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"Blood Fury...? No, it's similar, but not quite. And this power feels just like the energy spike from a few hours ago. Could it be…?"Hatsuse Fia's red eyes locked on Riku. Her cute little face finally turned serious.
FWOOSH————!
While Hatsuse Fia was still deep in thought, Riku suddenly vanished from where he stood, reappearing right in front of her like a ghost. He threw a punch straight at her.
She might look like a little girl, but he wasn't holding back—not in a fight where life and death are on the line. Winning was all that mattered.
BOOM————!
Fia's expression changed fast. She managed to raise her arms just in time to block. A deafening bang echoed through the sky—and she was instantly sent flying.
But Riku wasn't done. He chased after her, launching a brutal flurry of punches like a raging storm.
Fia's expression turned grim as she parried and countered his attacks.
But even then, against Riku with Pain Gate activated, she was clearly struggling in her normal form. She was completely on the defensive.
In the sky above, the repeated explosions were deafening—enough to rupture eardrums. The shockwaves of their battle rolled across the heavens, stirring up winds and pressure that crushed the beastmen below.
They could only watch with stunned faces, their hearts pounding.
The speed of the fight was far beyond them. They could barely see afterimages—no idea who had the upper hand.
"You're definitely strong... but I haven't even used my real power yet."Fia's voice was cold as she shook out her numb arm after another exchange.
"RAHHHHHHHH!!!"
She suddenly let out a fierce cry. Blood-red energy surged from her body, her hair turning crimson. Her aura exploded—more overwhelming than ever before!
"Blood Fury, huh…"Riku narrowed his eyes, face tensing.
But fear? No way. He didn't flinch. He blasted off again, tearing through the air like lightning and appeared right in front of her.He swung with full force—blasting everything in front of him to pieces.
BOOM————!
But the thing was… even though Riku didn't hold back with that punch, Fia Hatsuse casually raised her hand and blocked it—without even taking a single step back!
"—!"It felt like his hand had been caught in a steel trap. The pain shot straight through him. Fia's blood-enhanced claws tore right through both Riku's spirit barrier and skin, leaving deep, bloody gashes on his arm.
"Boom—!"That rattled Riku. He instantly spun into a whip kick that cracked the air as it aimed for Fia's head—but she blocked that too, just as effortlessly.
The very next second, Fia suddenly threw a punch at Riku's stomach.
"Crack—!"At the last moment, Riku gathered all his strength into his core and braced himself. Even so, his energy shield cracked loudly under the impact, and Riku went flying. Like a meteor, he smashed into the ground far away from the Beastkin tribe's territory.
"BOOM—!"The ground exploded on impact, collapsing into a massive crater at least a kilometer wide, bowl-shaped and deep.
"Damn… that power. If I hadn't braced for that, I'd be toast."Lying in the crater, Riku winced, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach, and muttered to himself.
She looked like a cute little beast-eared girl, but her strength was absolutely insane.
"Riku, if you surrender now, I won't kill you. In fact, I'll even treat you as a VIP among the Beastkin. I'm really interested in your power," Fia's voice echoed from above. She slowly floated down to the edge of the crater.
Riku's strength was unique. If they could figure it out and teach it to the rest of the Beastkin, their entire tribe would get a massive power boost.
"You're awfully confident, huh."Riku stood up from the dirt, dusted himself off, and replied flatly.
"Fifth Gate—Gate of Limit, OPEN!"Riku roared.
In an instant, his aura surged to a whole new level, and the energy around him started shifting toward a deep blue hue.
Then—he vanished.Just disappeared from the crater, making Fia's eyes narrow.
"BOOM—!"The next moment, Riku reappeared right beside her like a ghost, slamming a punch straight into her stomach.
"Ngh—!""CRACK—!"
Fia let out a choked gasp, eyes bulging slightly, and her tiny body was sent flying. She crashed into a mountain in the distance, shattering the peak completely.
And that wasn't the end of it. The force of the blow sent her crashing through several more mountains like a missile before she finally came to a stop.
In a flash, the mountain peaks crumbled with deafening crashes. The whole scene looked like a natural disaster.
"His power… it got even stronger? Does this guy have a limit?"Fia's feet slammed into the mountain rocks to stop herself. She clutched her sore stomach, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, completely stunned.
She'd been hurt.Sure, she'd let her guard down—but even so, Riku's power was no joke. It wasn't far off from her own.
"....."