Sparring

"Are you ready?"

"Absolutely no problem, Father!"

Feeling Naiyuan's gaze, Aura answered energetically. Father was watching her, and she could not let him down. So, sorry, Lord Momonga.

Aura stared solemnly at Momonga before her as magic continuously gathered within her body. She planned to seize the initiative and strike first, suppressing Momonga, a Magic Caster, from the very start and taking control of the battle.

"Naiyuan, will Momonga be okay?" Herohero asked worriedly as he looked at his friend.

"Don't worry. Since he asked to fight Aura, that means he already has a plan. After all, he never fights a battle he isn't sure he can win."

Naiyuan explained it to Herohero. Did he not understand Momonga's personality?

As a max-level NPC created by Bukubukuchagama, Aura was extremely powerful. Whether in class skill combinations or equipment, she was at the top level. Now that she possessed intelligence, she was no longer a robot that could only follow orders as before.

Aura had the Beast Tamer class and could summon large numbers of magical beasts around level ninety. If one did not know her information, it was easy to be forced into a passive position. Countless magical beasts would unleash a chaotic barrage of skills and magic, enough to give even max-level Players a headache.

But for Momonga, who knew everything about his opponent, the outcome had actually been decided long ago.

In this game, where money could change everything, as long as one spent enough, there were countless ways to nullify an opponent's summons. All kinds of bizarre special items emerged endlessly. Even Naiyuan had to admire the game developers' methods. Keeping a game like this running for twelve years was quite impressive.

Take Naiyuan himself as an example. As the ultimate big spender, he had raised his classes, race, and resistances through spending to a terrifying level.

Name: Naiyuan

Race: Dragonoid lv15

Calamity Dragonoid lv10

Dragon Lord lv5

???

Class: Sword Saint lv10

Dragon Mage lv10

Dragon Slayer lv5

???

Karma Value: 15

With the help of Pay-to-Win Items, Naiyuan did not need to choose the basic classes required for advanced classes. He could skip those foundational classes entirely and directly select more powerful rare classes like Sword Saint and Dragon Mage.

His powerful melee classes combined with terrifying magical damage made Naiyuan the strongest at PvP among Nazarick's forty-two members. Even Touch Me, who possessed the [World Champion] class, willingly conceded defeat. In Dragonoid form, Naiyuan could fight him on roughly even terms; in calamity form, he held a clear advantage; and after complete Dragon Transformation, he could overwhelmingly crush him.

If he had not felt that Dragon Slayer suited him better, Naiyuan had actually planned to snatch a World Disaster class to try out.

After all, as the strongest magic damage class, it interested Naiyuan greatly. But in the end, considering its synergy with classes like Dragon Mage and Dragon Slayer, he chose to give it up.

If one only knew how to choose powerful classes without planning them properly, then the character would be ruined. As a perfectionist, Naiyuan did not want that to happen.

Momonga's point of view.

"Lord Momonga, I'm coming!"

Aura swung the whip-like weapon in her hand and spoke excitedly.

It gave off an intense sense of déjà vu, making the two spectators pause. Why did this feel strange?

That weapon combined with those words was not good.

Momonga gave her weapon an odd look and silently complained. At the same time, a magic circle slowly formed in his hand, and dark red gas turned into a thin film that covered his body.

[Crimson Guard]

This was a defensive skill Momonga, as a Skeleton Archmage, could learn at level eighty. It belonged to Ninth Tier Magic. It increased his defense and reflected part of an enemy's damage when attacked, along with inflicting a stiffening effect.

"Come on! Let me see what a Floor Guardian is capable of!"

Momonga continuously applied various defensive and enhancement spells to himself while taking a stance and watching Aura. After all, he was now a Supreme Being. Sneak attacks did not suit his status, so he could only let his subordinate attack first. He could only put a few beneficial spells on himself.

Thirty enhancement spells should be enough, right? Forget it, I should add a few more. If I get careless, I'll suffer for it.

After thinking it over, Momonga began applying more buffs. Only then could he feel at ease.

Aura planted her feet and rushed toward him. Flames began spreading along the whip in her left hand, while a magic circle activated in her right.

Aura clearly understood her own strengths and weaknesses. Compared to close combat, she was actually better suited for long-range attacks. But against Lord Momonga, a Magic Caster, opening the distance was undoubtedly the stupidest choice. Her only opening was to force the battle into close quarters; only then did she stand a chance.

Although NPCs during the game period could only fight automatically and had no real combat experience, their creators had already input all kinds of combat-related data into their settings when writing their programs.

Therefore, Aura was thoroughly familiar with methods of dealing with all kinds of classes.

"Oh, you chose close combat instead of attacking from afar?"

Momonga looked at Aura charging toward him in surprise. Her actions had exceeded his expectations. It seemed he had discovered something new about NPC autonomy.

Without panicking, Momonga slowly raised the "Dragon's Protection" in his hand. As a magic circle appeared upon it, an emerald green barrier emerged and enveloped his entire body.

[Dragon Soul Guard]

[Flame Whip Strike]

[Maximize Magic, Life Essence]

As Momonga's Protective Barrier rose, Aura's whip strike arrived as well. The flaming whip lashed viciously against the barrier. Then, a dark red magic circle appeared directly above it, and a massive pulling force surged from within, as though it wanted to drain something from Momonga. Yet under the barrier's protection, it could only fail.

Seeing that her attack had no effect, Aura quickly retreated and looked at the barrier before her in disbelief.

"Ugh, is this an equipment skill?" Aura guessed as she looked at the dim Protective Barrier.

"That's right. Thank you for helping me test this weapon's effects. And now, it's my turn."

Momonga's figure was still where it had been, but his voice came from beside Aura's ear, startling her. He had somehow gotten close without her noticing.

[Necro Clone]

"That's right, but there's no reward."

A skeletal hand covered in more than a dozen different glows slowly swung toward her. It looked limp and powerless, but when Aura detected the more than forty enhancement spells on it, she was instantly terrified. If that punch landed, it would take away a huge chunk of her health.

Without the bonuses of a melee class, her physical defense was extremely poor. She absolutely could not take that punch.

"Move, move! Damn it, why can't I move?"

"Could it be...!"

"Don't struggle. I've already cast a binding spell, [Seal of the Dark World]. You can't move now."

Momonga patiently explained as he watched Aura struggle, then drove his fist directly into her chest.

Sorry, Father. I was completely defeated.

Aura was sent flying by the punch enhanced with forty buffs. The force was so great that it could shatter even the hardest rock. Her body shot out like a cannonball and smashed into the Arena wall.