Let's Fight

At this moment, Ais had already realized that in the upcoming final battle, her greatest opponent and enemy would undoubtedly be the freak Revis.

Although this has not yet happened, just thinking about the entanglement between the two so far, Ais is certain that once this final battle begins, even if she doesn't go looking for him, he will definitely come looking for her.

Even if it weren't for the purpose of completely determining a winner and loser, but because of Kai's covetous desire for the Fairy Blood within her body and his constant yearning to devour her Corrupted Fairy, that strange woman, Revis, would unhesitatingly make her her biggest target.

And so it was with me; ever since the moment she called me "Aria" in Rivira Town on the 18th Floor, I could no longer regard her as an ordinary opponent or enemy.

Whether for his own sake or for the sake of that name that belonged only to his mother, he had to deal with that weirdo himself.

The two have been evenly matched so far. From the initial battle in Rivira Town on the 18th Floor where the opponent was able to suppress him, to the later battle in the food warehouse on the 24th Floor where he was suppressed, and then to the last battle in the Artificial Labyrinth of Knossos where he was suppressed again, their strength levels have been constantly changing and intertwined, and no real winner has yet been determined.

Now, the greatest crisis to Power of Destruction the city has arrived. The enemy has gone all out and used their final means. Our side is also gathering forces to completely crush the enemy's conspiracy. The atmosphere of the final battle has been fully launched. The battle between the two has been undecided until now, and there will surely be a result.

Realizing this, Ais felt both motivated and pressured.

After all, she is no longer a match for Revis.

The opponent's current strength has definitely reached the Lv.7 level. Even if I can use [Ariel] to greatly increase my stats, judging from the last result, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to defeat the opponent.

If it weren't for the assistance of Leo's Star Beast Leo Star, which firmly restrained Revis's swords and limbs last time, Ais was certain that she would never have been able to force Revis to retreat.

Under these circumstances, how can I use my strength to defeat my opponent when the final battle arrives?

Do we really need Leo's help?

The thought of this made Ais feel resentful.

She wanted to defeat that strange man herself, to defeat Revis.

Based on the current situation, it seems more likely that I would lose if I were to face my opponent one-on-one.

I've only recently leveled up, so it's impossible for me to rely on the miracle of Level Ascension to overturn the balance of power and become stronger again, just like last time.

"----I wish I could become stronger as quickly as you."

L

Without realizing it, Ais blurted out those words.

This isn't the first time Ais has said something like this.

But this time it's different.

In the past, when Ais said this, her tone was more of an expression of envy.

Now, when she says these words again, her tone is filled with more resentment than anything else.

Leo understood Ais's meaning, and he understood her true feelings.

Then----

"Ais," Leo suddenly spoke up, "Let's fight."

Ais was stunned.

"----Fight?"

This sudden invitation left Ais somewhat slow to react.

"Although we've faced each other quite a few times, those experiences were mostly for practice and learning, right?"

Leo looked into Ais's eyes and said those words.

That look, that tone of voice, gave Ais a strange sense of pressure.

That wasn't the look or tone of Leo would normally give him.

In the past, when Leo challenged Ais to a duel, the way he looked at her was as if she were a role model, a trustworthy companion. His tone of voice was that of a mentor and friend, clearly placing Ais in a position of higher importance than himself.

Now, the way Leo looked at her and the tone of his voice no longer evoked the same feelings as before.

The subtle sense of oppression hidden beneath the familiarity told Ais that Leo did not see her as someone worthy of learning from or consulting, but rather as a true rival.

That is indeed the case.

"This time, let's go all out and fight a good battle."

Upon hearing this, Ais remained silent for a long while before nodding heavily.

"Good."

She also wanted to know just how strong Leo had become.

Dungeon, 10th Floor.

When the ground is completely plunged into darkness, and the entire Orario is shrouded in night, the scenery here remains unchanged for ten years, as if time itself has stood still, making it impossible to distinguish between night and day.

