Being able to obtain the title of Orario's fastest at Level 6 meant, in a certain sense, that Allen was extremely formidable.
Why was that?
Simple.
Since he could earn this title, it meant that in the domain of speed, even Ottar could not match him.
Clearly, the implication was extraordinary.
Admittedly, within the Loki Familia, many held titles of being number one in Orario, but the fields in which those individuals excelled did not conflict with Ottar's.
Ais was indeed Orario's strongest swordswoman, but in Orario, there were not only swordswomen—there were also swordsmen. Even though Ottar wielded a greatsword, strictly speaking, he was not a swordsman but rather a pure warrior, since the sword was merely his most commonly used weapon, and it was not as though he would be rendered ineffective without it.
Riveria was likewise Orario's strongest mage, yet magic was not one of Ottar's strengths, so being surpassed in this area was only natural.
Riezel, as Orario's strongest magic swordsman, was no exception.
Whether in swordsmanship or magic, these were not domains in which Ottar specialized, nor were they his strengths, so there was no direct conflict with Riezel.
Allen's case, however, was different.
It should be noted that Ottar's AGI had reached S-rank before leveling up, with a proficiency of 989, nearly touching the limits of his status. Developing AGI to such an extent at Level 7 implied that across his previous six levels, his AGI had certainly never been low, so the accumulated latent ability from such growth was self-evident.
Not to mention those of lower levels—even among those of the same level, individuals capable of surpassing Ottar in speed were exceedingly rare.
And yet, Allen had surpassed Ottar's speed at Level 6, when Ottar was already infinitely close to Level 8.
Was that not astonishing enough?
Hence, Allen, like Riezel, Lefiya, and Riveria, possessed abilities that exceeded his current level.
Lefiya and Riveria had attack power that surpassed their respective levels—one, at Level 3, could rival a Level 5 mage, while the other, at Level 6, could rival a Level 7 mage.
Riezel was even more abnormal.
In every basic ability, he possessed strength that exceeded his current level, and his mastery of magic was even more terrifying than Lefiya's and Riveria's, with attack power that was nothing short of alarming.
Allen might not have been as monstrous as Riezel, but in the domain of speed, he likewise possessed strength far beyond his level, which allowed him, at Level 6, to suppress an Ottar who was infinitely close to Level 8 and become the fastest in Orario.
Now that Allen had advanced to Level 7, his speed had reached even greater heights, attaining a level that ordinary Level 8 adventurers could not match.
Riezel was certain that this cat beastman must possess an extremely rare development ability or skill that drastically enhanced his AGI. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to achieve such speed—so much so that even Riezel, whose latent abilities were astonishing in all aspects and who could rival Level 7 despite being limited to Level 6, had nearly been unable to keep up with him.
If not for the development abilities Lightweight and Fast Attack, which compensated for his movement speed and attack speed, along with the Transparent World, allowing him to fully perceive his opponent's movements, combined with the explosive techniques of Thunder Breathing and his remarkable reflexes, Riezel would not have been able to keep up with Allen, let alone fight him to this extent.
For this reason, Riezel found Allen somewhat troublesome—at least while he was limiting his true strength at Level 6.
Compared to Allen, Riezel even felt that Ottar was easier to deal with.
Of course, this was not to say that Ottar was weaker than Allen, but in terms of compatibility, he was at a disadvantage against Allen.
Ottar was undeniably powerful, but he was a warrior who adhered to defense.
However, no matter how strong his defense was, could he truly remain unscathed under Riezel's overwhelming magic bombardment?
He could not.
Consequently, back on the 9th Floor of the Dungeon, even when Riezel was at the limit of Level 5, he had still been able to inflict damage on Ottar.
Allen, however, was different.
When facing Riezel's attacks, he could react instantly and evade with ease.
When facing Riezel's magic, he could also make split-second judgments—either launching a high-speed assault to interrupt Riezel's chant, or shooting backward like a bullet to create distance and escape the range of Riezel's magic.
As a result, up to this point in the battle, aside from the fast attack magic Firebolt being successfully cast once, all of Riezel's other magic had either missed or been interrupted.
For Riezel, this sensation had only ever occurred when facing two individuals.
