The duel between Hyo-Zan-Ryu, the most valiant warrior among the trolls, and Hirashi, the strongest fighter in the city of Almy, was about to begin. Hattori and Yor stood at the sides of the room, tending to an unconscious Ryu, while their mistress engaged in sword fighting against a fearsome opponent who had yet to show his full strength.

  Despite the tense atmosphere, Hirashi remained calm and stoic as usual. She had already exchanged several blows with her enemy and didn't seem the least bit tired or fatigued, a detail that didn't go unnoticed by the war troll.

  "Now I understand why Ryu respects you so much..."

  Began Hyo-Zan-Ryu, taking a few steps back to put distance between himself and Hirashi.

  "Tell me, were you the one who taught him those techniques from before?"

  "No, he learned them himself."

  "Alone?! Are you kidding?"

  "No."

  Hirashi replied coldly.

  “A teacher's job is to teach students to reveal their fullest potential, not to create miniature selves.”

  His eyes widened in surprise; his opponent wasn't entirely wrong, after all. That statement alone made Hyo-Zan-Ryu doubt whether he'd been a good teacher to his students. He'd always stuck to the translations, and learning that Ryu was still alive because he'd disobeyed his teachings was a further blow to his already damaged pride.

  -If his student had not surrendered to the enemy, he would have died, thus wasting his life.

  "You are a wise woman, Hirashi! I mean...Lady Hirashi!"

  "Thank you..."

  The use of the honorific surprised the woman slightly. Had she earned her opponent's respect with so little?

  "May I ask you a favor? If I win, will I be allowed to devour you? That way I'll gain your immense power! It's tradition!"

  "Disgusting belief, but it is your culture after all."

  Hirashi sighed softly and rested her free hand on her thigh, visibly lost in thought.

  "Okay..."

  She snorted.

  "But if I win, I can do whatever I want with you."

  "Sounds fair to me! Now let's get back to it!"

  Without hesitation, the troll sped forward and swung his club at his opponent, still in an exposed pose.

  "Eh?! What?!"

  Despite the element of surprise, Hyo-Zan-Ryu's blow was deflected by Hirashi's katana without much difficulty. To avoid a counterattack, the troll leaped powerfully backward, moving at least five meters away from his enemy. He was astonished. The woman was displaying monstrous strength and speed without even trying.

  Her muscles are still relaxed. How can she produce so much force at rest?!

  "I must thank you, Lady Hirashi! By facing you, I will finally be able to surpass my current level of strength and evolve into an even more powerful warrior!"

  Facing a powerful enemy was the first step to becoming stronger; this was the path Hyo-Zan-Ryu followed. If he defeated Hirashi, he would become stronger. It was a simple but practical reasoning for trolls. There was no malice behind it, only the ambition to become stronger.

  "If you say so."

  Hirashi replied blandly.

  “Get ready, now it's my turn to attack.”

  Without further ado, the pale woman charged. Despite wearing thick, high-heeled boots and having an incredibly large and muscular frame, Hirashi moved at breakneck speed, covering dozens of meters in a matter of seconds.

  Even Hyo-Zan-Ryu was surprised. He was so outclassed on that level, he didn't notice when Hirashi came up behind him and punched him in the back, sending him flying against the wall with a force greater than even his own against Ryu.

  Did I feel pain, even though she hit me with a simple punch on my armor?

  Hyo-Zan-Ryu tried to get up, but a sudden numbness prevented him from freeing himself from the debris pinning him against the wall. Meanwhile, excited shouts could be heard from across the room.

  "You are great, Lady Hirashi! The best! The strongest! La-Dy Hirashi! La-Dy Hirashi!"

  As usual, Yor didn't forget to show her support for her mistress. She was almost ready to start playing as a cheerleader. It was an embarrassing sight, and even Hirashi didn't seem entirely happy with her subordinate's behavior. But the warrior troll didn't care; he had other problems on his hands now.

  "What...What is this sudden tiredness?"

  Hyo-Zan-Ryu struggled to remove some rocks that had fallen on him and tried to get on his feet, using his club for support. He felt exhausted after a single punch from his opponent. He looked at Hirashi, seeking explanation.

  "I can charge negative energy into my attacks, if used in large quantities it can weaken a being with no resistance to said energy."

  The pale woman declared, seeming to have guessed the troll's question before he could even ask it.

  "Sorry, I should have warned you. I don't normally use this ability of mine, but I don't have infinite time to fight you. If you consider it cheating, I can stop using it."

  “Nonsense! If it’s your ability, then it’s fine. It would be unfair of me to tell you not to use it, since I have regeneration on my side.”

  “As you wish.”

