Revis immediately launched herself toward Bell, who stood with his back to her, moving faster than ever before.
Yet Bell, still facing away, didn't react at all. Instead, he silently counted down in his mind.
'Three… two… one… zero.'
"Boom!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
The sound of her collapsing echoed behind him, and only then did Bell slowly turn around.
"Ah, I forgot to mention—so I could avoid unnecessary trouble and situations I can't fully control, I applied a special kind of poison to the blade beforehand."
Bell crouched down with a smile, watching Revis's entire body convulse.
"And besides, didn't I say it earlier? You didn't actually think I had much to talk about with you, did you?"
"When I chatted with you before, I was just waiting for Accumulate Power. And just now, the only reason I kept talking was to buy time for the poison to spread through your entire body and deep into your soul."
The agony felt like ants tearing into her flesh, amplified without limit, and that sensation was now raging across every inch of her body.
Revis could only let out a raw, despairing scream.
The next moment, a shadow appeared before her eyes. A tremendous force struck her face with a brutal kick, sending her flying instantly.
"Thud!"
Revis felt her consciousness blur. The pain and damage from that one kick were beyond anything she had endured, even far worse than losing an arm.
Especially on her face—an agonizing tearing sensation grew even sharper, and her whole body burned as though engulfed in flames, her skin feeling like it was about to melt off.
But what pushed Revis into true despair was her Regeneration kicking in.
No matter how intense the pain, her body healed rapidly—and once healed, the agony only flared even stronger than before.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Even with her body embedded in the wall, Revis couldn't stop the tortured screams ripping from her throat.
Everyone watching felt a chill run through them.
Monsters possessed high resistance to poisons.
The same applied to adventurers as well; once they selected the "Abnormal Resistance" Development Ability, they gained strong resistance to almost all toxins. Only extremely potent poisons could have any effect.
As for the Guardian of the Spirit, there was no doubt she possessed poison resistance.
Yet the fact that this poison overwhelmed even a resistant Guardian demonstrated something very clear.
Then everyone watching the projection, gods included, heard Bell's explanation.
"The poison used on you is quite unique."
"After all, this venom was originally defined as incurable, irreversible, and impossible to remove. Once someone is poisoned, it parasitizes their soul instead of their body. Every bit of pain the victim feels comes from the toxin gnawing into their soul."
"And because it reacts entirely with the soul, unless the eroded portion of the soul is severed at the exact moment of poisoning, there's no way to resist its corrosion."
…Good grief.
Now the gods finally understood why Bell had chosen to wait—he had simply been allowing the poison to sink deeper into her soul.
But the moment they heard this so-called method of resistance, every god watching felt their scalp prickle. Something was very wrong.
Was this poison truly not created for them?
A god's soul cannot be severed, just as a god's existence is absolute. Perfection cannot be cut apart; doing so would destroy that perfection. Therefore, gods cannot divide their souls.
Considering how this poison worked… it sounded suspiciously like a toxin designed to target gods.
Before they could think further, Bell in the projection proceeded with his next move.
"Alright, then let's begin our 'fair' duel."
Bell had already taken his stance and charged straight toward Revis, who was still embedded in the wall.
Revis, of course, noticed immediately.
She could only curse him inwardly as 'despicable,' but her body reacted on instinct.
Even the slightest movement sent waves of intense pain through her, yet she had no choice now.
Bell had no intention of showing mercy, especially toward the Guardian of the Spirit.
He struck with full strength.
Calling it "not holding back" would be an understatement.
His first strike was a probing punch aimed at her face, but Revis dodged it easily…
Of course, dodging a feint was simple—it was merely a false opening. His fist lifted slightly, his body leaned forward, and the punch shifted into an upward thrust.
The sudden change in technique startled Revis. His elbow strike skimmed past her scalp.
"Sssh!"
Revis retreated quickly, but a line of blood still spurted from her scalp.
Before she could even process it, a shadow swept toward her face—a kick.
Revis raised her arm to block.
"Thud!"
The sheer force, paired with explosive pain, sent her flying several meters.
The entire exchange had lasted only an instant, yet Revis already found herself at a crushing disadvantage.
Realizing this, her mind grew frantic.
'Damn it!?'
'This person's strength and speed are both above mine.'
From that brief clash alone, Revis understood: every advantage she once had was now inferior to her opponent.
'This damn poison! If it weren't for it, I wouldn't be…'
From the start of this fight, she had felt shackled. The constant pain disrupted her normally fluid and swift movements. She couldn't exert even a fraction of her usual strength.
And on top of that, the human before her was no weaker than she was.
Unlike their encounter five months ago on the 18th floor, this time he was facing her head-on. His strength was nearly identical to hers when she was in perfect condition.
At full strength, she was Lv.7. Meaning the man before her was likely Lv.7 as well.
'This bastard has no shame!'
As this realization settled in, Revis's expression twisted completely.
She knew she was cornered.
A bastard whose power matched hers had poisoned her, then declared they would fight "fairly."
All Revis wanted now was to land one solid punch on that bastard.
"Thud!"
In that moment of distraction, her defense opened. Bell seized the chance and drove his fist straight into Revis's abdomen, slamming her hard against the wall.