The wooden walls were covered with moss, and the ground was covered with short grass. The phosphorescence that descended from above resembled the sunlight, faintly illuminating the entire wilderness. However, a white mist that was enough to obstruct the view was always present, making the light from the ceiling less brilliant than the sunlight, reminiscent of a morning misty dawn.

At this time, there were naturally no adventurers in the Dungeon; only monsters roamed there.

It was under these circumstances that Leo and Ais arrived side by side, stepping into this mist-shrouded grassland, standing facing each other from a distance.

That's right, after deciding to fight, the two immediately set the battlefield in the Dungeon, rather than on the surface.

If it's just for practice, the courtyard of the Twilight Manor is enough for the two of them to practice. But if they're going to have a full-on battle, that kind of space will only limit their performance.

Both Leo and Ais are now Level 6 adventurers, not just ordinary Level 6 adventurers. If they go all out, not only the courtyard of the Twilight Manor, but any place in the city would be a battlefield, unless they are determined to cause destruction.

Therefore, the two of them arrived at the Dungeon without prior arrangement and chose a sufficiently deep floor that would not attract the attention of others, namely the 10th Floor.

Here, no matter how much the two of them joke around, it won't attract anyone's attention, and they don't have to worry about making any big commotion.

They can unleash their full potential and fight with complete abandon.

"Let's fight to our hearts' content!"

Leo and Ais both saw this meaning in each other's eyes.

What follows is self-evident.

"Bass!"

The sound of swords being drawn echoed in the silent building, clear and melodious.

Leo and Ais simultaneously drew their swords in the most standard posture, and as if looking in a mirror, they held their swords with one hand, pointing the tips at each other.

A weapon gleaming with platinum light.

A weapon shimmering with silver light.

Two indestructible swords, renowned throughout Orario and even the Lower World, faced each other at this moment, their sharpness instantly scaring away the nearby monsters.

In this upper realm, which even Lv.1 adventurers can conquer, the mere presence of two Lv.6 level 1 adventurers in battle is enough to send all the weaker monsters on this floor fleeing for their lives.

In other words, nothing else will disturb the two of them.

"Bring it on."

Leo spoke first, uttering a few words.

In the past, when the two fought like this, Leo was usually the one who struck first.

Because he was the weaker party, Ais would naturally let him go first.

But this time, Leo gave up the initiative.

This also silently declares that this is not a practice session, but a real battle.

Ais understood Leo's meaning, and her eyes instantly turned sharp.

"Call"

With a gust of wind, Ais dashed out and rushed towards Leo.

The whistling wind rang clearly through the misty white fog, propelling the golden figure as if it were riding the wind and waves, parting the fog and shooting straight towards Leo's location.

That speed was something that had never been seen in previous sparring sessions.

This is a speed that Ais only uses when slaying monsters and dealing with real enemies.

There was no need to use it on Leo before; if you did, he would be defeated in an instant.

But now, Ais has to be used.

"Whoosh!"

Before the man arrived, the sword was already drawn.

The moment the sound of wind breaking rang out, the silver military knife transformed into a flash of light, slashing towards Leo with unstoppable force.

Ais used her true skill in this sword strike.

Aside from not intentionally aiming for a vital spot, Ais unleashed this sword strike without holding back.

Such a sword strike would instantly cleave even a monster from the deepest realm, classified as level 5, in two, leaving it no time to react.

In the entire Orario, there are very few adventurers who can withstand such a sword strike; even a Level 6 adventurer would find it difficult to do so.

This is the sword of the city's strongest female swordsman. It is as swift as a storm and as fast as lightning. In an instant, it can cut powerful monsters into pieces. It is the ultimate demon-hunting sword.

Unfortunately, the opponent of this sword is no longer the same as before.

"Clang!"

A split second before the resounding clash of weapons, the gleaming silver-white military knife was intercepted by a dazzling platinum blade.

It seemed to appear out of thin air in front of the slash's trajectory; although it was a follow-up attack, it took the initiative, suddenly deflecting Ais's powerful sword strike.

