Hector shares the sa flaw and identity as Kara he uses violence all too readily.
He's not a madman who loves violence, but he prefers physical power over strategy.
This doesn't change even after founding the Tatars; he simply grew much more patient.
He hasn't completely shed his barbaric nature. As the saying goes, old habits die hard, and Hector is trying his best to restrain himself.
But does that an you swing an axe at out of the blue?'
I was flustered by Hector's sudden attack, but I managed to regain my composure.
The problem was that I was up in the air. His single strike had sent my body flying far away.
How powerful must he have hit to break through the ceiling? I knew Hector had incredible strength.
Yet experiencing it directly was entirely different from seeing it in the ga. Aside from my encounter with Porori, I'd rarely felt such an impact.
Whoosh
Floating in the sky like a star, I began to fall back down to Earth under gravity's pull.
I looked down as soon as I felt my body plumt. I must have been hit far for I could see the forest below.
I don't even know how to fall properly!'
So I've gained one valuable insight. I did my best to balance in the air and landed as softly as I could.
Having been in the air for so long, it wasn't hard to balance myself. After this duel, I'll need to learn how to fall.
Thud!
As soon as I landed, Hector made a grand entrance right before .
The ground vibrated slightly with his landing. He must be heavy, just like his appearance suggests.
He then loosened his body and stretched out his right hand towards , saying, "Let's just call that a price for beating up my daughter. I am a father after all."
Click!
As his words ended, the weapon was now in Hector's hand, Ragnarok, a mix of an axe and a hamr.
Retrieval ability isn't exclusive to Ragnarok. It's possible with any weapon, given the right enchantnts.
However, the cost isn't negligible, and there are few capable of performing such enchantnts. It's viable because of the artisans in the Tatars.
"You must have heard, red-eyed beings have frenzy traits. When frenzy is triggered, they temporarily gain great power but destroy everything around them indiscriminately."
""
Hector was right. In the Soul World, most monsters and beasts with frenzy traits are loners.
They travel alone for one reason: frenzy makes them kill everything, friend or foe.
There's a hypothesis that frenzy is a kind of disease, but nothing has been confird.
"Let's see if you're the sa. First, I need to see what you can do with your clear mind."
Hector walked towards slowly, while I stood ready, vigilant.
He was one step below the level of Rod, who belongs to the top tier, which ans he's seriously strong.
In the Soul World, you need to et certain conditions to fight him, but this happened right from the start, which is disconcerting.
But at least I know his fighting style'
Hector's combat style is similar yet different from Kara's. If Kara is technical and agile, Hector is heavy and strong.
All his physical stats are likely higher than mine. Perhaps the only thing I could compete in is stamina.
To start with, I know his strength alone is over 150. It would be unwise to get into a test of strength with him.
Tadadat!
As I was considering Hector's abilities, he suddenly rushed towards at great speed, arms wide open.
Though it looked sluggish, it was bizarrely quick. I moved my legs hastily.
Whoosh!
As I dodged to the side, he lunged forward, sweeping his arms like he was going to devour sothing. Ragnarok was strapped on his back.
I imdiately punched into the unprotected side of Hector. A body blow I learned from Kara.
Bang!
It felt like hitting a rock. Unlike when sparring with Kara, I didnt hold back at all.
Adjusting power or not, Hector is several tis stronger than I currently am. Thats an objective fact.
"Well done!"
Hector roared heartily, as if my punch had no effect. Then he swung a fist as large as my head towards my face.
The speed was like lightning, proving his far superior stats. By turning my head, I just barely dodged it.
It was so fast that avoiding it was my only option.
Hook! Hook! Hook! Whoosh! Hook!
The problem was the flurry of punches that followed. In less than a second, his fist swung more than five tis.
These weren't casual swings; each was powered by his waist and shoulders. Every blow felt heavy and potent.
Thump!
I managed to dodge every punch with my eyes, but I had to use my arm to block the last one.
"Ugh"
It stung even through my arm. Surely he didn't use lightning.
But there was no ti to think. I counter-attacked imdiately, aiming for his jaw.
