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As Greece's stronghold in the 7777 Outer Gate, its defensive barrier was exceptionally powerful, rivaling even the one used in Mars.
If anything, it was even more oppressive. With Ouroboros-level elites stationed inside the city, the barrier reduced most ordinary four-digit powerhouses to little more than average people.
Anyone below the four-digit level wasn't even allowed through the gates. They could only linger around the outer districts.
Confident in the barrier's strength, the Greek guards had long since grown complacent. After going through the motions of a routine inspection, they usually clocked out to drink, feast, and "help" women who were homeless.
Even after the higher-ups announced that the Godslayer War had officially begun, nothing really changed. In the guards' minds, war was the concern of those at the top. Their job was simply to collect their pay and do the bare minimum.
After all, who in their right mind would attack the Greek headquarters? Who would dare?
Today, however... someone did.
Boom!
Two burly warriors shot headfirst into the ground like stakes being hammered into the earth. Their limbs twitched violently for a few seconds before falling completely still.
"That's it?" The black-haired young man in a tailored suit, bandages wrapped around one hand, let out a disappointed chuckle. "I didn't even use ten percent of my strength. So this is Greece?"
"Bastard!"
Several Greek warriors, their pride wounded, roared and charged.
One of them was especially hot-blooded. Without hesitation, he thrust his spear straight at Ryo's forehead.
As the spear swept forward, its tip silently ignited with azure flames. The blue fire radiated an icy chill that cut to the bone.
The attack clearly carried divine Authority, with nearly all its destructive power compressed into a single point at the spearhead— Ultimate Concentration.
Clang!
But the spear struck Ryo between the eyebrows. It couldn't even penetrate the passive defense generated by his Cosmo, let alone break his skin.
Ryo raised his eyes and looked at the warrior.
"Nice spear." He smiled. "Shame it's so fragile."
Crack... crack...
Before the stunned eyes of the surrounding Greek warriors, the spear, forged from a rare divine metal, shattered inch by inch into fine powder.
The entire courtyard fell silent. Nobody could believe what they'd just witnessed.
His spirit rank clearly placed him at only a five-digit rule-breaker level, someone whose power limit should have been an elite four-digit.
Yet he had blocked a divine weapon empowered by Authority with his bare body... and the recoil alone had shattered the weapon.
It was like an egg smashing into a rock... and somehow breaking the rock. It completely defied common sense.
"M-Monster..." The warrior, still clutching the now-useless spear shaft, swallowed hard.
A faint hum sounded.
Like a hot knife slicing through butter, Ryo's raised foot passed effortlessly through the man's abdomen. The sole of his shoe emerged from the other side, plainly visible to the warriors standing behind him.
"What a rude thing to call someone." Ryo frowned.
Then, with a casual sideways sweep of his leg, he erased the heads of several nearby Greeks.
There was no surge of Authority. No spiritual power. None of the supernatural energies the Greeks were familiar with.
He accomplished it all through raw physical strength alone.
Everyone who witnessed it felt a chill run down their spine. They had clearly seen their comrades activating every ability they possessed. Some transformed into elemental forms, others into conceptual existences, desperately trying to evade the attack or counter him.
None of it mattered.
That single lazy kick reduced every counterattack, every desperate struggle, into kneeling corpses.
"That's strange..." Ryo rubbed his chin, genuinely puzzled. "Isn't this supposed to be Artemis's army? I heard the weakest members here are rebellious gods at the four-digit level. So why are they so weak?"
His blatant mockery hung in the air.
Yet unlike before, not a single warrior dared answer his challenge. Instead, several unconsciously backed away, swallowing nervously as fear spread across their faces.
Ryo lazily swept his gaze over the crowd. His relaxed posture made him look almost comically laid-back as he rubbed his chin again. "Not fighting anymore?"
Clap. Clap.
Applause echoed from the far end of the courtyard.
A broad-shouldered blond man stepped forward, dressed in a crimson suit with a white overcoat. One look was enough to tell he held a high-ranking position.
"As expected of Arcadia's leader. Even while restricted to a five-digit rule-breaker level, you're still far beyond what these fools can handle."
Ryo merely looked at him without replying.
The blond man continued calmly, "Unfortunately... Even someone as powerful as you can make mistakes."
He shook his head with a sigh. "You shouldn't have come. A duel between individuals is nothing like a war between armies. I only hope that after dying once, you'll remember that lesson."
The moment the final word left his mouth, Ryo was already standing in front of him.
His leg whipped toward the man's head.
There was no flourish. No enhancement from Authority. Just an ordinary side kick.
Yet it carried unstoppable force.
The blond man's pupils contracted.
Spiritual barriers. Protective Authorities. Physical enhancement.
Every defensive measure he possessed erupted into action without hesitation.
Even as the overwhelming pressure distorted his body and forced it to swell grotesquely, he continued piling defense upon defense. He even cast an Authority that shared damage onto Ryo, hoping to drag his opponent down with him.
But it was all meaningless.
The casual kick never reached his head. As his body expanded, it struck his arm first, then passed through his chest... Finally tearing free from the right side of his torso.
"H-How..." The blond man stared in disbelief.
His body, invaded by Ryo's Cosmo, began crumbling apart inch by inch.
The surrounding guards looked on in horror.
"H-How is this possible... Lord Odysseus... the great hero... has been killed!"
"Run! It's Ryo Yagami of Arcadia! He's a monster!"
"..."
Watching the chaos unfold, Ryo smiled. Then he pushed off the ground.
His speed exploded. Like a gigantic living battering ram, he crashed through the entire estate, leaving thunderous explosions and earthquakes in his wake.
Before long, screams and desperate pleas for mercy echoed throughout the manor.
Within seconds, they were gone.
...
Deep inside the estate... a door burst open.
A maid rushed into a room with her head lowered. "Lady Artemis! Something has happened outsi—"
Boom!
The smooth beige floor tiles exploded.
The maid's headless body collapsed to the ground.
Moments later, it dissolved into white dust, scattering in the breeze.
The sound of flowing water filled the room.
Ryo looked up toward the hot spring bath.
Standing in the steaming pool was a silver-haired woman. Water droplets still clung to her skin as she slowly rose, her face cold and expressionless.
Ryo gave her an unhurried once-over. "Nice figure."
.
.
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