Chapter 194
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kiriya’s original body was still locked in combat with the Juggernaut.
Afterimages flashed through the dim cavern as the two tore across the battlefield.
Every so often, another section of solid rock was sliced apart or shattered beneath the force of their attacks, making Ryu draw one sharp breath after another.
"That speed is already near the absolute peak of Level 6," the shadow clone analyzed from beside her. "No... it may even be approaching Level 7."
"Its offensive power is just as impressive, and it can reflect magic. Its only real weakness is its durability."
He rubbed his chin.
"Overall, I’d place it among the stronger Level 6 threats."
"One of the stronger Level 6s..."
Ryu unconsciously clenched her fist.
No wonder she had been defeated so completely. The difference in raw power had simply been too great.
Then a thought struck her.
She had remained Level 4 for nearly five years, fighting countless battles throughout that time.
Even without updating her Status, she should have been among the strongest adventurers at her level.
Yet the Juggernaut had nearly killed her in a single exchange.
Kiriya, meanwhile, was fighting it head-on—and still had enough strength left to send a clone to heal her.
’Wasn’t he only Level 3?’
Ryu swallowed as genuine disbelief rose within her.
Gale had once been one of Orario’s most celebrated rising stars.
She had reached Level 2 in under two year and Level 4 in less than three, matching the growth of the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.
Ryu had never considered herself unbeatable, but she had taken pride in what she accomplished.
Compared with the boy fighting before her, however, those achievements suddenly felt far less remarkable.
"Forgive me for asking, but what level is Kiriya-san now?"
"Oh, him?"
The clone clicked his tongue.
"He reached Level 4 last night."
He leaned toward her and lowered his voice.
"Don’t mention it later. His ego is already unbearable."
Ryu stared at him.
Was it really possible to insult your original body without insulting yourself?
Before she could think about it any further, the battle suddenly changed.
The Juggernaut lunged, slashing one front claw toward Kiriya’s head.
Kiriya raised his sword to block—And the blade shattered.
"Look out!"
Ryu shouted before she could stop herself, her heart leaping into her throat.
At the last possible instant, Kiriya bent backward until his body was almost horizontal, narrowly allowing the claw to pass above his face.
Then he twisted at the waist and spun through the air.
His right leg whipped upward like a steel cable and struck the Juggernaut beneath the jaw.
BOOM!
The monster was launched across the cavern and slammed into the wall, leaving an enormous crater in the stone.
"That power..."
Ryu stared in amazement.
She had thought Kiriya was about to die, yet he had responded perfectly even under that sudden pressure.
It had been an exceptional counterattack.
"No! My one million valis!"
The shadow clone clutched his head in despair.
"That sword was brand-new! That oversized skeleton lizard destroyed it in less than a day!"
Ryu nearly choked.
She turned and glared at him.
"Is that really what you’re worried about right now?"
"Haha... sorry."
The clone scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"You looked so tense that I thought I’d lighten the mood."
Ryu fell silent.
After taking a few breaths to calm herself, she quickly changed the subject.
"Will Kiriya-san be all right? His weapon is gone. Shouldn’t you help him?"
"He’ll be fine."
The clone looked completely confident.
"He may prefer using a sword, but honestly, he’s even more dangerous without one."
He folded his arms.
"Watch carefully. You’re about to see some of the finest hand-to-hand combat in Orario."
Whoosh!
The instant he finished speaking, the Juggernaut crossed the cavern and appeared behind Kiriya.
One claw stabbed toward his back, aiming to punch straight through his body.
Kiriya slipped aside with ease.
The more dangerous attack came immediately afterward.
The Juggernaut twisted violently, sending its segmented tail forward like a spear aimed directly at Kiriya’s heart.
It attacked from the edge of his blind spot, at an angle almost impossible for an ordinary adventurer to notice in time.
Unfortunately for the monster, nothing escaped the Sharingan.
Kiriya’s Energy Perception made the ambush even more hopeless.
One moment before the tail could pierce him, Kiriya shifted sideways and raised one hand.
His palm chopped down like a blade.
Slash!
The Juggernaut released a shrill cry as half its tail fell to the ground.
Pain drove it into an even greater frenzy.
Its claws and remaining tail attacked with increasing violence, while Kiriya answered without retreating.
His movements grew faster, his strikes heavier, and wounds began accumulating across the monster’s body.
The Juggernaut inevitably slowed.
Kiriya seized the severed end of its tail and began swinging.
He smashed the creature into one side of the cavern, then the other, repeatedly slamming it through the ground and nearby walls as though it weighed nothing.
"This..."
Ryu no longer knew what to say.
Was this really the same creature that represented catastrophe itself?
The Juggernaut was losing a barehanded brawl against a human.
Watching Kiriya throw it around like unwanted garbage gave Ryu a strange, disorienting thought.
Which of them was supposed to be the monster?
Once Kiriya judged that the Juggernaut had taken enough damage, he released its tail and leaped into the air.
"Morning Peacock."
His fists blurred.
He struck so quickly that friction ignited the air itself, creating a storm of blazing pressure blasts that descended upon the Juggernaut.
Explosion after explosion tore across its body.
Its armor shattered.
Blood and flesh burst apart beneath the bombardment.
Because every projectile had been created through pure physical force, the Juggernaut’s magic-reflection ability was completely useless.
At first, the monster’s shrieks still rang through the cavern.
They were soon swallowed by the relentless barrage.
The bombardment continued for nearly half a minute.
When it finally ended, the battlefield was unrecognizable.
The ground had been torn apart and covered in enormous craters, with white-hot smoke rising from their depths.
As for the Juggernaut...
Its body had already been reduced to ash.
Only a massive magic stone remained at the bottom of the crater, nearly half as tall as Kiriya himself.
"It’s... dead."
Ryu stared blankly.
The Juggernaut had slaughtered her entire Familia with terrifying ease.
For five years, it had existed in her memories as an unstoppable calamity.
And now it was simply gone.
"It was decent."
The shadow clone rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It was incredibly fast, hit extremely hard, and could reflect magic. An unprepared adventurer could easily die before understanding what happened."
He shrugged.
"But its durability was poor. As long as you can match its speed and power and know what its abilities are, killing it isn’t particularly difficult."
Ryu stared at him in silence.
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