Bone-chilling cold light continuously burst forth from the walls, following the sweep of Hera's sharp claws as it attacked Viktor.
Countless sharp bone spears precisely pierced toward every one of Viktor's vital points.
Yet at the very moment those bone spikes were about to touch him, he was always able to instantly block them with the round shield in his hand.
Even when he couldn't block them in time, with his smooth, fluid movements, he could easily evade them.
Hera weaved through the bone spears, continuing to unleash swift and fierce attacks in the gaps between Viktor dodging each strike.
But Viktor remained calm throughout, and even at ease.
At some point, a wooden sword appeared out of thin air in his hand, accompanied by countless iron plates that continuously circled and flew around him.
Red and green light flickered in midair, stabbing at Hera's eyes so intensely that she could hardly keep them open.
Yet even so, Hera's offensive did not weaken in the slightest.
Carrying the force of wind tearing through the air, she swung her long, sharp claws, bone spears aimed straight at Viktor's chest.
As if trying to rip his heart completely out, like an absolutely ferocious beast.
Seeing this, the adventurers behind them couldn't help but let their voices tremble.
Yet within that trembling, there seemed to be a hint of excitement.
"The boss is getting serious!"
"Didn't expect to see the boss fight again!"
"But that kid is way too strong… When did the south get such a powerful knight?"
"Could also be a warrior."
Viktor paid no attention to their words. While continuously dodging the surprise attacks of the bone spikes, he swung the round shield in his hand, blocking every claw strike Hera threw at him.
Once combat was engaged, Hera's level and health bar were revealed before Viktor.
[Lv48]
The woman before him was also an old monster who had lived for a long time.
Beast Hera, Viktor naturally recognized who she was.
In the game's background lore, Hera had once proposed that adventurers should take beasts as their standard of behavior, maintaining a brutal and ferocious fighting style, completely tearing their enemies apart.
But this combat philosophy naturally met with strong opposition from many.
The reason was that most adventurers were human, and should fight with human group awareness, without the need for complete destruction and excessive brutality.
This proposal, which regarded adventurers as noble humans, gained the approval of most people.
Interestingly enough, Hera, who always adhered to her own combat style, broke through two years later in the game's lore.
She leapt in one step to become the only Tier-5 adventurer in the southern Adventurer Capital.
Accordingly, with the successive deaths of the two princes and the south left leaderless, this resulted in the Beast Guild dominating alone.
But the reason she advocated that adventurers should be as ferocious as beasts, was because Hera herself was not human.
The wooden sword in Viktor's hand glowed with green light and gradually transformed into a wooden hammer.
On his arm, several formations flickering with red and yellow light continuously took shape.
A faint power flowed through his blood vessels, gathering in Viktor's thick palm.
[Strength Enhancement: Major]
The next second, the wooden hammer smashed through the air, charging straight toward the incoming sharp bone spear.
Bang!
A massive wave surged through the corridor, powerful force swirling within the confined space.
After the violent collision, cracks actually appeared across the bone spear, which then began to slowly crumble.
The iron plates accelerated in their rotation, the red and green lights turning into meteors as they sliced through the air at high speed.
Hera had no time to dodge. Her pale arm was forcefully cut open, leaving a gash.
Red blood slowly flowed from her arm.
Hera immediately froze in place, staring at the wound on her arm in a daze.
Seeing Hera actually bleeding drop by drop, the adventurers were equally shocked.
"The boss… got injured first!?"
"T-This… how is that possible!?"
They widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at the man before them.
Hera stepped back a few paces, staring at the blood flowing down.
Her eyes, beautiful and eerie like a kaleidoscope, began to change into different patterns.
Like a true beast, almost completely abandoning reason.
But at that moment, the wooden hammer in Viktor's hand gradually dissipated into green magical energy.
The iron plates around him stopped flying as well, their light dimming as they merged into two plates and were stored back at his waist.
This made Hera, who had just entered her rhythm, pause involuntarily as her reason slowly returned.
Even the group of adventurers looked confused.
'What's going on? Not fighting anymore?'
Hera slowly straightened her body, retracting the remaining bone spears back into herself.
The black flower buds at the corners of her eyes gradually withdrew, the vine-like patterns spreading out again.
At some point, perhaps due to excessive frenzy, those slender black markings had unknowingly climbed up the back of her head.
Her gaze carried a hint of confusion.
"You're very strong, but why did you stop fighting?"
Hera did not regard Viktor as an enemy.
Among adventurers, sparring with one another was perfectly normal.
But since Viktor had withdrawn first, she wouldn't shamelessly continue attacking.
