What happened?
Bell lay face down on the ground, his mind in complete chaos.
Just as Ottar swung his sword, Bell felt a terrifying shockwave strike him even though he was standing at the far edge of the battlefield.
By the time he regained his senses, he was already sprawled on the ground, his body covered in bruises.
"Can't that idiot act a little more normally? The repair costs for this place alone are going to be astronomical."
Hedin's voice sounded beside him, clearly suppressing his anger.
Repair costs… astronomical?
Bell shakily pushed himself up from the ground, and in the next second he understood exactly what Hedin meant.
The earth had been cut.
This was not an exaggeration. The ground had literally been split apart.
Starting from Ottar's position, the Folkvangr had been cleaved into two halves, the massive scar stretching all the way toward the distant horizon.
Most of the lush green grass had been blown away. The surrounding ground was filled with cracks from the impact shockwaves, as if hundreds of cannons had bombarded the area.
The scale was terrifying.
"Monster..."
The word surfaced in Bell's mind instinctively.
With a single strike, the earth itself had been severed.
This level of power completely surpassed everything Bell understood about Adventurers.
Against a monster like that, Mr. Cain...
"Mr... Where is Mr. Cain?!"
Bell's eyes widened in panic.
"Mr. Hedin! Did Mr. Cain get hit by that attack just now?!"
"Relax. He's fine."
Hedin calmly pushed up his glasses.
Although he had not expected Ottar to become this serious and even use the Afterglow, he understood the reason behind it.
Ottar was not trying to kill Cain.
He was teaching him.
Just like how the members of the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia had once trained their juniors, Ottar was attempting to pass down the technique through direct combat.
"Over there!"
Haruhime, who had also been anxiously searching for Cain, suddenly noticed something and raised her hand, pointing toward the right side of the plain.
Bell quickly turned his head.
On the distant side of the field, a familiar figure slowly walked back toward them.
"Hoo... That was rough."
Compared to a few seconds earlier, Cain's clothing had been completely shredded, leaving only the lower half of his pants intact.
"It's been a while since I've been beaten this badly. The last time was when I fought Ryuu."
As he spoke calmly, faint ripples spread across his body, covering the small wounds on his skin and reconnecting the fractures in his bones.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Cain, who had been blown away by the residual shockwave of Ottar's slash, returned to the battlefield with a bright smile on his face.
"That was truly a powerful strike, Ottar."
"...Your reaction is calmer than I expected."
Ottar remained standing where he was, quietly meeting Cain's gaze.
Within those dark eyes he saw no trace of fear or hesitation.
Even after being brushed by the Afterglow and standing on the edge of death, Cain appeared completely unfazed.
For Ottar, this was actually a good thing.
Ottar tightened his grip on the hilt of his greatsword, and once again a terrifying aura capable of shaking the earth began to gather around him.
"Did you see that strike just now?"
"Of course I saw it."
Cain chuckled lightly.
"Thanks to your careful demonstration, I just obtained another trump card."
Ottar: "...?"
Ottar paused.
Even someone as composed as him could not completely hide his surprise after hearing those words.
"You learned it?"
"Of course. It's as easy as breathing."
Cain closed his eyes, replaying the scene from a moment earlier.
When facing the strongest Adventurer in Orario, he had already revealed every trump card he possessed from the very beginning.
Hamon.
The State of Selflessness.
The Transparent World.
Current Propulsion.
And Haruhime's Magic Hammer.
With all of these combined, Cain's strength at this moment was already comparable to that of a Level 6.
And because of the assistance from the State of Selflessness and the Transparent World, he had clearly perceived the principle behind Ottar's strike.
"Using reinforcement magic to amplify the slash, then applying a special force technique to release it."
"Calling it the pinnacle combination of power and skill would not be an exaggeration."
"But in my opinion, the most important factor of that strike was not only power and skill."
"It was the will to kill and the determination to sever everything."
After carefully analyzing the attack in his mind, Cain slowly opened his eyes. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"I've been thinking for some time about creating a finishing move similar to long chant magic."
"If I rely only on eight form, it might work against enemies like floor bosses. But when facing something beyond that level, it becomes insufficient."
"Just like earlier, when I had absolutely no way to break through your defense."
Cain stepped forward until he stood about ten meters in front of Ottar.
His left hand gripped the scabbard while his right hand held the sword hilt.
With the help of the Transparent World and the State of Selflessness, he had already deciphered the principle of the attack.
What remained now was replication.
The first and most important element was will.
Cain recalled memories of cooking.
The infusion of will was something he had mastered long ago.
To cook a delicious dish, premium ingredients and refined technique alone were not enough.
One also needed to inject the intention that [cooking exists to bring happiness].
Now, treating the scabbard and blade as ingredients, Cain poured pure [killing intent] and [Selfless Energy (spiritual power)] into them using the same method.
Golden lightning immediately surged outward.
Just like when he prepared to use eighth form, the lightning flooded into the scabbard, creating a magnetic field that produced a terrifying repulsive force.
But this time, Cain forcefully suppressed it within the scabbard using brute strength.
