The Steel Energy condensed into the shape of a sharp needle, tearing through the air as it charged forward. Just the touch of its sharp Qi sent shivers down the spine.
Even a Master could die if hit by something like this. But usually, a Master wouldn’t get hit directly without any preparation.
Kwang!
Ardein swung her Dragon Form Technique, cutting through the vanguard of the Qi. She then slightly faltered. Her hand couldn’t completely neutralize the force and trembled faintly.
‘The Dragon Form Technique… was pierced.’
The Steel Energy’s Qi was so sharp that it tore through the Dragon Form Technique wrapped around the sword and still had energy left. It was only because this was the Dragon’s Sword, made from the teeth of a Gold Dragon known for its durability, that the remaining Qi didn’t shatter the sword but instead bounced off.
It was as if the lack of skill was compensated by the weapon. A fearful thought suddenly crossed Ardein’s mind.
‘Could it be that Epirna’s Steel Energy surpasses my Dragon Form Technique?’
[Don’t be afraid. Dragons don’t lose. It’s just that you’re the one losing.]
Azahadaka chimed in. Though it didn’t seem like he was doing much, he had actually been closely observing Epirna since she first arrived here.
[Your Dragon Form Technique is versatile, but it lacks any outstanding features. It’s above average in all aspects, but that’s not always an advantage.]
Epirna’s Steel Energy is harder and sharper than the Dragon Form Technique. It might fall a bit short in stamina and explosive power, but that’s not necessarily important. Strengths can cover weaknesses.
Against a technique that leverages its unique strengths, the Dragon Form Technique is naturally at a disadvantage. It lacks the specific strengths needed to counter the opponent’s advantages.
“Then what should I do…?”
[Hold your ground steadily and look for an opening. That girl, did she swallow some relic left by her kin? She’s protecting herself with some strange magical barrier.]
“A magical barrier?! Then what should we do?”
[If we can just strip that away, one hand will be enough to deal with her. If you can just touch her with the Dragon’s Sword for a moment, I can reverse-engineer the barrier and remove it.]
The most powerful magical force resides in a dragon’s body. The Dragon’s Sword is made from a dragon’s tooth, and a real dragon resides within it.
It’s the reverse scale that can tear through Epirna’s barrier, but the problem is whether we can reach the barrier through the Steel Energy. The Steel Energy condensed, taking the shape of a mace, and was grasped by the tiger’s hand.
“Uwaaaaah!!!”
Leon, letting out a near-scream of a battle cry, charged forward, only to be struck by the mace and sent flying with athud. He almost vomited blood after falling, but the ground was filled with Holy Water, allowing him to spring back up immediately.
“Haa, this is no joke. I thought my bones were broken.”
He tried to express gratitude to Kyle, who was standing back, but quickly shook his head and charged at Epirna. It wouldn’t do for Epirna to realize that the priest was the source of healing.
If there’s a healer, you either kill or incapacitate them first before engaging in battle. It’s dangerous to think Epirna is a fool who wouldn’t know that.
“But I can’t fall before I die!”
He endured with sheer willpower and acted as if he had risen, charging forward. Roka shouted in disbelief.
“Hey, at least fight with something!”
“I don’t need it!! Ura-cha-cha!”
The Flame Energy burst forth, blindingly bright. But it wasn’t hot enough to melt the Steel Energy.
Well, it could have been a bit hotter, but when the energy touched the Steel Energy, it just turned red. That was all.
It could have been worse. It just meant the mace became a hot mace.
“Loser.”
Epirna swung the mace without any change in expression, sending him flying. There was a time, long ago, when that Flame Energy could have melted her Steel Energy.
But now, even excluding her monstrous body, she was incomparable to her past self. A mere loser was laughable, and a stagnant loser wasn’t even worth mentioning.
The Steel Energy’s characteristics are hardness and sturdiness. In terms of durability, it’s almost invincible.
Against something like this, even with the protection of Magical Energy, Roka’s sword made of black steel would be shattered in one strike.
Clang!
“Tch.”
The wolf, looking at the now handle-only sword with an annoyed expression, pulled his left hand and gathered magical energy from all around. The shape of the sun formed on his palm and was shot forward.
Epirna’s expression changed for the first time. She clapped her hands with a look full of interest.
“You might be a bit fun to play with.”
The massive lump of Steel Energy, as heavy as a mountain, refined itself and spewed out tens of thousands of strands of Qi. Even a single strand carried enough Qi to become a blade wind, vibrating as if it would tear everything apart.
When the sun and Qi collided, a sound like a balloon popping was heard, and the sky exploded. The powerful blast swallowed everything around, sweeping away even the Qi.
“Hmm…”
Before the explosion had even fully subsided, the girl swung the now handle-only sword. Her eyes momentarily glowed with the light of the sunset.
