Babel Tower Central Plaza
A battle between one man and one monster had completely destroyed the stone-paved ground that had endured for hundreds of years, carrying with it the weight of history.
The once intact plaza was now in ruins, uprooted plants scattered everywhere. Broken walls and shattered buildings told the story of how fierce their clash had been.
Not to mention the black bull's terrifying latent power and overwhelming strength, each strike caused massive destruction.
As an evenly matched opponent, Fron naturally refused to be outdone, pouring every ounce of his strength into the fight.
He recklessly unleashed his magic, raising the destructive power to yet another level, its range of impact even surpassing Asterios'.
Half kneeling on the ground, the young man lifted his head, eyes locked firmly on the enemy taking a similar offensive stance, and began chanting softly:
"[Face your end! (Ragnarok)!]"
A deep roar followed.
Flames burst forth once again, surging violently over his body. It was his final, decisive blow, Fron's lips moved with fierce resolve.
But it wasn't over yet. His eyes widened suddenly, and his chanting voice rose in intensity!
"[Twilight of the Gods! (Surtalogi)!]"
As the second chant echoed through the air, raging, destructive crimson fire tore through the rain curtain, blinding countless onlookers.
"[Magic Dominator, Activate!]"
With Fron's low murmur, the flames around him began to flow like liquid, steadily gathering toward the tip of his staff.
Compressing, compressing, compressing,
The boundless heat was restrained by magic at a single point on the staff's tip. The color shifted from crimson to a twilight orange-red, filled with the essence of destruction, decay, and annihilation.
It was a stark contrast to his earlier, full-body flame state, simplified, refined, and deadly.
This pure, restrained form perfectly displayed the extent of Fron's mastery over his mana, a skill forged through years of relentless discipline.
It left countless magicians watching in stunned silence.
Not to be outdone, Asterios' body swelled, his muscles bulging like inflated steel cords. The massive creature focused all its power into one horn, its energy so immense that it felt like it could break through the limits of existence itself.
Even standing at a distance, the sheer pressure radiating from him sent shivers down every adventurer's spine.
"How… how do you even defeat something like that?"
"Defeat it? Don't be ridiculous, "
Cold sweat streamed down the adventurers' faces as their hearts raced wildly, blood surging, faces flushing pale and red by turns.
The two combatants reached their peak,
The world went still, terrifyingly silent. You could hear a pin drop.
"ROAAAAAARRRRR, , !"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH, , !"
At that instant, both Fron and Asterios unleashed their war cries!
"BOOM!"
They stomped down hard at the same moment, charging straight at each other.
"This is my final move, take it head on!"
"[Flames of Surtr]!!!!!!"
"DIE!!!!!!"
"BOOM BOOM!!!"
The impact shook the entire surroundings again. The entire city quaked as if struck by an earthquake.
Dust fell from the towering white spire of Babel Tower.
A massive shockwave spread outward from the plaza, tearing up the already ruined stone floor and sending it flying high into the air.
At the point of collision, before everyone's eyes, Fron's magical energy and Asterios' raw strength collided and exploded. A mushroom cloud rose in an instant.
All watched in stunned silence, speechless.
Even the gods themselves were taken aback, this display reminded them of the long-past era of the greatest adventurers.
"This stagnant world… is finally moving again. A new era begins! This strike, this moment, is the prologue!"
Hermes raised both hands, flinging his hat away, and laughed hysterically.
"Schemes? Wisdom? Hahahahaha! How laughable, all crumble before true strength! Is this what you wanted to remind me of, goddess?"
However… this was not the scene Freya had wished to see.
...
While the crowd trembled in awe, Loki Familia members were already sprinting toward the battlefield the moment the final blows ended.
As for Freya Familia, unless they wanted to spark a war, they had no reason to intervene now, it had become another Familia's internal matter, and interfering would be taboo.
"Ais, check on Fron's condition. If he's won, regroup and finish the cleanup. If not, "
Finn didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood.
Ais nodded calmly.
"Root out all remaining threats. Fron is my responsibility."
...
On a tidy desk that afternoon, neatly arranged equipment and magic tools lay in order.
At the top, two weapons, one long, one short, were placed side by side.
Both bore the scars of a brutal battle.
The most eye-catching was the staff tipped with intricate magic runes and Runic emblems, its head stained with a vivid splash of crimson.
A medal of honor, the mark left after piercing an enemy's wound. Proof of its wielder's glory.
But to the golden-haired girl sitting quietly in the corner, that streak of red was more beautiful, more radiant than the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Mm?"
His eyelids trembled. Slowly, the young man lying in bed opened his eyes.
His blue gaze was filled with confusion, and then a wry smile curved his lips.
"So… a double knockout, huh?"
Before losing consciousness to the explosion's shockwave, he clearly remembered, his staff had pierced his opponent's vital point.
Though Asterios' horn had shattered his ribs, his armor had held, leaving him at a slight advantage.
As his thoughts cleared, the young man sat up and turned his head,
Golden hair, golden eyes, Ais was there.
"Ais?"
"Mm."
"..." Being with Ais always came with one problem, neither of them were good at talking. Awkward silences came easily.
"Ahem… how long was I out?"
"One day."
"And… the other guy?"
"Before we arrived, he was rescued by someone."
She paused briefly, then added, as if to make it clear: "He was taken away. You won."
Meeting the girl's serious gaze, Fron grinned.
...
T/N: If Fron couldn't defeat Asterius, the he is not stronger than Ottar. I remember hearing that, Asterius himself said that he couldn't win against Ottar even after training for quite sometime in the dungeon.