The immense impact of the clash between the two swords was transmitted to Ais, causing her expression to change and her body to be thrown backward as if she had been blasted away.

In that instant, Leo, who had deflected Ais's slash with his sword, suddenly took a step forward, easily reducing the distance between the two to zero.

His gaze was calm, Starlight in his hand drew a famous arc as he slashed towards Ais. The speed of the slash was even greater than Ais's previous sword strike.

No, in comparison, Leo's sword strike seemed to be even faster.

"!!!"

Ais felt as if a sharp force had sliced her cheek, scraping it painfully. By the time she realized what was happening, Leo's sword was already at her feet, causing her pupils to shrink and her heart to tremble.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew out like an explosion, and at the last second, Ais blocked Leo's attack with her Desperate, and was forced back again.

Clang--Clang--Clang-

Leo, as if he had won the argument, unleashed three sword strikes in an instant, each one more cunning and swift than the last, leaving Ais somewhat disheveled and unable to parry.

After three sword strikes, Leo thrust his sword straight at Ais's face with a flash of light, forcing her to flip over and perform several backflips to create distance from Leo before she could avoid the attack.

"Call----"

Ais exhaled hot breath, Ais then belatedly realizing that her forehead and back were covered in cold sweat.

Clearly, those few exchanges of attack and defense had put this strongest female swordsman in the city in grave danger, leaving her trembling with fear.

Realizing this, Ais's gaze towards Leo completely changed.

"What? Didn't expect I could do this?"

Leo seemed to be able to read minds and guessed what Ais was thinking.

"Don't be surprised. Although I learned my swordsmanship from you, my combat skills and fighting spirit have been improving ever since I started receiving instruction from the captain. Even if I wouldn't say I've completely caught up with you, the gap isn't as unimaginably large as it used to be."

Leo readjusted his stance, holding the sword in one hand, the tip once again pointing towards Ais.

"Plus, my current abilities have completely surpassed yours. With both combined, suppressing you like this shouldn't be too difficult."

It's worth noting that at Lv.5, Leo already possessed stats comparable to Lv.6. Now that he's reached Lv.6, and all his stats were at the highest SSS level before the upgrade, coupled with the improved "Swordsman" development ability, his melee combat strength has naturally made another leap forward, reaching a level that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

To put it bluntly, even with just his melee abilities, Leo is now capable of fighting against a regular Lv.7.

His potential is simply too high. Before Lv.5, all four basic abilities—"Strength," "Endurance," "Dexterity," and "Agility"—were already at SS level before being upgraded. When he reached Lv.5 and Lv.6, he even achieved SSS in all abilities. In addition, his "Swordsman" development ability had reached the H stage, and with the overpowered skill [Crossed Star Swords], in terms of ability values alone, Leo is really not much worse than an ordinary Lv.7.

With such powerful stats, as long as his skills aren't too lacking, Leo is unlikely to lose to a swordsman of the same level.

Suppressing Ais in her current state is simply a matter of course.

"I'm not the same person I used to be, the one who needed your protection anymore, Ais."

Leo stared directly at the golden figure before him, a figure of great influence and significance on his life, and spoke frankly.

"Use [Ariel], Ais, otherwise you won't be able to beat me now."

Upon hearing this, Ais's eyes trembled slightly, and she fell silent.

"Good."

After a long pause, Ais gave her answer as if she had made up her mind.

She closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them.

"[Wake up.]"

A resolute chant rang out, and the miracle belonging to the Great Fairy was awakened and erupted.

"[Ariel]!"

The surrounding fog became chaotic.

The atmosphere was stirred up, causing streams of air to drift in from all directions.

They entangled Ais's body and Ais sword, transforming into a raging wind that howled continuously.

Having received the greatest Falna from her mother, the girl rose with the wind, kicked the earth, and charged towards Leo.

Leo immediately raised his sword to meet the attack.

The real battle is about to begin.