Epirna swung her Qi to protect herself, but the sharp Qi crumbled upon touching the sunset light, its edge dulling. It couldn’t block at all, being extinguished upon contact. A single line of sunset light cleanly cut through the tiger.
“Impressive.”
The tiger marveled. The magical barrier surrounding her body was half-destroyed by this single attack. The line of sunset light disappeared after breaking the barrier, but that alone was astonishing.
Breaking a barrier woven by the Demon King himself was an undeniable feat. Since it would regenerate over time, there was no reason to be angry. The tiger smiled brightly for the first time and swung the mace she had created.
Throwing away the now-useless sword, Roka caught the mace with both hands. The upper hand was the wolf’s upper jaw, and the lower hand was the lower jaw.
The image of a wolf’s face, roaring, appeared on both hands. The wolf, with sunlight flashing in its right eye and moonlight in its left, opened its mouth wide and swallowed the mace, then bit down. This was the first real battle use of the Devouring Technique.
“Huaaap!”
With a battle cry, the wolf bit through the mace, shattering it. It gulped down the fragments. But it was clear that it was overexerting itself. It felt like it was pushing beyond its limits just by devouring this.
“The explosive power is impressive, but the foundation of strength is lacking.”
The tiger, still with energy to spare, chuckled and swung another mace. Though she was smiling, her eyes were filled with killing intent.
She didn’t hide her intent to kill. In response, the girl met her gaze without fear, her eyes also filled with killing intent. Epirna laughed. She was genuinely pleased.
“You’ve only just reached the level of a Master, yet you really thought you could defeat me with your foundation? Foolish.”
If this girl had grown a bit stronger before coming here, she might have had the capability to rival her. But as it stands, she’s only a bit more grown than a puppy.
Since she’s caught my eye, I can’t let her live. Tigers never leave future threats alive.
“Let’s end this here.”
“No way!”
“Huh? A human…?”
But then, Ardein charged from afar, swinging the Dragon’s Sword.
Even if Roka struggles to face Epirna one-on-one, there’s no need for that. The wolf isn’t alone.
The tiger snorted. That human woman was no match for her.
“A unique technique, but just that much…”
But this technique wasn’t just any unique technique. Though the mace swung by Epirna’s left hand shattered the Dragon Form Technique, what came next was the problem. Unlike Roka’s sword, the Dragon’s Sword didn’t break and solidly withstood the attack.
Zing!
Then, cracks began to form in the Steel Energy. For the first time, the tiger showed a panicked expression. She had lived a long time, but this was truly the first time she had seen something like this. In fact, she wasn’t even sure if this should be considered Magical Energy.
“What… what is this?”
Everything in the world has its strengths and weaknesses. Where there are strengths, there are naturally weaknesses.
Just as the Dragon Form Technique couldn’t stand against the Steel Energy, now the Steel Energy was starting to show weakness.
Leyman’s own answer to confronting the Demon King.
The Void Sword, being closest to nothingness, splits and shatters the Steel Energy every time it touches it. No matter how hard the Steel Energy is, it’s ultimately just condensed magical energy.
Having lived her entire life in the Eastern Plains, the tiger had a long life but not a broad experience. She hadn’t interacted much with other Masters.
The Void Sword was something she had never even considered, so she was momentarily flustered. She hadn’t expected this human to have such a trump card.
“Hmm…”
She could still win if they fought. The tiger was almost certain of that.
But unlike what she had thought at the start of the battle, it was almost certain that these weren’t just mere prey. What was most annoying was that someone was hiding behind them, continuously empowering them.
“Sigh. Bring it on.”
The insolent wolf, who could have choked on his own arrogance, was already gathering his energy and glaring at her again. This wouldn’t have been possible without someone’s help.
And what about that loser lion? He should have been seriously injured, yet he stood there unharmed, bluffing. The tiger’s eyes sharpened. She refined her Qi without any warning.
“There’s definitely someone among you. Someone healing you.”
Then, she shot out tens of thousands of strands of Qi. Not towards Roka or Ardein, but towards the unarmed beastmen Leon was protecting.
Leon’s face paled as he faced the wave of Qi alone. But then.
Kwoong!
Without any warning, a cabin appeared in front of him, acting as a shield. The Steel Energy’s Qi pierced through the cabin like paper, but its trajectory was inevitably twisted.
It was a cabin made of sturdy oak wood. It could be pierced, but not without resistance.
“Wow.”
The lion let out an involuntary exclamation. As such a large object suddenly appeared, acting as a shield with its mass, the Qi passing through the logs was somewhat depleted.
The rest could be deflected with the power of Flame Energy. Hastily, Roka and Ardein also moved to Leon’s side. Both let out sighs of relief.
The tiger’s eyes sharpened.
