Gray Entry

Shane stared at the crazed look in Rivalei's eyes, his mind clearer than it had ever been.

Think, what other survival methods do I have... how can I stay alive!

Ahead, Rivalei's gaze swept over the longsword in Shane's hand before landing on Frieren, a flicker of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Come, let us have a battle to the death."

With that, he moved, his battle-axe carrying raw, brute force and a biting gale as he charged forward.

At this critical, hair-trigger moment, Shane's brain seemed to chime with a "ding."

He acted instantly, grabbing Frieren and activating Dash to retreat rapidly while reaching for his waist...

"Frieren, bind him, at least for one second."

Their coordination was already seamless; before his voice had even faded, Frieren had already acted. Binding Magic was cast immediately, and a golden chain lashed out, coiling around Rivalei's arm with a series of sharp, metallic snaps.

The instantly tightening chains forced his movements to slow by a fraction.

Facing Frieren's obstruction, Rivalei's smile didn't waver; he carried the shackles of the chains and pressed forward regardless.

Brute force breaks all laws.

He had that much confidence.

While Frieren made her move, Shane pulled a bean from his waist. His mental energy was highly focused, and a line of pale gray text appeared above the bean:

[Osteoporosis (Gray Trait)]: Bone density decreases significantly, brittleness increases, highly susceptible to fractures.

This was a rare gray trait he had specifically saved for later.

Strip!

A gray, inconspicuous speck of light manifested before him, and immediately, it flew toward the oncoming Rivalei.

Trait Imbue!

A gray streak of light flashed by.

Rivalei's movements were already momentarily sluggish due to Frieren's Binding Magic, and he didn't even notice as the unremarkable streak of light sank into his body.

"Be proud; the one who kills you is the strongest warrior of the Demon Race."

The silver-glinting battle-axe descended with terrifying momentum, and Shane raised his longsword with both hands, gritting his teeth to meet it.

Blade Storm

This was his first time using this trait.

In an instant, a ring of ghostly blades manifested out of thin air, spinning and slicing around him, colliding head-on with Rivalei's battle-axe.

Clang, clang, clang.

The continuous afterimages of the blades were shattered by the axe.

Rivalei's assault did not falter.

Swish.

Frieren's Defense Magic erected itself in front of the two of them.

However, while Defense Magic had perfect resistance against magical attacks, it could not fully negate physical matter, especially physical strikes.

Boom—

The battle-axe smashed into the defensive barrier, producing a teeth-grinding roar, and Frieren was sent flying back from the impact. Shane was quick-witted, catching her as they both stumbled backward.

Because she had just cast the spell to block the attack, Frieren suffered significant feedback damage.

Her hands were trembling, and she couldn't even raise her staff.

This was the terrifying nature of a warrior.

Even with Defense Magic, a fragile mage still could not contend with them head-on, because a powerful physique was the purest form of numerical suppression.

Rivalei smiled triumphantly, stepping closer while brandishing his battle-axe.

"Oh? You really are tenacious."

"Not bad, very interesting. Among those I've devoured, you are the one who struggles the most."

"Be proud; I will turn you into my nourishment, and you shall become a part of the strongest warrior in this world."

As he spoke, he assumed a charging stance, laughing as he prepared to launch his second attack.

Just then, the unexpected happened.

Crack.

A faint, almost inaudible snapping sound erupted from within Rivalei's body.

Arms, spine, pelvis, ankles... every bone in his body seemed to scream in agony at that very moment.

He looked up in astonishment, staring at Shane and Frieren in disbelief.

With just that one look, Shane knew the plan had succeeded!

He let out a breath of relief, gripped his sword with both hands, and stepped forward with a calm expression: "From this moment on, the roles of hunter and prey have reversed."

Rivalei was thoroughly enraged by Shane's dismissive posture and words.

"Brat, do you think these petty tricks can defeat me? They are nothing but cunning magical ruses!"

Before his roar had even faded, his battle-axe came crashing down in a wild swing.

Yet, as he exerted his strength, a series of cracking sounds echoed from within his body: crack, crack, crack—

His movements suddenly slowed, and the arm wielding the axe trembled uncontrollably, much like an octogenarian forcing himself to swing a heavy blade.

Trembling and shivering.

The effect of Osteoporosis was frantically dismantling his body.

The skeleton and violent muscular strength that had once been his pride, as sturdy as refined iron, were disintegrating and dissolving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even so, facing Rivalei's onslaught, Shane did not meet the attack head-on.

The outcome was not yet decided, and he remained cautious.

Activating Dash, he constantly darted and maneuvered around Rivalei's side, never giving his opponent a chance to close the distance.

As for Rivalei, through his repeated, futile attacks, he had long since lost his initial swiftness. Even without the obstruction of Frieren's Binding Magic, he couldn't even touch the hem of Shane's clothes.

"Brat, is all you can do is hide!"

Crack—

The moment another axe swing missed, a jarring sound of bone snapping rang out.

Rivalei's right arm, which held the axe, suddenly broke, bending at a horrific angle.

Clang.

The battle-axe fell to the ground.

He stared at his bent right arm in disbelief, his rage instantly dyeing his eyes a deep scarlet; he could not accept that he had actually been outmaneuvered by a mere brat!

In his frenzy, Rivalei raised his left fist, gathered his strength, and hammered it toward Shane.

Shane raised his sword to parry.

Bang!

Fist and blade collided.

The longsword in Shane's hand shattered instantly, the broken tip spinning away.

Yet, a terrifying shade of purple instantly crept across Rivalei's fist, spreading rapidly until, in mere moments, it had covered his entire arm.

"This is... you..."

The Suspicious Poison trait had taken effect.

His luck was good; it was "Muscle Stiffness," and the paralysis effect of Electric Shock was layered on top of it as well.

The trait Torment triggered immediately, dealing continuous damage and reducing the target's current HP by 1% every second.

Most miraculously, under the continuous damage dealt by Torment every second, the effects of Suspicious Poison and Electric Shock were able to trigger repeatedly and simultaneously.

In terms of attack calculation, the continuous HP drain actually counted as a "hit."

At this point, Rivalei had completely lost the ability to kill Shane and Frieren.

He collapsed powerlessly to the ground, struggling with unwillingness, unsure if he wanted to flee or continue the fight.

Shane and Frieren stepped forward, exchanged a glance, and without a moment's hesitation, both raised their weapons...

The finishing blow!