"He's shown himself."
At Artoria's murmur, Kazuki gave a quiet nod.
Indeed, the title of "Strongest in Norse Mythology" was clearly well-earned. Thor's entire body radiated a barely contained, overwhelming aura that surpassed even Loki's in sheer ferocity.
"Thor aside, those three behind him are no slouches either. So that's the 'Warriors Three'..."
Brynhildr had briefed him about Thor's three close aides—the Warriors Three.
The red-haired giant—Volstagg the Voluminous.
The fair-haired, handsome man—Fandral the Dashing.
The black-haired, grim-faced man with flowing locks—Hogun the Grim.
These were battle-hardened veterans who had walked countless battlefields alongside Thor. Every single one of them exuded a palpable sense of danger.
"Thor, that's the rumored 'Guyver' from the Biblical Factions."
"Hoh, so that's him, is it?"
As Hogun whispered to Thor, the Thunder God's lips curled upward with evident amusement.
"Hah! Guyver or whatever you call yourself—you're nothing but a devil who's gotten way too comfortable rampaging around as you please!!"
Volstagg stomped forward, his heavy footsteps thudding ominously, and brought his enormous double-bladed axe crashing down. The impact blew a massive crater into the ground with a thunderous boom. But Kazuki swiftly slipped inside his guard, dodging the blow and unleashing a full-force counterstrike.
Yet…
"The hell was that? A mosquito bite?"
It had no effect whatsoever. Volstagg remained utterly composed, casually scratching the spot where the punch had landed.
"No way...!"
Rossweisse's eyes went wide with shock at Volstagg's durability, which far exceeded all expectations. Volstagg hefted his double-bladed axe once more—
"Your soft little fists ain't gonna do shit to m—"
—and just as he was about to swing it down—
—Thump-thump!!
A shockwave, as if his entire body had been ripped apart, tore through Volstagg, sending his axe clattering from his grip.
"Gufuh!? I-Impossible..."
Blood poured from Volstagg's mouth as his colossal frame crashed to the ground with a tremor, completely motionless.
"Fuwa Enmei Style Ultimate Technique—Mukuha."
As silence seized everyone present, Kazuki's voice alone rang out across the arena.
"Volstagg!? You son of a—!"
"Hold, Fandral!!"
Hogun stopped Fandral, who had been about to charge in blind fury.
"Why are you stopping me, Hogun!?"
"Calm yourself. This is the man who took down Volstagg in a single blow. If you charge in consumed by rage, you'll just be the next one on the ground."
At Hogun's words, Fandral lowered his sword, though his frustration was plain. Surprisingly level-headed. If he'd come at Kazuki with his blood boiling, it would've been an easy counter-kill—what a shame.
"I see... So the rumors are true, Guyver. Now then? What did you come here for?"
Thor fixed Kazuki with an unwavering stare, a grin still playing at his lips.
"I came to negotiate. We want you—the Neutral Faction—to side with the Open Faction."
Meeting Thor's gaze directly, Kazuki laid out his business without any sugarcoating. Instantly, Fandral exploded with rage.
"Don't fucking screw with us! You pull this kind of bullshit and expect us to join hands with you!?"
"Brynhildr told me the Norse realm holds martial prowess in high regard. If that's the case, a demonstration like this is a hell of a lot faster than piling up pretty words. That's what I figured... So what do you say, Thor?"
When Kazuki spoke with a provocative edge, Thor let out a bark of delighted laughter.
"Gahahahahaha!! You're damn right! Fine—show me your strength. No, show me the strength of the Biblical Factions! Now then..."
"Thor, let me take him! I'll avenge Volstagg!!"
"Oi, Volstagg ain't dead."
Hogun deadpanned as Fandral drew his blade and stepped forward. But—
"Sorry, request denied. If we're doing this, Thor, I'd rather fight you directly."
Thor answered Kazuki's challenge with a savage grin.
"Gahahahahaha!! You've got some serious balls! Fine, I'll be your opponent myself!!"
In the next instant, a tremendous aura wreathed in lightning erupted from Thor.
'Glad to see he is up for it. But…'
"Now hold the fuck on, Thor! There's no way I'm sheathing my sword after all this!!"
Fandral's frustration boiled over. Even Thor, fully prepared to fight, looked a bit troubled. Then—
"In that case, allow me to be your opponent."
Artoria stepped up beside Kazuki. Fandral opened his mouth, his expression wary, but—
"That works. Fandral, if you can beat her, I'll take you on next."
"Don't you forget those words!"
Fandral glared at them with eyes blazing with fury.
"Then it's settled! We're changing sites—follow me!"
They fell in behind Thor and stepped deeper into the palace…
The stage of battle shifted to the great colosseum. Rossweisse watched as Artoria faced off against Fandral alongside Kazuki.
"Kick his ass, Fandral!!"
"Beat the shit outta those cocky Biblical bastards!!"
"Teach 'em never to defy the Norse realm again!!"
The spectator stands were packed to the brim with the Neutral Faction, their jeers and insults echoing thunderously around the arena. Despite being in a one-hundred-percent hostile environment, Artoria stood at the center of the arena with perfect, unshaken composure.
From the VIP seats where Rossweisse now found herself, she, along with Thor and Hogun, tilted back their cups and watched the two figures standing in the colosseum with deep interest.
"That woman... she's something else. Who is she, Guyver?"
"Artoria is my Queen. You familiar with the Evil Pieces?"
"Ah, that thing that forcibly reincarnates other species into devils... That shit's got a bad reputation."
At Thor's frowning comment, Kazuki's face twisted wryly.
"So I've heard. There used to be stories of forceful recruitment—even outright kidnapping people to make them into servants... But the current Underworld has been actively purging those corrupt nobles. It might sound like a convenient excuse to you, but... judge us not by the Underworld of the past, but by who we are now."
"Hmm..."
"Heh heh, ain't that fine, Thor? Guy's got a point. What matters ain't the past, it's the present, yeah?"
At Kazuki's earnest words, Thor fell into deep thought, while Hogun unexpectedly showed signs of agreement.
"Hmph. Fine. Let's see it, then—this 'present' of your Biblical Factions..."
The referee, Heimdall, entered the arena and blew the whistle to signal the start of the match.
The battle had begun.