Ryu froze.
Indeed.
The opponent was a God.
For a person of the Lower World to attempt to lie before a God of the Heavens was simply displaying one's slight skill before a master—an exercise in futility.
Moreover.
No matter what.
She had been caught by him.
And caught red-handed at that, leaving her not a single shred of room for sophistry.
Since the other party could identify her with such certainty, it ant that the thing she worried about most had happened—because of her recklessness, the haven she had sworn to protect with her life, the [Hostess of Fertility] pub, had been implicated.
Thinking of this.
Ryu's thin lips, hidden under the shadow of her hood, pressed tightly into a straight line. Although she still did not take off the hood obscuring her face, she knew this was her mistake.
It was because of her overprotectiveness toward Syr, because of that paranoia deep in her bones, that led to this misjudgnt like a frightened bird, finally bringing trouble upon herself.
Since she was wrong.
She had to admit it.
"..."
Ryu took a deep breath. Her hands, originally gripping her daggers tightly and poised to strike, slowly lowered. That stance of facing a formidable enemy was released along with it, replaced by a kind of nearly humble apology.
"I am very sorry."
"Just as you said."
"Because of certain extrely personal reasons, I harbored so unnecessary and rude suspicions toward you."
"This was a misjudgnt caused by my paranoia."
"I am deeply sorry for causing you trouble."
"If there is any compensation I can make..."
Although Ryu's voice still seed cold, it lacked a bit of the previous sharpness and held a bit more sincerity.
"If it's about compensation, there is no need."
"Soone has already used that line today."
However.
Hair did not want to hear these cliché apologies right now.
Especially now.
Compared to verbal apologies, Hair wanted sothing more practical.
...
So.
Hair shook his wrist.
"Weng—"
The silver long spear that had been casually held in his hand drew a cold arc through the air, finally stopping steadily on his right side. The spear tip pointed diagonally at the ground, emitting a crisp, low hum.
"Speaking of which."
"Judging from Miss Elf's reaction, Miss Elf must have been a high-level adventurer in the past."
"If Miss Elf truly wants to compensate ."
"How about sparring with ?"
"Right here."
"As long as Miss Elf can let enjoy myself."
"We will treat tonight's events as if they never happened."
"Even."
"If Miss Elf can win against ."
"Not only will I let you go, but I can also grant you one request that does not violate my bottom line."
"How about it?"
"This is a good deal, right?"
Hair had his own intentions in saying this.
But whether it could be realized depended on Ryu's reaction.
"???"
Hearing this, Ryu jerked her head up. Her sky-blue eyes, which had been hidden in the shadows, widened instantly, filled with disbelief.
Sparring?
Sparring with a God?
This was simply madness.
"Are you joking?"
"You are a God!"
"In the Lower World, Gods are absolutely forbidden from using Divine Power."
"Moreover..."
"Once I accidentally hurt you and trigger the passive protection chanism of a God's Divine Power..."
"You will be forcibly sent back to the Heavens!"
"Relax."
Hair interrupted Ryu's concerns.
"I am competing in martial arts with Miss Elf."
"A pure exchange."
"Involving no Divine Power, no authority, just a pure collision of martial arts."
"As for that counter-attack chanism Miss Elf is worried about..."
Hair chuckled lightly.
"Rest assured."
"I guarantee nothing will happen."
"Even if you really have the skill to put a knife to my neck."
"I will absolutely not use even a shred of Divine Power."
"..."
Ryu was stunned.
She seed to realize that the other party was serious; this God was not joking.
Especially since the current situation was extrely obvious.
If she did not agree, if she did not satisfy this God's interest, it would probably be hard to end things well tonight.
And since this God had said so much...
"Then, pardon my offense!"
"But I always tend to go too far."
"Please, Kami-sama, you must be careful."
Ryu gritted her teeth, her eyes imdiately becoming sharp.
After all, there was no retreat.
Then she could only fight.
Since the opponent was a God and had made a promise, then this was just a pure contest of martial arts.
As the forr [Gale].
As a Lv.4 Second-Class Adventurer.
A avenger who had walked the edge of life and death countless tis, honing assassination and speed to the extre.
In terms of pure technique, she had absolute confidence.
Although Gods possessed long lives and endless knowledge, under the condition of limited physical capabilities and Divine Power, relying solely on a mortal shell, they might not necessarily win against soone battle-hardened like herself.
Thinking of this.