A cold voice sounded. Viktor looked at Hera and raised one finger.
"First, the one who attacked without reason was you."
At those words, Hera felt a little embarrassed, her gaze drifting slightly.
Although she didn't want to be that impulsive, the wildness within her body was always hard to suppress.
When facing a strong person like Viktor, she would instinctively attack.
Just as she was about to apologize, Viktor immediately raised a second finger.
"Second."
"I never said I was done fighting."
The instant his words fell, an incomparably vast and overwhelming surge of magic power erupted.
Like a colossal wave stirring the sky, carrying immense pressure.
Viktor narrowed his eyes, both hands in his pockets.
"That close combat just now was out of necessity."
And now?
His mana was full again.
Suddenly, the surrounding terrain began to change.
Large sections of the walls were engulfed in flames, the ground turned into magma, constantly surging.
Fire burst forth through the earth. Burning giant trees twisted and grew out from the walls.
Light illuminated the entire space, like the sun hanging overhead, as the terrifying heat rose rapidly.
The entire cave seemed about to be completely melted by this shocking magic power.
Feeling the overwhelming heat and pressure, the patterns in Hera's eyes shifted constantly.
Someone with such exquisite melee technique…
Was neither a knight nor a warrior.
But rather… a mage?
How was that possible?
If the Viktor from earlier had been giving off pressure equal to hers, or even clearly weaker, then now…
It was as if the phantom silhouettes of two towering beasts appeared behind Viktor, flickering endlessly.
The entire cave trembled violently under this crushing presence.
Viktor's cold voice rang out, like a piece of hard ice that could not melt even in molten mountains.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is, Viktor Clavenna."
The moment his name echoed, all the adventurers froze.
It was a name they were extremely familiar with.
A name that had spread across the empire, north and south, long ago.
Countless adventurers knew of this figure.
But just as they were carefully recalling who exactly this name belonged to, the magic within the space began to surge wildly, like an ocean pouring in, threatening to completely drown the cave.
The flames continuously restructured, the heat expanding even further.
Behind Viktor, it was as if two small suns were contracting and rotating in midair, on the verge of exploding.
Everyone stood stunned, even forgetting to run.
Because at that moment, they remembered.
A few days ago, the Mage Council had publicly announced the youngest mage councilor and bestowed upon him the title of mage.
His name was, Viktor Clavenna.
Also known as, "[The Arbiter Who Strips All Phenomena]"
Two blazing suns of light continued to grow, steadily devouring the darkness of the cave.
Flames, accompanied by magic, erupted wildly. Thunderous explosions and scorching shockwaves swept across everything.
Red turned into a ferocious beast, devouring all things first beneath the light.
The cyan walls shattered violently, white light bursting out and turning into smoke and dust that filled the air.
Huu~
The light took on waves of crimson, then white radiance once again covered everything, completely suppressing the roaring sounds.
It was as if time itself had been stretched unbearably long.
When the light finally faded, there was no trace left of the surrounding walls.
Only endlessly surging, restless flesh remained, marked with scorched scars.
When they looked up, they could even see the turbulent purple sky above, uneasy and agitated.
Fortunately, most of them were Tier-4 in strength, barely enduring that terrifying explosion.
The Beast Guild adventurers were naturally tough-skinned and durable, and that horrifying blast hadn't been aimed at them specifically.
Otherwise, they would have already been reduced to ashes.
Countless sharp bone spikes shielded Hera's body, blocking the aftershock of the explosion.
As the bone spikes retracted, Hera lifted her head, watching the bright sky gradually lose its light. The patterns in her eyes slowly stopped changing.
Her lips trembled, her voice shaking violently.
"He… is the real monster."
In a daze, she saw Viktor's figure.
The man in the black coat was standing in midair, hands in his pockets.
His coat fluttered under the constantly flickering light behind him.
Two different-colored lights shimmered beneath the white blazing sun, red and green complementing each other.
The two massive beasts behind him seemed to roar continuously.
As if deliberately attracting something.
Viktor lowered his head, looking at the stunned Hera and the group known as top-tier adventurers, and spoke calmly, "Enough."
"Since you're here, then stand there quietly."
"Be an audience."
Hearing this, all the adventurers, including Hera, froze on the spot.
'What does that… mean?'
But the next second...
"Roar!!!"
A dragon's roar pierced the sky, tearing through layers of space.
Viktor raised his head again, gazing at the serene, dark-purple sky.
"It's here."
The wind sliced past.
At that moment, the sky was no longer calm.
"Calamity of Wind, Doragon."