The impact of Rei’s Death Scythe clashing with Noise’s Magic Sword hung heavy in the air.
In that instant, a visible shockwave rippled through the surroundings. The two weapons remained locked in a mid-air stalemate, each warrior straining to push the other back.
Noise utilized the Overlord's Armor, a skill that pushed physical ability to its absolute limits. Opposing him was Rei’s Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor, which granted a level of body strengthening that surpassed the Overlord's Armor and imbued it with the power of the flame attribute.
On a purely technical level, the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor was a superior version of its predecessor. Despite this, the fight remained an even match. The reason Rei struggled to gain the upper hand lay in his lack of experience and understanding of his own skills.
Noise had created the Overlord's Armor himself and had spent years mastering it. Rei, on the other hand, had only acquired the precursor skill during his duel with Noise at the Fighting Tournament. He hadn't been formally trained; he had simply observed Noise's movements and mimicked them in the heat of battle.
Because Rei had learned the skill in a self-taught style, his magic power management efficiency was remarkably poor. Even with his immense magic power, he could not maintain the form for long. Of course, the fact that he had managed to learn the skill at all simply by being struck by it spoke volumes about his innate combat genius.
Rei had reached the level of the superior Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor before he had even fully mastered the base skill. While the flame attribute was a natural fit for him and actually reduced the cost of his magic power, he relied more on instinct than true mastery. He had yet to truly make the skill his own. This was the sole reason Noise could still stand against him.
"Guruuuuuu!"
A roar echoed across the plains as the two remained locked together.
Noise broke the stalemate, pulling his Magic Sword back and leaping away just as a volley of Ice Arrows pierced the ground where he had stood. He landed and immediately kicked off again, lunging forward. He feinted a strike at Rei, only to suddenly pivot and leap toward Seto, who was hovering in the air.
Seto was not about to let itself be cut down so easily. It flapped its wings, preparing to evade. Normally, the gryphon would have met the attack with its foreclaws, but after watching Noise trade blows on equal footing—or perhaps even with an edge—against the Death Scythe, even Seto had to be cautious, despite the boost from its Bracelet of Herculean Strength.
Noise anticipated the evasion and swung his Magic Sword to cut off the gryphon's escape, but Rei intervened.
"You think I'll let you!"
A trail of Deep Flame blazed through the air, forcing Noise to abort his swing. If he hadn't pulled back, the flames would have struck him directly.
One of the greatest advantages of the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor was the ability to fire magic power compressed enough to be visualized. This was Rei’s high-purity magic power, imbued with his absolute flame aptitude. It was far more than just light; upon contact or at Rei’s command, the compressed mana would detonate into an explosive flame.
Rei could manipulate the nature of these flames at will, making it impossible for Noise to predict how to defend until the moment of impact. Even water or ice magic would be like a drop of water on a hot stone against such concentrated power. Noise had no choice but to evade.
The current Rei was far more dangerous than the one who had used the Overlord's Armor. Noise still felt he could win in a one-on-one duel, but with Seto joining the fray, he was being steadily pushed back.
"Flying Slash!"
Rei released a blade of wind from his Death Scythe toward Noise as the man descended.
Powerful as it was, the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor had its drawbacks. Every time Rei fired a projectile of compressed mana, the "mass" of the armor he wore was consumed. To replenish it, he had to re-compress more of his immense magic power. While the consumption wasn't as disastrous as the Overlord's Armor had been, it was still a heavy drain that limited the skill's duration. To compensate, Rei mixed in his standard techniques.
"Naive! Do you really think an attack like that will work now?"
Noise shattered the Flying Slash with a single sweep of his sword.
Ignoring the taunt, Rei activated his Magic Shield and charged.
"Penetrate, Corrosion, Pain Burst, Power Slash!"
Rei unleashed a flurry of skills. The thrust using Penetrate with the scythe’s butt end was parried, but Rei used that momentum to swing a strike of Corrosion. It clashed head-on with the Magic Sword, yet the blade showed no signs of rot—likely a protective enchantment on Noise’s weapon.
Rei’s Pain Burst was also parried, but the final Power Slash sent Noise reeling. The man was blown back three meters, but even then, he managed to land on his feet.
In that exact moment, Rei made his move.
"Terrain Manipulation!"
