In the next instant, a bone-chilling cold erupted.
Thick ice rapidly spread upward from Uesugi Ryu's lower leg.
It had already reached his thigh, yet he showed no panic.
His eyes remained calm as fine black dragon scales had already covered his entire body.
Black flames flickered across the illusory scales.
Flames and ice collided violently.
The muscles in Uesugi Ryu's thigh tightened.
With a slight exertion of force.
Crack.
The thick ice instantly shattered into countless droplets and shards.
"Oh? So this is your secret technique? Interesting!"
Esdeath's face lit up with excitement.
The slender rapier in her hand instantly transformed into a razor-sharp ice blade.
The blade tore through the air as it slashed toward Uesugi Ryu's chest.
At the same time, the six ice spikes had already torn through his clothes, exposing the toned muscles beneath.
A piercing sound rang out.
Ice crystals struck black scales, producing dazzling showers of sparks.
Uesugi Ryu made no attempt to dodge.
A trace of madness flashed in his golden eyes.
Those ice spikes could not pierce the Black Dragon Scales at all.
But the ice blade in Esdeath's hand was different.
The sharp blade shattered several scales, leaving a long, narrow wound across his chest.
Uesugi Ryu curled his lips into a savage grin.
He suddenly surged forward, nearly crashing directly into Esdeath's arms.
Esdeath instantly understood his intentions.
A flush spread across her face.
"I like you more and more!"
Ice instantly formed over her lower abdomen as she defended with full force.
Uesugi Ryu drove his knee viciously into her stomach.
Boom!
A tremendous shockwave exploded outward.
The ice protecting Esdeath's abdomen shattered.
Her body traced a perfectly straight line as she was blasted away.
"Huff... huff..."
Uesugi Ryu breathed heavily.
Esdeath was even stronger than he had expected.
Not only was her ice manipulation troublesome, but her physical abilities were equally terrifying.
Aside from having a slight speed advantage, he was almost completely outclassed in every other aspect.
Under normal conditions, without Black Dragon Scales, without Teigu, and without dirty tricks, Uesugi Ryu estimated his chances of killing Esdeath in a frontal battle at less than twenty percent.
Trading injuries at the end had been his attempt to end the spar quickly.
If they kept fighting, things would get serious.
After all, this was merely a sparring match.
They were not enemies.
There was no need to fight to the death.
The Black Dragon Scales consumed too much mana.
Even partial coverage drained him significantly, and absorbing damage increased the consumption even further.
Mana: 600/987
"At most, three minutes. If I can't end it by then, things will get troublesome. Looks like replacing Elegy needs to move up the priority list."
Uesugi Ryu thought to himself.
The wound on his chest had already mostly stopped bleeding.
Esdeath's boots crushed the scattered ice beneath her feet.
The crisp cracking echoed across the battlefield.
A thin line of crimson blood trickled from the corner of her lips.
The white mist from her breath came unevenly.
Her breathing had become visibly unstable.
Taking that knee head-on was no joke.
Even for her, it had hurt badly.
Esdeath extended her pink tongue and slowly licked the blood from her lips.
Her military uniform had been torn, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin on her abdomen.
The metallic taste of blood lingered in her mouth.
Yet her azure eyes still blazed with astonishing battle intent.
She suddenly burst into laughter and shouted,
"Again!"
Seeing Esdeath like this, Uesugi Ryu had no intention of continuing.
If they kept fighting, his three-minute limitation would be exposed.
He had no desire to be defeated, dragged back, and end up in some very questionable situation.
He was neither a masochist nor interested in being pinned beneath someone.
Uesugi Ryu quickly used mana to alter his appearance.
To outside observers, he now looked pale and severely weakened.
Since he was acting, he committed fully.
He coughed up a large mouthful of blood, leaned heavily on Elegy, and hurriedly said,
"You win. I'm not your opponent."
Esdeath frowned slightly.
She walked over and carefully examined him for a long moment.
"Was it those black scales just now?"
She had naturally noticed the Black Dragon Scales.
The fact that he had managed to injure her was clearly tied to that strange ability.
Uesugi Ryu nodded.
Lowering his gaze, he discreetly glanced at her abdomen.
There was no bruising at all. It looked completely unharmed.
He sighed regretfully.
"The consumption is a bit high. Looks like I didn't hurt you at all."
Esdeath sheathed her blade and casually brushed the dust from her clothes.
She did not answer his remark.
Her expression remained calm and composed.
Esdeath did not entirely believe his claim about excessive consumption.
But her goal of testing him had already been achieved.
There was no need to rush.
