— How about we start with the two of you against me? Or would you rather do a free-for-all?
Vanitas asked calmly while rolling his shoulders, as if this were nothing more than a casual pastime.
His confidence was absolute.
— I prefer a free-for-all.
Samael answered immediately.
— Me too.
Liu spoke for the first time since they had entered the training hall.
Her voice was low.
Cold.
Almost emotionless.
Vanitas simply shrugged.
— Fine by me. If that's what you prefer…
Even while facing two opponents, his expression remained completely calm.
Then—
Bluish fragments of essence began gathering around his hand.
A beautiful blue spear slowly appeared before the group.
The weapon looked elegant.
But also deadly.
Small bolts of lightning ran across its metallic surface, faintly illuminating Vanitas's blue eyes.
What Samael still didn't know…
Was that he was standing before someone who carried a Divine Lineage.
And another who carried the blessing of a dead goddess.
On the other side, Liu silently summoned a thin silver sword.
Its blade coldly reflected the artificial lights of the hall.
Neither of them wore armor.
That alone said a lot.
Absolute confidence in their own abilities.
Samael observed them both for a moment before summoning his own weapons.
The rusted sword appeared in his right hand.
The spear followed shortly after.
He wanted to test something.
He wanted to understand just how far he could keep up with monsters of this level.
Vanitas lightly spun the blue spear before smiling.
— Ready?
— Yes.
Liu merely gave a silent nod.
And then—
BOOM!
Liu disappeared.
Or rather…
She seemed to disappear.
The next instant, she was already in front of Samael.
The silver sword descended toward his head like a deadly guillotine.
'Fast!'
Samael's eyes widened.
Her speed was comparable to Sunny's without using Shadow Step.
His body reacted on pure instinct.
Samael dodged to the side at the very last second.
SCHLICK!
The blade sliced through the air beside his face.
But Liu didn't stop.
Another strike was already coming from the right.
Fast.
Precise.
Cruel.
At that moment, Samael clearly realized the problem with being in his male form.
His body was still slightly slower than his female form.
The difference was small.
But in battles at this level…
Small differences were fatal.
Before the sword could reach Samael—
CRACK!
The sound of thunder exploded through the hall.
A blue flash tore across the battlefield.
Vanitas appeared beside Liu almost instantly.
His spear struck violently toward the girl's torso.
Liu managed to block at the last second.
CLANG!
The impact launched her several meters backward.
Samael immediately took advantage of the opening.
His spear pierced through the air toward Vanitas's chest.
But the boy simply dodged.
Lightning coursed through his body as he moved.
Too fast.
The next instant—
A fist covered in electricity shot toward Samael's face.
The speed and force behind that punch were absurd.
Samael barely dodged.
But before he could even regain his balance—
The blue spear was already descending toward him like a bolt of lightning.
CLANG!
The rusted sword blocked the strike.
Even so, the impact forced Samael to take an entire step backward.
'Heavy…'
Vanitas's physical strength was monstrous.
Then Liu returned.
The girl appeared silently behind Vanitas while her sword unleashed a brutal sequence of silver slashes.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
Vanitas spun his spear rapidly, defending every attack with absurd precision.
Samael narrowed his eyes.
Then he threw his own spear toward the two of them.
The weapon cut through the air with deadly speed.
Both immediately dodged.
And at that instant—
Samael entered the dance.
His sword fell toward Vanitas in a brutal diagonal strike.
CLANG!
The shaft of the blue spear blocked the rusted blade.
But a second later—
A silver sword passed right before Samael's eyes.
He dodged on pure reflex.
He felt several strands of hair being cut in the process.
'Insane…'
Vanitas's spear descended violently toward Liu.
BOOM!
She parried it perfectly.
But at that moment—
Samael noticed something strange.
A cold mist was slowly beginning to escape from the girl's body.
The surrounding temperature dropped by several degrees.
And as the mist thickened…
Liu seemed to grow stronger.
Faster.
More dangerous.
Samael immediately advanced.
A side kick exploded toward the girl's abdomen.
Liu smoothly stepped backward.
Her sword instantly shot toward Samael's face.
CLANG!
He managed to block it.
But at the exact same moment—
BAM!
A kick covered in lightning slammed into his side guard.
Vanitas had appeared beside him once again.
The impact traveled through Samael's entire arm like a brutal electric discharge.
And for the first time since the sparring began…
He realized something important.
'These two monsters…'
His heart accelerated.
'They're far stronger than I imagined.'
The fight continued.
And little by little…
Samael realized he was falling behind.
Liu became faster and faster as the cold mist surrounding her body intensified.
Her silver sword seemed sharper.
More precise.
More lethal.
At the same time, Vanitas continued matching that absurd increase in power perfectly.
The stronger Liu became…
The more oppressive his presence turned.
CLANG!
Samael blocked another sword strike from Liu while retreating rapidly.
His entire arm trembled.
'Damn it…'
They were pressuring him harder and harder.
Samael narrowed his eyes.
Then he dismissed the spear he had thrown earlier.
But that tiny moment of distraction…
Cost him dearly.
Liu's eyes gleamed coldly.
The silver sword descended toward his head like a deadly guillotine.
At the same time—
CRACK!
A lightning-covered spear came from the right.
Vanitas.
Both attacks arrived simultaneously.
'Shit!'
Samael moved on pure instinct.
He dodged Liu's sword by centimeters while raising the rusted sword to block the blue spear.
BOOOOM!
The impact traveled through his entire arm.
Blue sparks exploded throughout the hall.
Even though he managed to defend himself, his feet slid across the metallic floor.
At that instant, however—
The spear reappeared beside Samael.
He grabbed it immediately.
Then he spun his body.
BAM!
The weapon was kicked violently toward Vanitas like a projectile.
Vanitas raised his own spear and deflected the attack.
But that had only been a distraction.
Samael had already charged toward Liu.
'I need to defeat her first.'
If he kept allowing that mist to grow…
The situation would become even worse.
BOOM!
The rusted sword exploded into a brutal sequence of strikes.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
Fast attacks.
Deadly.
Precise.
Samael pressured Liu relentlessly, giving her no room to breathe.
For a brief instant, it seemed like he might regain control of the fight.
Then—
He realized it.
The same sensation he had felt while fighting Sunny.
Liu was beginning to overpower him technically.
CLANG!
The silver sword redirected his strike.
Another attack came immediately afterward.
Then another.
And another.
Little by little…
Samael began getting pushed backward.
'She's better than me.'
The realization was bitter.
His swordsmanship simply could not keep up with that girl's monstrous precision.
Then—
The sound of thunder echoed through the hall.
CRACK!!!
Samael's eyes widened.
A blue lightning bolt was heading directly toward both of them.
Too fast.
Liu instantly raised her sword.
Samael did the same.
BOOOOOM!!!
The lightning collided against both weapons.
The impact made the entire hall tremble violently.
Samael's arms immediately began to shake.
The pressure behind that attack was absurd.
Even Liu slid several centimeters backward.
Blue sparks danced around the three of them while the smell of ozone filled the air.
Then—
Vanitas slowly walked toward them.
Lightning coursed across his entire body.
His blue eyes glowed like living storms.
And for the first time since the sparring began…
His smile disappeared completely.
— Shall we start fighting seriously?
The question made Samael's heart sink slightly.
Because until that moment…
Vanitas still hadn't been fighting at full strength.