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"Sixth Gate—Gate of View, OPEN!"Riku's low growl echoed again, making Fia's pupils contract.
His energy… it got even heavier. How many freaking stages of power-up does he have!?
Fia narrowed her beast-like eyes and launched herself forward, legs tensing. She shot through the air like a streak of red lightning, and the mountain she used as a launch point crumbled behind her, blasted into a pit full of cracks—like some monster had taken a massive bite out of it.
"Morning Peacock!"As she closed in, Riku, now bulging with veins and looking downright terrifying, started punching so fast his fists blurred out of sight.
The sheer speed of his punches tore the air apart.In the blink of an eye, hundreds—no, thousands—of burning fireballs exploded out toward Fia like a blazing storm.
"You may be strong, but I'm not losing!"Fia narrowed her eyes at the incoming wall of fireballs and scoffed. Then, defying physics, she stepped on thin air and dodged mid-air with sharp sidesteps.
Any fireball she couldn't dodge, she simply smashed apart with her fists. Explosions tore through the sky like a fireworks show, lighting up the heavens.
In a flash, Fia had broken through and closed in on Riku. Her small hands blurred into shadows as she struck out.
Riku, of course, struck back.
Within seconds, the two were clashing at lightning speed—thousands of hits exchanged. The ground below couldn't handle their battle. It collapsed, cracked, and crumbled, massive fissures stretching out for miles, forming jagged scars across the land.
The two of them flickered in and out of visibility, clashing, vanishing, reappearing—so fast that the average person wouldn't even know what was going on. All they'd hear were eardrum-bursting shockwaves and see craters randomly forming.
Their speed and strength were completely off the charts.
"Hahaha! Hell yeah, this is awesome!"In the middle of the chaos, Riku suddenly burst into wild laughter, a far cry from his usual calm self. He was loving this.
It had been ages since he got to cut loose like this. This kind of bone-crunching, heart-pounding battle—that's what real men lived for!
Even if his opponent was a beast-eared loli. Kinda ruined the aesthetic, but still.
"Hmph."Fia just snorted at his words, fists still flying as she kept trading blows with him.
But in her blood-red eyes, you could see it clearly—excitement, and the burning joy of battle.
She'd always held back, always been responsible for her people. She'd never had a chance to fight like this, to unleash everything she had. And now… this? It felt amazing.
But while they were having the time of their lives, others weren't so lucky.
The poor demon beasts caught in the crossfire were obliterated instantly by the shockwaves.
Back in the Beastkin village, everyone was holding their breath, listening to the terrifying sounds of battle in the distance.
They just couldn't believe it.Someone was going toe-to-toe with their princess—physically. That was beyond their imagination.
The Beastkin had always prided themselves on their superior physical strength. And now, a human—one they used to mock as a wild monkey—was fighting their strongest warrior evenly. Their worldview was falling apart.
Soon after, the noise from the distant battlefield started to die down. The Beastkin's hearts sank in unease.
At the command of their grim-faced leader, dozens of elite warriors charged toward the source of the battle.
Meanwhile, back at the scene, the land and mountains had been torn apart. The whole area looked like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Riku and Fia were both bloodied and bruised. Their auras had dimmed a bit, but their eyes still burned with excitement. They stared each other down, still full of energy and ready to fight.
Even though they were still enemies… there was now a strange mutual respect between them.
"Hey, Fia… don't you think this world is just straight-up insane?"Riku suddenly grinned, panting as he spoke.
"This world is crazy," Fia replied after a pause. "Whether it's me, or you, or any of the other races—we're all mad."
"Hahaha, great answer."Riku laughed again. "So… wanna do something even crazier with me?"
"What are you getting at?" Fia asked curiously.
"I want to end this stupid war game," Riku said with a sudden, intense smile. "Kick the so-called gods off their thrones, rule this world, and claim the Star Grail."
There it was—pure confidence, raw dominance, and unshakable ambition.
"You're crazy." Hearing that, Hatsuse Fia froze for a moment, then said quietly.
"You already said that just now," Riku shrugged, calm as ever.
"You can't do it. Even though you're strong, I know very well that neither you nor I can take on a single Celestial Winged—let alone anything else." Hatsuse Fia was stunned by Riku's words, then fell into a sad silence.
Struggling to survive in this chaotic world was really exhausting, especially for someone like her who carried the fate of her entire race.
"That's just how it is now. Just because it doesn't work now doesn't mean it never will," Riku said casually, dropping a shocking sentence that left Hatsuse Fia speechless. "What I want to ask is, are you or your orc tribe interested in teaming up with me?"
"....."