Ice magic was Wood's strongest magical system, and the Frost Knight itself had attributes and effects that enhanced ice-based powers.
As a result, the "Yuki-onna" technique from the Hyakki Yakou Style had always been Wood's most powerful sword technique.
The moment the blade was drawn, the temperature in the air plummeted dramatically. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and soon, heavy snow began to fall.
Magic capable of altering the weather required at least a "King-Class" level of power. However, the sudden drop in temperature and the heavy snowfall weren't the result of any spell Wood had cast.
To be more precise, the weather change, comparable to a "King-Class" spell, was merely a side effect of the immense power of Wood's sword technique. The sheer amount of magical energy radiating from it had influenced the surrounding environment and even the weather itself.
The boost in magical power from the "Blessing of the Moon," combined with the Frost Knight's enhancement of ice-based abilities, and the additional power from the "Blessing of the Sword Saint," which Wood hadn't used until now, elevated the "Yuki-onna" technique to an unprecedented level of strength.
As the blade flashed through the air, a massive, nearly kilometer-long slash erupted from the Frost Knight's edge. The slash expanded like a rolling snowball as it traveled, growing larger and more powerful.
The blue-white crescent-shaped slash flew at an incredible speed, effortlessly cutting through everything in its path.
Mountains, lakes, and forests—all were split in two as if they were mere toys, before being instantly frozen by the extreme cold.
Despite it being the height of summer, the area within a hundred-mile radius was plunged into a harsh winter. The terrifyingly low temperatures continued to drop every second, as if intent on freezing all life in its tracks.
Faced with such an absurdly powerful slash, Orsted could no longer maintain his earlier composure.
Though it was the same magical slash and the same user, the intensity of this attack was clearly on a completely different level from the previous ones.
As mentioned earlier, dragons possessed numerous secret techniques, many of which had even inspired human magic and forbidden spells.
Against such a devastatingly powerful and wide-ranging attack, the best course of action would have been to use a technique like "Teleportation" or "Spatial Shift" to evade it.
But who was Orsted? He was the Dragon God! As one of the world's most powerful beings, he had his own pride to uphold.
He had boasted about recruiting Wood as his right-hand man. If he were to dodge this attack now, wouldn't that be the same as running away?
He was the one trying to recruit Wood. If he showed even a hint of fear in the face of his target's attack, how could he possibly claim to be worthy of being their leader?
With this thought in mind, Orsted steeled himself, abandoning the dragon secret technique he had prepared for escape and instead choosing to unleash his full magical power.
Under normal circumstances, Orsted imposed multiple restrictions and seals on his own magical power and strength. These limitations weren't placed on him by others—they were self-imposed.
The reason was simple: the Dragon God's power was too immense. In fact, there were very few beings in the world who could even push Orsted to use his full strength.
Though it was due to the Human God's schemes, the first Dragon God had been a force capable of destroying the Sea World, the Sky World, the Beast World, and the Demon World.
While Orsted wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as the first Dragon God, he still possessed the ability to destroy worlds. The restrictions he placed on himself were meant to protect the Human World.
Now, with those restrictions lifted and the seals broken, Orsted's magical power surged forth like a flood bursting through a dam!
A towering pillar of multicolored magical energy shot into the sky, expanding outward from Orsted's position.
The highly concentrated magical energy acted like a steamroller, effortlessly crushing everything within its range into dust.
The multicolored pillar of energy continued to grow thicker, and at its peak, the dense magical aura coalesced into the form of a massive, rainbow-colored Western dragon.
"ROAR——————!"
After letting out a deafening roar that shook the heavens, the dragon unleashed a colossal, multicolored breath attack from its gaping maw.
The moment the dragon's breath collided with the Yuki-onna slash, the surrounding space cracked like glass, with fissures spreading rapidly across an area spanning dozens of kilometers.
At the epicenter of the collision, a spatial black hole formed, voraciously devouring and annihilating everything in its vicinity.
The shockwaves from the clash were even more devastating, affecting an area hundreds of miles in radius. Majestic mountains, vast forests, and enormous lakes were all flattened in an instant.
Though Wood and Orsted were battling in the remote region between the western port of the Milis Continent and the eastern port of the Central Continent—an area with little human presence—it was home to many powerful magical beasts.
Now, due to the intensity of the battle, these beasts sensed the danger and began to migrate en masse.
In fact, the battle between Wood and Orsted was so intense that it caused seismic activity in both the Milis Continent and the Central Continent. Earthquakes of varying magnitudes were felt in the nearby Milis Holy Kingdom and the Dragon King Kingdom.
Mass migrations of magical beasts and earthquakes didn't happen without reason. While the Milis Holy Kingdom was currently dealing with internal strife within the church and a beast tide crisis, the Dragon King Kingdom had already formed an investigation team to look into the cause of these anomalies.
Unaware of the chaos they were causing, Wood and Orsted were fully immersed in their battle, with no attention to spare for the outside world.
