At this moment, every member of the Black Scripture watched the battle between a young man and a young girl in the sky with dumbfounded expressions.
If it had to be described, their battle resembled a mythological battle between the thunder god and the evil god.
Appearing younger than the captain of the Black Scripture but older than Certain Death, the young man wasn't wielding the hammer of thunder but swung the sword of thunder, causing slashes filled with mighty lightning to tear through the air and strike at his foe.
Such a scene resembled the thunder god from myth, as the sheer power he unleashed was on a level far beyond what any mortal could achieve.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side stood a much younger figure, seemingly about the same age as Certain Death—an absolutely beautiful girl clad in crimson full-body armor.
Even though she appeared like a goddess of beauty who wasn't skilled in combat, the negative energy surging around her dyed her in an aura of pure malice. And when combined with her ferocious expression, if she wasn't an evil god, then what could possibly qualify as one?
Each of their attacks was powerful enough to shake the sky, to send tremors through the earth, while their strength, speed, and combat techniques were all at levels that mortals could only dream of.
Each clash between them felt like meteors colliding, the metallic sounds of their weapons echoing while the shockwaves swept through like a storm.
If this battle were on the ground, the destruction wouldn't be limited to just the buildings—it would level everything in its path.
Now, neither Certain Death nor the Captain felt like awakened god-kins, considered special and the final trump cards by the Slane Theocracy, but no more than insignificant mortals gazing up at the battle of true gods.
Let alone fighting them, just keeping up with their speed to catch glimpses of their figures was already something extremely difficult.
At this moment, only one thought filled their minds.
'Too strong!'
Whether it was the young man who constantly transformed into lightning bolts like a thunder god, unleashing lightning slashes, or the vampire girl whose lance thrust relentlessly like a black storm, both were terrifyingly powerful.
Each of them was undoubtedly stronger than the Captain of the Black Scripture.
Each of them was undoubtedly stronger than Certain Death.
Yes, the so-called guardian of mankind, the strongest human known as Certain Death, had to admit that neither she nor her captain could compare to them.
"Wh-What's going on?!"
Wearing a disbelieving expression, the Captain wavered visibly, feeling an impulse to scream out, disregarding everything.
"How did that vampire suddenly get so strong?!"
Known as the one with the title of 'Black Scripture', the Captain had now confronted Shalltear for the third time.
The first time was in the northern forest of E-Rantel.
The second time was during the attack on one of the human cities of the Slane Theocracy.
In those two instances, Shalltear had shown extremely terrifying power, but he was certain she had not been this strong before. At least, to him, the Shalltear from those two previous encounters seemed weaker than Certain Death, who equipped the artifacts left by the Six Great Gods.
However, now Shalltear's displayed strength was far beyond what it had been the last two times, far surpassing any power he had ever seen.
'How could this happen?'
Even though the Captain thought like this, questioning what actually happened, he already knew the answer.
"...Isn't the answer obvious?"
Certain Death gritted her teeth, speaking in a low voice that seemed full of either anger or unwillingness.
"That damn vampire... the last time we encountered her, she didn't use any equipment."
In this world, equipment was more often than not a common weakness of powerful races.
Because they were so overconfident in their inherent bodies, strength, and abilities, most powerful races disdained wearing any equipment.
Naturally, the best example was the dragon race—the strongest race in this world.
Dragons possessed the strongest bodies, with both physical attack power and defense at the top of all races on the continent. Coupled with their intelligence, long lifespans, and some even being able to use powerful magic, they could easily surpass almost every other race in this world.
Had anyone ever seen a dragon in armor?
Had anyone ever seen a dragon wielding a weapon?
Needless to say, this was the arrogance of the naturally powerful.
Shalltear was an extremely intelligent vampire, something the members of the Black Scripture already aware of, but whether it was that time in the northern forest of E-Rantel or the time in the human city of the Slane Theocracy, she never used any equipment.
As a result, the Captain, after witnessing Shalltear's strength, firmly believed that Certain Death, when armed with the artifacts left by the Six Great Gods, was stronger than Shalltear.
It was only natural for him to think like this since the battle in the human city confirmed this belief.
At that time, because Shalltear had brazenly attacked one of the cities in the Slane Theocracy, the Six Cardinals sent out the Black Scripture and ordered Certain Death to use the artifacts left by the Six Great Gods for the campaign, aiming to completely eliminate Shalltear.
Later, the Black Scripture encountered Shalltear in the ruined city and immediately engaged in battle, with Certain Death as the main force, the Captain assisting from the sidelines, and the other members of the Black Scripture providing long-range support.
Ultimately, they succeeded in defeating Shalltear, forcing her to retreat and flee from the Slane Theocracy to the Re-Estize Kingdom, leading the Black Scripture to pursue her all the way to the royal capital of the kingdom.
Because they had succeeded in defeating Shalltear without significant trouble, they were then ordered by the Six Cardinals to continue the pursuit and eliminate any future threats from her.