  She finished, slowly approaching, katana in hand, ready to strike at any moment. Hyo-Zan-Ryu imagined that his opponent was actually masking her exhaustion, supported by that strange phrase about time.

  "So...it's not poison?"

  "No, otherwise you could use your race's regenerative ability to heal its effects over time. However, the dark energy I infused into your body not only saps your energy, but also your muscle strength and stamina. And you cannot regenerate those..."

  "Don't think it ends here!"

  He raised his mace at his opponent, as if to warn her to stand back, but Hirashi ignored the threat and lunged again, forcing the troll into a defensive stance. Hyo-Zan-Ryu was forced to use his mace as a shield, parrying the thrust of the katana, whose blade suddenly engulfed in purple flames.

  "Damn you!"

  At the sight of the fire, the colossus desperately used all his available strength to push his opponent back, moving a few meters away from her. He had never seen flames of that color, but he was certain that if he were hit by it, it would not end well.

  Ryu was right. This woman...is truly strong! I underestimated her.

  He was grateful for the helmet covering his face; he would gladly have avoided showing his doubts to such a powerful foe. He had no idea what race Hirashi was, but he was certain that his power was certainly greater than that of a common troll, and that was saying a lot.

  I absolutely must beat her at all costs! Only then can I improve my current level!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As I thought, he's afraid of fire. He's a troll, after all...

  "Prepare yourself, Great Hyo-Zan-Ryu. You will not be able to block the next blow."

  "Huh?"

  As promised, Hirashi lunged again and managed to pierce her enemy's armor with a frontal attack, sinking the katana blade into the troll's left shoulder. It had all happened too quickly; there was no way the Troll Hero could have responded to that blow.

  "Skin Strengthening! Superior Skin Strengthening!"

  Using a pair of defensive Battle Arts, the colossus managed to withstand the blow without a whimper. But when Hirashi detonated her sword, unleashing a burst of black flames at close range, Hyo-Zan-Ryu couldn't help but cry out in agony, unbecoming of a warrior of his caliber.

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  Hirashi, for her part, remained expressionless as ever and took advantage of the troll's moment of agony to retreat, thus avoiding giving his enemy a window of opportunity for a counterattack—not that Hyo-Zan-Ryu had any intention of attacking her in those conditions. He was too preoccupied with the ache that was wracking his entire body.

  "I think we should end it here..."

  She muttered, tightening her grip on the hilt of her katana. Hirashi lowered her weapon, leaning forward slightly and preparing to lunge again. She wanted to use her Assassin's Queen Mercy technique to slice the troll in half without him even seeing her. She had already caused the warrior too much pain, she wanted to avoid prolonging it further.

  "With the next blow, you will surely die. If you admit defeat, I will spare your life..."

  "No! I am the Great Hyo-Zan-Ryu! The bravest of the trolls – their Hero! If I must die, I want to die fighting until the end!"

  "Uh...I understand."

  Hirashi stood up straight and sheathed her weapon, making it clear she had no intention of attacking for now. Every time she thought about finishing the fight, she felt like it wasn't what she wanted. It was as if something in her head, like a conscience or a sense of duty, drove her to give hope to that poor warrior.

  I've never had a conscience for strangers. Only for Almodea...

  She wasn't sure whether to be happy about this or not. Had proximity to Almy's city made her mentally evolve? She had no idea. She might as well listen to herself just for this one time; it wouldn't matter if she dragged out the fight.

  "Take off your helmet. I'd like to see your face."

  The warrior planted his mace on the ground and obeyed the command, tossing his helmet aside as if it were garbage. It revealed the face of a rather elderly troll, bald, with white eyes and a fairly thick beard. Beads of sweat were all over his face, evidence of how much effort he was putting into the fight with Hirashi, now certain that it would be his last.

  "That look..."

  Hirashi's eyes opened slightly, almost imperceptibly. It was rare for her to be surprised, and even rarer for her to show it, even if only slightly. She hadn't expected a troll to have such determination on his face, especially given their low intelligence.

  "...It's that of someone who faces death believing they still have a chance. Do you have an ace up your sleeve? A hidden supreme technique?"

  “No! I have nothing left!”

  The troll raised his mace to the sky and let out a battle cry, seemingly empowering himself. Hirashi wasn't sure if it was just a visual effect or a real ability, similar to Battle Roar , a skill that diminished fear and increased courage, typically used by beastmen.

  “But I still want to fight to the end!”

  "Then I'll oblige you."

  Hirashi took up position and leaped forward, unsheathing her katana and preparing to lunge at Hyo-Zan-Ryu. It was then that the troll did something unexpected: he counterattacked.

  "Mighty Strike: Divine Glow!"

  "?"

