
After two seconds of silent mourning, the new trait tugged his attention.
"Overeat… absurdly strong—just comes down to how big your stomach is."
To him, it felt like a variant of [Power of Beasts]. Purple in color, but long-term potential rivaling gold. If Zald hadn't eaten Behemoth's flesh and instead kept building steadily, he would only have grown; it wouldn't have ended here. More than that, this world itself capped him—while Takumi could plane-walk and push this trait's ceiling to the sky.
While he mused, the battlefield held its breath. Up on Babel, the goddess Freya crossed those pale serpent-white legs, silver eyes overflowing with heat.
"Mmm~ my hero…"
Too perfect. Unbearably perfect. With only the curtain barely lifted, Takumi had already taken the summit. How could she not want to make this star her own? She could hardly contain herself; love swelled like a flood.
Down below, a thunder of cheers broke. Voices cried Takumi's name, heralding a hero.
At the center of every gaze, Takumi watched his Cross-World Gate progress rocket. In a single second it broke 500% and kept screaming upward.
"Nice. This dark-faction op really did me a solid." He raised his voice: "The fight's only begun—hurry and reinforce the other fronts!"
Then he shot off. This was prime time to build renown and stack that progress; he wasn't wasting it. Last time, a single Restore had too many adventurers chalking it up as a miracle; his fortune gain barely moved—total scam.
As he cut a path of rescues—making sure people saw who saved them—two razor-sweet voices trilled through the street.
"What a perfect man. Let's hollow him out and make him a darling little doll, big sister Dina! He'd look lovely as a room display!"
"Ooh, wonderful thought, Vena—but before that, I want to dote on this cutie a while, carve his meat out, and grind it into pâté."
"Hee-hee! You let your true feelings slip, Sis~"
"Oh dear, how silly of me! Ah-ha-ha!"
Voices like a duet rose and fell along the avenue. A pair of stunning elf sisters stepped into Takumi's path. Their dancer-like outfits mirrored each other left and right; long hair tied into a side-ponytail on one, twin-tails on the other, both faces skewing girlish.
One had baby-pale skin. The other, a sultry bronzed glow that called forbidden fruit to mind.
The gold-haired fair beauty was the elder, Dina. The silver-haired dusky beauty was the younger, Vena. Takumi had heard their names—the Dis Sisters, captain and vice-captain of the Alecto Familia. Grade-A degenerates who took pleasure in torturing men to death. However pretty, adventurers in Orario scattered at the sight of them.
Fingers laced like innocent sprites at play, they skipped closer—each with a teardrop-shaped tattoo pricked beneath one eye.
And he had to admit—yeah. They were dangerously easy on the eyes.
....
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