Black Goliath's power was unquestionably Lv.5. With its regeneration stacked on top, even adventurers of the same tier would find it unbearable—let alone Tiona and Tione, who were a half-step lower.
A body as tall as a building showed no sluggishness at all. When it attacked, its speed didn't lag in the slightest—if anything, it used that speed to make each blow even more brutal.
That black outer membrane shrugged off magic and steel alike. Even first-rate weapons had their force blunted and bled away.
Worst of all was the regeneration—so excessive it bordered on the absurd. Outside of direct damage to the central magic-stone core, everything else simply grew back.
Which meant: if you didn't have enough raw destruction to crack the magic-stone module inside its chest, you had to force its weak point open with tactics—then land a single decisive kill.
Otherwise, no matter how long you ground away, you'd never get past this wall.
"I know," Tione muttered. "But Tiona said, 'If we beat the black Goliath some other way, doesn't that make us stronger?'"
"I let her talk me into it, so we tried to face it head-on in the challenge space."
"The result? The 'Holy Shroud' shaved off part of the damage we took, and even when we did hurt it, the black Goliath just healed it all back."
"We tried everything we could think of in that loop and still couldn't finish it."
Just remembering yesterday made Tione's scalp prickle.
If they met such a thing in the real Dungeon, the only path for her and Tiona would be retreat.
They simply lacked the bite to deal a fatal blow.
After a whole day of that torture, exhaustion had shredded her sleep—and left her in this state.
Not that that was what made her angriest.
Tiona had proposed the rematch… and now the one sleeping like a rock was also Tiona.
"Tiona drags me to 'challenge the Goliath,' we fail, and she's the one snoring like a baby," Tione grumbled, cheek twitching.
"I'm the one stuck stewing."
So that's why you didn't sleep, huh.
Tsunayoshi had to bite back a smile: not just a bad night—also the salt of watching the culprit slumber like a log.
"Tione. Lower your head."
She blinked, puzzled, but obeyed.
Tsunayoshi lifted a hand; a fingertip touched her brow, a small gold flame lighting there and seeping inward.
The Sun's vitality coursed through her—fatigue unknotted, aches ebbed, drowsiness blew away. In an instant, eight-tenths of the heaviness in her limbs was gone—better than a full night's rest.
Tione's eyes went wide. "Tsunayoshi, what is that? Magic?"
"Think of it as a kind of magic. It's power I fully unlocked after reaching Lv.2."
"And it's why I came to you and Tiona."
That made her frown. "What does that have to do with us?"
"I'm here to answer that. If my guess is right, you and Tiona can use this power too. I wanted to explain—and test it."
"In that case, come in."
Understanding dawned; her eyes brightened. She grabbed his hand and tugged him into the room with a strength he couldn't match.
A quick glance took in Tiona: sprawled in an awful posture, blanket half kicked off, most of her carelessly exposed to the cool air.
Cheerful, open—and far too nonchalant off the battlefield.
Tsunayoshi drew his gaze back as Tione faced him, eyes shining with interest.
"So… what do I do?"
"This power isn't rarefied," he said. "It's a wave in everyone's body. The difference is whether a person can control that wave."
"For now, I'll keep it simple."
He opened his hand. Seven Vongola Rings glinted on his palm.
"Tione, put them on. Let's see which kind of power answers you."
"Okay."
She took the seven rings and slid them onto her fingers.
"What next?"
"Give me your hands. Then follow my lead."
She placed both hands in his.
Tsunayoshi sank his focus, letting a thread of his Sky Flame seep into her as a primer—coaxing the wave within her to stir.
Like the plucked string of a harp, it quivered—then thrummed clearly.
A moment later, red and gold bloomed on two rings, flames rising in paired crowns.
The other rings stayed still.
Looks like I was right. Storm and Sun suit her best.
Tione stared at the fires licking around those two bands; it felt as if they'd kindled something within her, a brand-new current she could finally feel.
"This is the Dying Will Flame."
"Destruction's Storm and vitality's Sun—two attributes that fit you perfectly."
(End of Chapter)
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