Tsuna sat quietly to the side, watching the battle unfold before him.
Gareth and Bete faced each other, the rings on their hands burning with fire.
Scarlet flames flared beneath Bete's feet, propelling him forward in an instant. His already extraordinary speed grew even more astonishing under the blessing of the Dying Will Flame.
A blur flashed behind Gareth in an instant.
Claws wreathed in crimson fire slashed toward Gareth's back.
Clang!
The beastlike sharp claws failed to pierce even the ordinary shirt Gareth wore.
Ssshh!
Looking closely, green lightning crackled over the fabric, clashing with the invading red flames—and, in fact, faintly suppressing them.
"Heh~"
Bete let out a dry laugh, but his expression changed instantly as he leapt backward.
Yet just as he retreated, a bolt of green lightning chased straight after him.
"Tch!"
Seeing Gareth's hearty grin, irritation flashed across Bete's face.
That damn old man!
The Dying Will Flame's boost to mobility was enormous. Even someone who wasn't naturally fast could, through mastery of the flame, reach speeds once thought impossible.
Gareth was a perfect example—massive in build, blessed with immense strength and endurance, but hampered by sluggish acceleration and the difficulty of maneuvering such a large body.
His weight made zero-second acceleration painfully slow, and controlling his movement direction required great effort.
But ever since mastering the Dying Will Flame, those problems had ceased to be problems at all. His fighting style had grown wilder and more explosive than ever.
"Ha!!!"
Gareth's fist, crackling with green lightning, slammed into the ground.
For a moment the earth went silent—then it erupted under the impact, as if packed with buried explosives. The once-flat floor burst apart, scattering dust and rubble in all directions.
Amid the storm of debris, streaks of green lightning flashed and surged toward Bete, still airborne.
Bete drew a sharp breath, the flames at his feet igniting to full force. The crimson fire along his fingers and claws grew sharper, fiercer.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight through the storm.
His blazing claws tore through the hail of stones, shattering nearly everything that touched them.
But not everything yielded so easily.
Clang!
When his claws struck certain shards glowing with lightning, it was like hitting a slab of solid metal. The destructive power was completely stopped, and the jolt made Bete's body shudder.
In that instant, a massive fist drove straight into his abdomen—so fast his mind couldn't keep up.
Boom!
The heavy, brutal punch sent Bete flying like a cannonball, slamming him into a cliffside and embedding him deep into the rock.
His body went limp, consciousness gone, left half-buried in the stone wall.
"Heh~ If you want to beat this old man, you've got a lot more training to do."
Gareth planted his foot on the shattered ground, grinning with the confidence of victory.
"He's already been training plenty."
Finn, dressed lightly for movement, appeared swiftly at Gareth's side.
"These past weeks, Bete's been pushing his control over the Dying Will Flame to the limit—not only facing the black Goliath alone in the Challenge Space, but even enduring doubled gravity in the Training Space while maintaining the flame's control."
"To manage that much is already impressive."
Finn had been watching Bete's efforts closely.
To gain this power, Bete had worked harder than even Ais. In terms of control over the Dying Will Flame, he now far surpassed her.
"Combined with the mobility the flame grants him, Bete's current speed exceeds even Level 5 Adventurers gifted with natural agility. Even without top-grade weapons, his claws wreathed in Dying Will Flame could deliver a fatal threat to any Level 5."
"Unless they're wearing armor specifically made to resist the flame, even a first-tier Adventurer could be left with a mortal wound."
"That's about the level of someone who's just reached Level 5."
Gareth cut through Finn's glowing appraisal, directly naming Bete's current standing.
In short—stronger than a Level 4, but not yet a true Level 5.
"At this level, he's already qualified to challenge a Floor Boss. All that training wasn't for nothing."
"Mm."
Finn nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze toward Tsuna, still seated nearby.
"Tsuna, what do you think?"
"I think… he's still missing a proper weapon. If Bete had one that could channel the Dying Will Flame, he might truly have the strength to challenge a real Level 5."
"…A weapon, huh. You're right—a weapon."
If he had one designed to handle the Dying Will Flame, his odds of victory would rise considerably.
Relying solely on his own claws and limbs would always put him at a disadvantage compared to other Adventurers.
Finn and Gareth both glanced at Bete's empty hands. The weapon issue was indeed a serious one.
"A weapon with Unbreakable properties could temporarily bear the Dying Will Flame. But even an Unbreakable series weapon forged from Unbreakable Metal can't endure that heat for long."
Finn ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
A single Unbreakable weapon wasn't just expensive—it was absurdly expensive.
Even the cheapest started at fifty million valis.
And how long could such a weapon withstand the Dying Will Flame?
Barely fifteen minutes before it turned to scrap.
No matter how wealthy the Familia, no one could afford to burn through a fifty-million-valis weapon every fifteen minutes.
"For now, everyone will just have to be patient. If luck's on our side, once this Expedition ends, Miss Loki and Lady Hephaestus should be able to solve the weapon issue."