Ryu adjusted her breathing, her center of gravity slowly sinking. Her hands, originally hanging by her sides, once again tightened their grip on the twin daggers hidden in her sleeves.
Since she had to fight.
Then she would go all out.
This was respect for the God, and also being responsible to the others.
"..."
The night wind seed to stand still at this mont.
The alley was dead silent.
Only the occasional noise from the distant streets highlighted the oppressive atmosphere here even more.
In the next second.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound exploded.
—The sound of soles fiercely crushing the bluestone pavent.
Ryu's figure disappeared.
No.
It wasn't that she disappeared.
It was because she was too fast.
As the [Gale] known for speed among Lv.4s, the velocity she exploded with in this instant even dragged out a green afterimage.
No probing.
No holding back.
The move was a killing blow right from the start.
She had thought that in this narrow alley, a long weapon should be unable to display its full potential.
And short, agile daggers were the advantage here.
Ryu intended to utilize this point well. Her body borrowed the reaction force from the wall, completing an incredible reversal in mid-air.
Instantly cutting into Hair's right-side blind spot.
There, was the blind zone for wielding a long spear.
"I got him!"
A gleam flashed through Ryu's eyes.
The twin daggers were like a viper flicking its tongue, aiming straight for the numbing nerve at Hair's wrist.
As long as she disard him, the victory would be decided.
However.
Just at the mont her blade edge was about to touch Hair's wrist.
She heard it.
"Too slow."
The indifferent voice entered her ears even a step faster than the sound of the wind.
Flying up and falling down like nine pellets; releasing and retracting like a single line.
Hair paused the long spear on his right against the wall, using the reaction force to accurately knock the spear tail against the side of her dagger.
"Pa!"
A crisp sound.
Ryu only felt an irresistible great force coming from her wrist.
Even.
It wasn't just being knocked away.
That force conducted through the dagger to her arm, shaking half her body until it was sowhat numb.
"How is this possible?!"
Ryu winced in pain, closing one eye, shocked in her heart.
Hair's timing was calculated too precisely.
Before she could adjust her posture.
That silver long spear seed to co alive instantly.
The long shaft that should have been clumsy in the narrow environnt was as flexible as a snake in Hair's hands.
It didn't need wide, sweeping swings.
Just a few shakes of the wrist.
The spear shaft, the spear tip, and even the spear tail.
Every part beca a fatal weapon.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!!"
Dense sounds of tal impact connected into a single piece in the alley.
The speed Ryu was so proud of had completely beco a decoration at this mont.
No matter which angle she launched an attack from.
No matter how she used the terrain to change direction.
That long spear would always appear on her inevitable path one step ahead, lightly dissolving her offensive into nothingness.
It was like an airtight Wall of Sighs.
Making one despair.
"Is this... the martial arts of a God?"
The more Ryu fought, the more alard she beca.
On the level of technique.
The gap between the two sides was simply dinsional.
She was running desperately, calculating, changing moves.
On the contrary, the opponent seed to be taking a leisurely stroll, not even moving his footsteps half an inch.
It was like an adult teasing a child who had just learned to walk.
"I don't believe it!"
Ryu clenched her teeth, and that stubbornness belonging to Elves exploded completely at this mont.
Ryu's speed surged violently again.
Her entire person turned into an afterimage, whipping up a storm in this narrow space.
Once again.
She seized a montary gap when Hair was changing breaths.
Twin daggers crossed.
Straight for the center gate!
This strike was unavoidable!
However.
Facing this sure-kill strike.
Hair rely made a simple movent.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a step forward to et Ryu's blade edge.
At the sa ti.
The long spear in his hand slamd fiercely onto the ground.
"Dong!"
A heavy, muffled boom, like a sledgehamr smashing onto a heart.
Borrowing the rebound force from this pause, the spear shaft bounced up, and with terrifying speed that arrived first despite starting later, it crashed precisely onto the intersection point of the two daggers.
"Beng!"
Huge power exploded instantly.
Ryu only felt a sharp pain in the web of her thumbs; she could no longer hold onto the weapons in her hands.
Two daggers flew out of her hands, spinning as they nailed into the walls on both sides, sinking three inches deep.
And that silver long spear.
In the instant it bounced the daggers away, it followed the montum forward.
Finally.
It stopped steadily less than a centiter from Ryu's throat.
Ryu froze on the spot.
"It looks like Miss Elf hasn't held a blade in a long ti."
____
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