The one-sided massacre by the black-haired man came to an end, leaving countless corpses of kin littering the innermost chamber.
(Just now... what did he do?)
Even Anra had failed to perceive the vast majority of his movements. He hadn't caught the slightest glimpse of that final strike. Before he knew it, his guardian soldiers had been reduced to scattered chunks of flesh. Was it some kind of visual misdirection? No, this was inside Anra's territory. Once anyone set foot in here, every special ability was nullified. Above all, it made no sense that someone reduced to the level of a pathetic insect could slaughter the Six Great Demon Gods and the guardian soldiers with such effortless ease.
The man was on par with the Commander-in-Chief of the Evil Army. If his abilities weren't restricted, it might have been understandable. But this was inside Anra's territory. His strength should have plummeted to the level of worthless trash. Yet Anra couldn't perceive his movements at all, and the Six Great Demon Gods and the guardian soldiers had been wiped out in the blink of an eye. What this implied was—
(I-Is the effect of my territory being canceled!?)
No, a territory was a contract with the world itself; theoretically, it was impossible to break. Once someone was drawn into the Territory, even the caster, Anra, was bound by its rules. The condition Anra had set this time was: "In exchange for reducing the intruder's overall stats to a fraction of several thousandths, all offensive means other than [Devouring Metamorphosis], which is rooted in Anra's essence, are prohibited." Since it came at the cost of sealing tens of thousands of Anra's primary methods of attack, the effect was guaranteed. Above all, he couldn't sense any real power from the black-haired man right now. Leaving the guardian soldiers aside, there was no way he should have been able to defeat the Six Great Demon Gods. Then why had his kin been wiped out so easily?
(No, right now, putting as much distance between myself and this guy is top priority!)
Shaking his head, he cleared away the doubts swirling in his mind.
Either way, this wasn't a situation where he could just sit by and watch helplessly. This man was the absolute worst calamity ever born into the world. The Evil Army had become deeply entangled with a genuine monster. One false step, and the organization known as the Evil Army could be wiped from existence. He had to return to the Evil Army Headquarters immediately and devise countermeasures against this monstrosity. To do that, he had to escape from him no matter what.
(I can do this!)
Ignoring the dull ache deep in the pit of his stomach, he opened an alternate-dimensional escape route behind him, manifesting a gate on the other side.
If he could just reach that, he could escape this nightmarish world. Crossing worlds via a gate without a designated destination carried risks, but anywhere in creation would be a paradise compared to being trapped with a monster like this. Just as he was about to leap backward—
"It's futile. With your level of ability, you cannot escape me."
With the black-haired man's cold, merciless voice, his figure vanished. Anra's vision spun violently, the ceiling and floor trading places in a blur.
By the time he realized he had been slammed onto his back, he saw the black-haired man bringing a foot down toward him.
A tremendous impact tore through his abdomen, giving him the sickening sensation that the soul inside his body was being violently shaken apart. A searing heat surged through his midsection. The moment he realized it was agony, his eyes met the gaze of the black-haired man looking down at him. Pierced by that raptor-like, predatory stare—
"Eep?!"
A pathetic shriek escaped Anra's lips.
Now he was certain. This guy's abilities weren't restricted at all. At the very least, the effects of the territory were being canceled. But how? Since this was a contract with the world, it was an absolute law. Nothing in this world should be able to escape its binding. That was its very nature. Unable to accept such absurdity, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Why isn't my territory working!?!"
"Hmm? Asta, do you understand what this guy is talking about?"
The black-haired man furrowed his brows, glancing over his shoulder at the monocled woman, Asta, standing behind him.
"He is likely referring to the ability-restricting effect currently deployed throughout this entire space."
"Ability restriction, huh... I didn't even notice."
The black-haired man muttered to himself as he casually glanced around the innermost chamber.
"The terrifying thing about you, Master, is that you say that with complete sincerity. The effect of this Territory is weakening—a miraculous feat that reduces one's original abilities to a fraction of several thousandths. Since it is a contract with the world, no one can escape its laws. That applies to you, Master, as well as myself. Our abilities should be strictly limited."
"—?!"
What did this monocled woman just say?! Didn't she just claim that this black-haired man was indeed under the effects of Anra's weakening ability?!
(Preposterous! There's no way that's true!)
He desperately tried to reject that horrifying reality. If that were true, it meant that even with his stats slashed to a fraction of several thousandths, Anra still couldn't hold a candle to this black-haired man. Him, Anra Mainyu, one of the Six Great Generals!
(Impossible! It's completely impossible!)
That was right. An absurd monster like that couldn't possibly exist in this world. No, he shouldn't be allowed to exist!
However, if—just if—what this monocled woman named Asta said was true, it vaguely explained why he hadn't sensed even a scrap of strength from this monster earlier. It was a phenomenon that frequently occurred in lower lifeforms when standing before Transcenders like Anra. Being exposed to overwhelming power for too long was harmful to the body and soul. In order to protect itself, the body would sometimes shut down all of its essential danger-sensing functions. If that was what had happened, it made total sense why Anra couldn't perceive the black-haired man's strength.
Yet that was something that only happened to lower lifeforms, like ordinary humans and monsters. For it to happen to Anra... If such a ridiculous thing were truly taking place, just how immense was this black-haired man's power?
It defied all comprehension.
"Who... who on earth are you?"
Overcome by sheer bewilderment, Anra couldn't help but ask.
"Me? Indeed, an introduction is probably in order. I am Kai Heinemann. Just an ordinary swordsman."
"I'm not asking for that! What mythology's god are you?!"
The monster who called himself Kai Heinemann gave a heavy, exasperated sigh.
"Are you spouting that nonsense too? Is this that delusional phase unique to monsters, or do you live in some bizarre fantasy world, just like my subordinates? Well, whatever. Unfortunately for you, I was born and raised a human."
He had the nerve to utter such blatant absurdity.
"Stop screwing around! There's no way in hell a monster like you could ever be a mere human!"
He managed to scream through trembling breaths. To think that he, Anra, was feeling this much terror toward a pathetic, imperfect lower lifeform like a human. Such a thing was impossible even if heaven and earth were turned upside down.
"I find myself in fierce agreement with that statement," the monocled woman, Asta, murmured with deep feeling.
Kai Heinemann looked down at Anra beneath his foot.
"So, what will you do? As I said before, you cannot escape me, and I have not the slightest intention of letting you leave alive after running rampant across this land. In other words, you have two choices: die fighting me here, or kill yourself. Pick one."
He forced an utterly merciless ultimatum upon Anra.
"Master, I have a bit of history with that Evil Army. Would you permit me to handle the disposal of this one?"
Asta placed a hand over her chest, making the request to Kai Heinemann.
"You, against this guy, huh..."
Kai Heinemann looked down thoughtfully for a moment, then relented. "Very well."
Granting his approval, he raised his long blade overhead and brought it down.
With a tremendous blast of wind, a single line tore through the innermost chamber, cleaving the entire structure of the Mayura Evil Palace in two, right along with Anra's territory.
The territory Anra had activated vanished without a trace.
"With this, that ability restriction or whatever won't be an issue."
"Then?"
"Yeah. Go all out, Asta. However, this is a duel between you and him. I won't step in to help until a victor is decided. Understood?"
"It is just as I desire."
A faint smirk crossed Kai Heinemann's lips as he stepped away from Anra and raised his right arm high. And then—
"Fight honorably."
He dropped his arm, ringing the bell for a contest of pure madness.