Barrett dashed through the smoke-filled arena towards EeDeChi in the center. "Captain, how are you holding up?"
Barrett could see that this "friendly spar" was nothing but ruthless fighting. The members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick harbored intense hostility. If EeDeChi fails in the next "friendly spar," not only will the captain be unable to escape, but he will also meet his end here.
EeDeChi had carried her giant sword behind her. After a fierce battle, she lowered her eyelids and slowly regulated her breathing without raising her head, asking in return, "Where's the vitality potion in your spatial ring?"
It was the first time EeDeChi had asked for a magical potion. Hearing this, Barrett quickly pulled out three orange-glass vials from his spatial ring and handed them over.
These three vials contained the highest quality vitality potions that Barrett had bought at a high price. Just half a vial was enough to revive a dying old man and get him up to fight an ancient dragon with a two-handed sword.
The alchemist who sold Barrett the potions had boasted, "Take five drops with a dropper, and I guarantee you can have sex with ten mature women all night without stopping."
Although the potion's effects were miraculous, Barrett had never tried them. Such precious items were meant for life-saving moments and definitely not to be wasted on sex. Besides, Barrett couldn't find ten mature women anyway.
The orange vitality potions were housed in exquisite glass vials, with not just ordinary cork stoppers but magical glass caps designed to preserve the potion.
EeDeChi took one vial, bit through the glass stopper, and shattered the vial's mouth along with the stopper, sending shards of glass everywhere. She tilted her head back and drank the entire contents of the vial, then proceeded to do the same with the remaining two vials.
Barrett watched in horror at EeDeChi's ferocious actions. Only when he confirmed that her mucous membranes and skin were impervious to damage did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
EeDeChi spat out some glass shards and wiped the orange liquid from the corners of her lips, complaining, "It doesn't taste like anything. It's not fake, is it?"
"I'm not you. How could I possibly buy counterfeit goods?" Barrett replied helplessly.
This was just a standard potion brewed by an ordinary mage. No matter how expensive or impressive it seemed, for someone as powerful as EeDeChi, its effects would be like a drop in the ocean.
"I… I was just giving you the chance to get the supplies. If the superior has done everything, then what can the subordinate do…" EeDeChi was about to retort Barrett when the ground of the arena trembled, as if a giant in heavy armor was stomping around, interrupting her.
Following the heavy footsteps, a towering silver figure appeared at one end of the arena. The figure stood about 8.2 feet(2.5 meters) tall, with a silver, armored head, four arms, and a long tail covered in spiked armor.
He looked like a giant insect warrior, except instead of fragile chitinous armor, he was covered in gleaming, thick plates of metal.
image [https://dthezntil550i.cloudfront.net/zy/latest/zy2303121059525650023830505/1280_960/88986fd5-2b80-470c-a40b-9955d26e0b68.jpg]
Cocytus, Ruler of the Frozen Rivers, guardian of the fifth level of Great Tomb of Nazarick, level 100. He wielded twenty-one weapons and had the strongest attack power among Nazarick's four most skilled melee fighters.
"The match is about to start. You should step back," EeDeChi said with great poise, but received no response.
She turned to see that Barrett had already slipped behind the ruins of the spectator stands.
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From behind the broken walls, Barrett poked his head out and gave EeDeChi a thumbs-up from a distance. "Good luck!"
For the first time, EeDeChi experienced the speechless feeling Barrett had encountered many times before. She shook her head, drew her giant sword from her back, and faced the towering silver figure, standing firm.
On the other side, Cocytus held a giant three-meter-long(9.84 feet) katana, lowering his waist and assuming the stance for a iai strike.
EeDeChi's expression was serious as she pointed the toe of her left foot forward, rotated her right foot forty-five degrees outward, taking a T-stance, and held the sword with both hands in a fool's guard position.
image [https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5f/44/03/5f440319ec108a7a3e075a3e754ad68f.jpg]
( fool's guard ↑)
The music in the arena started again, but this time it was not the frenzied "Megalobox" but "Sword of the Stranger - Rasatsu No En."
