"Mr. Akira~ which way do you prefer? Like this~ or maybe~ like this~?"
"Ivsha, wait a moment."
"Hm? What is it?"
Ivsha blinked her deep-violet eyes, looking at Kurose Akira with open curiosity. Even so, her fingers continued to lightly brush over the holy light that was on the verge of blooming, delicately suppressing it.
"Do you feel it…?" Akira asked suspiciously."Like someone is peeking at us?"
A strange sensation lingered in his mind—as if someone were watching him from the shadows, accompanied by a faint, chilling cold.
"Really? I don't feel anything at all~ Are you sure you're not imagining it?"
Ivsha smiled seductively and leaned closer.
"Mmm~ maybe you're still not~ hee~ fully relaxed~ Let me help you with that~"
"Is it just my imagination…?"
A trace of doubt flashed through Akira's eyes. Could it be the Vampire True Ancestor causing trouble again from the shadows?
Forget it.He was probably overthinking things.
Right now, the priority was to discipline Ivsha properly.
This tiny succubus nun actually dared to challenge him while he was in Half-Dragon Transformation.In that case, she'd better be prepared to kneel and beg for mercy!
—
"!"
Lucía watched everything unfold, her delicate brows knitting together. A hint of anger and icy displeasure flickered in her golden-red eyes.
She had seen everything the two were doing—those bizarre techniques and secret moves were all completely new to her, and more importantly…
Her evaluation of Kurose Akira needed to be revised.
A power capable of granting limitless strength—Half-Dragon Transformation—and he was using it on a succubus?!
This man…!
And more than that—
She simply couldn't imagine how Ivsha was managing it—actually enduring and countering Akira in his half-dragon state.As expected, succubi were far more innately gifted than human women!
Cough, cough…
Lucía shook her head, forcibly pushing those thoughts aside and refocusing on the battlefield.
At this moment, the clash between Loserine and Marei Rhein had reached a critical peak.
A crimson dragon phantom and a black-gold dragon phantom simultaneously unleashed devastating dragon breaths.The collision of their energies sent shockwaves that felt capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart!
Amid the violent energy clash, Loserine tightened her grip on the Oathbound Sword and charged straight at Marei Rhein.The blade blazed with blinding light, cleaving through the destructive aura around them. In the blink of an eye, she had already closed the distance.
"Now that's interesting!"
Seeing this, Marei Rhein finally began to take Loserine seriously.
She raised her dragon claw calmly, preparing to meet the attack.
The next instant—
The Oathbound Sword came crashing down with terrifying momentum!
Clang!
The metallic clash rang out like thunder. Two figures crossed paths in a storm of violent energy, their movements so fast they blurred the eye.
"You've got some skill! You're stronger than I expected!"
Excitement lit Marei Rhein's face as power surged wildly through her body. Her claws lashed out again and again in ferocious attacks.
Faced with that overwhelming strength and speed, Loserine could only adopt a defensive stance.The Oathbound Sword emitted a faint black glow with each impact, ringing crisply under the relentless assault.
If Loserine weren't undead—immune to pain—the sword would have long since slipped from her grasp under the crushing force.
"But—!"
Marei Rhein leapt into the air, crimson light blazing in her eyes.
"Defeating me will take far more than this!"
The moment her words fell—
Her dragon claw slammed down!
BOOM!
Loserine was blasted away like a cannonball, flying dozens of meters before smashing heavily into the white wall of the training hall.
The wall caved in violently, her body embedded deep within it, unable to move for a moment.
Marei Rhein landed steadily—but when she looked down at her dragon claw, she froze.
A deep sword wound had been carved into it.At the center of the gash, pale flesh was exposed—and blood was slowly seeping out.
Her eyes flickered.
She had never imagined that an undead knight could injure her—a crimson dragon standing at the pinnacle of the world.
Crack… crack…
"Thank you."
Loserine stepped out of the shattered wall. She clasped her fist toward Marei Rhein in gratitude, then turned and walked away.
The sparring match was over.
Marei Rhein smiled in satisfaction and left the training hall to rest.
Meanwhile, Furi, Floro, and the others exchanged stunned looks, their eyes shining with disbelief.
They had realized something terrifying—
The rest of the guild members had already pulled far ahead of them.
This realization only strengthened their resolve to undergo the Blessing of the World Tree, no matter what it took, in order to become stronger.
As for Lucía, she cast a brief glance at the departing Marei Rhein and Loserine.
Their duel had given her a much clearer understanding of their strength.
She couldn't say they were stronger than her—but if she avoided using [Divine Prison of Light] and fought at close range, even she would find it difficult to deal with Marei Rhein or Loserine.
Of course, this assessment applied only to her current avatar, not her true body.
—
"They're done?"
Kurose Akira and Ivsha both sensed the end of the battle. Coincidentally, they had also finished their holy-light "prayer" and were beginning to clean up their battlefield.
At that moment, a notification appeared before Akira's eyes.
[Your adventurer Loserine has comprehended a Transcendent-Tier Sword Technique — Radiant Annihilation!]
Oh?
A sharp glint flashed through Akira's eyes.
Loserine had finally mastered that transcendent sword art!
And just then—
Suddenly—
Marei Rhein's voice rang out from outside the door.
"Hey! Human!"
The door, which had been locked, was pushed open effortlessly.
When Marei Rhein saw Akira's half-dragon form, she immediately broke into an amused grin and mocked him:
"That's it?"
Akira frowned, about to retort—but when he remembered Marei Rhein's true body, a colossal dragon stretching tens of thousands of meters…
He instantly lost all motivation to argue.
All he could say was: Yeah, yeah, you're right.
"Well then, Mr. Akira~ I'll head back to the church first."
After getting dressed, Ivsha quickly left the room.
"Mm. See you tomorrow."
Akira nodded. Wearing nothing but his pants, he headed off to take a shower.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw Lucía and the others preparing to leave via the teleportation array.
"Ah~!""Why isn't the Guildmaster wearing clothes~?!"
Furi and Floro hurriedly covered their eyes, peeking through their fingers with wide, watery eyes as their faces flushed red.
"Master~ are you going to take a bath?"
Alice immediately moved closer, ready to fulfill her maidly duty and assist Akira with bathing.
Lucía, meanwhile, cast Akira a cold glance before stepping into the teleportation gate.
Just before disappearing, she turned her head and shot him a fierce look—perhaps her own way of "thanking" him for today's shock.
Akira shrugged and walked into the bathroom.
—
Half an hour later, freshly bathed, Akira returned to the bedroom.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw Marei Rhein rolling around on his bed, behaving in an extremely suspicious manner.
"What are you doing?"
Akira frowned and asked.
"Obviously leaving my scent on my territory," she snorted irritably."Damn human—my nest is already filled with that succubus's smell!"