In a quiet clearing near the tavern, crisscrossed with drunks sleeping under thin leather covers and snoring loudly, a rowdy crowd had already gathered.
In the center of the arena, surrounded by the spectators, the two contestants for this match were casually warming up.
There was also the ever-popular trash-talk segment.
“This reminds me of the Civil War five years ago. Back then, we beat the daylights out of you Draco family types. Miona Draco, didn’t you tuck your tail and run back then, too?”
“Wasn’t it your side that ran away? Miss Leonese, are you distorting the facts because the experience was so humiliating that it warped your memory? Or are you just naturally thick-headed?”
“Say whatever you want,” Emil responded nonchalantly, clapping her hands twice in the empty air.
A faint glow gathered between her palms, and spots of starlight instantly condensed into a thick, heavy iron pillar. As Emil gripped it, a pure white halo extended from both ends, revealing the true form of this massive halberd-axe.
*Hum… hum…*
“I can finally consecrate this weapon with the blood of a Draco. Even if you cry and beg for mercy later, I won’t stop — unless you crawl between my legs.”
*Whoosh, whoosh.* Emil swung the halberd-axe left and right with fluid ease, drawing an axe-flower as if it weighed nothing at all.
She wielded the heavy block of iron as easily as if she were using chopsticks, scaring the surrounding crowd into retreating several steps at the sight of this eerie, terrifying display.
“That thing looks like a Holy Relic. Is she a Hero?”
“Draco… and they mentioned Leonese. They must be from Noel. Are they daughters of those Great Families?”
Only now did the people gradually begin to realize the true identities of the two women who were about to fight.
Could this fight no longer be stopped?
For some reason, Erica felt a surge of anxiety.
If she let them fight and it resulted in serious injuries, or if one of them fell and stopped breathing, it might be an easy opportunity for Erica Angelina to eliminate her enemies.
But for some reason, Erica just felt restless.
‘What if Emil gets hurt?’
This thought kept surfacing in her mind. She tried to ignore the emotion, but it was difficult to do.
The young girl’s current feelings were also complex. Did she actually like the big gal?
Was it the fault of her talent, Fairy Touch, that it stirred her lust and led to her… having some feelings for Emil?
Just then, Emil tilted her chin. “Hey, Erica, you be the referee. You should have plenty of experience acting as an Arbiter for duels, right?”
“Oh my. Well then, let Erica Angelina serve as the witness and Arbiter for this duel. The rules are — “
“Forget that boring stuff. Just ring the bell for me.”
The desire for battle was already surging in the big gal’s eyes. Not long ago, she had been speaking softly to Erica and acting cute, but once she entered a combat state, she became a completely different person.
Erica even wondered if what happened earlier was just her imagination. At that moment, the memories she had recently lost began to return to her mind in bits and pieces — ‘My own tail snaked out and bound the panting, stunned Emil. Under her strange and shocked gaze, that whip-like tail firmly tied Emil’s hands and feet…’
“In that case, the duel — ” The girl raised one hand high.
“Begin!”
The moment her hand dropped, Emil slammed her foot against the ground and lunged toward Miona. Despite being a heavy warrior wielding a massive axe, her speed was incredibly fierce.
The distance of approximately 10 meters between them was closed in less than 0.5 seconds.
“Goodbye, you idiot — !”
Emil’s figure blurred as she suddenly swung her battle-axe upward from the lower left toward the upper right. The Divine Artifact, Shipbreaker, which had tasted blood in countless death matches, let out a dull *hum* as it tore through the air.
If hit by this strike, the petite Miona Draco wouldn’t just be split in two; she would likely be smashed to powder.
At the exact moment everyone stared — some with excitement and others unable to bear the sight — a giant figure draped in a black robe appeared. It used its broad, solid body to block the battle-axe.
*Clang!* The ear-piercing sound of clashing metal rang out. It seemed the strike was stopped by armor hidden beneath the robe.
“Blocked?”
Appearing enraged by her failed attack, Emil gritted her teeth and tightened every muscle in her body. “You think blocking one hit makes you useful!”
*Creak, slash!*
With a sudden burst of power, the black-robed figure that had blocked the attack was sliced through the waist. Half of its body fell to the ground and rolled away.
“Whoa! The black-robed man just became two black-robed men!”
“Is he dead? He has to be dead, right?”
Seeing the “corpse” rolling on the ground with the upper and lower halves moving separately, the crowd cried out and retreated several more steps. However, the expression on Miona’s face remained calm and composed.
The young lady still had three more black-robed men on standby, while Emil possessed a monstrous physique and an axe with the power of a thousand tons.
*Crack, thud.* Two black arcs flashed as two more burly men quickly closed in on Emil from the left and right. They held a spear and a longsword respectively, pointing them from a distance at the majestic big gal.
“Every single one of you is like a persistent insect. Truly annoying…!”
Emil, frustrated at being blocked from reaching Miona, shouted angrily at the girl who was leisurely unfolding a fan to cover her face. “You coward, only letting your subordinates step forward to die! Come and fight me yourself!”
“I don’t want to~ Go on, catch that hooligan and take the shoes off her feet.”
Under Miona’s command, the two black shadows attacked Emil even more fiercely. However, when the two entered the range of her battle-axe, Emil, who had seemingly reached her limit of patience, swung the giant blade. The whistling wind surged.
*Whoosh, slash!* The battle-axe, which felt as light as a wooden stick in Emil’s hands, delivered a lateral slash so fast the movement was a blur. It simultaneously took the heads of the black-robed men lunging from both sides.
With two *thumps*, two more guardian bodies fell. Now, only Miona remained standing on the field with a slightly ruffled posture, and the last black-robed man behind her was still struggling to hold his ground.
“Go to hell and repent to my ancestors, you stupid woman!”
Emil quickly broke through the defensive line and raised her invincible giant axe high. But Erica couldn’t help but shout out, “That last guy isn’t simple! Be careful!”
“Huh?”
“It’s already too late.”
Emil’s axe was already falling with the force of the Milky Way cascading from the nine heavens. To stop it would require terrifying strength and agility; the momentum required was something no ordinary person could easily manage.