While continuously increasing the repulsive force, he divided his focus and fused the lightning directly into the blade itself.
Using Selfless Energy as the core, killing intent and lightning magic power intertwined together, releasing an overwhelming aura.
Seconds later, the repulsive force reached its absolute limit.
Cain released his suppression and unleashed his full power strike.
Afterglow
Lightning Cutter!
As if recreating the earlier scene, brilliant golden light illuminated the entire plain and split the earth apart once again.
However, this time Cain aimed his attack directly forward.
And Ottar did not attempt to dodge.
Facing the lightning slash rushing toward him, Ottar gripped his greatsword with both hands and swung forward.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The lightning slash pressed against Ottar's body, forcing him backward while two deep trenches formed beneath his feet.
"What a monster."
Hedin quietly sighed.
It had been a long time since he had praised anyone.
But he had to admit that Cain was a monster who defied common sense.
After witnessing the Brilliant Light Slash only once, he analyzed its principle and reproduced it in his own style.
His combat talent had reached an absurd level.
"So... so incredible!!!"
Standing beside Hedin, Bell was equally stunned.
He forced himself to keep his eyes wide open, afraid to blink even once as he stared ahead.
Whether it was Cain unleashing the Afterglow, or Ottar confronting it directly, both appeared as incomprehensible existences in Bell's eyes.
If he wanted to approach their level someday, he needed to engrave this scene deeply into his memory.
After being pushed back more than a hundred meters, Ottar finally completely neutralized Cain's Afterglow.
"So, didn't I tell you?"
Cain's voice sounded from the other side.
"See it once, master it. As easy as breathing."
"...No. It still isn't perfect."
After a moment of silence, Ottar slowly spoke.
"That strike still has room for improvement."
Cain rolled his eyes.
"Learning it after seeing it once is already impressive. Don't be so demanding."
"Let us continue."
Ignoring Cain's complaint entirely, immense magical power once again gathered around Ottar's body.
If Cain could grasp the basics after seeing it once, then witnessing it several more times would surely help him improve.
Holding onto a simple logic that normal people could never understand, Ottar activated his magic again.
Then, under Cain's completely bewildered gaze, golden brilliance once again split the plain apart.
...
Six hours later. Hestia Restaurant.
Looking at the black haired youth whose arms were wrapped in bandages, Tiona blinked in confusion.
"Cain, what happened to you?"
"I've bet everything on the new era."
Cain removed the straw hat from his head and placed it on the Amazon girl standing before him.
"Don't cry. I'll be waiting for you in the new world."
"I'm not crying, hey!"
Tiona immediately swatted his hand away.
"Good afternoon, Cain."
Finn walked over from behind.
Looking at Cain's strange appearance, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"Although this is only my guess, did Ottar do this to you?"
Cain froze for a moment.
"Finn, are you secretly a genius?"
Finn shrugged.
"Hardly. I simply received some information and made a reasonable deduction."
The Afterglow was no ordinary technique.
It was a finishing move originally created by heroes to fight the Black Dragon.
Even when its power was restrained, Ottar's strike had shaken all of Orario.
Several hours earlier, Finn had already received news that the Freya Familia's Folkvangr had been carved open by a massive sword mark.
At the time he had wondered why Ottar would suddenly practice the Afterglow inside his own Familia.
Now the answer was clear.
He had not been practicing.
He had been teaching.
"Cain, may I ask an impolite question?"
"If you already know it's impolite, maybe you shouldn't ask."
"1,000,000 Valis."
"Don't... don't say anything else. Just ask."
Cain casually took the money pouch from Finn's hand.
Earning one million Valis on his first day working at the restaurant again. This was truly the power of being the head chef.
Seeing that Cain had no intention of hiding anything, Finn immediately asked his question.
"Cain, are you still Level 2?"
"No. I'm Level 3 now."
"Huh?"
Tiona's eyes widened instantly.
"W wait a minute! That makes no sense!"
"Didn't you just reach Level 2 last month?"
"That doesn't conflict with reaching Level 3 now."
Cain replied calmly.
"I killed a floor boss and spent quite a while fighting in the Colosseum. Leveling up faster than normal is perfectly reasonable."
"No, no, no! That's completely unreasonable!"
Tiona didn't even know where to begin complaining.
"So you really aren't Level 2 anymore."
Finn, on the other hand, remained calm.
Compared to the fact that Cain, as a Level 3, had trained the Afterglow with Ottar, this news was almost ordinary.
The Afterglow was not a normal technique.
If Cain could train with it, that meant his physical strength was already comparable to a First Class Adventurer.
Level 3 possessing the body of a First Class Adventurer...
Finn chuckled softly.
"At a time when the end is approaching, your appearance may allow the people of the lower world to see hope, Cain."
Cain waved his hand dismissively.
"Let's stop that topic here. I came today to discuss the Evilus remnants."
"If you want to talk about the Black Dragon, that's a different price."
Finn: "..."
The thought that the possible hero of the final battle might be someone so obsessed with money suddenly made Finn feel that the future of the world was deeply questionable.
...
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