Unfortunately, when they encountered Shalltear again, she was now wearing a set of armor that was clearly not ordinary, and the strange lance in her hand also seemed to possess power that could rival the weapon held by Certain Death.
Such a powerful vampire, once disdainful of wearing equipment, had now armed herself with high-class equipment.
How could she not be stronger now?
"What a nightmare..."
Muttering such self-deprecating words, the Captain didn't hide his fear and despair.
It couldn't be helped.
Monsters wearing equipment like humans meant the loss of one of humanity's major advantages.
Was there any worse news than this?
"I don't know if it's because of the two times she got beaten by us, but that vampire started paying attention to equipment..."
Certain Death muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at Shalltear, who was shouting crazily as she charged toward Riezel.
"But where did she even find such extraordinary equipment? Even in our place, that armor and weapon are considered legendary artifacts."
While Certain Death truly didn't understand, the Captain couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen that oddly shaped lance in the northern forest of E-Rantel before, when Shalltear had transformed into a grotesque monster.
Eventually, the Captain seemed to realize something.
Could it be that, back then, that vampire had actually already started using equipment?
If that was the case, why hadn't she used her equipment when she encountered them in the city she ruined last time?
Over time, the Captain's heart grew uneasy, even sensing a bad premonition.
He felt that he and the others had fallen into some kind of trap as if they were caught in a well-woven net.
Just as the Captain was beginning to feel the situation wasn't good, Certain Death spoke up.
"Captain, this doesn't look good. If that vampire's this strong, I'm not sure I can win, even with you and the others' help." Certain Death admitted frankly. "Looks like I'll have to go with the strategy you mentioned earlier—teaming up with the guy who's currently fighting her."
Upon hearing this, the Captain looked up at the young man in the sky, who flickered through the air like a lightning bolt. It took a while for him to finally make out the young man's face, thanks to his extraordinary dynamic vision as an awakened god-kin.
As a result, the Captain's eyes widened slightly as he realized that the young man was the same one who had confronted Shalltear back in the northern forest of E-Rantel.
"It's him... It's really him!"
He was one hundred percent sure now—that lightning-clad young man was the same young man who had faced that vampire in the forest before.
Incredibly, the young man was showing strength that could match that of the fully equipped vampire, even sometimes overpowering her, delivering a blow that sent her flying, with blood spurting from his strike.
"Yes! We still have a chance!" The Captain spoke as if he had seen hope. "If you team up with him, even if that vampire used high-class equipment, she can definitely be defeated!"
"In that case, I need to figure out how to intervene in this battle. If necessary, I might even have to go for a sneak attack." Certain Death showed no pretensions of being a strong fighter but spoke pragmatically and focused on victory. "Looking at the current situation, that guy won't be able to take down that vampire easily. In that case, he'll definitely need my help."
Pausing for a moment, she then turned her head to the Captain.
"I'll handle things from here, Captain. You and the others need to retreat from this area."
Given the level of the battle, it was likely that only Certain Death could intervene with her strength, while the other members of the Black Scripture, including the Captain, probably wouldn't be able to help much.
Staying here would only add to the risk, which the Captain understood well.
Because of this, the Captain quickly agreed.
"Alright, we'll keep surveillance magic in the area to monitor things. If there's a chance, we'll come back to assist."
Without hesitation or any lingering thoughts, the Captain turned around, giving instructions to other members of the Black Scripture before quietly withdrawing.
Only Certain Death remained, her gaze fixed intently on the battle taking place in mid-air.
"Greater Wind Stride."
"Steeled Arm Strike."
"Greater Piercing."
"Greater Ability Boost."
"Greater Ability Sense."
Certain Death silently activated her Martial Arts, building up her strength and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
===
"Thunder Breathing - First Form - Thunderclap and Flash."
*BOOM!*
In the sky, Riezel, transforming into a lightning bolt, burst forth at an incredible speed, turning the slash of his sword into the same lightning bolt and violently striking Shalltear.
Known across the Akasha Continent for its fame as 'a flash of lightning means defeat', this slash was finally unleashed by Riezel's hand.
*Pu-chi!*
With a ripping sound, Shalltear, who couldn't react in time, was struck.
"AAARGHHH—!"
Shalltear let out a humiliating screech, her body splattered with what seemed like enough blood to be fatal as she flew backward.
Torn apart by Thunderclap and Flash, her waist was nearly severed, leaving only the bones still connected.
It was undoubtedly a fatal wound.
However—
"Maximize Magic - Greater Lethal!"
Shalltear screamed as she chanted before a massive surge of negative energy enveloped her body, healing her wounds.
Such a scene had played out countless times before, but the difference this time was that her injuries were so severe they couldn't be healed as easily as before.
Riezel, emerging from the lightning bolt, watched Shalltear in this condition before suddenly smiling faintly.
"Still not using your trump cards? You really will die, y'know?"
Needless to say, this was Riezel's declaration of victory.