"Even now... he's still growing stronger."
Staring at the nasty purple bruise on her shoulder, Alise didn't wince.
Instead, her smile never faded... if anything, she looked even more elated.
'Both pretty and tough on the outside, huh?'
Looking at how his opponent had easily brushed off that damage, Judas couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly.
'The reason why I am not using any of my abilities as a mage is because I wanted to use this opportunity to hone my close-combat ability.'
'But I'm afraid I won't be able to win if I don't use my magic... not when time is not on my side.'
He looked at his trembling hand, and he knew his powered-up state wouldn't last any longer.
'My body is aching all over... all that strengthening magic is taking too much of a toll on me... even the healing ability of [Blessing of the World Tree] is barely keeping up.'
He counted the time he had remaining.
'At least 20 seconds before my body collapses.'
Which is why he made the decision.
'In the end... I am a mage.'
Alise sensed the movement of a vast amount of magic power and was alarmed.
"Not on my watch!"
She rushed towards Judas.
But it was too late.
『Rising Whirlwind』
Wind howled as an immense force erupted from the training grounds, a spiraling vortex of air shooting skyward.
The tornado swelled, reaching dozens of stories high in an instant, its sheer intensity warping the surroundings.
A thunderous roar filled the air.
"Did... did a god descend or something?"
A young adventurer stood frozen, staring at the colossal twister.
The sharp wind brushed against his skin, and his instincts screamed at him to flee.
"Everyone, get back!"
"That's coming from the Stardust Garden! What the hell is happening over there?!"
Curiosity burned in the hearts of many, but none dared approach.
The sight of the raging storm kept them rooted in place, fear outweighing their fascination.
Meanwhile, at the Twilight Manor, Loki watched the spectacle unfold from her window... a giant tornado that seemed to reach the skies.
"There he goes, causing trouble again."
She said with amusement in her voice as a smirk tugged at her lips.
"Lyra."
Kaguya spoke, and Lyra immediately understood.
Without hesitation, Lyra pulled a small totem from her pocket, its surface engraved with the Astraea Familia's emblem.
"Activate!"
The magic item pulsed with light, summoning a magic circle beneath their feet.
In an instant, a protective barrier materialized, shielding the spectators from the chaos unfolding before them.
The Astraea Familia members held their breaths as they watched the spiraling twister rage in their own backyard.
Awe and fear intermingled in their expressions... after all, their captain was still inside that monstrosity.
"Hey... this is getting a little too extreme for just a mere spar, isn't it?"
One of them voiced their concern, eyes turning toward Kaguya, Lyra, and Ryuu.
But their worries settled when they saw the two executives standing firm, unbothered.
A silent assurance.
The trust that they had in their leaders outweighed their doubts, and so they continued to watch.
"I was wondering when you were going to start using your magic."
Alise's voice was strained, her teeth gritted against the pain.
Wounds riddled her body, and she winced as the razor-sharp winds lashed at her skin, thin cuts appearing across her arms and legs.
Even chunks of her armor had been sliced clean off.
Her fingers dug into the hard ground, anchoring her against the storm's pull.
"She's taking it head-on... what the hell..."
Outside the tornado's radius, Judas watched the scene unfold, unable to hide his admiration.
"Hey..."
Despite everything, Alise grinned.
"Did you really think this was enough to stop me?"
Groggy but unyielding, she rose to her feet and took a step forward.
Then another.
With every movement, fresh wounds opened on her body, but she remained unfazed.
As if the tornado wasn't slowly shredding her apart.
"It's started."
Lyra muttered, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.
"That cheat-like skill of hers."
Kaguya added, eyes locked on the battlefield.
"The one that's saved us from countless impossible situations."
"Um... cheat-like skill?"
A clueless member couldn't help but ask.
Lyra turned to her and immediately recognized the girl.
"Ah, you must be one of the new recruits."
She smirked.
"Cecil Blackliza, right? The blacksmith. Honestly, I was surprised when I heard you joined us instead of one of the smithing familias in Orario."
Cecil's expression remained unreadable.
"I had my reasons."
Cecil replied briefly.
Lyra knew that she was not a very talkative person and got straight to the point.
"[Lubrude Bequia]... that's the name of her broken skill."
Lyra said, her gaze shifting back to the battle.
Alise braved through the raging winds, each step forward growing faster, more assured.
"One of the effects is that it boosts her Strength stat by a massive amount when she's in combat."
That was the skill that Alise had used earlier in the match... the inexplicable sudden increase in strength behind her attacks that had caught Judas off guard.
It was a decent skill if that was all it could do.
However, if it was just that...
Lyra, Kaguya, and Ryuu wouldn't have called it a cheat-level skill.
Cecil also realized the implications behind Lyra's words.
"One of the effects? You mean there's more?"
She asked with a puzzled expression.
"You caught on quick... if the skill could only increase her strength alone, our captain wouldn't have been called one of the strongest level 5s in the history of Orario."
Lyra said with a smirk.
"The skill itself has multiple effects that activate under different conditions."
"When she faces adversity, it raises her endurance and dexterity."
"And when fighting a powerful opponent, her agility and magic increase dramatically."
She paused as Alise's pace quickened... she was growing stronger at a visible rate.
Lyra crossed her arms, her eyes never leaving Alise's figure as she trekked through the sharp winds that were trying to cut her down.
"When all three conditions are met, her strength, agility, and magic gain an additional rise, stacking on top of the already boosted stats, scaling with the battle's duration."
"In other words, it's like having multiple skills in one... which is why it's such a cheat."
Lyra's lips curled into a small smile.
The author of Danmachi once commented that it was simply so powerful it was at the level of "making Bell cry."
"What you're witnessing right now is her skill at full activation. Which means..."
She trailed off, letting the implication settle.
Cecil and the other rookies leaned forward and strained their ears, listening in anticipation for Lyra's next set of words.
"As a level 5, when our captain unleashes her full strength, she is closer to a level 6 than you'd think."
"Oh! I almost forgot to mention... there's another skill called [Batleate Asyrath]. It enhances Alise's abilities in close combat and amplifies the power of her magic."
"Two powerful skills working in synergy created a monster like Alise, who was already on par with first-class adventurers back when she was only a level 4."
Silence followed.
Cecil and the other new recruits were left speechless.
They inhaled sharply, their mouths hanging open as their faces warped in sheer amazement.
"Then... Mister Judas simply stands no chance, right?"
The older members chuckled softly at their reactions.
They were the same when they themselves first learned of their captain's true strength.
But they were also experienced enough to know a piece of information the rookies failed to realize.
Alise, in this fight, had acknowledged Judas as a true opponent.
To be able to push Alise this far meant Judas, a level 2, could hold his own against their powerful captain by himself.
Such a massive level leap in combat strength was probably unheard of in the entire history of the Lower Realm.
Most of the spectators realized they were witnessing history in the making.
Not just the Astraea Familia, but also Freya, Ottar and Alfia, who were watching in the distance.
(A/N: Yeah... Alise was ridiculously strong. Reading her wiki page, I was shocked at how she even managed to lose to the Juggernaut.)
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