*Rumble—*
Another tremor hit Salisbury as the crimson wave unleashed by Riezel acted like a razor sharp enough to shave away the world itself, completely erasing a part of the city known for its leisurely atmosphere.
Riezel poured all his power into his Decomposition Magic, not only blasting a Returned A-Rei like Woodwose out of the meteor crater but also causing the area of the city the crimson wave passed through to vanish.
Able to decompose all matter in the world, Decomposition Magic was the only attack Riezel could think of that might affect Woodwose.
If his Decomposition Magic could break through the divine protection around Woodwose, victory was assured. On the other hand, if it couldn’t, then he would have no way to break through Woodwose’s defenses or cause any harm.
It was a gamble—an attempt.
Riezel had no choice but to act this way.
However, his actions immediately provoked the two Fairy Knights present.
*BOOM!*
A booming sound rang out in the meteor crater.
It was the slash of flames striking the ground where Riezel stood, creating a violent disturbance.
Fairy Knight Gawain, seeing Woodwose being blasted away by Riezel’s Decomposition Magic, took immediate action. Holding a sword engulfed in flames, she struck down with it like a predator quietly beginning a hunt after revealing its fangs, smashing the ground where Riezel had been standing.
In the end, Riezel was destroyed—no, more accurately, it was his afterimage, shimmering with the flames of the sun, that was destroyed.
"Fake Rainbow!"
Riezel suddenly flashed into existence at the spot closest to Gawain, wielding a sword also burning with flames, and slashed at the heavily built Fairy Knight.
It was a strike from an unexpected angle.
Perhaps someone as agile as Lancelot might have reacted in time to dodge, but considering Gawain’s size and the heavy, wide attacks she had been using, Riezel figured this woman was different from Lancelot—a strength-focused warrior with lower dexterity.
In other words, the likelihood of Gawain avoiding this strike from a blind spot was low—at least, this was the conclusion Riezel had come to in an instant.
However, the reality proved that even if Gawain couldn’t dodge Riezel’s attack, she wasn’t going down so easily.
*Clink!*
Gawain stood still, her other hand swinging, causing the chains wrapped around the muscular arm to stir and hiss with the sound of metal scraping, transforming into agile iron serpents that met Riezel’s fiery slash head-on.
*BANG!*
With a muffled sound, the sword of flames clashed with the steel chains like a needle against a point, creating a wave of hot wind and shockwaves that pushed both Riezel and Gawain apart, increasing the distance between them.
"Go! My hounds!"
It seemed Gawain wasn’t interested in talking much with Riezel, or perhaps she planned to finish her mission first and deal with other matters afterward, as she raised her sword and shouted, continuing her attack.
*AWWOOOOO—!!!*
*AWWOOOOO—!!!*
In response to Gawain’s call, a series of wolf-like howls echoed from the distance, and dark figures began rushing toward them.
As Riezel glanced toward them, they turned out to be hunting dogs known as ’Black Dogs.’
They were slender, jet black, with blue markings all over their bodies, resembling the chains wrapped around Gawain’s arms and the horns growing from her head—strangely eerie in appearance.
Gawain had summoned these Black Dogs, commanding them to charge toward Riezel.
"Wanna compete with summoned creatures? Bring it on."
Riezel narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly before using his summoning magic.
"Summon Monster 10th."
A massive magic circle immediately appeared in front of Riezel, spinning and expanding outward.
*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!!!*
*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!!!*
In the next moment, several massive magical dogs—much larger than Gawain’s Black Dogs—each with three heads and spewing flames, emerged from the magic circle.
They were none other than the Level 64 to 70 monsters known as Cerberus, previously summoned by Shalltear in front of Riezel.
"What?"
Seeing this scene, Gawain, who had been calmly observing Riezel, couldn’t help but be surprised.
*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!!!*
*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!!!*
Several Cerberus, each one much larger than Gawain’s Black Dogs, ignored her shock and pounced toward the incoming Black Dogs.
In the next second, a group of Cerberus and Black Dogs clashed fiercely, roaring and spraying fire, they lunged at each other, tearing into their enemies.
Just like that, the meteor crater turned into a demonic battlefield.
In such a situation, Riezel seized the opportunity to extend his hand toward Gawain, causing a magic circle to rotate and appear before his palm.
Just as Riezel was about to unleash offensive magic on Gawain, however, a whistling sound rang out above his head.
*DING!*
A white meteor descended from the sky, striking with a dazzling sword of light before crashing into Riezel’s hastily raised blade, creating a sharp clash as the force of the impact drove his feet into the ground, shattering the earth beneath him.
"Don’t forget, I can still fight."
Fairy Knight Lancelot, covered in blood, spoke coldly as she descended from above, her words sharp and clear.
In response, Riezel was about to reply when a burst of flames rushed toward him once again.
"Greater Teleportation!"
Riezel quickly cast teleportation magic and vanished from his spot, letting the flames strike the ground, blasting the already damaged surface into pieces.