Interesting things were best enjoyed slowly.
Since Uesugi Ryu's identity was still uncertain, and his claim of being a merchant remained unverified, Esdeath temporarily regarded him as an ordinary civilian.
"You're quite impressive."
Esdeath suddenly spoke, her tone carrying genuine praise.
As she spoke, she gently rubbed her abdomen and sighed.
"It's been a long time since anyone made me feel pain."
Then, Esdeath suddenly stepped closer, staring at him curiously.
Uesugi Ryu remained calm, displaying only the appropriate amount of caution.
Esdeath reached out, her pale fingertips lightly touching the Black Dragon tattoo on his chest.
Through his torn clothing, the image of a domineering, ferocious black dragon could be made out.
"Is this some kind of spell tattooed onto your body?"
Esdeath asked, curiosity filling her voice.
"It looks somewhat similar to a group of enemies I encountered before."
Her fingers were ice cold.
A strange glimmer flashed across her face.
Being touched like that made Uesugi Ryu extremely uncomfortable.
He was a married man, after all.
He calmly pulled his coat collar closed.
The wedding ring on his left ring finger struck a brass button with a clear ding.
Esdeath had moved close enough that he could feel her breath.
She naturally noticed the wedding ring.
But she could not care less about such things.
Seeing Uesugi Ryu's apparent embarrassment, Esdeath grabbed his collar.
A smile curved her lips.
Expectation gleamed in her azure eyes.
"Since you lost, that means you're my subordinate now, right?"
Uesugi Ryu nodded.
"Of course. But I do have businesses to manage. I'll need a certain degree of freedom."
Esdeath looked satisfied.
"No problem. From now on, you'll be my direct subordinate."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then her tone turned cold.
"No matter who you really are, tell me your background now."
"I've never seen a merchant who hunts Special-Class Danger Beasts alone."
Esdeath was no fool.
Everything about Uesugi Ryu screamed suspicious.
Even after recruiting him, she would need to observe him for some time before trusting him fully.
Uesugi Ryu was unsurprised.
"My name is Uesugi Ryu. I am a merchant of the Capital."
"I'm sure General Esdeath has heard of Gozuki. He is one of the Prime Minister's military officials. We are business partners."
"Gozuki?"
The name sounded vaguely familiar to Esdeath.
The Prime Minister did seem to have someone by that name under him.
The Three Beasts, having seen the battle end, immediately approached.
Liver cautiously glanced at Uesugi Ryu before speaking.
"General Esdeath, what he says is true."
Nyau held out a military cap.
He handed it to Esdeath.
After putting it on, Esdeath gave Uesugi Ryu an intrigued look.
"General Esdeath, are you alright?"
Nyau glanced at the section of hair that had been cut from Esdeath's long locks and asked worriedly.
Esdeath shook her head, then pointed at Uesugi Ryu.
"Good. He'll be your comrade from now on."
Liver nodded.
Nyau and Daidara curiously examined Uesugi Ryu.
"Yes, General Esdeath! X3"
Esdeath crooked a finger.
The Wyvern obediently trotted over.
She leapt onto its back, tugged the chains, and looked at Uesugi Ryu.
"Now then, we're returning to the Capital. Uesugi Ryu, you're coming too."
Uesugi Ryu said nothing and calmly walked toward the Wyvern.
The creature immediately became restless upon noticing him.
Its feet shifted backward instinctively.
It even retreated slightly.
"Hm?"
Esdeath's expression turned thoughtful.
"Is it afraid of him? That Black Dragon tattoo..."
Uesugi Ryu curiously observed the Wyvern's obvious fear.
This was the first time his Dragon Slayer title had taken effect.
The results were quite impressive.
"Looks like I should capture a dragon as a pet someday."
Esdeath frowned impatiently.
She tightened the chains.
The sound of metal scraping against muscle rang out.
Only after pain forced compliance did the Wyvern finally calm down.
The Three Beasts and Uesugi Ryu climbed onto its back.
With a powerful flap of its wings, the Wyvern carried them toward the Capital.
High in the sky, fierce winds howled.
Uesugi Ryu's tousled hair whipped wildly about.
Honestly, encountering Esdeath by such coincidence had been completely unexpected.
But now that it had happened, there was nothing to be done.
Uesugi Ryu discreetly glanced at the ring on Liver's hand.
Black Marlin could manipulate liquids.
If he could obtain it, Blood Frenzy would become terrifyingly stronger.
It would also help compensate for his current lack of ranged options.
A faint smile appeared on Uesugi Ryu's lips.
"One day, it'll be mine..."