Chapter 220

We followed the guide to a place called the Duel Arena. Though it’s called an arena, it’s actually an open basin.

The only peculiar thing was that the ground was so smooth that not a single pebble could be seen. Clearly, there were traces of human hands at work.

“The Queen ordered people to pick out the stones,” a fox answered a question no one had asked. It seemed Epirna was taking this Beast King Tournament more seriously than we thought.

“That’s why the ground is so clean now. She will be here soon. Please wait a moment.”

There were no traps as we had feared. Perhaps the Tiger was too proud to rely on such things.

We waited for her in silence. Even the passing wind seemed to sense the atmosphere, blowing heavily instead of lightly.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

The heavy sound of the wind and a dull thud echoed in harmony. A massive figure was slowly approaching from afar.

Compared to the thing that sank the earth with each step, the woman standing beside it looked incredibly small. That must have been normal.

“Impressive,” she said, her eyes flashing as she looked at us, but that was all. She reached out to stop the Hydra, ignoring its dissatisfied roars, and strode forward.

She didn’t attack us with the monster. In fact, Epirna, whom we met again, didn’t exude any special aura to pressure us.

Only a heavy, rock-like feeling was strongly present. Even the towering monster with nine heads swaying behind her seemed smaller than Epirna.

It wasn’t that her level had risen in such a short time. It was just that this time, she was determined to go all out.

“I didn’t think you’d really come to find me.”

The monster we had already seen, the Venomous Hydra, stretched its massive body. To the right of the monster, another strange creature appeared.

Since it was our first time seeing it, we weren’t particularly impressed, but Sir Leon was so shocked that his hands trembled. It wasn’t his hands—his legs were shaking.

“That, that thing… yes, now that I think about it, that thing must be…!”

“I thought you’d run away. Like the Wolf always does. I thought you’d tuck your tail and run, and I’d have to chase you. But you came here. I like your guts.”

Ignoring Sir Leon completely, the woman focused her gaze on Roka. Taking advantage of the moment, I also examined the huge monster. Despite its size, it looked incredibly agile.

A lizard with a chicken’s face. But it only had two legs, with forelimbs instead. For a moment, my eyes met the creature’s.

Its beak—or rather, its mouth—twitched. It wasn’t an illusion. The creature was smiling.

Sir Leon shouted urgently, “Don’t look into its eyes! That thing is a Cockatrice! If you get hit by the strange light from its eyes, even a Master will be petrified!”

“Is that your trump card? Funny. You were the one planning to attack me using the power of monsters, yet you dare to talk about my guts? What does the Wolf matter?”

“Truly strong individuals can even undo petrification on their own. And bringing these creatures here isn’t to defeat you. Let’s just say it’s my desire for a fair duel.”

*Click.* She pointed at us with her hand, her finger precisely aimed at Yanid.

“Honestly, I thought there was a 50% chance you’d run away. Even if not, I thought you’d come in a mob to defeat me. I judged the probability of you accepting a one-on-one duel to be less than 10%, but in the end, you didn’t.”

Now, the two monsters stood motionless, watching over Epirna. Only she strode forward.

“Even though you’ve just become a Master, your courage is truly admirable. Since you’ve shown such courage, it’s only proper for a King to respond to a challenger.”

She spread her arms and spun around. It didn’t seem to have any particular meaning—it was more like she was appraising the arena where she would duel.

Her brow furrowed slightly, as if dissatisfied, but she soon shook her head as if it were nothing. Then she muttered softly, “Come here. If you don’t like the location, we can move. I’m always serious about duels.”

*Clang!*

Roka finally drew her sword. Even as the cold light from the blade shone, the Tiger’s expression didn’t change.

“Did you really come here believing in that? If so, you’re truly foolish. There is no strongest weapon. Only the strongest individual. Can you even fully wield that weapon?”

“I didn’t come here just believing in this. Let’s stop talking. We didn’t come here to fight with words.”

Indeed, she had changed. The Roka I knew before would have fallen for the provocation and gotten angry, or charged in swinging her sword. But now, she calmly brushed off the taunt.

Even a glance showed no sign of anger. Nor was there any sign of joy.