One was the greatest Fairy Knight of the Faerie Britain Lostbelt, Lancelot, while the other was the cold woman who wielded a national artifact sword, Ice Maiden.
While the former had relied on astonishing flight ability and mobility to firmly suppress Riezel, rendering his magic nearly ineffective, the latter had relied on inhuman intuition, repeatedly sensing his intent to cast magic in advance and interrupting him time and again.
Now, Allen gave Riezel that same feeling.
In terms of suppressive force, he was inferior to Lancelot.
In terms of combat intuition, he was inferior to Ice Maiden.
But through sheer speed, he could achieve an equally overwhelming level of dominance over his opponent.
Allen was not only the chariot that bore the goddess but also the wheel that crushed enemies. Once he began to run, no one could catch up to him—they could only see the tracks he left behind.
Such an opponent was indeed unfavorable and poorly suited to Riezel.
To deal with Allen, unless Riezel removed his limitations and fought at full strength, he would have to employ every technique at his disposal. He could no longer restrict himself to one or two combat styles or rely on a single Breathing Style as before.
Therefore, not long after the battle began, Riezel decisively employed Wind Breathing, Thunder Breathing, and Moon Breathing in succession.
Wind Breathing focused on offense.
Moon Breathing focused on defense, using wide-range attacks to force Allen back.
Thunder Breathing was used for bursts of speed, allowing Riezel to keep up with Allen.
Only in this way could Riezel, at Level 6, contend with Allen, whose speed surpassed that of an ordinary Level 8, and avoid falling behind.
Naturally, Allen found this result difficult to accept.
Someone he had once looked down on unilaterally, and who was still at a lower level than himself, was now able to keep up with his proud speed and avoid being crushed by his rapid assault.
Such a fact caused the anger within Allen to burn fiercely like flames.
'I'd like to see how long you can keep up.'
Allen lowered his body once more, and half a second later, a sonic boom erupted as he shattered the ground beneath his feet and shot forward amid exploding dust and violent winds.
At this moment, his figure turned into a flash of light, and the tip of his silver spear became a streak of light as well, carrying a fierce, murderous intent as his attack enveloped Riezel, aiming to pierce straight through his body.
*Clang!*
Riezel, with his eyes still shimmering with a transparent radiance, drove the sword in his hand forward at a speed no less than Allen's, slashing outward and deflecting the incoming spear tip.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Allen, without ceasing his assault, had his silver spear break through the sound barrier, thrusting relentlessly toward Riezel.
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
Riezel, his expression remaining calm as his sword danced into a blur of sword light, did not retreat and instead continuously deflected the rain-like barrage of spear strikes.
It was as if the two were competing against each other—one launching relentless thrusts, the other knocking aside every incoming strike. Flashes of light and sword glints intertwined without end, while the sounds of collision rang out without pause.
For a time, sparks scattered wildly, fierce winds howled and swept across the battlefield, dust surged like a storm as it stirred around the two locked in combat, and the ground itself began to crack beneath the repeated clashes.
Yet the two, immersed in the heat of battle, were completely unaware, exerting every ounce of their strength—and even surpassing their own limits.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Acceleration, acceleration, and more acceleration!
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
Collision, collision, and more collisions!
Within an exchange so fast that even the time it took to breathe felt like a waste—where not even a moment's respite was permitted—Riezel and Allen refused to yield to one another. Each intended to overwhelm the other in their own field of expertise, engaging in nothing but continuous combat—combat, and more combat!
*Ka-cha—*
In the end, it was the ground that gave way first.
Under the increasingly violent clash of offense and defense, it shattered with a sharp crack and suddenly collapsed.
*Rumble—!*
Above the collapsing ground, Riezel and Allen, forced to halt their exchange, almost simultaneously kicked out with their right legs—one striking the shaft of the opponent's spear, the other hitting the arm raised to block.
*BANG!*
A dull impact rang out.
After exchanging that blow, the two were finally forced apart, their bodies slicing through the air as they were sent flying backward.
While being thrown back, Riezel finally found the opportunity to cast magic.
"Firebolt!"
Flames surged in Riezel's free left hand, and a thick bolt of fiery lightning shot forth, tearing through the sky like a flash as it blasted toward Allen.