Thud!
He seed to take the hit purposely. His head snapped back. I didn't see this as an opportunity.
For so unknown reason, I felt it was dangerous to press the attack. My instincts were telling this.
In the wild, trusting these instincts ant at least not being endangered, so I decided to trust them.
I quickly stepped back, and Hector's hand narrowly missed my nose.
"Hmm. Not falling for it, huh?"
True to my instincts, it was a trap. Hector said, looking perfectly fine, with a grin just like Kara's.
How dangerous could it have been that even my beastly instincts were warning ? I would have surely taken a hard hit.
There's one thing you should never let Hector do in Soul World: his grab'.
Not a technical grab, a plain one. Like the one I did on Kara.
Think about it. If you get bear-hugged by that size, your bones wouldn't just break, they'd be reduced to dust.
"You're not telling this is the extent of your abilities?"
True to his Tatars lineage, he provokes well. I didn't reply, just charged at him.
All I could do now was throw punches based on martial arts. Without a weapon, there wasn't much choice.
If so, why not give so ti to prepare? But I still had sothing left.
It wasn't for re distraction; it was for when the real battle began.
"Stop with the pointless thoughts!"
Whoop!
Hector easily grabbed my swiftly thrust hand and shouted. It seed like a quick strike to , but he caught it too easily.
Trying to pull away was futile. Unless I tapped into magic, there was no increasing my strength beyond his.
Whoosh!
He then spun around and threw with centrifugal force.
I couldn't even balance in the air, let alone react imdiately that I was being thrown.
Crash!
Soon, my body collided with a tree, snapping the once sturdy tree in half.
Thrown with such force that it shattered upon impact, it testified to Hector's imnse strength and my body's resilience.
"Stop with the boring probing. I want to see your true form."
Hector urged on as he approached. I spat out the sawdust that had entered my mouth and glared at him.
He was right; any probing was aningless. Any technique would just be easily countered.
I had no choice but to resort to the type of fighting I was most confident in.
Crack!
So I grabbed a half-broken tree lying on the ground with both hands.
Crunch!!
And I swung it towards Hector. The sound of the breaking tree resonated, and I felt a satisfying sensation in my hands.
Sawdust scattered in all directions from the tree, but I concentrated on what was before .
It must have been an effective hit as Hector was staggering.
I rushed forward imdiately, swinging my fist.
Whoosh!
But my punch missed. Hector managed to duck just as he seed to stumble.
I looked down hastily and saw him smiling.
Danger!'
Crack!
It was when my primal instincts were sounding the alarm.
Hector had struck my side with the axe that appeared out of nowhere.
I hadn't felt such pain since my battle with Porori. Not even my sturdy body mattered.
His strength was enough to pierce through , with Ragnarok's aid.
Slash!
Then Hector yanked Ragnarok from my abdon. I winced and stepped back.
Looking down, I saw my clothes drenched red with my blood. It was an outfit I quite liked.
"Now your clothes match your eyes."
Hector snorted, axe on his shoulder, mocking . I frowned and glared back at him.
The wound healed quickly due to regeneration', but that didn't ease my irritation.
If that blow had been to my neck, I would have been in real danger. The abdon wasn't much different.
Had it been a normal person, they could've been split in two such was the force of that blow.
"You."
"Hm?"
"Real. Fight."
I decided to put aside the petty boxing for a mont. I told Hector this and started channeling the magic within .
The thod of using magic is simple. Like tensing muscles, I just had to focus the power internally.
It may sound like nonsense, but there's no other way to explain it.
"Now it's getting a little"
Before he finished speaking, I made my move. Energized in every muscle, I closed the distance in an instant.
Within a ti-slowing situation, Hector's eyes widened as he faced head-on.
Thump!!
My fist hit his face squarely. The sturdy giant flew back a great distance.
Using magic greatly boosts overall stats. Roughly, adding two stats together should do the trick.
But my output is overwhelmingly strong with crimson magic.
Crunch!!
Hector's bulky figure crashed into the lush trees. Given his size, the trees tumbled down like matchsticks.
