*BOOM—!*
In the forest under the moonlit night, a loud sound suddenly rang out, causing the trees in one corner of the forest to fall, with dust rising like a geyser.
Soon, two figures flew out from the dust—one moved like a streak of light, retreating at high speed, while the other chased fiercely, moving as fast as lightning.
"DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE—!!!"
Shalltear, now fully transformed into a monster, let out a sharp, screeching cry and swung her arm toward Riezel, who was flying backward through the air. Her arm seemed to turn into a vicious claw, leaving behind a trail of sharp slashes as it cut through the air with overwhelming force.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
With consecutive explosive sounds, the trees around Shalltear were easily sliced apart by her claws, falling one by one like toppled pillars and sending dust flying everywhere.
Wherever she passed, it was the same—her frenzied attacks ravaged the forest, destroying trees with every move.
'She's strong...'
As he watched Shalltear relentlessly chase him, moving with incredible speed and showing terrifying attack power, he couldn't help but feel a rare surge of excitement.
It couldn't be helped, since, for the first time since coming to this world, he was finally facing someone strong.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had mostly faced weak natives—even Gazef, someone who had stepped into the Realm of Heroes and was considered the strongest warrior in the Re-Estize Kingdom, only had the strength of about Level 3 in the world of Danmachi.
Given that, he didn't feel any thrill at all when facing Gazef.
Luckily, now facing Shalltear, a Level 100 NPC from YGGDRASIL and the Floor Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he finally felt like he was up against a true opponent.
Such a situation made him reach for his sword, slashing toward Shalltear's direction with a speed so fast that its blade was almost invisible.
"Moon Breathing - First Form - Dark Moon, Evening Palace."
Riezel's slash, carrying many crescent moon blades, erupted in the forest, flashing like light and cutting toward Shalltear.
"Greater Teleportation!"
Seemingly sensing the danger, Shalltear used teleportation magic without a second thought, disappearing instantly from her original position.
Greater Teleportation, a high-tier teleportation magic that Riezel had once desired, was 7th-Tier Magic.
Unlike Dimensional Move, which was a 3rd-Tier Magic, Greater Teleportation allowed for the simultaneous teleportation of multiple people, could easily bypass ordinary barriers or buildings, and was nearly guaranteed to succeed unless countered by certain magic.
Shalltear entered the state of instantaneous movement, disappearing from in front of Riezel and reappearing behind him.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Now fully transformed into a bona fide monster, Shalltear opened her mouth, which resembled that of a seven-gilled shark filled with sharp teeth, and bit down toward Riezel's neck.
"Dimensional Move."
Riezel immediately used teleportation magic, disappearing from in front of Shalltear to avoid her vicious bite.
"Moon Breathing - Second Form - Pearl Flower Moongazing."
In the next instant, three crescent-shaped slashes, each carrying small crescent moon blades, cut from beneath Shalltear, shredding the few giant trees that had just fallen into pieces.
"Force Sanctuary!"
Shalltear quickly chanted defensive magic, creating a white light barrier around her—an absolute defensive magic spell that prevented her from attacking but could completely block her opponent's attacks.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
With three consecutive explosive sounds, the three crescent-shaped slashes, carrying small crescent moon blades, crashed into the white light barrier, causing it to tremble slightly before absorbing and nullifying the attacks.
"Moon Breathing - Third Form - Loathsome Moon, Chains."
Riezel suddenly appeared above Shalltear and swung the sharp sword in his hand, unleashing two extremely broad crescent-shaped slashes that carried numerous crescent moon blades of various sizes, slicing toward Shalltear.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
With several booming sounds, the broad, crescent-shaped slashes and all of the crescent moon blades struck Shalltear's Force Sanctuary, causing it to tremble once more.
"Moon Breathing - Sixth Form - Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon, Incessant."
Seeing that Force Sanctuary still protected Shalltear, Riezel swung his sword again—this time, a series of rapid, curved slashes accompanied by a wild barrage of intersecting crescent moon blades, each crashing toward Shalltear below.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
In an instant, the forest shook as continuous booming sounds echoed as if the very earth were disturbed.
Crescent moon blades followed one after another, relentlessly striking at Shalltear's Force Sanctuary, causing it to tremble harder with each impact.
Since Force Sanctuary wasn't a permanent barrier but more like weapons and armor, it had an endurance value. If it endured constant, powerful attacks, its endurance would naturally drop, and once the endurance hit zero, it would be broken.
Riezel was well aware of this weakness, which was why he continuously launched aggressive attacks, using his high attack speed and Moon Breathing's wide-range attacks to wear down Shalltear's Force Sanctuary.
"DAMN HUMAAANNN—!"
