Chapter 343

Chapter 343: Chapter 343

"You really are strong."

After another violent collision forced them apart, Esdeath steadied herself and drew several heavy breaths.

Despite the exhaustion written across her body, there was no trace of frustration on her face; if anything, encountering an opponent this powerful had only driven her fighting spirit higher!

"Looks like I’m not going to beat you with fists and kicks alone. In that case, I suppose I’ll have to use my trump card."

She raised both hands, and an immense amount of freezing energy began condensing between her palms.

The ice-blue light grew brighter with every passing second, radiating a cold so intense that even Hedin and Hogni could feel a sharp sense of danger from far across the battlefield.

Ottar, standing directly in front of Esdeath, felt it even more clearly.

Years of battle had honed his instincts to an extraordinary degree, and every one of them was warning him that taking this attack head-on could genuinely kill him.

Under normal circumstances, the sensible choice would have been to rush forward and interrupt her before the technique was complete.

With his S-rank Agility, Ottar was more than capable of attempting it.

He didn’t.

The blood of a warrior chose the harder path.

He would meet it head-on!

"Silver moon’s mercy, golden wilderness. Grant this body the command to become the raging boar..."

Ottar’s chant was only of short-to-medium length, and after years of constant practice, the words came with almost effortless speed.

Before long, brilliant golden light wrapped around his enormous frame, making him appear almost as though a war god had descended into his body.

At the same moment, the freezing energy in Esdeath’s hands reached its absolute limit of compression.

An ice-blue beam erupted straight toward Ottar’s chest.

"Hildis Vini!"

Ottar’s enhancement Magic explosively raised his abilities to a terrifying degree.

He gripped his greatsword with both hands and brought it down in one vertical slash.

"Afterglow!"

BOOOOOOM—!

The domineering golden sword light collided with Esdeath’s highly compressed Freezing Ray, and the resulting explosion shook all of Folkvangr.

Freezing air swept outward like a tsunami, coating the earth and surrounding buildings beneath thick layers of frost, only for the violent shockwave following behind it to tear those frozen surfaces apart almost immediately.

Hedin, Hogni, and Heith hurriedly withdrew even farther from the center of the clash and only narrowly avoided being caught in the aftermath.

In the span of barely two breaths, the enormous battlefield had been devastated beyond recognition.

Folkvangr now resembled some frozen wasteland after a volcanic eruption, with shattered ice, torn earth, and broken structures stretching in every direction.

"That woman was still hiding something like that?"

Hogni swallowed hard as he stared at the destruction.

If Esdeath had suddenly fired that attack at him during their earlier battle, there was a very real chance pieces of him would currently be scattered across half the compound.

"Did Ottar... win?"

Heith had originally possessed absolute confidence in her captain, but after seeing what the battlefield had become, even she was no longer entirely certain.

"Probably."

Hedin adjusted his glasses, amazement flickering through his eyes.

Esdeath’s overall physical abilities were clearly still around Level 6, yet the destructive power of that single attack had reached at least the upper reaches of Level 7.

She truly was extraordinary.

Just where did Kiriya keep finding women like this?

Did geniuses simply attract other geniuses?

As the smoke and frozen mist gradually dispersed, everyone finally saw what had happened.

Ottar was in poor condition.

Nearly half of one side of his body had been caught in the Freezing Ray, leaving it covered in thick ice while the skin underneath had turned visibly blue-purple from severe frostbite.

Even his monstrous constitution had not escaped unharmed.

Esdeath, however, was in considerably worse shape.

The remaining force of Afterglow had still reached her.

A huge wound had been torn across the front of her body, and blood poured from it without restraint.

Yet even with an injury that severe, Esdeath remained standing with her head held high.

"This time, I lost."

Her voice was steady.

"But I’ll catch up soon. When I do, don’t disappoint me, King."

"I’ll be waiting."

Ottar answered immediately, and there was unmistakable approval in his gaze.

That kind of toughness and determination reminded him of himself.

Then space rippled beside Esdeath as Kiriya appeared with Hestia.

"He came?"

Heith stared in surprise.

Hedin’s expression changed almost immediately.

"This could become troublesome."

Hogni came to the same conclusion a second later.

"That damn boar isn’t about to become an actual dead boar, is he?"

After all, Kiriya was not exactly famous for having an enormous tolerance when people close to him were seriously injured.

The moment he appeared, Kiriya had originally intended to tease Esdeath with a cheerful, "Look at the mess you’ve made."

Then he saw the enormous wound across her body.

