BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted, with violent winds scattering in all directions. The entire arena was momentarily captivated by the missile-like impact.
At the center of the stage, Roy had somehow closed the distance between them in an instant, appearing right in front of Alde and delivering a punch straight to his chest.
"Ha-ha-ha! I told you, the defensive barrier my master bestowed upon me is unbreakable! Even you can't shatter it!"
Alde remained with his arms crossed, staring at Roy, who stood barely a foot away. His laughter started low but gradually rose in pitch, his tone brimming with pride.
Before him, a palm-sized defensive barrier materialized in midair, blocking Roy's fist.
Under the force of the punch, the barrier remained completely unscathed.
"Impressive! For an automaton's output to actually replicate a stage-grade defensive barrier—that's something else!"
Roy didn't hold back his admiration—for Alde, or rather, for Ernesta.
Stage-grade defensive barriers were incredibly powerful. Just look at the barrier used in the Sirius Dome—even the organizers, who absolutely forbade any collateral damage to spectators, deemed it sufficient to prevent harm to the audience.
Roy had indeed put his full strength into that punch, yet the barrier hadn't shattered—not even a single crack had appeared. The physical enhancements he'd received from Tiamat were, after all, only A-rank. There were limits to how much the body could be modified, even if the upgrades covered a wide range of functions.
"Ha-ha-ha! Now you understand the might of my master!"
Flattered by Roy's praise, Alde proudly lifted his head.
"Go on, keep trying if you want! You still have over fifty seconds left!"
Roy let out a light scoff and smirked noncommittally.
He wrapped his fist in prana, the sky-blue energy manifesting like a boxing glove around his hand. Combining his physical strength and prana, he threw another full-powered punch at Alde.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening roar shook the arena, the very ground trembling beneath them.
Claudia and Rimcy exchanged a glance before simultaneously stepping back. The sheer force of the impact—or rather, Roy's impact—was overwhelming. The moniker "Tyrant" wasn't just for show. If he punched the ground, he might actually trigger an earthquake. Better to keep their distance to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Useless, useless! My—"
Crack!
Before Alde could finish, a faint but unmistakable sound of shattering echoed between them.
Alde froze, his emerald-green eyes locking onto the barrier in front of him.
"Impossible!"
A crack had abruptly appeared on the defensive barrier he'd erected.
No one had ever managed to do this before!
In theory, aside from an Orga Lux, no one should have been able to break his defensive barrier head-on!
There were a couple of rumors that Roy had once cracked the defensive barrier of the Seidoukan Arena during a previous two-on-two simulated battle, but at best, those were just unverified gossip. Like the countless other rumors flying around, they were products of the audience's wild imagination and excitement, utterly lacking credibility.
He hadn't believed such dubious information before, but now, faced with undeniable evidence, he had no choice but to accept it!
"Master's collected data never mentioned such a freak...!"
Alde couldn't help but loosen his arms, instinctively adopting a defensive stance.
"But all you can do is crack the barrier—you're still far from shattering it!"
A strike enhanced by prana was likely the maximum force he could muster. Even if he wielded an Orga Lux, without using Meteor Arts, he couldn't surpass this level of power. And ordinary Orga Lux weapons couldn't withstand his immense astral energy—they'd break upon use. So, Meteor Arts could only be used once at most. Even with spare weapons, unleashing two attacks beyond this level would be his absolute limit!
Alde's central computer calculated this outcome in an instant.
"Hmph!"
Roy snorted lightly, still refusing to speak.
He threw another punch, not bothering with angles, driving it straight toward the defensive barrier in front of Alde. Alde's heart tightened—a barrier with cracks might not withstand a second hit. He instantly dispelled the damaged barrier and erected a new one. Sure enough, after another deafening collision, the barrier only cracked slightly again. This punch's power hadn't surpassed the previous one.
But then, without pause, Roy unleashed a third punch, a fourth, striking with astonishing speed—punch after punch, relentlessly.
For a moment, the entire stage seemed engulfed in a thunderstorm, countless roars of thunder rumbling endlessly across the field.
"Useless! No matter how fast your fists are, my reaction speed will always surpass yours!"
Alde's eyes locked onto Roy's fists as he continuously generated defensive barriers, blocking each punch one after another, while shouting sharply.
No matter how fast Roy's punches were, Alde could always create barriers faster.
He wasn't human—he was a pseudo-body, an autonomous pseudo-body controlled by artificial intelligence. His reaction speed was that of a central computer, far surpassing human limits. In terms of performance, the human brain couldn't compare!
"Not necessarily!"
Roy retracted his fist, a confident smile spreading across his face.
He steadied his breath, muscles coiling, then pushed off the ground. Power surged from his legs, channeled through his waist, and concentrated into his fist as he launched another strike at Alde.
"How many times must I say it? This kind of attack—ugh?!"
Alde generated yet another fresh barrier in front of Roy's punch, but then let out a strange cry.
The instant Roy threw this punch, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, the strike following a kinetic chain beyond human comprehension. In that split second, it narrowly bypassed the barrier in front of Alde and slammed into his side.
BOOM—!
A dark figure was sent flying dozens of meters in an instant, scattering shattered pieces of black special alloy along the way, until it crashed against the stage's defensive barrier and finally came to a stop, slowly falling to the ground.
"So impressive!"
In the audience, Ernesta's eyes sparkled as she excitedly clapped her hands and stomped her feet.
"Whose side are you on?"
Carmilla's expression instantly tensed up, but upon seeing Ernesta's carefree demeanor, she couldn't help but voice her complaint.
***
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