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Chapter 28: The City's Strongest (Ottar)
Having heard that Bell was fighting a Minotaur, Tsuna immediately sprang into action.
"Do you know where Bell is!?"
"The standard route... the E-16 room..."
"E-16...?"
Tsuna frowned, completely unfamiliar with the Guild's grid coordinates.
"I'll guide you. Follow me," Ais said, already bursting into a sprint.
"Hey, Ais!! What the hell are you doing!?" Bete barked, but Ais ignored him entirely.
"Take care of Lili."
"Eh!? Wait a second—!!"
Shoving the injured Prum into Tiona's arms, Tsuna vanished down the tunnel after Ais.
"What do we do, Captain? They just ran off on their own..."
"We cannot ignore a comrade in danger. Treat her wounds first. Once she's stabilized, we'll regroup with them."
.....
Tsuna and Ais tore through the labyrinth at breakneck speeds.
"I've heard the name before, but just how strong is a Minotaur?"
"For you or me, it's nothing. But it's not an opponent a Level 1 adventurer can beat. The only correct answer is to run. However, Minotaurs possess a Howl. I don't know if Bell was able to escape it."
"A Howl?"
"A monster's roar that induces fear. It physically paralyzes the target. A Level 1 adventurer would freeze completely."
"That's bad..."
If the monster was simply strong, Bell might have been able to outrun it. But if he was paralyzed by fear, he was a sitting duck.
Please be safe... Knowing the terrifying odds stacked against his friend, Tsuna could do nothing but pray.
"I see it! Bell is just past that room!" Ais pointed ahead.
Knowing they were seconds away, both of them pushed their speed to the absolute limit.
Then—
"Halt."
A massive figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking the corridor. He was a two-meder tall Boaz—the equivalent of two meters in Tsuna's world—his muscles bulging like steel armor beneath his skin, resting a colossal greatsword on his shoulder.
"The Warlord..." Ais breathed.
"You know him?"
"Captain of the Freya Familia... a Level 7 adventurer. The strongest in the city."
The city's strongest... Tsuna's eyes narrowed, but he didn't panic.
So this is the man Hedin mentioned. As a member of the Freya Familia, Ottar was fully aware of the boy standing before him. He knew exactly who had annihilated Allen and the Gulliver Brothers during their ambush.
I anticipated Bell Cranel might have allies, so I stationed myself here to delay them... but to think he was traveling with the Sword Princess. Ottar had come prepared to clash with Tsuna, but Ais's presence was a slight miscalculation.
However, Her Goddess gave an order... I cannot let them pass. Lowering his greatsword, Ottar gripped the hilt with both hands and leveled the blade at the corridor leading to Bell. The message was clear: If you want to pass, you'll have to go through me.
"I don't have time to play with you. Step aside."
"I have my own reasons. If you wish to pass, force your way through."
Seeing that diplomacy was useless, Tsuna made his choice.
"I'll hold him off. Ais, find an opening and push through."
"Understood..."
Ais hated leaving Tsuna behind. Ottar's true power was an absolute mystery, even to her. But Bell's life was ticking away by the second. She trusted Tsuna's judgment.
"Haaah!!"
With a deafening grunt, Ottar hoisted the massive greatsword into the air and brought it crashing down toward the earth with cataclysmic force.
This man—!?
Before the blade could even touch the ground, Tsuna blurred into Ottar's inner guard. He reached up and caught the descending edge of the greatsword with his bare right hand.
BOOM! The sheer kinetic force transferred through Tsuna's body and instantly vaporized the stone beneath his feet, carving a massive five-meter crater into the Dungeon floor.
Ottar's plan had been simple: shatter the floor, create a blinding smokescreen of debris, and use the ensuing chaos to strike them down while stalling for time. But Tsuna's Hyper Intuition had read the trajectory and intent flawlessly, allowing him to step into the strike and completely neutralize the shockwave before the smokescreen could form.
He caught my strike with one hand...!? No!! That's not what's shocking here!! This man read my strength perfectly, yet he deliberately stepped into my range...!? Ottar's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
What unbelievable power...!? This raw physical strength surpasses even Genkishi... and I'm having to use both arms just to hold it...!? Tsuna, too, was astonished. Ottar's monstrous physical might dwarfed even the strongest illusionist swordsman he had ever fought in the future. To absorb the blow, Tsuna wasn't just relying on his physical strength—he had aimed his left hand at the ground, firing a continuous blast of Dying Will Flames to act as a reverse thruster, anchoring him against the titanic downward pressure.
"Go!! Ais!!"
"Right!!"
Damn it!! As Tsuna shouted without even breaking eye contact, Ais kicked off the crater's edge, rocketing past the paralyzed Boaz and sprinting straight toward Bell. Ottar grit his teeth in frustration, but he couldn't disengage his blade without leaving himself wide open.
"Your opponent is me."
The flame on his forehead is...!?
The dying will flame on Tsuna's forehead suddenly flared erratically, pulsing like a revving engine before settling into a razor-sharp, blinding intensity. Ottar felt a shiver run down his spine.
Those eyes... there's no mistake. The same eyes as them... Looking into Tsuna's calm, bottomless golden eyes, Ottar was violently pulled back into his past. He remembered the legendary warriors who had repeatedly driven him into the dirt—the absolute titans of the Zeus and Hera Familias. Back then, they possessed a strength that made Ottar feel like a helpless child.
Even now, years after defeating a weakened veteran of the Zeus Familia to achieve Level 7, Ottar felt no pride in that hollow victory. He trained endlessly, consumed by a singular drive to eventually surpass the ghosts of those who had utterly defeated him.
Are you telling me this boy stands on the same summit as those monsters...!? "!?"
A microscopic smirk tugged at the corner of Ottar's lips.
The moment he saw the smirk, Tsuna released the greatsword and vaulted backward, putting immense distance between them in a split second.
What the...? Tsuna didn't even know why he moved. His Hyper Intuition had simply screamed at him the second Ottar smiled, and his body reacted before his brain could process it.
"Ottar!?"
Suddenly, Riveria arrived, carrying the sleeping Lili in her arms. Finn and the rest of the Vanguard followed closely behind. Seeing the Warlord standing in the middle of a massive crater, the Loki Familia immediately drew their weapons.
"Status report?" Finn asked sharply.
"He got in the way when we tried to reach Bell. So I bought time and sent Ais ahead."
He says the most absurd things so casually... Finn rubbed his temples, fighting off a headache. Buying time against a Level 7 required an astronomical amount of power.
"How is Lili?"
"Her life isn't in danger. Riveria healed her with magic. She's resting now."
Tsuna exhaled, a wave of relief washing over him.
"Well then. Ottar. He is currently a guest of our expedition. You interfering with him is equivalent to interfering with us. Am I to take this as a formal declaration of war against the Loki Familia?" Finn asked, his voice chillingly calm.
"I have no such intention. My objective has already been thwarted by that man. Furthermore, I cannot win against all of you combined. I will do nothing further."
"I'm glad to hear that. We have no desire to cross blades with you."
Understanding that the battle was over, Ottar lowered his sword and began a slow walk back toward the surface. The rest of the Vanguard watched him like hawks, waiting for a sudden betrayal, but the Boaz simply walked past them.
"I almost forgot."
Ottar suddenly stopped and turned his head.
"You there. The brown-haired man."
"What?"
"What is your name?"
"...Sawada Tsunayoshi."
Not entirely sure why the man cared, Tsuna answered honestly.
"I see..."
Without another word, the city's strongest adventurer turned his back and vanished into the labyrinth.
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