Facing this high-velocity attack magic, Allen merely performed a backward flip, easily evading it as it passed beneath him.
*BOOM!*
A burning building behind Allen was instantly struck by the fiery lightning and exploded on the spot.
"Sacrament - Aurora!"
Seeing this, Riezel activated another magic the moment he landed, and in that instant, countless orbs of light appeared behind him.
"!!!"
Just as Allen was about to charge forward, his pupils suddenly contracted at the sight.
Riezel did not hesitate and immediately launched the countless orbs of light behind him.
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
In an instant, the countless orbs of light transformed into meteors, like a meteor shower sweeping across the earth, shooting out from behind Riezel and covering the sky as they rained down toward Allen.
"Tch!"
Allen clicked his tongue, then twisted his foot, kicking up a surge of wind as he shot off to the side. He dashed at extreme speed, intending to escape the range of Riezel's attack just as he had done before.
Seeing the overwhelming barrage of light, Allen assumed it to be some kind of wide-area annihilation magic and made that judgment.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
*Hummm—!*
Having lost its target, the orbs of light suddenly trembled—then, all at once, changed direction and chased after the rapidly moving Allen.
"What?"
Allen was visibly startled.
Sacrament - Aurora was one of the two powerful magic spells Riezel had learned from Maya, the guardian of the ancient city inside Yarakulon.
Unlike the ultimate counter-type magic Sacrament - Wheel Mirror, this magic not only increased in power and speed in accordance with the user's ability and magical output, but also possessed multiple properties such as tracking, charge-up, condensation, and remote manipulation.
It was, without a doubt, a high-tier offensive magic capable of growing alongside its user.
Riezel knew that Allen would find it easy to evade ordinary magic attacks, which was why he chose to use this magic. Under the tracking effect of the magic, no matter how Allen dodged, he could not shake off the orbs of light's lock—especially when Riezel could control them remotely.
"Let's see where you run..."
Riezel lowered the tip of the sword in his hand, pointing it toward the ground from a distance, guiding the orbs of light with his magical energy—some continued to pursue Allen, while others curved outward, gradually surrounding him.
"Hm, this way, huh?"
With his eyes glowing with a transparent light, Riezel had already seen through Allen's movement path. Raising his hand, over a dozen orbs of light descended from the sky, cutting off Allen's route.
"Damn it!"
Allen cursed, yet he did not dare slow down in the slightest as his figure flickered, dodging the orbs of light shooting in from both sides one by one, but in that moment, the orbs of light blocking his path surged forward again, while those chasing from behind accelerated, streaking straight toward his back.
*BOOM!*
At last, one orb of light caught up to Allen and detonated at his feet, blasting the ground apart.
"Ugh!"
Even though Allen avoided a direct hit at the last possible instant with astonishing speed, the ground beneath his feet was blown away, and the shockwave sent him flying.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
In an instant, the orbs of light that relentlessly pursued him bombarded him one after another, blasting craters into the ground as thunderous explosions echoed continuously.
Like a cat driven into a corner, he could only leap and dash across the terrain—at times springing off shattered debris, at times vaulting onto rooftops—barely evading the incoming orbs of light again and again.
"Impressive. You're really good at dodging, huh..."
Riezel's voice reached Allen's ears, causing the anger within him to surge, but when the corner of Allen's eye glanced toward Riezel, that anger instantly cooled.
"The flame will soon be released. Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud, the cruelty of conflict will envelop all. Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno. You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war—"
While controlling the orbs of light to pursue Allen, Riezel was already standing within a magic circle, chanting a true wide-area annihilation magic, Rea Laevateinn.
If that magic were to be completed...
Thinking of the consequences, Allen took a deep breath.
"Golden wheel, silver collar."
In the next instant, Allen began chanting as well.
"Love of hatred, illusion of corpse, fate is here."
"Disappear, golden wheel, before the rut kills you."
"Whip of glory, lips of favor, the price is here."
"Spin, silver wheel, until the day this head falls."
"Beyond the heavens, until the time you hear the song of the wheel - Run through, carry the goddess's will—"
What Allen chanted was a magic he had never used before in front of others.
Its name was—
"Gralineze Fromel!"
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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