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Anos had plenty of trump cards now.
Overdrive Mode, Ittō Shura, the dragon souls of the Boosted Gear and Vritra, and several others.
But he had no intention of using any of them.
Why use a battleaxe to kill a chicken?
No, More like swatting a puppy.
…
They moved to an open field outside the city.
Causing trouble right in front of the Adventurers Guild would have been suicide, so they chose a wide, empty area instead.
Out of curiosity, most of the elite members of Loki Familia had followed them there.
"Both of you. I know it's impossible to stop this now, but… keep it under control."
Finn poked with a serious expression.
Bete was a seasoned Level 5 adventurer.
And yet Finn had an odd feeling that Anos would win.
His warning about "holding back" was mostly directed at Anos.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it!"
Bete snapped impatiently, clearly assuming the warning was meant for him.
"Why can't we stop them?"
Ais asked innocently.
She didn't understand why the fight couldn't be prevented. She really didn't want to see one of her Familia members fighting Anos, someone she found strangely comfortable to be around.
"This is clearly Bete's fault. If he would just apologize, then—"
Ais believed she was partly responsible for letting the Minotaur escape earlier, which had led to Bell being put in danger. From her perspective, Bell had simply been adventuring on an appropriate lower floor.
So why was Bete acting like that was strange?
But before Ais could finish speaking, Tiona dragged her away.
Things had already reached the point of no return. If Ais kept talking, she would only make things worse.
"Looks like Ais and I share the same opinion."
Anos smiled and raised his dagger.
He could have used the simulated Holy Sword if he wanted.
But there was no need.
In this world, anything with a strong holy attribute would attract far too much attention.
"Bell, watch carefully. This is real combat."
"Yes!"
Bell responded without hesitation.
Anos had never shown her any proof that he could defeat Bete.
And yet she believed in him completely.
She believed Anos would win.
"Hey, Tiona, give him that."
Bete said irritably.
"Alright, alright."
Tiona casually tossed over a finely forged dagger that looked far superior to the cheap blade Anos was holding.
"Thanks, but I'll pass."
Anos shook his head.
Then—
The small dagger in his hand erupted with silver-blue light.
"I swear this oath."
"There is nothing in this world that I cannot cut."
"This blade exists to sever all things."
"The invincible blade."
Divine Authority, The Silver Hand of Severance.
An overwhelming aura burst from the dagger.
Sharp. Absolute. Unstoppable.
That was the impression everyone present felt the moment they saw it.
"What kind of magic is that? Did he enchant the dagger?!"
Finn immediately tensed.
The blade radiated an astonishing presence.
And… a powerful sense of danger.
"What ability is this?"
Members of Loki Familia stared in disbelief.
"It doesn't look like a forged weapon. More like some kind of enhancement effect."
Riveria analyzed it seriously.
Even she, the Nine Hell Witch and the strongest mage in Orario, had never seen or even heard of magic like this.
"That wolf really kicked a steel wall this time."
Tiona grinned wickedly.
So that was the reason Anos had refused the weapon she offered.
It wasn't arrogance.
His blade was simply far superior.
"That sword… is strong."
A faint light flickered in Ais's eyes.
"So Hestia really did find a powerful adventurer."
Bete took a breath and suppressed his battle instincts.
"What's your level?"
"That move alone earns some respect."
"Just a Level 2."
Anos answered calmly.
It had been over a month since he formed a contract with Goddess Hestia.
He had already reached the peak of Level 2 and could advance to Level 3 at any time.
His status values had reached EX rank.
EX meant surpassing the SSS limit. It represented breaking through the limits of divine blood and the blessing of the gods.
Anos already possessed divine blood and a divine physique, but the growth rate in this world was painfully slow.
Even after improvements made through the Ark's crimson sphere, the fastest method remained the mature system of divine blessings.
Right now, Anos stood at the absolute peak of Level 2.
All that remained was one final catalyst.
"Level 2, huh? Then to keep people from saying I bullied you, I'll fight with one hand."
Bete suggested.
It sounded gentlemanly.
But it was blatant condescension.
"No need."
Anos smiled.
"Trust me, the situation will eventually be reversed."
"If you want me to handicap myself, I can fight you with one hand."
"Or I could just stand here and not move at all."
That was his reply.
You think you're looking down on me?
Actually… it's the other way around.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Tiona burst out laughing without restraint.
For some reason, seeing Bete's irritation made her feel incredibly satisfied.
But after laughing, she noticed something.
The boy facing Bete had looked directly at her.
Sixteen.
That was Anos's physical age.
A boy.
Bete, on the other hand, was a man.
Perhaps that subtle difference in perception was just the way men and women saw things differently.
Calling someone a boy might give the impression of favoring younger men.
And honestly… quite a few women did.
Tiona.
Freya.
And others like them.
"Why is he looking at me like that?"
Tiona wondered if she had laughed too loudly and made herself look rough.
But that wasn't the reason.
Anos had simply noticed the treasure chest that appeared above her head.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations: Treasure chest triggered. Chest rank: Purple.]
[Unlock condition: Shock the upper members of Loki Familia. Requirement: 0/5.]
"Hm... Beating Bete should be enough, right?"
Anos checked through the system.
Not enough.
"Well... Looks like I'll need to put in a little more effort."
He smiled and within two seconds determined the easiest way to accomplish that goal without revealing too much of his true power.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Bete suddenly charged forward.
Was that smile mocking him?
Bete misunderstood the expression completely.
In reality, Anos was just slightly annoyed that the difficulty had increased.
Clang!
A thunderous sound echoed as Bete's greatsword collided with Anos's dagger.
And instantly—
Bete realized something was wrong.
His strength… had disappeared.
No.
It had been redirected.
Just as he suspected.
Anos's custom formations had many applications. They could be used directly or embedded into weapons.
Right now, the formation attached to the magic blade was the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Formation.
A technique that absorbed and redirected force.
Even if Anos had been using Bell's cheap dagger, he still could have blocked the attack.
Of course, after a few strikes, the weapon would eventually shatter from material strain.
But that wasn't a problem now.
Anos had already transformed it into a magic blade.
His control over the authority was still imperfect. In theory, the power could be applied to anything. Hands, weapons, even meteors or continents.
Its potential was limitless.
"Hmph!"
Sensing something strange, Bete pulled back his power and prepared another attack.
But as they continued exchanging probing strikes, he discovered something terrifying.
He couldn't find an opening.
Not a single one.
He was a Level 5 adventurer.
And yet he couldn't read the movements of a Level 2 opponent.
Every attack he made—
Anos countered perfectly.
Every time.
"RAAAAH!!"
Finally, Bete lost his patience.
He unleashed his full power.
At this point, he didn't care if it made him look worse.
Scarlet flames erupted beneath his feet.
Magic.
Hati.
Activated.
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