Appearing high in the air, Riezel looked down, observing the two Fairy Knights rejoining forces below.
"Let’s end this quickly." Gawain resumed her calm demeanor, speaking indifferently. "We can’t let Salisbury suffer any more damage."
Hearing this, Lancelot, her face filled with displeasure, fell silent.
At this moment, her expression returned to its coolness, as though recalling something important, silently agreeing with Gawain’s approach.
"HAAAAAAHHH—!!!"
Gawain immediately let out an angry roar, holding her sword with both hands before swinging it with all her might, unleashing a torrent of flames that turned into a fierce wave of fire, surging upward while also rushing toward Riezel.
*BOOM!*
Lancelot, on the other hand, entered her acceleration mode, magical energy pouring from her back like a jet engine before she shot into the sky, transforming into a meteor and speeding toward Riezel.
"..."
At this moment, Riezel felt an almost tangible pressure—it was the kind of pressure one only felt when facing a formidable opponent.
Whether it was Lancelot or Gawain, both were among the strongest of the strong, fairies among fairies. Not only were their origins extraordinary, but their strength was immense. Neither could be defeated by Returned A-Rei Woodwose, and in fact, they were likely stronger.
Gawain and Lancelot—facing even just one of them—would make Riezel hesitant to claim a guaranteed victory, let alone face both at once.
One should know that when the strength of both sides was similar, numbers were a one-sided force.
A Level 7 could easily take down two opponents at Level 6, but when that Level 7 had to face two others of the same level, the outcome naturally turned out very differently, especially since both Lancelot and Gawain were more than just Level 7.
Facing this encirclement by two equally powerful opponents, Riezel could only feel immense pressure—something obvious to anyone who saw it.
Yet, despite all this, Riezel actually smiled.
He smiled wildly.
He smiled happily.
His heart raced.
His blood heated.
His body trembled.
Adrenaline surged through him.
It couldn’t be helped, since this was, after all, the kind of thrill Riezel always craved.
As a result...
"BRING IT ON! FAIRY KNIGHTS!"
A feral shout burst out of Riezel’s mouth, completely unlike his usual calm demeanor.
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, the flames of the sun surged violently within Riezel’s body, transforming him into a blazing sun as he charged toward the incoming white meteor and the scorching waves of flame.
*BOOM!*
With a loud explosion, the sun first blasted apart the waves of flame, shattering them.
*DING!*
Following that was the sound of steel colliding as the black sword within the sun sliced through the falling white meteor.
*Zing!*
Within the flames of the sun, the ring on Riezel’s right hand suddenly glowed, enhancing his power.
In that instant, he activated the ability of the Origin Ring, becoming even stronger by tapping into the power of the ring.
"Ugh, that ring?!"
Lancelot, who had been sliced away by Riezel’s strike, seemed to feel something and, like Gawain before, looked in surprise at his right hand.
"He became stronger!"
Gawain, watching from the ground, witnessed Riezel’s outburst.
Seeing him effortlessly shatter her own attack and knock Lancelot away with another strike, Gawain’s fighting intent nearly exploded with excitement.
Riezel, paying no attention to their reactions and continuing to wrap himself in the flames of the sun as he charged at Lancelot, began to chant.
"Magic spear, penetrate my forehead offering blood!"
It was a chant Riezel had never spoken before.
It was also a magic he rarely had the chance to use.
Back in the world of Danmachi, he had learned five magic from Riveria, two from Lefiya, one from Ais, one from Airmid, one by chance from an adventurer, and one from Finn.
In total, he had learned eleven magic, holding far more than any mage in the world of Danmachi.
From Riveria, he learned Liv Ilusio, Veil Breath, Via Shilheim, Wynn Fimbulvetr, and Rea Laevateinn.
From Lefiya, he learned Arcs Ray and Fusillade Fallarica.
From Ais, he learned Ariel.
From Airmid, he learned Dia Fratel.
By chance, he learned Raumure from a female adventurer he encountered.
As for the magic he learned from Finn, it was a magic that gave explosive power, capable of greatly enhancing all basic abilities.
It could enhance the caster’s STR, END, DEX, AGI, and even MAG to a staggering degree, almost on par with Ariel, a magic that allowed one to challenge enemies far beyond their level.
Unfortunately, this magic had a flaw—as the fighting intent surged, it would lower the user’s judgment, affect their mind, and cause a loss of control, which was why Finn rarely used it.
In fact, the reason Riezel had learned this magic was that Finn had personally approached him and taught it to him.
"Well, this magic is a double-edged sword for me since I need to command my party on the battlefield, so it’s hard to use effectively. But for you, someone who’s immune to mental interference, it’s a very powerful trump card."
As Finn had said, the side effect of this magic didn’t affect Riezel because of his immunity to mental interference.
In other words, in Riezel’s hands, it was purely a power-enhancing magic.
What magic had Finn taught Riezel?