Ainz floated in midair and declared with authority, "As before, the match will end when the music stops."
He could see that EeDeChi wasn't showing much fatigue. The attrition tactics probably wouldn't work on her, so he didn't make many demands on Cocytus.
EeDeChi and Cocytus each held their weapons, slowly circling each other in a standoff.
At the beat of the drum, both charged forward. The giant sword and the giant tachi katana clashed with a resounding impact. A shockwave surged from their collision point, making EeDeChi's loose black robe flutter wildly and rustle loudly.
EeDeChi gripped the giant sword tightly and thrust it upwards. Cocytus, using his height advantage, pressed down with his giant tachi katana like a towering wall. The two seemed like two furious bulls, locked in a contest of strength!
The adventurer captain, standing at less than 1.7 meters (5.58 feet), appeared somewhat slightly compared to Cocytus's 3 meters (8 feet) tall frame.
But she didn't retreat an inch, her feet firmly planted on the ground, cracking the already shattered surface with radiating fissures.
Just when it seemed like they would remain locked in this struggle, something unexpected happened!
Cocytus, who had four arms, used two to press down on EeDeChi with the giant tachi katana , while the other two arms suddenly produced a massive halberd and a two-meter-long katana. With a swift motion, he swung these two weapons straight at EeDeChi's waist!
Seeing that EeDeChi was about to be split in half, she roared, her dark eyes blazing like fire, veins bulging in her arms.
Martial Art: Hegemon Lifts the Cauldron!
The adventurer captain lifted her giant sword and actually managed to overturn the towering Cocytus.
Cocytus's silver form tumbled and landed in a crouch. He transferred the katana to his right hand and pulled out a naginata with his left. Now, all four of his arms were holding weapons.
The massive insect warrior stepped forward. The katana, naginata, halberd, and giant tachi katana all swung simultaneously, creating a chilling storm of blades that swept in all directions like a metal tempest, closing in on EeDeChi.
EeDeChi faced the unrelenting storm of blades and sparks with a serious expression.
Her giant sword moved like lightning as she slashed, thrust, and blocked, her strikes meeting the storm of metal with precision. She fought and retreated, her movements swift like a black streak of light weaving through the silver tempest from all directions.
To the spectators, this duel seemed fraught with danger. EeDeChi appeared on the verge of being overwhelmed by the silver storm of blades, while Cocytus seemed close to being breached by the fierce giant sword.
As the final, distant note of the flute faded away and the music ceased, Cocytus and EeDeChi finished their last clash, standing face to face.
"Your skills are impressive," Cocytus said as he sheathed his katana, his voice deep and resonant. "Perhaps we can spar again another time."
"You weren't too shabby yourself. All those blades were pretty terrifying," EeDeChi replied calmly, though her tone showed no sign of fear.
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In the deepest underground layer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo, who should have been by Ainz's side, stood facing an iron window with a look of vigilance in her golden eyes, which were usually so proud.
Behind the iron window was a large bedroom where a tall, striking woman with fiery red hair was… rolling around on the floor.
The red-haired woman rolled around, pleading in a whiny voice, "Oh, Albedo, my dear sister, please let me join in! Sebas and Cocytus are having such fun, and I've been stuck here in the Great Tomb while you all get to run around. It's so boring!"
Albedo, witnessing this comical scene, maintained a stern expression without a trace of amusement. "Rubedo, Lord Ainz instructed that you must not be allowed to move about freely, and definitely not sent out. You should stay here."
The red-haired woman's rolling slowly came to a stop. She lay on the ground, her body slumped as if she had deflated. Then, with a sudden "ugh," she sprang up like a coiled spring and lunged at the iron window, startling Albedo, who took a step back.
Grasping the iron bars with her hands, she bent one of the thick bars with ease. Leaning out of the window, she faced the furious Albedo and licked her crimson lips.
"I have a feeling that you'll need me. One day, I'll get out."
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image [https://i.ibb.co/6RHFGdj/1y3bmacxlqcx.webp]