Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of shattering glass rang out repeatedly from Mars's massive ore body.
The once-impenetrable ore defense now crumbled under the onslaught of ice fangs, breaking apart without any resistance.
Mars's face was filled with disbelief. He couldn't understand how, despite the extreme hardness of his magic, his body could be shattered by Yuuki's ice fangs.
He had felt this magic before.
Even against his ore armor, it should have been powerless. How could it possibly pierce Titan's Heavy Armor?
"When an extremely hard object is subjected to two extreme temperatures in a short span, cracks are inevitable! Not to mention that the ore magic forming your body is highly irregular!"
"Do you think I keep casting ice magic for nothing, you idiot!"
Yuuki roared, leaping onto the ice fangs. Riding their upward momentum, he rapidly closed the distance toward Mars's head, protected within the thick ore body.
Boom!
The force of the ice fangs pierced through Titan's Heavy Armor, creating a massive breach. The enormous ore body began to show signs of collapse.
Mars's entire form became visible within the fractured armor.
Hearing Yuuki's roar—and the word "idiot"—
"Weakling!!"
"You think you can defeat me like this?!"
Mars let out a furious roar. His usually cold and taciturn expression had vanished, replaced by rage and an overwhelming battle fervor.
Boom!
Incredible mana erupted once more from Mars.
"Ore Creation Magic—Scimitar!"
Mars bellowed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless scimitars, formed from ore, appeared out of thin air. Their blades glinted sharply under the sun.
One after another, the scimitars sliced through the air, raining down toward Yuuki.
At the same time…
The surge of Mars's mana stabilized the nearly collapsing Titan's Heavy Armor. Ore spikes bloomed like flowers across the massive body, repairing it and restoring its strength.
The flurry of ore scimitars was clearly meant to temporarily slow Yuuki down.
Yuuki knew that if Mars fully restored Titan's Heavy Armor, all the mana and effort he had invested in creating this opportunity would be wasted—and he would lose the fight.
The timing of a battle is fleeting. Opportunities like this don't come twice.
To be honest, before this fight, Yuuki had prepared himself for defeat. His main goal was simply to gauge his overall strength by facing Mars.
With spatial magic and the Demon-Slaying Sword at his disposal, retreating was always an option. Even if he couldn't win, he could safely withdraw—this was his confidence in facing Mars.
Yet…
He had never imagined the fight would reach this intensity.
This was Mars, one of the Eight Shining Generals of the Diamond Kingdom, known as the secret weapon!
Seeing Mars's mana surge and the sheer presence he radiated, Yuuki's first instinct was retreat.
'This is already enough.'
'With replication magic, I don't need to take risks. Given time, I can grow even stronger.'
'Or I could retreat to a safe distance and attack from afar with the Demon-Slaying Sword. As long as Mars doesn't escape, I could outlast him.'
Thoughts raced through Yuuki's mind.
But—
Since when had he become so cautious? Since when did he fear fighting an honorable battle?
Boom!
Yuuki planted his feet on the ice fangs and shattered ore, charging straight through the swarming ore scimitars.
"Come out!"
He roared, summoning an ice shield in front of him, pushing forward against the onslaught.
Crystalline Ice Shield!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The scimitars were too numerous. Even with the ice shield covering most of his body, some still grazed him, splattering blood.
"Too late! I win!"
Mars bellowed. His once-crumbling Titan's Heavy Armor had mostly restored, allowing him to regain control of his massive body.
Raising his thick ore arm, he aimed to strike Yuuki away.
"Plant Magic—Thorn Whip!"
A slender whip of thorny vines rapidly formed in Yuuki's palm, shooting toward the approaching Mars.
Snap!
Mars froze as the whip wrapped around his upper body. The dense thorns pierced him, preventing easy escape.
"I said—come out!"
Yuuki roared again, tugging the whip with all his strength. Much of the mana Mars had used to repair Titan's Heavy Armor left parts of his body exposed.
Boom!
Mars, bloodied and incredulous, was dragged out from the armor by the whip.
Cough—
He was flung into the air, coughing blood. The pain from the whip's thorns contorted his expression.
"How could I lose to a sneak like this!"
Blood streaked his mouth, but he ignored the pain, struggling to break free from the whip.
Yuuki held the whip firmly with both hands, then yanked it sharply.
Mars was pulled rapidly toward him.
Yuuki released one hand from the whip, raised his fist, and struck Mars squarely in the face.
Boom!
The solid punch sent blood spraying once again.
Thud!
Mars, with his upper body pinned, twisted his waist and brought down a heavy kick toward Yuuki's chest.
Yuuki took a step back, barely avoiding the blow.
However…
Mars's lips curled into a cold sneer. A scimitar suddenly rose from behind Yuuki, aiming straight at his heart.
Hearing the whistling blade from behind, Yuuki's expression changed.
Boom!
At that moment, without Mars's mana to support it, Titan's Heavy Armor completely collapsed. Both Yuuki and Mars fell together into the dust.
(End of Chapter)
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