Ryu froze.
Indeed.
The opponent was a God.
For a person of the Lower World to attempt to lie before a God of the Heavens was simply displaying one's slight skill before a master—an exercise in futility.
Moreover.
No matter what.
She had been caught by him.
And caught red-handed at that, leaving her not a single shred of room for sophistry.
Since the other party could identify her with such certainty, it meant that the thing she worried about most had happened—because of her recklessness, the haven she had sworn to protect with her life, the [Hostess of Fertility] pub, had been implicated.
Thinking of this.
Ryu's thin lips, hidden under the shadow of her hood, pressed tightly into a straight line. Although she still did not take off the hood obscuring her face, she knew this was her mistake.
It was because of her overprotectiveness toward Syr, because of that paranoia deep in her bones, that led to this misjudgment like a frightened bird, finally bringing trouble upon herself.
Since she was wrong.
She had to admit it.
"..."
Ryu took a deep breath. Her hands, originally gripping her daggers tightly and poised to strike, slowly lowered. That stance of facing a formidable enemy was released along with it, replaced by a kind of nearly humble apology.
"I am very sorry."
"Just as you said."
"Because of certain extremely personal reasons, I harbored some unnecessary and rude suspicions toward you."
"This was a misjudgment caused by my paranoia."
"I am deeply sorry for causing you trouble."
"If there is any compensation I can make..."
Although Ryu's voice still seemed cold, it lacked a bit of the previous sharpness and held a bit more sincerity.
"If it's about compensation, there is no need."
"Someone has already used that line today."
However.
Haimer did not want to hear these cliché apologies right now.
Especially now.
Compared to verbal apologies, Haimer wanted something more practical.
...
So.
Haimer shook his wrist.
"Weng—"
The silver long spear that had been casually held in his hand drew a cold arc through the air, finally stopping steadily on his right side. The spear tip pointed diagonally at the ground, emitting a crisp, low hum.
"Speaking of which."
"Judging from Miss Elf's reaction, Miss Elf must have been a high-level adventurer in the past."
"If Miss Elf truly wants to compensate me."
"How about sparring with me?"
"Right here."
"As long as Miss Elf can let me enjoy myself."
"We will treat tonight's events as if they never happened."
"Even."
"If Miss Elf can win against me."
"Not only will I let you go, but I can also grant you one request that does not violate my bottom line."
"How about it?"
"This is a good deal, right?"
Haimer had his own intentions in saying this.
But whether it could be realized depended on Ryu's reaction.
"???"
Hearing this, Ryu jerked her head up. Her sky-blue eyes, which had been hidden in the shadows, widened instantly, filled with disbelief.
Sparring?
Sparring with a God?
This was simply madness.
"Are you joking?"
"You are a God!"
"In the Lower World, Gods are absolutely forbidden from using Divine Power."
"Moreover..."
"Once I accidentally hurt you and trigger the passive protection mechanism of a God's Divine Power..."
"You will be forcibly sent back to the Heavens!"
"Relax."
Haimer interrupted Ryu's concerns.
"I am competing in martial arts with Miss Elf."
"A pure exchange."
"Involving no Divine Power, no authority, just a pure collision of martial arts."
"As for that counter-attack mechanism Miss Elf is worried about..."
Haimer chuckled lightly.
"Rest assured."
"I guarantee nothing will happen."
"Even if you really have the skill to put a knife to my neck."
"I will absolutely not use even a shred of Divine Power."
"..."
Ryu was stunned.
She seemed to realize that the other party was serious; this God was not joking.
Especially since the current situation was extremely obvious.
If she did not agree, if she did not satisfy this God's interest, it would probably be hard to end things well tonight.
And since this God had said so much...
"Then, pardon my offense!"
"But I always tend to go too far."
"Please, Kami-sama, you must be careful."
Ryu gritted her teeth, her eyes immediately becoming sharp.
After all, there was no retreat.
Then she could only fight.
Since the opponent was a God and had made a promise, then this was just a pure contest of martial arts.
As the former [Gale].
As a Lv.4 Second-Class Adventurer.
A avenger who had walked the edge of life and death countless times, honing assassination and speed to the extreme.
In terms of pure technique, she had absolute confidence.
Although Gods possessed long lives and endless knowledge, under the condition of limited physical capabilities and Divine Power, relying solely on a mortal shell, they might not necessarily win against someone battle-hardened like herself.
Thinking of this.