Rei slammed the butt end part of the Death Scythe into the earth. The timing was exquisite. The skill activated at the precise millisecond Noise’s feet touched the ground.
Though Rei’s Terrain Manipulation was only level one—capable of shifting the ground by only 10cm within a ten-meter radius—the sudden drop caused Noise to lose his balance. It wasn't a total collapse, but the unexpected shift left him momentarily bewildered. In a duel at this level, that split second was all Rei needed.
"Power Slash!"
Rei swung the Death Scythe in a massive horizontal arc, abandoning all pretense of defense and pouring every ounce of strength from his body strengthening into the blow.
Noise saw the opening. Judging that he would take massive damage even if he blocked, he opted for a godspeed counter-thrust. He expected his blade to land first, given Rei’s lack of guard, but a Magic Shield suddenly materialized between them.
Rei had manually controlled the shield, hiding it behind his back where Noise couldn't see it until the moment of impact. Noise’s thrust slammed into the shield and stopped. Rei did not miss his chance.
The Death Scythe, fueled by the Power Slash, slammed into Noise’s side.
With a sickening crunch, Noise was sent flying. He tumbled seven meters through the air, righted himself, and slid several more meters across the dirt, his boots carving deep furrows in the earth.
"Guh... y-you’ve improved..."
The metal armor covering his left flank was shattered. It wasn't a clean cut, but the sheer blunt-force trauma of the skill. Noise could tell from the sharp pain that several of his ribs were broken.
"To pierce the defense of the Overlord's Armor and deal this much damage... your talent is truly enviable."
"...For someone so injured, you still seem remarkably calm," Rei noted, his voice tinged with a trace of frustration. He knew he was using a superior skill, yet Noise still had a lingering sense of composure.
Rei had managed to drain a significant amount of mana through the Bracelet of Magic Absorption during that exchange, but it clearly wasn't a fatal blow.
Rei let a small smile spread across his face. "Noise, you haven't forgotten that you're fighting more than just me, have you?"
"What!?"
"Guruuuuuu!"
"Guaaah!"
Noise tried to check his surroundings, but he was immediately slammed from the side and sent flying once more. The force was nearly equal to Rei’s previous strike.
It was Seto. Using its Optical Camouflage, the gryphon had vanished from sight to deliver a devastating surprise attack. Combined with the gryphon's natural strength and the Bracelet of Herculean Strength, the impact was terrifying. It had completely bypassed the protection of the Overlord's Armor.
In fact, it was a miracle that Noise was still standing. He had managed to use his Magic Sword as a shield at the last second, but the blade had snapped in half.
"...Invisibility?"
No matter how focused he had been on Rei, Noise had not been negligent. He knew they were on a battlefield. Yet, the idea of a creature as large as a gryphon turning invisible was entirely outside his calculations.
For Seto, Optical Camouflage was a last resort. It only lasted twenty seconds and took thirty minutes to recharge. It had waited for the perfect moment—when Noise was entirely occupied with Rei—to reveal its trump card.
"I didn't expect you to block that," Rei admitted. "But what now? Your weapon is gone. Do you still want to fight?"
Rei sounded confident, but internally, he was reaching his limit. Even if the Crimson Armor was more efficient, the consumption was still immense. He had absorbed mana from Noise, but he wasn't sure if it was enough for a prolonged fight.
He felt a wave of relief wash over him when Noise looked at the magic sword remains on the ground and gave a small shake of his head.
(Relief? Did I really just feel relieved? Does that mean I didn't think I could win? Even with this new armor?)
Frustration bubbled up in Rei's chest as he realized his own lack of confidence. Noise, however, simply smiled. It wasn't the grin of a bloodthirsty warrior, but a pure, satisfied expression.
"No, my sword is finished. Honestly, I’d like to see more, but I’ve already witnessed what lies beyond the Overlord's Armor. That’s enough for today. You broke my sword, so I’ll concede. This victory is yours, Rei."
Noise looked down at his broken blade, bidding a silent farewell to the partner he had carried for years, and then turned to walk away. The Subjugation Army soldiers nearby, having witnessed the terrifying display of power, simply stood aside and opened a path for him.
(A conceded victory, huh?)
Rei bit back his frustration and stood in silence, watching Noise's back as the man disappeared into the distance.