Chapter 79

Taat.

With a light tap on the ground, Ariel disappeared from her spot.

“?”

Belmont blinked in confusion.

Did she just vanish? What on earth…

“Hut!”

At that moment, he felt a gaze from behind. Belmont instinctively spun around and swung his sword.

His reflexes, honed in countless battlefields, shone brightly.

Swish!

Belmont’s Spin Breaker sliced through the air with a sharp sound.

A strike unleashed in the blink of an eye.

“……?”

But his sword hit nothing. He definitely felt a presence behind him, yet the Spin Breaker only swept through empty air.

“Dance.”

A soft voice echoed in Belmont’s ears.

In an instant, Ariel’s figure was spotted.

To the left.

“Haap!”

Belmont swung his sword with a shout.

His initial thought of subduing Ariel without harming her had already vanished from his mind.

Belmont’s rich combat experience and instincts honed on the battlefield were warning him of danger.

His rugged muscles exploded with force as a lightning-fast strike was unleashed.

Whoosh!

“……!”

But once again, Belmont’s Spin Breaker only grazed Ariel’s afterimage.

Belmont didn’t even have time to be surprised.

Ariel’s soft voice sounded from beside him once more.

“Swallow.”

Belmont lost his rationality and began swinging his sword wildly.

“Ah, die!”

Now, there was no technique or strategy. He swung his sword purely on instinct.

Yet, each attack carried rotation and power.

Belmont’s Spin Breaker whipped around like a whirlwind, and fierce strikes flashed like lightning.

But not a single thread of Ariel’s clothing was touched.

Belmont’s attacks only chased after Ariel’s afterimage, never reaching her true form.

Belmont, who had been swinging his sword like a madman, soon exhausted himself and collapsed, gasping for breath.

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

Sweat poured down like rain.

Belmont’s eyes showed disbelief, and his trembling hands barely held onto the Spin Breaker.

He no longer had the strength to even move a finger.

Taat.

Ariel landed in front of Belmont.

As light and graceful as a feather.

“You… what are you… how…”

Belmont asked weakly. His voice was filled with deep helplessness.

“How… how did you dodge all my attacks…?”

Ariel looked at Belmont with an expressionless face. Belmont’s large frame meant that even sitting down, his eye level matched Ariel’s.

Ariel opened her mouth slightly.

“Swallow.”

“What? What nonsense are you…”

“Roar.”

“What the, you crazy kid…”

Then Ariel raised Ragnarok high with both hands.

And muttered softly like a spell.

“Burn, Ragnarok.”

At that moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

A sinister red light began to emanate from Ragnarok.

As if heralding the end of the world, a fierce crimson glow that seemed to burn everything around it.

Belmont was so shocked he couldn’t even breathe properly, and the mercenaries standing nearby retreated with frightened faces.

“What’s that…”

“Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“We should… probably run…”

The red glow from Ragnarok dyed the surroundings in a blood-red hue.

Even the mercenaries watching from afar were terrified, let alone Belmont, who was facing Ariel head-on.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Belmont was in a state of extreme fear. Sweat poured down his forehead, and even his pants were soaked.

“Sa, save me…”

Belmont trembled and pleaded, but Ariel only looked at him with cold eyes.

Soon, Ariel swung Ragnarok down.

“Guh!”

Belmont, sensing death, tightly closed his eyes and raised his Spin Breaker.

*

Belmont’s spinning attacks were famous for their speed and power, but Ariel dodged them all effortlessly.

No, it wasn’t just effortless.

Ariel’s movements were so fast they couldn’t be caught by the eye.

As if transcending the laws of this world, Ariel moved her body freely.

Belmont’s attacks didn’t touch Ariel at all. Where Belmont swung his sword, Ariel no longer existed.

“Ah, die!”

Belmont, having lost his rationality, recklessly increased the speed of his spinning slashes, but the more he did, the more Ariel’s movements reached an astonishing level.

Gravity had no hold on Ariel, and air resistance was meaningless.

The mercenaries watching were stunned, their mouths agape.

Ariel’s movements couldn’t be explained by any pattern.

It was as if Ariel was dancing alone in her own dimension.