The words died in his throat.

His expression darkened immediately.

"Esdeath, are you all right? You’re bleeding so much!"

Hestia was frightened by the sight and hurried forward to support her, but Kiriya stopped her first.

Without saying anything, he placed a hand near Esdeath and activated Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality.

Warm life energy flowed through her body. Her torn flesh rapidly began closing, and color soon returned to her pale face.

"Thanks."

Esdeath had barely started speaking when Kiriya flicked her hard on the forehead.

She stared at him blankly.

"What was that for?"

"If you’re going to pick a fight like this, at least tell me beforehand!"

Kiriya’s voice was stern.

Esdeath’s first instinct was to reply that she was hardly some fragile little girl who needed permission before fighting anyone.

But then she noticed the concern and pain in Kiriya’s eyes, and something warm spread quietly through her chest.

So instead, her tone changed.

"Fine, fine. I understand."

She smiled.

"Next time I’ll report in advance, Captain."

"You really are impossible."

Kiriya pinched her cheek a few times before finally turning toward Ottar.

The warmth disappeared from his expression almost instantly.

"Nice work, Ottar."

Ottar raised the Supreme Black Sword with the one arm he could still move freely.

"Want to fight?"

He was already mentally prepared to get beaten!

"Nah."

Kiriya walked over instead and used Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality on him as well.

The frozen flesh immediately began regaining warmth and vitality, and the frostbite that would have required several days of treatment even from Heith rapidly recovered until only a fraction remained.

"Thank you."

Ottar flexed his hand experimentally.

At this point, Kiriya was probably the highest-level healer in all of Orario.

"Don’t thank me yet."

Kiriya slowly clenched his fists.

"I’m in a pretty bad mood right now. You know what to do, don’t you?"

Crack. Crack.

His knuckles popped loudly.

Ottar remained silent for a moment, then casually threw aside the Supreme Black Sword and raised both fists into a fighting stance.

For once, the corners of his perpetually stoic mouth actually curved upward.

"I couldn’t ask for more."

"Heh."

Kiriya smiled coldly.

"Hope you can last for a while."

Then he began releasing the power inside his body.

"Sixth Gate: Gate of View—Open!"

BOOM—!

Violent chakra erupted from Kiriya, and blazing green energy ignited around his entire body.

His eyes shone with an almost spear-like intensity as the pressure rolling off him swept directly toward Ottar.

"So strong..."

Hedin, Hogni, Heith, and the surrounding Freya Familia adventurers all felt their breathing tighten under the sheer force of that aura.

Ottar’s reaction, however, was completely different.

The King frowned as a faint trace of displeasure appeared in his eyes.

"Not the blue vapor?"

He had personally witnessed the overwhelming power of Kiriya’s Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder before.

Yet now Kiriya was only using this much.

Was he being underestimated?

Whoosh—!

That thought had barely formed when Kiriya disappeared from his vision.

The next instant, a fist crashed heavily into the side of Ottar’s head and sent his enormous body flying.

’Fast!’

Ottar’s eyes widened.

’His speed... I can barely see him.’

He desperately tried to follow Kiriya’s movements, but all he could catch were faint, blurred afterimages.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!

Kiriya’s fists landed one after another.

Ottar’s huge body was knocked back and forth across Folkvangr, launched from one direction only to be struck again before he could even regain his footing.

To everyone watching, Orario’s legendary King looked almost like a ball being violently batted around the battlefield.

The entire Freya Familia stared in disbelief.

This was Ottar.

The city’s only Level 7.

And someone was knocking him around like a toy!

"ROOOAR—!"

After the initial shock, Ottar quickly recovered and released a furious roar.

"Vana Arganture!"

His beastification activated.

Strength, Agility, Endurance, and the rest of his abilities received an enormous boost, pushing his combat power firmly into Level 8 territory.

This time, Ottar could finally see the path of Kiriya’s fists.

Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough.

Being able to see an attack did not mean his body could react in time, and reacting did not mean his body could withstand the impact.

After nearly a year of brutal training and repeated body tempering with the medicines from the Akame ga Kill world, Kiriya might currently be Level 6 on paper, but the foundation of his physical body was already comparable to some Level 7 adventurers.

With the additional amplification of the Sixth Gate: Gate of View, his raw combat power had become terrifying.

Kiriya pulled back both fists.

"Take this properly."

His grin widened.

"And try not to die."

"Morning Peacock!"

In an instant, hundreds upon hundreds of flaming air cannons erupted downward in a blazing storm.