Where the claws struck, azure flames blazed fiercely against the holy light barrier, yet beneath the radiance of the Sacred Scarab, they could not get anywhere near his actual body.
A faint smile appeared on Gilgamesh's face as his ruby-like eyes fixed Iori with chilling killing intent. "Mongrel, I let you land that sneak attack because I was careless. Do you think I would make the same mistake twice?"
As his arrogant voice rang out, a blood-red longsword emerged from the Gate of Babylon and was seized in his hand.
"Release, Dainsleif!"
An ominous aura poured from the blade. As he slashed, Iori hurriedly retreated. His instincts warned him that he should avoid being wounded by that sword at all costs.
Dainsleif—the cursed sword possessed by Hogni, king of Denmark in Norse mythology. It radiated an ominous aura, and every wielder slowly marched toward death beneath its curse. Every time it was drawn, it would inevitably claim a life. In mythology, the curse of this sword had sparked the famous "Eternal Battle."
Gilgamesh drawing this Treasure Tool now showed just how determined he was to kill Iori.
"Aren't you strong in close combat? Then let this king teach you how a battle should be fought!" Gilgamesh shouted, charging at Iori in a single stride as the longsword in his hand swept out in a chilling arc.
His movements were incomparably simple, without a single unnecessary motion. They contained neither martial principles nor variations, yet they carried a savage, primal force, like gladiatorial combat from an ignorant and barbaric age—pure, primitive strength and speed.
Iori Yagami's gaze sharpened as he took a step back. Blood seeped from his body, his wounds spreading further with the battle, yet he showed no intention of retreating.
He dodged a slash, turned, and unleashed a