Shalltear's yell had devolved into an inhuman roar, a monstrous growl.
"Charm Species!"
Just before her Force Sanctuary collapsed, Shalltear, who hadn't been able to strike back, suddenly cast a mind control magic at Riezel, who was sending countless crescent moon blades her way.
It was a mind control magic that worked on any species, and when someone was affected by this magic, they would be charmed, perceiving the caster as a trusted friend and falling under their control.
Riezel felt a magical energy suddenly descend upon him, trying to invade his mind and spirit.
Sadly, Shalltear's mind control magic quickly proved ineffective.
Mind control magic was practically useless against Riezel, as he was immune to mental interference—it felt no stronger than a light breeze brushing his face.
"DAMN YOUUU—!"
Realizing her mind control magic didn't work, Shalltear's fury was palpable as she glared at Riezel, her eyes glowing with an intense, deep red light.
In fact, this was a form of mind control as well.
Beings from YGGDRASIL not only had magic but also possessed special skills from their job classes and racial abilities unique to their race.
One example was Khajiit's Skeletal Dragons.
They had a unique ability that made them immune to 6th-Tier Magic and below and resistant to slashing and stabbing attacks.
Shalltear, being a high-tier vampire known as a 'True Vampire', obviously had various racial abilities, such as Fast Healing, Mystic Eyes of Charm, Life Drain, Blood Drain, Weapon Damage Resistance, Cold Resistance, Magic Resistance, Death Immunity, Physical Penalty Resistance, Poisoning Immunity, and many more.
If not for Pioneer of the Sun, Riezel probably wouldn't have been able to sever Shalltear's arm earlier, given her various resistance abilities. Even if he had managed it, her high-tier undead race meant she could heal quickly, restoring herself in no time.
However, thanks to the special damage to evil entities from Pioneer of the Sun, not only did Shalltear's severed arm fail to heal and remain detached, but she even felt pain—something undead normally wouldn't experience.
Now, Shalltear was using Mystic Eyes of Charm, a racial ability that controlled the minds of her targets.
In response, Riezel returned it with a slash that left a lasting impression.
"Moon Breathing - Ninth Form - Waning Moonswaths."
It was a continuous, chaotic, and interwoven series of curved slashes, even more intense and complex than the previous ones, carrying countless crescent moon blades that sliced through every tree in their path.
*BOOOM!* *BOOOM!* *BOOOM!*
As several loud crashing sounds of falling giant trees echoed, Riezel's slashes, accompanied by countless crescent moon blades, eventually landed on Shalltear's Force Sanctuary.
*PENG—!*
Finally, amidst the destructive attack capable of flattening everything in its wake, Shalltear's Force Sanctuary shattered with a resounding crash.
"Greater Teleportation!"
Shalltear quickly cast teleportation magic just as the slashes and crescent moon blades were about to shred her to pieces, teleporting to a fallen tree.
"Moon Breathing - Tenth Form - Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves."
Unfortunately for Shalltear, Riezel's Transparent World skillfully pinpointed her teleportation location.
Thanks to Fast Attack, Riezel's reflexes were enhanced, allowing him to swiftly adjust his attack and unleash another sword form of Moon Breathing, releasing three giant, rotating, circular, saw-like slashes carrying crescent moon blades that headed toward Shalltear, who had just reappeared.
*WHOOSH—!*
With a sharp howling sound, three gigantic slashes carrying crescent moon blades cut through everything in their path, tearing apart fallen trees and the dust-covered ground, leaving a trail of destruction.
Faced with such a wide-ranging attack, Shalltear, who had just used Greater Teleportation and was now somewhat immobilized, realized she had nowhere to run.
As a result, the cornered vampire, her eyes bloodshot, let out an enraged scream toward the gigantic slashes.
"Negative Impact Shield!"
A shockwave, black and red like blood, suddenly shot out from Shalltear's raised palm.
It wasn't magic, but one of her special skills—a reddish-black wave of force that combined both offense and defense, which could only be used twice a day.
It was one of her trump cards, and the moment she used it, it meant only one thing—she had been pushed into a situation where using it was the only way to survive.
*BOOOM—!!!*
In the next second, the shockwave collided with the gigantic slashes, producing a deafening roar before both vanished, canceling each other out.
*WHOOOSH—!*
They left only powerful gusts of wind from the collision, sweeping across the earth and causing the already shattered ground to sink further, undergoing a second wave of destruction.
Surrounded by ethereal blue magical energy, Riezel floated in mid-air, watching the scene unfold.
Although his face was calm, his mind swirled with mixed emotions.
'Seriously, there sure are a lot of magic and skills in this world...'
Riezel couldn't help but feel somewhat amazed.