"Damn it... what a pain."
With a slight shake of his body, Bell confirmed he was completely unharmed.
"Got baited, didn't I?"
The thought made Bell facepalm in exasperation.
Wasn't this his own go-to tactic? How could he get baited by a Behemoth today? And such a simple provocation at that.
'I guess I'm getting a bit emotional myself.'
Bell was sure he wouldn't normally act this impulsively. If it hadn't involved the old man, he wouldn't have lost his cool like that.
But the same trick only works once.
Getting provoked this time was a black mark on his record. Once he sent this creature to hell, he could bury that embarrassing episode.
After straightening up, Bell didn't immediately unleash his "557" attack. Instead, he watched the Behemoth before him with a smile, its face still twisted in a smug, triumphant grin.
"So that move wasn't your Stand after all."
"Just a fragment of the main body. To resist my attack, you came up with a clever solution—using a fragment that's only part of the main body, so even if it gets sliced apart, it doesn't matter."
"But your smarter move was only dispersing your power to your clones. As long as your soul isn't struck directly, you can counter my methods against gods."
"As for power, you needn't worry at all. The authority of 'Earth' allows you, standing upon the ground, to endlessly draw upon the earth's power for recovery."
As Bell revealed his secrets, one by one, Behemoth's earlier arrogance and smugness vanished. His vertical pupils now brimmed with human-like apprehension and fear.
Witnessing this transformation, Bell laughed unrestrainedly.
"Indeed, you possess a measure of humanity—and you've gathered intelligence on me."
"Then Leviathan and that other one must be watching right now too."
Behemoth had now entered hunting mode, its savagery spilling freely from its eyes.
"Swish!"
The Behemoth before Bell vanished abruptly, simultaneously unleashing a blood-curdling gale from behind.
Bell didn't rush to turn around. Instead, he calmly took two steps forward.
Perfectly evading the claw that carried that blood-curdling wind.
Even while dodging the attack, Bell didn't forget to explain.
"Ah, I forgot to mention. Your attack just now seemed to come from my blind spot, but you must have used the authority of 'Earth' to allow instant teleportation within its domain."
As he spoke, Bell crouched low, evading a claw strike sweeping in from his right.
"Your speed is practically indistinguishable from teleportation. And your attacks pack such devastating force—no demigod could withstand a single casual strike, nor could any god endure it. Once your attacks begin cycling without pause, a god's immortality becomes nothing short of a death sentence."
"However, after teleporting, you experience a split-second lag."
"Though it's only an instantary lag, it's more than enough for me."
Speaking, Bell lightly leapt, evading the claw strike rising from the lower ground.
Bell floated gently mid-air, not particularly high—merely five or six meters up. It was precisely the height where Behemoth could never reach him.
"Moreover, this is one of the weaknesses you exploit with 'Earth'."
"'Earth' cannot stray far from the ground. Its authority extends neither to the sky nor the sea."
"Therefore, you could only fill this entire floor's ocean with earth. And this... is your limit, isn't it?"
Bell gestured with his hand while suspended in the air, precisely marking the point where Behemoth could reach.
The reappearing Behemoth's pair of vertical pupils glared viciously at Bell in mid-air. It had now realized that this prey was no ordinary foe.
Despite being constantly targeted, only its first attack had landed. Every subsequent strike had been effortlessly evaded.
Not through speed, but by reading the split-second hesitation in its attacks.
It had even discerned that his attacks were confined solely to the ground.
Seizing upon this insight, Bell did not rush to attack. His laughter gradually subsided into calmness as he looked down from above, observing the Behemoth on the ground with serene composure.
"Why not jump?"
The Behemoth's pupils contracted sharply, its heart understanding all too well that this was precisely the prey's objective...
"Do you think that's my goal?"
"Exactly. The moment you leap into the air, the Authority of 'Earth' won't protect you. If you enter the sky, I'll kill you before you land. And your power avatars won't be able to save you either."
Behemoth sensed the same provocative scent as before, and his savage beast nature erupted completely.
"Awoo!"
He let out a long howl to the heavens.
Suddenly, a shadow began to form in the sky.
A massive square rock, nearly covering the entire sky, appeared above Bell, rapidly plummeting downward amidst flames and an extraordinary force of impact.
Bell watched the square meteorite hurtling toward him without the slightest flicker of emotion.
"Ah~ So you couldn't resist using rocks to smash me after all."
Though "Earth" cannot step into the sky, it can create rock masses to smash down upon prey from above. After all, it is the power of 'Earth'—meteorites and gravity both fall within its domain.
Immediately, an invisible pressure bore down upon Bell.
"Gravity and meteorite together? I thought you'd use them separately. Never expected you'd be so impatient."
The gravitational pull wasn't too much of a problem. Bell's eyes fixed on the falling meteor in the sky. Magic power gathered between his 3rd and 4th fingers, then shot out.
A magic pellet, almost too small to see, flew into the sky and collided directly with the meteor.
"Pfft!"
In an instant, the meteor, formed by the power of the Earth, shattered into dust.
With remarkable nonchalance.
Such a colossal meteorite couldn't even block this tiny magic projectile, instantly turning to dust and ashes.
Bell, having accomplished this, looked down at the Behemoth on the ground.
"A weapon? Just prepare one or two of the sharpest blades."
"Also, since you've already summoned your Authority, I shall respond in kind."
"Let me show you just how far my 'Chaos' can go."
"Turn the world upside down."
...
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