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

Eventually, Belmont collapsed from exhaustion, and Ariel appeared before him.

Unlike the gasping Belmont, Ariel was perfectly calm.

Her breath steady, her face still expressionless.

Ariel raised the rusty sword, Ragnarok, high.

And muttered something like a spell, though the mercenaries didn’t take it seriously.

They just thought the young elf’s movements were mysteriously fast.

But the moment the red light burst from Ragnarok, their thoughts changed.

It was no ordinary light.

The red light carried an eerie aura, reminiscent of hellfire, as if it would truly herald the end of the world.

The mercenaries stepped back, sensing Belmont’s impending death.

Belmont’s playful remark about “messing with someone you shouldn’t” had become reality.

Soon, Ariel swung Ragnarok down, and the mercenaries, standing far away, instinctively cowered.

Thud, a dull sound echoed.

Ariel’s Ragnarok had clashed with Belmont’s Spin Breaker.

“……”

A brief silence followed, and Belmont opened his tightly closed eyes.

*

“What…?”

The moment Ariel swung Ragnarok, Belmont reflexively raised his Spin Breaker.

Of course, he thought it was a futile resistance.

There was no way the Spin Breaker could block Ragnarok.

But the result was unexpected.

The Spin Breaker was intact.

On the other hand, Ragnarok’s blade was broken and lay on the ground.

“Ah.”

Ariel sighed softly, crouched down, and examined the broken blade of Ragnarok.

The red light that had emanated from Ragnarok had already disappeared.

“Ah…”

Ariel trembled slightly, unsure of what to do.

Everyone was speechless at the absurd situation.

Belmont broke the silence after a while.

“You scared me!”

Belmont, forgetting that his pants were soaked, stood up energetically.

“Wow, really, you almost got me! I thought I was going to die! Hey, kid. Where did you get that toy? Do you really want to get beaten up properly?”

Belmont tapped Ariel’s head with his Spin Breaker.

Ariel, indifferent, just continued to touch Ragnarok with a forlorn expression.

“Alright, let’s end the duel here. You’re going to be my slave from now on, got it? You should be grateful I’m letting you off this easy. I was planning to beat you up good!”

Belmont took out shackles from his pocket and tossed them in front of Ariel.

He hadn’t planned to shackle her, but seeing how fast she moved, he thought she might try to escape.

Of course, it was against the Empire’s laws, so it wouldn’t be good for Ariel.

“Put those shackles on yourself. Anyway, you signed the contract. From now on, depending on how you behave…”

Thud.

At that moment, Ariel reached out and grabbed Belmont’s Spin Breaker.

“Wh, what are you…”

Belmont tried to pull his sword back with force.

But the Spin Breaker didn’t budge.

“You damn brat…”

Belmont strained with all his might, but the Spin Breaker still didn’t move.

Then, a sinister creaking sound was heard, and the Spin Breaker crumbled into dust.

“Ah, ah…?”

A dumbfounded groan escaped Belmont’s mouth.

Ariel slowly stood up.

Ariel’s blood-red eyes stared straight at Belmont.

Crack.

Belmont felt an invisible force tightening around his neck.

Ariel had cast Telekinesis Magic.

“Guh, uh, guh!”

Belmont struggled, but he couldn’t shake off the invisible force.

Belmont’s face twisted in pain, turning red as if it would burst.

“I, I give up! I, give up! Guh…!”

Belmont’s consciousness slowly faded.

Ariel’s calm voice echoed in his ears.

“Then I win.”

“Ye, yes! Guh, just let go…!”

“You’ll be my subordinate.”

“Ah, alright, please…!”

Ariel waved her hand lightly, and the invisible force gripping Belmont’s neck loosened.

“Cough, cough!”

Belmont coughed roughly and collapsed to the ground.

The invisible force around his neck was gone, but the terror was vividly imprinted in Belmont’s mind.

“Huff, huff…”

Belmont barely caught his breath. His heart raced, and cold sweat poured down his body.

“Get up.”

Ariel looked down at Belmont and spoke.

“We need to fix this.”

Ariel held the broken Ragnarok in her arms.