Meliodas looked up at Albedo.
It was as if he wanted to see straight through her black, horned helmet to understand the twisted thoughts inside her mind. His green gaze was entirely serious and razor-sharp.
Albedo did not waver at all. Seeing that she was completely unable to reclaim her divine battle-axe from the blonde boy's terrifying grip, she released the handle and leaped backward, putting distance between them.
"Damn lower life form," Albedo hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "To actually make me lose face in front of Lord Ainz!! You are just a bunch of trash who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!!"
Moving away from Meliodas, Albedo gazed desperately toward the city center, in the direction of her master. In the darkness of the chaotic sky, she felt the Overlord's gaze upon her.
And this made the humiliation even more unbearable.
She had finally been deployed by the Supreme Being himself. Yet here she was, already lagging behind a barefoot human child. If she allowed this sacred mission to fail...
In her mind's eye, Albedo imagined a horrifying, heart-wrenching scenario. She saw herself collapsed helplessly on the ground, a failure. And in front of her, Lord Ainz was walking further and further away, holding Shalltear's hand instead of hers. She could only watch the two of them slowly depart into the shadows together.
'No!' Albedo's mind screamed, her jealousy and devotion twisting into sheer madness. 'Absolutely not! I absolutely cannot fail!!'
In reality, the golden eyes glowing inside Albedo's helmet flared with a sickly green light. She clutched her head with both gauntleted hands and let out a piercing, unhinged scream. The razor-sharp claws of her armor began to glow with dark, concentrated magic...
...
Having received Ainz Ooal Gown's direct orders, Cocytus had already arrived at Ban's location.
Following his Captain's orders, Ban was still standing lazily on the rooftop, boredly swinging his staff to strike down any undead soldiers that tried to crawl up the sides of the building.
The sound of heavy, armored footsteps made Ban turn his head. Cocytus's arrival made the Fox Sin of Greed feel overjoyed. Finally, a real fight!
As the massive insectoid Floor Guardian landed on the asphalt roof, the entire surface instantly froze over with a thick layer of blue ice. This was Cocytus's passive skill, [Frost Aura]. It constantly spread extreme, freezing air centered on his body; if he actively expanded the range, the lethal radius could reach hundreds of meters.
It was truly a sharp tool for instantly clearing out weaklings.
Unfortunately for Cocytus, he had encountered Ban—a man who had spent an eternity enduring the unimaginably harsh, soul-crushing environments of Purgatory. With just this little bit of extreme freezing air, Ban, who was wearing a simple cropped vest and exposing half his chest, didn't even feel the slightest chill.
"I am a loyal servant of the Supreme Being, His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown," the icy behemoth declared. "I am Cocytus."
Cocytus's personality was incredibly stubborn; one could say he was strictly methodical. Arriving before his assigned target, he did not launch a cowardly sneak attack. Leaning on the massive silver halberd in his lower hand, he stood tall and formally introduced himself. It was as solemn and honorable as an ancient samurai duel.
Ban curled his lips, looking somewhat helpless. He really had absolutely no idea how to deal with this kind of stiff, honorable personality. He could only follow the giant bug's lead and give a perfunctory introduction.
"Seven Deadly Sins," Ban stated, rolling his shoulders. "The Fox's Sin of Greed, Ban. Can we start fighting now?"
Ban raised the Holy Rod Courechouse in his hand and gave a flippant, 'bring it on' gesture toward Cocytus.
The personalities of the two warriors were diametrically opposite. Cocytus was a creature of absolute discipline. Ban was entirely flippant and violently erratic.
Eight eyes met crimson ones, and the tension on the frozen roof reached a breaking point.
"Those who are disrespectful to the Supreme Being..." Cocytus growled, two streams of freezing mist snorting from his mandibles. "...shall be slain!"
Cocytus gripped his halberd with two of his four arms and swung it upward with blinding speed. It was a strike powerful enough to cleave a mountain in half. The blade's edge radiated a lethal cold light, but it was firmly parried by the shaft of Ban's holy staff.
The impact shattered the ice beneath their feet, but it didn't cause a single scratch to Ban.
"Is that all you've got, Mr. Bug?" Ban mocked lazily. "That kind of strength can't even give me a papercut."
Deflecting the massive halberd blade, Ban jumped back with a wild, predatory smile. He swung the four-section staff in his hand. The heavy metal end of the holy staff slammed brutally against Cocytus's armored carapace.
CRACK.
Cocytus's massive insectoid body staggered two heavy steps to the side, his armor denting slightly.