Ryu adjusted her breathing, her center of gravity slowly sinking. Her hands, originally hanging by her sides, once again tightened their grip on the twin daggers hidden in her sleeves.
Since she had to fight.
Then she would go all out.
This was respect for the God, and also being responsible to the others.
"..."
The night wind seemed to stand still at this moment.
The alley was dead silent.
Only the occasional noise from the distant streets highlighted the oppressive atmosphere here even more.
In the next second.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound exploded.
—The sound of soles fiercely crushing the bluestone pavement.
Ryu's figure disappeared.
No.
It wasn't that she disappeared.
It was because she was too fast.
As the [Gale] known for speed among Lv.4s, the velocity she exploded with in this instant even dragged out a green afterimage.
No probing.
No holding back.
The move was a killing blow right from the start.
She had thought that in this narrow alley, a long weapon should be unable to display its full potential.
And short, agile daggers were the advantage here.
Ryu intended to utilize this point well. Her body borrowed the reaction force from the wall, completing an incredible reversal in mid-air.
Instantly cutting into Haimer's right-side blind spot.
There, was the blind zone for wielding a long spear.
"I got him!"
A gleam flashed through Ryu's eyes.
The twin daggers were like a viper flicking its tongue, aiming straight for the numbing nerve at Haimer's wrist.
As long as she disarmed him, the victory would be decided.
However.
Just at the moment her blade edge was about to touch Haimer's wrist.
She heard it.
"Too slow."
The indifferent voice entered her ears even a step faster than the sound of the wind.
Flying up and falling down like nine pellets; releasing and retracting like a single line.
Haimer paused the long spear on his right against the wall, using the reaction force to accurately knock the spear tail against the side of her dagger.
"Pa!"
A crisp sound.
Ryu only felt an irresistible great force coming from her wrist.
Even.
It wasn't just being knocked away.
That force conducted through the dagger to her arm, shaking half her body until it was somewhat numb.
"How is this possible?!"
Ryu winced in pain, closing one eye, shocked in her heart.
Haimer's timing was calculated too precisely.
Before she could adjust her posture.
That silver long spear seemed to come alive instantly.
The long shaft that should have been clumsy in the narrow environment was as flexible as a snake in Haimer's hands.
It didn't need wide, sweeping swings.
Just a few shakes of the wrist.
The spear shaft, the spear tip, and even the spear tail.
Every part became a fatal weapon.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!!"
Dense sounds of metal impact connected into a single piece in the alley.
The speed Ryu was so proud of had completely become a decoration at this moment.
No matter which angle she launched an attack from.
No matter how she used the terrain to change direction.
That long spear would always appear on her inevitable path one step ahead, lightly dissolving her offensive into nothingness.
It was like an airtight Wall of Sighs.
Making one despair.
"Is this... the martial arts of a God?"
The more Ryu fought, the more alarmed she became.
On the level of technique.
The gap between the two sides was simply dimensional.
She was running desperately, calculating, changing moves.
On the contrary, the opponent seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, not even moving his footsteps half an inch.
It was like an adult teasing a child who had just learned to walk.
"I don't believe it!"
Ryu clenched her teeth, and that stubbornness belonging to Elves exploded completely at this moment.
Ryu's speed surged violently again.
Her entire person turned into an afterimage, whipping up a storm in this narrow space.
Once again.
She seized a momentary gap when Haimer was changing breaths.
Twin daggers crossed.
Straight for the center gate!
This strike was unavoidable!
However.
Facing this sure-kill strike.
Haimer merely made a simple movement.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a step forward to meet Ryu's blade edge.
At the same time.
The long spear in his hand slammed fiercely onto the ground.
"Dong!"
A heavy, muffled boom, like a sledgehammer smashing onto a heart.
Borrowing the rebound force from this pause, the spear shaft bounced up, and with terrifying speed that arrived first despite starting later, it crashed precisely onto the intersection point of the two daggers.
"Beng!"
Huge power exploded instantly.
Ryu only felt a sharp pain in the web of her thumbs; she could no longer hold onto the weapons in her hands.
Two daggers flew out of her hands, spinning as they nailed into the walls on both sides, sinking three inches deep.
And that silver long spear.
In the instant it bounced the daggers away, it followed the momentum forward.
Finally.
It stopped steadily less than a centimeter from Ryu's throat.
Ryu froze on the spot.
"It looks like Miss Elf hasn't held a blade in a long time."
____
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