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"A forest, huh? Don't tell me you're planning on building a harem?" Jibril asked with a sly smile, staring at Riku.
"Of course. Harems are the ultimate dream for men." Riku shrugged with pride.
"Man, you really are interesting. But… what a shame. In that case, I guess I'll have to kill you first and keep your head for research." Jibril said with fake regret.
"If you think you can, go ahead and try," Riku replied coldly.
"Gate Four—Wound Gate—Open!" Riku suddenly roared, and in an instant, his body was engulfed in a green flame-like aura. His presence skyrocketed several levels.
Right now, opening the fourth gate gave Riku power equal to what his sixth gate used to provide!
The moment the Wound Gate opened, he stomped the air with explosive force and dashed toward Jibril at a ghost-like speed.
"You're getting even stronger?! Riku, you're making me more and more excited!" Jibril practically squealed with glee as she noticed the change in his aura.
But she didn't stay idle—several spells fired off instantly from her hands.
In a flash, raging fire serpents, glowing lightning dragons, and sweeping hurricanes all hurtled toward Riku.
The raw energy warped the space around them. Light streaked wildly, and the air howled and twisted from the force.
"Gate Five—Limit Gate—Open!" Riku's expression didn't change one bit in the face of the barrage. He calmly opened another gate.
In an instant, his energy spiked again.
Then he threw a punch forward—the sheer force ripped the air apart, creating a powerful shockwave that blasted through all the incoming spells. Even the mountain behind them looked like it had been hollowed out, a massive hole left in its place as debris flew everywhere!
Crackling lightning, fiery sparks, and swirling wind scattered into the sky. The unnatural storm blew out in all directions, and even those watching from a distance, like Shinku and the others, felt the pressure and had to shield themselves with magic.
The mere aftermath of the clash was that intense.
Shinku stared at the battle overhead, overwhelmed and frustrated.
Jibril, a non-native Flügel, could cast magic even more powerfully than the forest elves themselves. And Riku? He was casually punching through these insanely strong spells like they were nothing.
These two… are total monsters!
That was all Shinku could think, frozen in disbelief.
As for the other forest elves? They were trembling in fear, eyes full of horror. Just a brush with the edge of that fight, and they'd be dead meat.
But the beastmen? While they were shocked too, their eyes were burning with fanatic excitement.
That's their princess's man—Lord Riku!
"Our prince really got stronger. He's only using the fifth gate now, and he's already able to go head-to-head with Jibril, one of those special Flügel individuals." Hatsuse Fia muttered proudly, her clothes fluttering in the breeze as she gazed at the battle.
"By the way... why are you, a machine-species, sticking so close to our prince?" she suddenly turned toward Jubi, who was also watching Riku intently, and frowned.
Jubi turned to look at her when she heard the question.
The two locked eyes—one asking, the other staying silent. The air suddenly felt weird between them.
"Riku, you really are fascinating," Jibril said excitedly, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Then how about this spell?"
As she spoke, a massive surge of magical energy erupted.
Above them, the black-gray clouds were blown apart as something started falling from the sky—a huge fireball.
No, not a fireball.
A meteor. And not just any meteor—this one was insanely huge. If it hit, the entire area for hundreds of kilometers around would be completely wiped out.
Every beastman, every forest elf within range—they'd all be toast.
"This is my strongest magic: Meteorfall. If you think you can take it… go ahead and try." Jibril said confidently.
"She's insane! That chick is a total maniac!" Shinku screamed in despair as she stared at the falling meteor.
"Jibril! Don't push your luck!" Riku shouted up at the sky, his expression turning ice-cold. "Gate Six—View Gate—Open!"
As his words fell, the flames around his body deepened into a dark green hue.
"BOOM——!"
Riku shot forward with another punch. The force exploded outward, annihilating everything in its path—and smashed straight into the meteor.
"Crack——!"In the blink of an eye, massive cracks split through the meteor… and then it shattered, exploding into countless fragments that rained down toward the earth.
To regular people, those chunks might still be deadly, but to beastmen or forest elves? As long as they didn't get hit directly, they'd be fine.
One punch. He blew up a meteor.
Everyone—even the forest elves like Shinku—were completely stunned. The beastmen were just as speechless, their faces frozen in awe.
Even Hatsuse Fia, who knew Riku well, stood dumbstruck. And Jibril? She was no better.
Her super high-level spell had just been destroyed… by brute force. Yeah, it was jaw-dropping.
"Flügel—where the hell are you looking?"In the next second, Riku suddenly appeared right in front of Jibril—and slammed a sweeping kick at her.
"—'Kuryanse, the Fourth Eternal Blessing.'"
The moment the words left her mouth, Jibril's expression shifted. She instantly cast several defensive spells to stack up her protection.
The Fourth Eternal Blessing was the highest-grade defensive and sealing magic developed by the forest dwellers. Back when Jibril had attacked their race, it was this spell that had blocked her assault.
That's why she'd taken an interest in it—and stole it to study.
Sure, this spell hadn't held up against her Heavenstrike back then, but that didn't mean it was weak. Magic isn't just about rank—who's using it makes a huge difference too. The same spell in different hands can have wildly different effects.
Jibril didn't trust the divine magic gifted to her by her creator, the War God Artosh. Her gut told her that relying on his protective spells this time wouldn't cut it.
And for once—her instincts were right.
CRACK—!!
In the blink of an eye—barely a thousandth of a second—Riku launched a full-force kick straight at the Fourth Eternal Blessing.
BOOM. A deafening crack rang out as the spell shattered under the impact.
Jibril was sent flying through the air, blood spitting from her mouth. But most of the force had been absorbed, so the injuries weren't that serious.
If she'd used the Flügel's own defensive magic, she probably would've been seriously hurt—or even dead.
"Cough, cough... Damn, that kick was no joke. You've shattered my expectations again," Jibril said, coughing but grinning, her eyes burning with even more fanatic energy.
"....."