Of course, it wouldn't end there. If it's Hector, even that wouldn't leave much of a scratch.
I gathered a bit of magic in my hands and waited. It began to take a red form.
"That's more like it. You should've done this sooner."
And, as expected, Hector stood up, brushing off the trees as if it were nothing. Let say it again: he brushed off trees.
He dusted off the sawdust and debris from his body and looked at . There was a glint in his green eyes.
"I thought you were a re animal"
""
"Is that your real weapon?"
Hector asked with an inquiry in his voice. Clearly because of the shape of the magic in my hands.
Wrapped in crimson magic, my hands were shaped like the claws' of a beast.
Living in the forest and experiencing various hunts, I even made my own weapons.
However, those weapons would break at any opportunity. Therefore, I often fought with my bare hands.
To prepare for such situations, I made claws for myself. By any ans necessary to kill the prey.
"By the way, this red-tinged mana I feel like I've seen it sowhere before"
I ignored whatever Hector was muttering and swung my arm from bottom to top.
Whoosh!
As I swung my arm, five strands of mana flew towards Hector.
Not only were they fast, but each one was sharp enough to cleave a rock.
"Gasp!"
Crackle!
When Hector sensed the mana-charged attack coming, he swung his Ragnarok with great force.
Along with a gust of wind, the blue lightning contained within his weapon spread out like a curtain.
Bang!
My attack was neatly blocked by the curtain of lightning. But it was intended only as a feint, so I wasn't particularly disappointed.
Instead, it was noteworthy that Hector had begun to use mana. After all, mana was essential for using lightning.
Once the curtain of lightning cleared, I rushed in like a maddened bull. Hector responded to my charge with a smirk.
Whoom!
As soon as we got close, Hector aid his axe towards my shoulder and chopped down.
Normally, one would evade but not this ti.
Crash!
I didn't dodge. The axe blade plunged deep into my left shoulder, lightning seeping into it.
Hectors eyes went wide, clearly not expecting this. It's exactly what I was aiming for.
Grip!
Before he could pull back his axe, I firmly grabbed the handle, making it difficult to retrieve.
Considering Hector's strength, this might seem aningless. But all I needed was a mont.
Thwack!
In that brief instant of pause, I punched him squarely in the face, sending him flying backward.
Naturally, the axe lodged in my shoulder fell out too. It sliced as it fell, but I didnt mind.
Rumble!
As Hector flew backwards, several trees listlessly toppled over. At this rate, I couldn't help but wonder if the entire forest would be cleared.
I quickly regenerated the shoulder that had been gouged by the axe blade and leaped high into the air.
Then, I dove down towards Hector, who lay sprawled on the ground.
Crash!
Regrettably, my hand hit nothing but the empty ground as he had rolled aside in ti.
But my attack was not over. With my iron-like stamina, I rushed back into the fray.
Whoosh!
Another swing of my mana claws. This ti, five gashes were etched across Hector's chest.
Just as I ignored defense, I made his defenses seem pointless.
I evaded lethal strikes, but minor ones I took while counterattacking.
This was how I survived in the forest and why I could push my regeneration to its limits.
Snap!
Once again, an axe blade was buried in my left side. This ti, however, Hector used his arm and waist to spin, causing my body, skewered by the axe, to rotate with it.
Woosh!
Just like that, Hector slamd down to the ground. Before any follow-up attack could arrive, I hastily rolled to the side.
Crash!
Sure enough, Hector stomped strongly on the ground with his foot. Had I been caught under that, my head would surely have burst.
After picking myself up, I took several steps back. Lightning was still flickering around Hector's axe.
Zzz-zzz-zzz!
Blood poured from my side, soaking my shirt ever redder. Now, there were more red patches than white.
Despite being struck in the side twice, I paid it no mind.
Mana was abundant, my stamina unyielding, and pain all too familiar.
I quickly regenerated the wound and charged head-on again.
"Hmm!"
Hector brought his axe down from above with both hands, blue lightning coursing through it.
I faced the attack head-on, not dodging. But that didn't an I would take it.