  Completely ignoring the defense, the Troll Hero unleashed an Art capable of inflicting massive holy damage. If Hirashi had been a demon, it would have dealt her a critical hit. However, she was an Eldritch Horror, not a demon. For the first time since the beginning of the match, Hirashi took a direct hit. Her lunge was interrupted, and she was thrown back several meters.

  "Flow! Solemn Strike!"

  Without giving her a break, Hyo-Zan-Ryu leaped into the air and charged at her with his mace, powered by several Battle Arts imbued with positive energy. Holy magic wasn't Hirashi's species' basic weakness, but it could still inflict damage if hit – commensurate with the troll's level, of course. The pale woman took a full hit from that attack, and a great cloud of dust erupted after the impact.

  "Lady Hirashi!"

  Yor started to move, to support her mistress, but Hattori raised an arm and blocked her.

  "What are you doing, old man?!"

  "If you intervene, you will besmirch Lady Hirash's honor. Is that what you want?"

  "I...no! I don't want that!"

  "Then wait and have faith in the mistress."

  "Yes, you are right."

  Yor and Hattori shifted their gaze toward the impact zone, noticing that the dust was finally starting to fall, allowing a clearer view of the situation.

  The mace had been blocked by Hirashi's palm, which was supporting the weight of the enormous weapon and its owner as if it were nothing. A dusty coat brushed off the woman's face, but she showed no signs of injury or fatigue.

  "No secret technique, huh? Liar...but I admit you were able to catch me off guard for a few tenths of a second- my mistake."

  "Shit!"

  The troll leaped back, trying to put distance between the two again and avoid a counterattack, even though it was clear Hirashi had no intention of launching one. She didn't need to. She simply stared at him with her purple eyes which, combined with her stoic gaze, created an aura of suffocating superiority.

  "You were a great opponent, but there's a big difference between you and me..."

  She began to advance towards the troll, with her usual natural and casual calm.

  "Don't come any closer!"

  Hyo-Zan-Ryu cried out in exhaustion, swinging his mace at his opponent as if he were a madman trying to squash an insect. There was no technique in those swings, only desperation. All the Battle Arts he had used, plus the battle itself, had sapped the Troll Hero of almost all his strength. He could only swing the mace haphazardly; he had nothing else left.

  He struck her shoulder, neck, arms, head, and even chest, but nothing; Hirashi continued to advance toward him without feeling the slightest pain. Further proof of this was the mace's cracking after the first few collisions, so much so that some of the spikes broke off and fell to the ground. Even the recoil was nonexistent, proving that the attack earlier had been a fluke—probably enabled by the pale woman herself.

  "You are at level 43, while I am well beyond level 100."

  Hirashi declared with disarming coolness, blocking one of the blows of the colossal mace with only the index finger of her right hand. She then gave a gentle push, which was more so in the name than in effect. Hyo-Zan-Ryu found himself flattened against the wall in less than a second. Both the speed—and the force applied—had been so great that he realized only moments later that he had ended up on the other side of the room, his mouth bleeding from the impact.

  "My physical strength borders on infinity. Between us there is not an abyss ; there is a universe."

  Hirashi's words deeply wounded the troll's pride, especially as he realized how true they were. Despite being sore, tired and outmatched in every way, Hyo-Zan-Ryu stood tall and powerful, showing no signs of giving up. He removed his upper armor and gauntlets, revealing his dark skin, still damaged by Hirashi's previous attacks.

  Has he lightened his load to speed up his attacks? Is he clinging to this vain hope? I see that giving up was never an option for him ...

  "Tell me something, Lady Hirashi..."

  The troll began, his tone tired and full of acceptance.

  "...Tell me how weak I am! You've never been serious, and even without using your full power, you still held your own, completely outclassing me without batting an eyelid! Am I...really that weak?"

  "It would be pointless to lie to you, telling you it's not true when it's clear that this fight wasn't challenging for me."

  The woman's gaze remained cold and unemotional, but her tone was warmer, almost proud of her opponent's performance. Ultimately, Hirashi had never intended to destroy Hyo-Zan-Ryu's ego.

  "Besides, you're absolutely right. I haven't used almost any of my techniques, spells or abilities."

  "Otherwise the duel would have been over in an instant, wouldn't it?"

  "I'm sorry, but you've been unlucky, Hyo-Zan-Ryu. There are only two... well, three beings in the world capable of holding their own against me, and perhaps even defeating me. If you're one of the strongest trolls, I'm one of the strongest living beings. I've only relied on a paltry portion of my physical strength for this battle—but I must admit it was still an instructive fight. Having to control every last bit of my muscles to prevent every blow from being fatal right from the start is certainly excellent training."

