*DING!*
As a loud clash of metal resounded, Riezel's lightning slash struck Raven's body once again—though his armor managed to block the blow, the impact still sent him flying.
*BOOM!*
Raven's figure shot backward like a cannonball, crashing hard against the ground, shattering the earth beneath him. Fortunately for him, at the last second before hitting the ground, he barely managed to adjust his posture, landing on his feet, or he might've ended up slamming into the ground headfirst, getting himself stuck.
"Tch!"
Realizing he was falling behind, Raven couldn't help but click his tongue before his expression grew serious, the dominance and arrogance from before nowhere to be seen.
As he fixed his gaze on the figure hovering in midair, watching as Riezel, crackling with electricity, slowly descended before him, his expression turned uncertain.
'He's actually this strong?'
Raven had to admit, he was shocked.
A seventeen-year-old Sword Saint was already an unbelievable existence in itself, but now, that very existence was displaying strength beyond his own, despite him having been a Sword Saint for ten years, so it was impossible for Raven not to be shaken.
Yet, no matter how stunned Raven was, the reality before him wouldn't change.
"You held out longer than I expected. Guess it makes sense, considering you've been guarding the border for years as a Sword Saint." Riezel remarked with a faint smile. "At the very least, compared to the Shadow Sword Saint, your strength is a lot more impressive."
As Riezel said this, he revealed something to Raven.
"You... You've fought the Shadow Sword Saint?" Raven asked in a low voice.
"Something like that..."
Riezel replied nonchalantly, his faint smile fading.
"Just like you, he thought he had me in the palm of his hand just because I'm a new Sword Saint, a mere seventeen-year-old boy. Compared to veterans like you, I should be nothing more than a greenhorn in his eyes. Even if we're both Sword Saints, my strength, experience, and insight should all be far below his."
"Unfortunately for him, turns out he was just relying on his seniority."
"If he wanna act like a big shot in front of me, he's got another thing coming."
Riezel met Raven's gaze, his eyes briefly sweeping over the greatsword in Raven's hand and the armor he wore before finally settling on his face.
"Looking at it now, it seems you're a bit more qualified to throw your weight around than the Shadow Sword Saint—though only thanks to that armor."
Upon hearing this, Raven's expression darkened since he had no way to refute it.
In terms of raw strength, Raven was indeed stronger than the Shadow Sword Saint, Rohm. If Rohm was roughly at upper Level 7, then Raven was around the limit of Level 7.
If translated into the status system of the world of Danmachi, Raven wasn't quite at Ottar's level, who had trained all his basic abilities except MAG to S-rank, but at least one or two of his basic abilities had reached S-rank, while the rest were all A-rank, making him incredibly close to the limit of Level 7.
Regardless, Riezel's strength was still beyond Raven's.
Riezel had already surpassed Ais, who stood at the limit of Level 5 when he had just reached Level 5 himself, and then, when he had advanced to Level 6, he had defeated Albert, who was at the absolute limit of Level 6, making him an undefeated existence among those of the same level.
For others, the limit within a level was reaching an S-rank in all basic abilities, but for Riezel, his limit was reaching an SSS-rank in all basic abilities. Furthermore, since with each level-up, this status accumulated in latent form, turning into his strength, naturally, the higher his level became, the more profound his accumulated strength grew—far beyond what ordinary people could ever compare to.
Moreover, Riezel had always acquired a development ability with every level-up, and almost all of them were combat-related, which was further enhanced by 'Endless', meaning that even when he had just acquired them, they already had considerable effect, granting significant boosts.
As a result, even right after leveling up, Riezel could immediately rise to the top of that level, sometimes even standing at its very peak.
Now that Riezel had reached Level 7, even in his normal state, his strength had already exceeded the limit of Level 7. Given this, if he used a breathing style to enhance himself, even without breaking past Level 7, he would still be invincible within it.
In other words, even if someone at Level 7 broke through their limit and reached the rank of SSS in all basic abilities, they still wouldn't stand a chance against him.
In such a situation, Raven naturally wasn't Riezel's opponent. If not for Moniz's incredible defense shielding him from Riezel's attacks, Raven would have already fallen.
*Schwing—*
Just as Raven's face darkened, at a complete loss for words against Riezel, a faint sound echoed.
It was the sound of Riezel slowly sheathing his sword, yet instead of being relieved, everyone present, including Raven, turned pale.
Why?
It was because the moment Riezel sheathed his sword, his presence surged explosively, along with the crackling lightning around him, making the pressure he radiated even more terrifying than before.