When fighting a powerful opponent, even the slightest distraction could lead to disaster. And now, both Wood and Orsted regarded each other as true rivals.
With his restrictions lifted and his magical seals broken, Orsted's power reached new heights, and his physical abilities also improved dramatically.
After the clash between the Yuki-onna slash and the dragon's breath, the area within a hundred-mile radius was divided into two distinct zones: one side was transformed into a frozen wasteland, while the other became a scorched desert.
The once-majestic mountain range was now a flat, charred wasteland, while the nearby coastline and sea were completely frozen into an icy plain.
Despite the immense destruction caused by the clash, the battle between Wood and Orsted was far from over.
As the energy from the collision dissipated, the two combatants entered a new phase of close-quarters combat.
With their dragon wings spread, both Wood and Orsted moved at speeds surpassing the third cosmic velocity, clashing in mid-air. Each collision between the Frost Knight and the Demon Blade caused massive destruction to the surrounding environment.
To any onlookers, it would have appeared as if two streaks of light—one blue and one white—were darting across the sky at incredible speeds, colliding at altitudes ranging from thousands of meters above the ground to just above the sea or land.
Each collision produced powerful shockwaves that scattered clouds, churned the ocean, and leveled the landscape.
This wasn't an illusion—it was reality. The two streaks of light weren't some mysterious phenomenon but two warriors moving at speeds beyond the comprehension of the human eye, both fully immersed in the heat of battle.
"You continue to surprise me. While the increase in your magical power over the past two years is impressive, what truly astonishes me is your swordsmanship.
In terms of skill, you haven't yet reached the 'God-Class' level, but your sword gives off a sense of danger that even the current Sword God of the Seven Great Powers can't match.
And from what I know, the strength you're showing now isn't your full power, is it?
Two years ago, you used a life-consuming secret technique that allowed you to burn your life force for immense power.
Back then, even though you couldn't pose a threat to me, that power still made me feel danger. If you were to use it now..."
Even after two years, Orsted's memory of their previous battle remained vivid.
After all, even in his weakened state at the time, there were very few humans who could fight him on equal terms. And someone as young as Wood, with such a resolute will to die, was even rarer.
"I'm not someone who clings to life—at least not in this world. If it comes down to it, I won't hesitate to use that power again.
But it seems even now, Dragon God, you haven't shown your full strength, have you?
As the Dragon God, your human form is just a facade. Your true form is that of a dragon, isn't it? If partial transformation can enhance your physical and magical abilities to this extent, then reverting to your true form would make you even stronger, wouldn't it?"
It wasn't hard to guess that Orsted was holding back. Dragons were known for their immense physical prowess, and as the Dragon God, Orsted was no exception.
As a dragon, his true combat form was undoubtedly his dragon form, not the humanoid shape he currently maintained.
In fact, Wood and Orsted's current forms were quite similar—both were in a half-human, half-dragon state.
The difference was that Wood, originally human, was being drawn closer to a draconic form by his powers, while Orsted, a dragon by nature, had taken on a human form to limit his power and facilitate communication.
An entire night passed, and despite the intensity of their battle, neither Wood nor Orsted showed any signs of fatigue. Their magical power and physical stamina seemed inexhaustible, as if they were two monsters locked in an endless struggle.
"No matter how much you resemble a dragon, you're still human. Even with your incredible talent and overwhelming strength, you have your limits.
How much longer can you maintain this level of combat intensity? And look—the sun is about to rise. Your so-called 'Blessing' will soon lose its effect, won't it?"
There was no denying that Orsted, the Dragon God, was one of the most formidable opponents Wood had ever faced across multiple worlds.
Even the Witch of Envy from the "Re:Zero" world was only troublesome due to her immortality. But as a living being, Orsted had no apparent weaknesses.
Wood had used the full power of his Imperial Arms, his secret techniques, his Blessings, and even his Haki, yet he could only maintain a stalemate with a Dragon God who wasn't even fighting at full strength.
And now, as the sun rose, that stalemate was about to shift in Orsted's favor. The side effects and time limits of Wood's Imperial Arms techniques would soon tip the scales, potentially turning the battle into a one-sided affair.
Aside from the life-consuming "Heart of God," Wood had no other cards left to play.
Two years had passed. He had traveled through multiple worlds and grown significantly stronger, yet he still couldn't defeat Orsted.
Though he wasn't being completely overwhelmed like last time, the gap between them still existed, and it frustrated Wood to no end.
After a moment of hesitation, the runes on Wood's chest began to glow with a piercing silver light, visible even through his clothes.
Seeing this, Orsted's expression grew serious. His magical power surged once more, and his humanoid form began to shift and expand, bathed in a brilliant white light.
It was clear that Orsted was preparing to get serious. Facing Wood, who was now burning his life force, even the Dragon God couldn't afford to hold back. In this state, even he could die.
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