Crash!
Before Hector could bring it down, I seized the axe handle. Regardless of everything else, this damned axe was the problem.
While soone fights barehanded, another fights with such a weapon. It's truly despicable.
Crack! Pop!
As soon as I grabbed the axe, a powerful lightning surge perated my body. It was incomparable to Kara's and on par with Porori's lightning. It seems he truly is blessed by Gulak, the god of destruction.
"Argh"
"Gruh"
I stubbornly resisted, forcibly counteracting the involuntary muscle contractions. Hector, too, clenched his teeth, pushing back.
Both of us had similar strength when using mana. But given the circumstance, Hector had the advantage.
In other words, the axe was slowly descending towards my head. If this continued, my head would be split in two.
Finally, as the axe blade ca close to my eyes, I twisted with all my might, allowing it to strike my shoulder.
Thud!
Imdiately following, a punch. However, it was beautifully blocked.
Hector seed to have learned from last ti, and he intercepted my fist with his hand.
With my other hand still holding the axe handle, making it hard for him to retrieve it, he had no hand free to counter.
Snap!
Hector's head hit mine with trendous force. Anticipating that he would use a headbutt, I responded in kind.
Our solid heads collided, leaving a dizzy sensation.
"Hmm"
Hector seed more shaken than I was, staggering backward.
Fortunately, my forehead seed tougher than his.
Regardless
Whoosh!
Who wouldn't? Before he could gather his senses, I swung my mana claws again.
Just like before, deep cuts from the claws marked his chest.
His body accumulated wounds, while I healed mine through regeneration.
Snap!
Yet again, the axe blade dug into my abdon. Simultaneously, my body buzzed and I felt myself flying far away.
Indeed. I was actually soaring through the air.
Crash!
Much like Hector had done earlier, trees fell like dominoes and crumbled without resistance.
I got up imdiately, not even feeling the intense pain. Then I noticed sothing odd the pain in my side was persistent.
Turning to look, I saw Ragnarok still embedded in my abdon. It seed he had thrown it along with .
"Now I roughly get it. That ridiculous regenerative power. It's because of that you can engage in this madness."
At that mont, Hector spoke seriously from ahead. I neither thought about removing the axe nor looked anywhere but forward.
An unsettling aura was palpable. My animal instincts were sending continuous signals of danger.
Crack! Fizz! Sizzle!
The dust settled, and I could see Hector.
Unlike Kara, who wrapped lightning around only her arms, Hector's entire body was shrouded with it.
Even his eyes blazed with blue lightning, like the glare of a God of Thunder' descending.
"If so"
This had to be the true power of Hector, the king of destruction.
With lightning wrapping his body, shattering everything in his wake, he was second only to Rod in his closeness to the heavens.
"I'll make your regeneration aningless."
Hector slowly raised his arms. Upon seeing this, I hastily pulled out the axe from my abdon and rushed forward.
It was clear when he revealed his full strengthI knew for certain. My animal instincts scread it.
I couldn't win.
Boom!
Just as my mana claws were about to penetrate his body, Hector brought down the arms he had raised.
Kaboom!!
Waves of lightning spread in every direction, devastating the forest all around.
*****
-Kaboom!!
"Huh?"
Elsewhere, leaving Ellie's side and wandering through the forest was the squirrel spirit, Ratatoskr.
He looked puzzled when he heard the sound of thunder in a clear sky and turned his head.
His cheeks were plump and he was constantly chewing. Even the acorn in his hand wasn't spared.
While Ellie was in class, he was munching on acorns in the woods. After all, there was no one to bother him.
"Is soone praying to the sky?"
Initially, Ratatoskr tried to dismiss the sound and carry on.
""
But the aura he felt following the lightning made him perk up his ears decisively.
Eventually, Ratatoskr spun his head in the direction from which the lightning had co.
A bewildered expression filled his face as if questioning what was happening.
" Damn it. Seriously."
Dropping the acorn he was holding, Ratatoskr began to run off sowhere.
"What kind of maniac is so hell-bent on dying?"
Muttering words of incomprehension.
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