Slowly, Riezel lowered his stance, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, adopting a drawing stance.
Seeing this, a single thought flashed through the minds of everyone present, including Raven.
'A flash of lightning... means defeat...'
As this thought raced through everyone's minds, it wasn't just Raven who reacted—even Kaiser and the others couldn't stop their expressions from changing drastically.
Only now did they remember that it wasn't his overwhelming aura or his ability to storm the Mavros family's main residence that had earned this absurdly young man the title of 'Lightning Sword Saint', but his instantaneous, lightning-flash ultimate strike.
"Thunder Breathing - First Form..."
Along these words, violent lightning erupted from Riezel's body.
"Thunderclap and Flash..."
Suddenly, the violent lightning surged toward the sword at Riezel's waist as if being drawn in, vanishing into the scabbard.
"Godspeed!"
*BOOM!*
In an instant, Riezel vanished, replaced by a ray of lightning that shot forth, tearing through space, time, and the earth itself.
All that remained was a ray of lightning, carrying an unstoppable force as it ripped through the ground, surging straight toward Raven.
"!!!"
Raven's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and he tried to shout something instinctively, but unfortunately, against that lightning ray, which seemed to pierce through the heavens and earth itself, his reaction was far too slow.
A god-speed slash tore through the air in a fraction of a second, striking the Guardian Sword Saint's body.
*BOOOOM!*
A deafening explosion erupted—whether from thunder or impact, no one could tell.
Riezel, wreathed in raging lightning, appeared where Raven had stood, his sword fully drawn and slashing forward, creating a sheer force that shattered the ground beneath his feet, sending layers of earth collapsing.
As for Raven, he had already been struck by Riezel's ultimate slash, his body sent flying like a kite with its string cut, soaring backward, followed by a sharp whistling sound trailing behind him before slamming into the training field's wall.
*BOOOM!*
As the training field's wall shattered, an explosive sound sent a blast of dust and debris into the air, making the entire training field tremble.
Amidst this violent tremor, the training field's magic barrier automatically activated, absorbing most of the impact from Raven's body, preventing him from crashing out of the training field and being sent flying straight into the city.
""Father!""
Seeing their father get blasted away and slam into the training field's magic barrier, Kaiser, Axel, and Diego cried out in shock.
"What in the..."
Nibald, with wide eyes, stared in astonishment at Riezel, who stood there, his feet cracking the ground beneath him as arcs of lightning crackled wildly around his entire body.
"Master!"
Lizbeth, on the other hand, was overjoyed.
*Schwing—*
Riezel calmly sheathed his sword, just as he had before, sliding it back into its scabbard with a quiet scraping sound.
"How was that?"
Riezel spoke once again, his tone remained unchanged, calm and indifferent.
"Even with that armor on, taking this strike couldn't have felt too good, right?"
Hearing Riezel's words, the onlookers were left speechless.
*Cough!* *Cough!*
Coughing sounds were the only response that came from within the shattered wall.
Struggling to pull himself free, Raven brushed off the rubble that had fallen on him before waving away the thick dust in the air, coughing as he stepped forward.
""Father!""
Seeing Raven's condition, Kaiser, Axel, and Diego were both relieved and horrified.
Relieved because Raven was still alive.
Horrified because Raven clearly wasn't unscathed.
Blood trickled from the corner of Raven's mouth, and thin streaks ran from his eyes and nose, making him look as if he were bleeding from all seven orifices—truly a terrifying sight.
Evidently, even though Riezel's 'Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed' hadn't completely overwhelmed Raven, it had still inflicted damage. Looking closely, a crack had even appeared right over the chest of his armor.
Yes, Moniz, the armor said to have the strongest defense in all of Jinas, had been fractured under Riezel's 'Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed'.
Having his footing nowhere near as steady as before, Raven, finally wounded, dropped to one knee on the spot as soon as he stepped away from the wall.
"..."
Silence.
A dead, suffocating silence.
Everyone stared at Raven, kneeling on one knee, his armor cracked at the chest, blood seeping from his mouth, eyes, and nose, looking like he had taken a serious hit.
Seeing such an unbelievable scene, every onlooker fell into silence, one by one.
In this silent atmosphere, Riezel spared Raven a glance and spoke up.
"It's over. You lost, Raven Mavros."
Saying this with indifference, Riezel turned away, no longer paying Raven any mind, but just as Riezel was about to wrap things up, Raven's furious yell suddenly rang out.
"NO! I HAVEN'T LOST YET!"
As soon as Raven's yell erupted, a blinding black light burst from his body, plunging the entire training field into darkness.