The fierce battle between Shion and Leonard Jester further spurred the other combatants into action.
The impact of their blows echoed across the battlefield like successive thunderclaps, raising clouds of dust and causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet.
To be honest, everyone was terrified of Shion's attacks; her wild fighting style was completely irrational.
There was no refined calculation in her strikes.
No economy of movement.
It was simply overwhelming brute force, unleashed with almost childlike enthusiasm.
This was not good news for the humans, who possessed comparatively fewer magicules and relied far more on technique, discipline, and precision.
Against an opponent who fought like a living, destructive hurricane, many of those advantages simply vanished.
Meanwhile, Arnaud Bauman demonstrated agility that surpassed the limits of what ordinary people could imagine.
His body seemed to move like a shadow.
His feet barely touched the ground.
Every step, every leap, and every turn was executed with absolute precision, making his attacks extremely difficult to predict.
But unfortunately for him…
He had encountered Hakurou.
Aside from Arthur, Angélica, and Benimaru, Hakurou was easily the fourth strongest person in Nova Uruk.
His posture was relaxed and his breathing calm.
Yet his presence was as sharp as an invisible blade.
With the support of several highly refined sensory abilities and centuries of combat experience, no matter what kind of attack Arnaud used, Hakurou always managed to parry it perfectly.
If it was a fast strike, Hakurou intercepted it.
If it was a complex feint, Hakurou had already anticipated it.
If it was a surprise attack, he was already prepared.
Moreover, he could counterattack immediately, with deadly precision.
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out as Hakurou's katana and Arnaud's sword collided violently, sparks flying between the blades.
Arnaud tried to retreat to reorganize his stance.
But Hakurou had already stepped forward half a step.
His movements were so natural that it seemed as though he simply flowed together with the battle.
For Arnaud, fighting him was like trying to cut flowing water.
Gabiru and Litus, however, were an entirely different story.
Do not be deceived by Gabiru's idiotic appearance.
His excessive arrogance and questionable intelligence made him completely vulnerable to Litus.
Litus possessed unimaginable mastery over water magic.
Every gesture she made seemed to summon invisible currents.
Waves, liquid blades, and serpents of water appeared around her like natural extensions of her will.
Furthermore, in terms of experience and combat awareness, Litus completely surpassed Gabiru.
However…
It was absolutely impossible for Litus to defeat him completely.
Gabiru was a living nemesis to her aquatic abilities.
Even with her vastly superior intelligence, Litus's ultimate attacks were simply ineffective against Gabiru.
Remember…
Gabiru was one of the few individuals in Nova Uruk capable of withstanding a punch from Milim Nava with his own body.
His durability was absurd.
Almost ridiculous.
As the battle progressed, Litus was horrified to discover that Gabiru's understanding of water magic was increasing at a visible pace.
Every spell she cast and every technique she used—
Gabiru observed, learned, and imitated.
She had essentially become Gabiru's personal tutor… for free.
This deeply enraged the beautiful and intelligent Saint of Water.
Unfortunately for her…
Her water magic was practically useless against Gabiru.
The battle between Souei and Saare was also completely one-sided.
Souei easily avoided every attack Saare launched.
His movements were silent, precise, and deadly.
And every time Saare believed he had found an opening…
Souei was already somewhere else.
And immediately counterattacked.
Having nearly been captured again more than once by Souei's [Arcane Thread Shackles], Saare began to feel growing despair.
It was strange.
His abilities were being completely neutralized by Souei!
It was as if every technique he possessed had already been studied in advance.
The moment Saare became distracted for a fraction of a second…
Souei's figure suddenly appeared behind him.
His killing intent pierced Saare's soul like an icy blade.
The sound of flesh being cut echoed as Souei's sword successfully tore through Saare's armor and pierced his body.
However, relying on his vast combat experience, Saare managed to avoid a fatal wound.
He twisted his body at the last instant.
Even so…
He was still injured.
Blood slowly trickled down his armor.
How can a man with this level of skill willingly submit to someone else? Saare wondered.
Meanwhile, Geld and Grigori were engaged in a clash of pure brute strength.
Every one of their blows seemed capable of demolishing a fortress wall.
It was a simple, direct, and brutal battle.
Fist against fist.
Impact against impact.
As for Angélica and Bacchus…
There isn't much to say.
It was quite obvious that Bacchus was being beaten senseless.
Meanwhile, Treyni found her attributes somewhat counterbalanced by Garde.
However, within the Jura Forest, Treyni possessed an overwhelming advantage.
Everything responded to her presence.
Garde's fire techniques were practically useless against Treyni, leaving him utterly frustrated.
The battle between Shuna and Fritz was incredibly balanced, despite Fritz being a particularly troublesome opponent for her.
However, Shuna possessed an advantage far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
She had a Unique Skill called [Analyst].
This ability granted her incredible capabilities:
[Thought Acceleration]
[Analytical Appraisal]
[Chant Annulment]
[Law Manipulation]
[All of Creation]
Using All of Creation together with Chant Annulment and Analytical Appraisal allowed Shuna to quickly learn a vast number of spells.
And more than that.
She could adjust them according to her own will.
As the battle continued, Shuna's combat experience also increased rapidly.
With each exchange of spells, she grew stronger.
The most comical battle was probably the one between Gobta and Glenda Attley.
Although it was a difficult fight for Gobta, he managed to hold his ground.
And slowly, he was beginning to gain the advantage.
But what the others did not know was that Glenda was already somewhat confused.
Her opponent was just a goblin.
A simple and useless goblin!
And yet…
She couldn't defeat him.
This was absolutely disgraceful.
What was wrong with that goblin?
Meanwhile, on the battlefield between Hinata and Benimaru…
The two separated once again.
Hinata grew anxious.
She had just used her signature technique, Seven-Colored Final Attack.
But somehow…
She felt that this battle was becoming increasingly difficult for her.
She could feel it clearly.
Her opponent was growing stronger as the fight continued.
That was absurd.
She needed to end the battle quickly and seize the advantage first.
Otherwise…
Everyone would be doomed.
Hinata discarded her knight's sword.
Then she drew her elegant rapier.
Moonlight.
Benimaru smiled when he saw it.
"So you've finally decided to fight me seriously?"
But despite the smile…
He knew he could not take this battle lightly.
Thanks to Arthur's help, he had obtained a Unique Skill called [Warlike Growth].
This ability allowed him to evolve constantly during battle.
Combat experience, pressure caused by differences in strength, and even the damage he received—
All of it was converted into power growth thanks to the effect of this skill.
The very act of fighting itself became a catalyst for evolution.
In prolonged battles, he could reach levels of power far beyond his initial state.
Thanks to the constant duels he had with Angélica, and the beatings he occasionally received from Milim…
His strength had grown considerably.
---
(End of Chapter)