  "I understand, Lady Hirashi."

  A smile spread across the troll's tired face. It was the smile of someone who has lost but cannot hate defeat, for it has taught him too much.

  "You know... I've always tried to be the strongest! It's been my goal in life! My personal challenge!"

  Hyo-Zan-Ryu roared proudly, raising his mace to the sky only to drop it again, too exhausted to wield it vigorously.

  "Knowing...knowing that there's someone stronger than me fills my heart with joy! It means I can improve myself! I'm not done evolving! I'm not done living!"

  Those words managed to break through Hirashi's stoicism, causing her to smile slightly. It was the same thing she kept repeating to Shion during their training- kind of. The smile lasted only a few seconds, after which her lips fell back into their usual cold expression.

  "I can understand what you're feeling. To improve and evolve..."

  Hirashi looked up, leaving herself completely exposed for a few seconds—not that she was in any danger; she'd clearly proven herself the strongest there. Besides, her opponent no longer had the strength to close the gap between them and hit her enough to inflict damage. Even the previous hits that had landed had done nothing to Hirashi's skin, which was essentially a layer of impenetrable muscle.

  Mother...will I ever be enough? Almodea...will I ever be able to make you happy, my dear sister?

  "Lady Hirashi!"

  Hyo-Zan-Ryu's cry brought the woman's attention back to him.

  "Before you kill me, I want you to show me your true strength! I want you, with a fraction of your power, to make me witness what it means to be as powerful as you! I ask you on my knees!"

  "As you wish, prepare to die..."

  Hirashi began walking casually towards the troll, holding her katana low.

  "Assassin's Queen Mercy."

  Without her having to move further, Hyo-Zan-Ryu's mace-wielding arm fell to the ground, severed. The wound began to heal, but the troll was fully aware he didn't have time to wait for the limb to fully grow back, so he grabbed the mace with his only remaining arm and began to strike the woman madly.

  As before, the only effect achieved by that series of uncoordinated attacks was to damage the weapon, which shattered against Hirashi's head after yet another futile blow. Despite having one arm severed and his weapon shattered, the troll still attempted to swing it at the woman's face, but she vanished before his eyes.

  "Teleportation?!"

  "No.…"

  Hirashi reappeared on the right side of the colossus, standing still without attacking or defending.

  "That was an afterimage you tried to hit."

  "An afterimage?"

  "Yes, it happens when the speed exceeds the ability of the human eye to evaluate a displacement, but I would avoid wasting time explaining."

  The troll raised what remained of his weapon, intending to attack again, but he stopped. It would have been pointless to do anything in that situation, so he simply smiled, satisfied with the fight and with the life he had lived.

  "Goodbye, Great Hyo-Zan-Ryu..."

  With a lightning-fast movement, so fast that even Yor from the rear couldn't see it, Hirashi slit the troll's throat, applying an instant-death effect to the blade. The blow was so swift that the name of the technique came a few minutes after it was spoken. Not even the Troll Hero realized his throat was slit until he heard Hirashi's faint voice in his ears.

  "True Death. "

  As if struck by a sudden sleep, Hyo-Zan-Ryu fell to the ground – lifeless.

  "Lady Hirashi! You were fantastic!"

  Yor began applauding wildly, while Hattori helped Ryu, who had long since woken up to his feet. He was still injured, but he could only show regret for his master's fate.

  "Great Hyo-Zan-Ryu...forgive me. I was unable to save you."

  The troll sighed at the death of the great Troll Hero; he felt guilty for not being able to save him. If only he had won the duel, he would have been able to make him retreat and avoid this horrible fate. Hyo-Zan-Ryu had died honorably, but in the service of someone who did not deserve his loyalty.

  "Don't worry, Almodea gave her word. We'll resurrect him if necessary."

  "What? Can you do this?"

  "I possess that ability, but there's a risk of turning him into an Eldritch Troll or corrupting him. I'll leave that to Anxy."

  "Anxy?"

  "You don't know her, but that doesn't matter now. Take his body and let's get out of here."

  With that order, Hirashi moved toward the room's exit, sheathing her katana and walking away as if she hadn't just defeated the most valiant troll warrior. Yor easily lifted Hyo-Zan-Ryu's corpse and began carrying it outside. She was, of course, ordered to treat it with care.

  Maybe I should go help Almodea? I don't think she needs it... I'll decide what to do once we get out of here.

  “Let's go. The massacre outside should have stopped.”

  Hirashi continued walking, Yor, Hattori, and Ryu trailing behind her. No one spoke, no one uttered a word. The only sound in the air were the black wings of the Esoterica, who couldn't help but flap them in excitement. Watching Hirashi fight had been like a special prize for her.