She simply stood there, holding her sword with determination, ready to do her best in this place.

Did she sense something from that child? Epirna remained silent for a moment.

“Perhaps giving you two weeks was my mistake.”

She glanced around. We followed her gaze and looked around as well.

Before we knew it, a group of beastmen, their hands sweating, were watching us from a distance. Thinking about it, this fight was to determine their King.

“But even so, I won’t go back on my word. Since enough people have gathered, let’s begin. You don’t need more time to prepare, do you?”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere of the place. Despite the large crowd, the place was as silent as a mouse.

No one dared to make a sound. They just watched the current King and the challenger with anxious eyes.

Roka suddenly turned to me and nodded.

“I’ll definitely win and come back. Don’t worry.”

I wasn’t worried.

Because I believe in you.

“Since you’re doing it, come back victorious. Even if you don’t win, come back healthy.”

“Yes. Definitely.”

The child, clenching her fists with determination, strode toward Epirna. In contrast, we stepped back to keep our distance.

With Epirna and Roka between us, everyone else stepped back, maintaining their distance. The two moved almost simultaneously.

The magical power around them surged like waves during a storm. It was so intense that getting close was dangerous.

As if no one could interfere in this battle, the fierce energies clashed. The first thing to break through the storm was the Tiger’s roar.

*Roar!*

As soon as the battle began, the Tiger’s roar, which could shake a person’s heart, echoed through the mountains. It didn’t just shake the world—it shook people’s hearts. The weak clutched their chests and collapsed, while the strong stood stiff, unable to move.

*Roar!*

The second Tiger’s roar tore through the world with a menacing force. It shook everything. This time, the sound itself had physical power, and a gale howled as it spread wildly. Everyone’s faces turned pale. Of course, there were exceptions.

“Even if the races are different, they think alike, huh? That roar. It’s similar to your Dragon’s Roar, isn’t it?”

The Evil God, a pure spectator, could truly enjoy this fight regardless of the outcome. Oberta grabbed Yanid beside her and chattered. Yanid, who had been intently watching Epirna, shook her head.

“It’s different. I can’t quite put it into words, but definitely.”

The second roar was stronger than the first, and the third would likely be even stronger. It was a kind of chain technique that continuously amplified its power.

The roar’s power increased with each use. While it might seem similar to the Dragon’s Roar, which unleashes all its power at once, it was completely different.

This was something entirely unique, likely a technique Epirna herself had created. No one had ever seen such a technique before.

“To think she was hiding something like this. That woman didn’t go all out in our last fight. Just how deep does her power go…?”

Leon’s hands trembled. Only then did he realize his mistake.

Epirna’s capabilities were completely beyond calculation. Soon, he would feel that fact even more thoroughly.

*Roar!*

The third Tiger’s roar struck like lightning and echoed like thunder. The sky resonated, vibrating as the massive sound carried a domineering force.

Anyone weak-willed would lose their spirit just hearing it. With ordinary resolve, it would be difficult just to stand before Epirna and keep one’s composure.

“You could have stopped me midway, but you just listened quietly.”

After unleashing the third roar, Epirna cleared her throat and spoke again.

A fourth roar was theoretically possible, but it would take all her strength just to unleash one. That was the limit of the chain technique.

As the power increased, the energy consumed also grew exponentially. Still, if she could withstand up to the third roar, she clearly had the qualifications to compete with her in strength.

That’s why her tone became more polite. Her opponent was undoubtedly the strongest among the beastmen she had met. Among the ‘beastmen,’ that is.

“Can you guess why?”

“You’re holding back your own strength, so there’s no reason to stop you.”

Roka smirked as she retorted. If she could deflect the rain falling from the sky, what was so hard about deflecting the power in a roar?

When force meets force, difficult situations can arise, but focusing on deflecting can make things easier. This was one of those times. Roka smiled brightly.

“You wouldn’t call me cowardly, would you?”

“Haha, of course not. I’m happy. Truly happy.”

The Tiger’s eyes turned from white to the color of raw steel. Soon, they gleamed with a fierce light.

“Fighting you seems like it’ll be fun.”