into a low stance, parrying the guard and violently slamming him against the stone wall, following up with a brutal knee to the stomach. The raw force of the impact caused the entire wall to crack.
So fast! Tammuz's eyes widened with shock. Agonizing pain flared in his gut, making his face go completely pale.
But Roy wasn't finished. Press the advantage. Strike while the enemy is vulnerable!
In a sudden burst, Roy twisted his hips and whipped his left leg out like a cracking lash, a gale-force side-kick striking the outside of Tammuz's knee.
"Ugh?!" A muffled, beastly grunt escaped Tammuz's throat. His left leg buckled limply, but he forced himself to stay upright through sheer willpower. He roared like a cornered animal, lunging with twin fists aimed straight at Roy's face.
Roy tilted his head, dodging by a hair's breadth. In that same heartbeat, his left hand clamped onto the back of Tammuz's neck like a steel shackle. Tammuz responded quickly, attempting a vicious headbutt toward Roy's chest.
CRACK!
Roy's right knee smashed upward, shattering the guard's nose. The muffled sound of breaking bone echoed through the silent mansion. Tammuz stumbled back, his vision blurring.
Roy's gaze was indifferent and cold. His arms wound around Tammuz like iron bands—tightening, coiling upward. A lethal chokehold locked into place, pressing hard into the fatal hollow of the throat. The sensation of suffocation flooded Tammuz instantly.
The instinct to survive burned frantically in Tammuz's veins, and he thrashed wildly. While pinning him, Roy delivered a heavy, crushing stomp to Tammuz's shin.
Snap! The sound of the bone breaking was sickeningly clean.
"AAAAAAGH!" Tammuz let out a gut-wrenching scream of pure agony.
This entire exchange had happened in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the Level 4 Tammuz subdued in an instant, both Ishtar and Aisha's eyes widened in absolute shock.
The two had clashed like fighters in a deathmatch—no skills, no magic—just the purest, most feral display of combat technique. Had he not been an enemy, Ishtar and Aisha would have dearly loved to "sample" the strong man hidden beneath that distorted phantom shadow; the thought alone was intoxicating.
Aisha moved a beat later, swinging her large executioner's blade in a fierce arc, the sharp edge whistling toward both men.
Thud!
Roy released Tammuz, shoving his limp body forward to force Aisha to frantically pull her blade back to avoid cutting her ally. Simultaneously, he lunged with a lethal finger-strike, driving it straight into Tammuz's temple. The heavy concussive blow to the brain sent Tammuz's jaw slack, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness instantly.
"What a useless waste," Ishtar remarked. She spared only a dismissive glance at the fallen Tammuz, her eyes filled with contempt for the man who had just broken his body for her.
Aisha kicked Tammuz aside to clear her path. Just as she was about to press the attack, Ishtar held out a hand to stop her.
"Wait!"
Aisha looked back, confused. Ishtar offered no explanation. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at the eerie phantom before her. "You're the one who gave that bitch Freya a lesson she won't forget, aren't you?"
Roy remained silent.
A massive wave of realization crashed over Aisha. Almost everyone in Orario knew the legendary story: The Berserker. Level 7. The traits lined up perfectly—a magic item to hide his identity and strength that defied logic. It made sense now why Tammuz had fallen so quickly. Aisha stared at the phantom again, her gaze filled with profound dread.
"Hahahaha!" Ishtar burst into a manic laugh. "Seeing that slut Freya suffer such a huge loss made my year. You did well!"
Ever since Freya's "Syr" persona had been exposed, Ishtar had been in high spirits, mocking Freya at every turn. She had sent countless subordinates to find this mysterious man and bring him under her command, never expecting him to deliver himself to her doorstep.
Roy was speechless. I didn't do it for your sake, you crazy hag, he thought, marveling at the terrifying jealousy of the Goddesses of Beauty.
"Become my man," Ishtar said, her tongue tracing her lush lips. She was breathtakingly seductive, her rose-gold eyes flickering with a supernatural violet light. "I will let you experience the ultimate pleasures of this world."
Aisha silently looked away. Facing a Level 7 Berserker, their entire Familia might not win in a fair fight. Their only remaining weapon was the Goddess's Charm.
Here it comes.
Roy's expression turned solemn, but he didn't panic. Compared to Freya's absolute, inescapable beauty that could charm even the blind, Ishtar's Charm was a step below—it required eye contact to take hold. Thus, he had avoided looking at her directly from the start.
Danger Sense!
His core skill triggered. Through the lens of his perception, Roy could see a pink mist thick with lust billowing toward him, manifesting as countless celestial beauties reaching out with slender, snow-white hands. It was Ishtar's Divine Authority.
His Danger Sense told him there was no immediate physical danger, but it suggested an alternative solution: Activate the Adventure Development Ability.
Roy had used this ability enough to understand its logic: it required him to be in actual danger and possess a sufficient sense of crisis. Usually, that required a Level 6 monster. But through his internal calculations, he saw a loophole: self-simulation.
He focused his mind, visualizing a state of absolute peril to deceive his own brain. If he subjectively believed he was in a life-or-death gamble, the ability would trigger. Roy narrowed his eyes at Ishtar. In his mind, she transformed into a soul-devouring demon from the deepest pits of hell. A fabricated wave of pure existential crisis flooded his brain.
[Development Ability: Adventure activated!]
For a fleeting second, the faceless Goddess of Fate appeared. She seemed as solemn as ever, yet he could sense a faint, wry smile—as if she were saying, "To deceive even a Goddess... how remarkably bold." She pouted in mock annoyance but ultimately leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Roy's forehead.
When Roy opened his eyes, his stats—Endurance, Luck, and passive Charm Resistance—surged. He had successfully turned a passive ability into an active one. Because the crisis was simulated, the buff was roughly halved, but it was more than enough to handle Ishtar.
Roy looked Ishtar dead in the eye with absolute confidence. The lustful mist swirled around him, but his mind remained an iron fortress, unyielding and untouched.
Ishtar felt his unwavering gaze, and her lip began to twitch. "The Charm didn't work? Why?!"
Aisha's pupils constricted in disbelief. That was a Divine Authority! Even mindless monsters should fall to it, let alone a human. Regardless of Level, no mortal should stand before a Goddess's charm. Yet, the proof was right there—the phantom before them seemed to be wearing a mocking, deeply amused smirk.
Ishtar's ego snapped. She began to stomp her high-heeled boots hysterically. "Where am I inferior to that stench-filled Freya?! You pigs who think with your crotches... are your eyes all fucking blind?!"
Roy blinked. He realized then that the "Berserker" persona was known as a fanatic of Freya. To Ishtar, who lived purely to surpass Freya, being ignored by Freya's admirer was the ultimate insult. To Roy, however, there was no difference. He could accept a partner with a past, but he had no interest in a public transit system—and both Goddesses were ultimately cut from the exact same cloth.
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