It was none other than the powerful berserk magic known as ’Hell Finegas.’
Riezel had only used this magic once before, during the bloody battle on the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and now, he used it once again, letting the madness surge from his chest, causing his eyes to turn blood-red.
"HAAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Unable to suppress the raging madness within him, Riezel let out a bestial roar.
Following this roar, which could shake all of Salisbury, Riezel’s speed surged, and for the first time, he caught up with Lancelot, who had entered an accelerated state.
"?!!!"
Lancelot’s beautiful pupils suddenly shrank, and her expression changed drastically before she immediately flicked out the blades in her hands, slashing toward Riezel.
*Clang!*
Lancelot’s twin blades were instantly deflected by the black sword engulfed in flames, producing nothing more than a metallic sound.
Right after, the black sword came crashing down with force.
"Fire Wheel!"
A flaming arc-shaped vertical slash exploded, moving with incredible speed and power.
Injured as she was, Lancelot couldn’t keep up at all, as all she could see was a burst of flames shooting out from the approaching Riezel, who then cleaved through it with his sword.
*Pu-chi!*
With the sound of flesh tearing, another burning wound appeared on Lancelot’s body.
"ARGHHH—!"
Lancelot couldn’t help but let out a pained cry, only to be met with a powerful kick.
*BOOM!*
With a muffled thud, Lancelot, soaring through the sky, was kicked down to the ground by Riezel like a cannonball—she scraped through the air, crashed into the ground, and kicked up a cloud of dust.
"HAAAAAAH!"
Gawain, witnessing all of this, couldn’t help but gasp, her pupils shrinking in shock before she let out a roar to blow away her own fear—she swung her fiery sword toward Riezel, sending another wave of flames at him.
Unfortunately for her, against this flame that could burn everything, Riezel didn’t retreat but advanced instead, charging right into the flames without even trying to protect himself.
"What?!"
Gawain could hardly believe her eyes.
Not only did Riezel not burn in the flames, but it was as if he had become a dragon swimming through the sea. He swiftly passed through the wave of flames and, in the blink of an eye, emerged from them, landing right in front of Gawain.
"Clear Blue Sky!"
A fiery slash, shaped like the sun’s outline, fell from the sky.
*DING!*
Riezel’s black sword, burning with flames, slammed heavily against Gawain’s sword, which was also engulfed in flames, sending a violent, bell-like sound ringing through the air as they clashed.
However, the burst of energy overwhelmed Gawain’s hurried block, causing the ground beneath her to explode, and the area within ten meters to sink.
"ARGGGHHH—!!!"
Gawain gritted her teeth, holding her sword with both hands, her veins bulging as she fought against the devastating blow, struggling to hold her ground, refusing to kneel.
Unfortunately, in the next second, she was kicked away just like Lancelot.
*BOOM!*
It was like kicking a giant ball. Gawain was sent flying by Riezel’s spinning kick, crashing into a Cerberus and several Black Dogs, sending them all flying.
Even though it seemed like it took a long time to describe, in reality, from the moment Riezel unleashed Hell Finegas until he knocked Lancelot and Gawain aside, only a few seconds had passed.
Yet, in those few seconds, two Fairy Knights, who were above many other fairies in Faerie Britain, were both knocked out one after the other by Riezel.
It was an unbelievable achievement.
An impossible scene.
However, Riezel wasn’t done, as his crimson eyes were still locked onto Gawain, who was still tumbling through the air.
After using Hell Finegas, although Riezel was immune to mental interference, so he didn’t lose his mind, the madness that surged within him still affected his combat style, making him far more violent than usual.
Now, Riezel wasn’t just wielding a fiery sword—he was kicking people as well. Even when he temporarily pushed his enemies back, he didn’t stop attacking, because he wouldn’t let up until they were completely defeated.
Riezel immediately caught up to Gawain with astonishing speed, leaving a trail of fire behind him, and grabbed a chain on her body as she flew, swinging her through the air.
*BOOM!*
With a loud crash, Gawain was slammed to the ground by the chain.
*BOOM!**BOOM!**BOOM!**BOOM!*
Riezel, seemingly losing himself to madness, clutched the chain and, with explosive strength, slammed Gawain down again and again, shaking the earth and cracking the ground.
*Cough!*
"ARGHHHHH—!!!"
As Riezel swung her upward, Gawain coughed up blood, but akin to a beast roused, her eyes turned crimson, mirroring Riezel’s, before she suddenly hugged his body and hurled him into the sky.
*BOOM!*
At the same time, an explosion rang out from the crater as a white meteor soared out with a deafening sound, heading toward Riezel, who had been thrown into the air.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Unlike before, the usually calm Lancelot now let out a roar.
Lancelot, whose armguards had split apart and could no longer deploy her blades, grabbed Riezel tightly and slammed him into the walls of Salisbury.
*BOOM!*
In that instant, the towering city walls shattered, collapsing instantly and sending a cloud of dust into the sky.