At this moment, regarding the slouching human before him, Cocytus completely discarded the slightest bit of contempt.
Cocytus released his halberd, using his magic to let it float and dance autonomously around him. At the same time, his empty claws reached into the void of his pocket dimension.
Weapon after weapon was pulled out from his magical inventory. Every sword, axe, and spear that appeared began to fly toward Ban's location on its own. Without anyone needing to physically wield them, the armory automatically began a relentless, high-speed assault.
"That's it! That's it!!" Ban laughed maniacally, completely ignoring defense.
Besieged by more than twenty enchanted weapons, countless deep, bloody wounds appeared across Ban's body. His vest was shredded. But the moment the blood sprayed, the terrifying gashes vanished, stitching themselves back together in an instant.
At the same time, the excitement in Ban's voice grew stronger.
With every injury the weapons inflicted, Ban's physical strength grew slightly, while the kinetic force of the attacker's weapons noticeably weakened. This was Ban's signature magic: [Snatch]. Relying on this exact ability to steal physical power, Ban had once managed to fight his overpowered Captain to a complete standstill.
Time passed, minute by minute. The enchanted weapons dancing in the air could no longer inflict any meaningful wounds on Ban. Due to [Snatch], their flight speed and impact force had become slower and weaker.
Seeing this tactical disadvantage, Cocytus recalled his floating armory, stowing the weapons back into the void.
"I see," Cocytus said, standing firmly on the ice. "Is this your innate ability? You are able to absorb your opponent's physical strength while simultaneously weakening them. Truly powerful to the extreme."
Cocytus nodded respectfully. "Furthermore, you possess the ability to heal rapidly. Fighting a war of attrition with a warrior like you would be a tactical nightmare."
Cocytus had observed the chaotic clash for a long time and gained a solid, analytical understanding of Ban's power. In short, no one could win against Ban in a drawn-out fistfight.
"No!" Ban laughed, resting the holy staff lazily behind his neck as he floated down from a jump. "You're wrong about one thing, bug. It's not rapid healing. It's an immortal body."
After hearing Cocytus's tactical analysis, Ban very honestly corrected the error in the Guardian's statement. Ban never hid the secret of the Fountain of Youth. There was simply no need to.
"Arrogant person!" Cocytus barked, offended by the obvious lie. True immortality did not exist.
"No, Arrogance is Escanor," Ban smirked, correcting Cocytus's statement once again. "I am Greed!"
Compared to the Lion's Sin of Pride, his own arrogance wasn't even worth mentioning.
Two heavy clouds of cold air snorted from Cocytus's nose. To be able to anger an honest, stoic warrior like Cocytus to this extent meant Ban possessed a truly special talent for annoyance.
"An immortal body? Arrogant words," Cocytus declared, drawing himself up to his full height. "I only need to cut you in two. Whether your boast is true or false, we will see at a glance."
Cocytus reached his upper right palm into the void and pulled out a massive, terrifying katana. This was a Divine Class artifact created and granted to him by his Supreme Creator, Warrior Takemikazuchi.
God-Slaying Emperor Blade.
"[Acala Strike]!"
Cocytus gripped the hilt with two hands, raised it high, and slashed downward with absolute, blinding momentum. With the divine empowerment of the God-Slaying Emperor Blade, a singular flash of absolute cold light tore through the air.
Ban, who didn't even attempt to block, was instantly and cleanly split right down the middle, from his scalp to his groin.
"Arrogant fellow. Nonsense," Cocytus grunted.
Cocytus flicked his arm, clearing the fresh bloodstains from the God-Slaying Emperor Blade with a sharp snap of his wrist.
However, before he could even sheathe the blade, the impossible happened.
Ban, whose bisected body should have collapsed into a puddle of gore, showed absolutely no sign of falling over. The two halves of his body instantly snapped back together, the flesh and bone weaving seamlessly. In a microsecond, Ban was fully resurrected.
"Shall the battle continue?" Ban asked, cracking his neck left and right with a contemptuous smile.
"[Three-Path Severance: Kurikara Sword]!"
Cocytus, his insectoid eyes widening in shock, swung the God-Slaying Emperor Blade in a rapid, blinding flurry. Several lethal arcs of blade-light flashed out, dicing Ban's body into dozens of bloody segments.
However, it was entirely useless.
Before the pieces could even hit the frozen roof, Ban's body stitched itself back together in mid-air. He landed lightly on his feet, grinning.
"Impossible!" Cocytus gasped, his warrior's composure finally shattering. "Absolutely impossible! How can there be such a powerful, rule-breaking ability in this world?!"
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