Within the ruins, the smoke and dust had completely dissipated. Sharp punches rained down like a storm. Bell crouched low, evading the black iron gauntlet's direct strike by a hair's breadth. A flash of black light erupted as two pitch-black daggers plunged downward with impeccable timing. In that split-second evasion, Bell surged forward, parrying the attack with his crimson dagger. The next instant, Hestia's Blade deflected another strike, sending it crashing into the black iron gauntlet below.
"Aaah!"
"What the hell just happened?!"
The "Black Cat," struck squarely on the arm, let out a wail. Unable to comprehend the situation, "Black Fist" blurted out his question. The figure before him was indeed the youth they had fought before. In that casino, though they had lost, they were certain that given another chance to fight, they could not lose.
Last time, they had been careless. As long as they maintained their coordination and used the Salamander Wool to guard against the Quick-Cast Magic, they would be invincible. That was how it should have been. Yet the tremor coursing through his arm was far more intense than before. There was no doubt about it—Bell Cranel was growing at an alarming rate.
Dagger clashed against fist. Cold sweat trickled down Black Fist's cheek. This couldn't be described as mere growth. Both in strength and speed, the youth before them was unrecognizable from before. Beyond that, something even more terrifying and deadly emanated from the boy.
Hyakinthos observed the fight from the sidelines. It wasn't that he didn't want to join in; he judged that rushing in would only disrupt their own team. The coordination between "Black Fist" and "Black Cat" was nothing short of masterful. It was precisely this synergy that allowed them to deceive the casino owner and impersonate as Level 4 fugitives.
The moment a fist struck, a jet-black dagger would strike from an angle. Logically, no one could defend against such a finely tuned combo. Yet the youth not only dodged the fatal blow but turned their offensive against them, guiding their attacks to clash with each other.
"How did you do that?!"
"Impossible!"
The gauntlet struck "Black Cat" repeatedly, while the dagger left wounds on "Black Fist." Amidst their disbelief, Bell recalled their earlier training. The lightning-fast elf girl wielding a wooden sword. The swift, wind-like blonde girl thrusting her slender blade. Compared to Ryuu and Ais, the enemy's coordination was mere child's play.
The gauntlet swept horizontally toward his head, its intent to lure him into crouching all too obvious. The next move would surely be a downward-angled dagger thrust. Bell anticipated this, blocking the attack while stepping back.
The dagger instantly carved a bloody gash into "Black Fist's" leg. Their excessive focus on coordination made every attack predictable. This was unlike Ryuu and Ais—the two girls' attacks were always unpredictable.
Blades flashed. Bell didn't use magic, relying solely on skill to suppress the Level 3 duo.
"Bell Cranel holding off two opponents? This is nothing short of a miracle!"
"Is he really only Level 2?! The title 'World's Fastest Rabbit' is no empty boast!"
Amidst the excited commentary, Orario erupted in cheers. The gods themselves were engaged in heated discussion.
"Looks like the Little Rookie has quite the potential!"
"Hestia, tell us—what were the Little Rookie's stats before leveling up?"
"No way I'm telling!"
"Don't be so stingy. Could it be all A's?"
"S?"
"Surely not SS?!"
"You're too noisy. If you're so curious, just watch the battle more closely."
After the gods' persistent questioning yielded no results, Freya, seated high above, ended the topic. The Goddess of Beauty blinked, as if imprinting this scene upon her heart, her eyes glinting with an unusual light.
In the Twilight Manor and the tavern, two other girls also had their eyes sparkling.
"Cranel-san..." Ryuu gazed at the young man's figure, murmuring softly.
At the beginning of their training, her coordination with Ais hadn't been particularly smooth. But after spending several days together, Ryuu had come to understand the naturally absent-minded girl's combat style. Ais was like a sword. What Ryuu needed to do was temper the sharpness of that blade. From that point on, their coordination became increasingly seamless. The number of times the boy fell continued to rise. How many attacks he took, how many scars he bore—Ryuu could no longer remember. She simply repeated the brutal training.
It started when the crescent moon sank, and the sun had yet to rise. It ended when the stars shimmered, and the moonlight grew cold. Over and over. Day after day. The sensation of knocking the boy down remained sharply vivid in her mind. Yet Bell never gave up. Even when completely exhausted, even when victory seemed impossible, he rose again and again. Not a single complaint. Not an ounce of resentment. Even when faced with the Elf who struck him down and caused him pain, Bell always greeted her with a smile.
Looking at the divine mirror, Ryuu reminisced about the intoxicating days of their "cohabitation." She decided to bury it deep within her heart, never revealing a single detail to anyone.
"Bell..."
Ais didn't dwell on it much. What filled her heart was boundless warmth and passion. She had been able to help the boy. Just knowing that made the little girl inside her heart leap with joy.
"His technique can only be described as transcendent..." Finn observed the battle, his voice filled with admiration. As the Familia captain, he not only had exceptional leadership skills but was also an incredibly formidable fighter himself.
But even so, Finn couldn't help but feel inferior. At level 2, he knew he could never have reached the height the boy had reached now. Beyond his agility, the boy's [Strength] and [Agility] had reached levels that were nearly impossible to predict.
"Bell... during training... tricked me so many times... He doesn't want to lose..." Ais murmured softly. Even when facing coordinated attacks from high-ranking Adventurers, the boy was always looking for weaknesses to exploit. In fact, due to the training, Ais had indeed been deceived by his technique, accidentally landing a blow on Ryuu instead.
"He must have undergone incredibly intense training in the past..." Riveria said with a sense of awe. The crimson light danced through his white hair, and the boy's posture reminded her of that first battle against the mercenary . Clearly, he was a hidden gem. Though Riveria's expression remained composed, inside, she felt like a young princess in the forest—thrilled beyond measure.
"Go for it, Argonaut! Little hero!" Tiona clenched her fist and cheered loudly, as though she were right there on the battlefield, offering nonstop support. The fierce battle continued. The cheers never stopped.
Finn narrowed his eyes, licking his fingertip. His mind wasn't clouded by excitement; instead, he felt a sharp stinging sensation in his finger. The enemy had yet to fully engage. Captain Hyakinthos was still observing the battle. The reason he hadn't joined the fray was surely that the coordination between "Black Fist" and "Black Cat" was too flawless—charging in now would only backfire. But now, with the duo clearly losing ground, Hyakinthos would surely make his move.
"Oh no..." Finn's words barely left his lips. In the Divine Mirror, a spell powerful enough to be fatal had already revealed its deadly fangs.