What happened?
Bell lay prone on the ground, his mind a mess.
Just as Ottar swung his sword, he felt a shockwave hit him while he was far at the edge of the battlefield.
When he came to his senses, he was already lying on the ground, covered in bruises.
"Can't that idiot be a little more normal? Now the repair costs for the venue alone are going to be astronomical."
Hedin's voice, suppressing anger, came from beside him.
Repair costs astronomical?
Bell shakily stood up from the ground and understood the meaning of those words in the next second.
The earth had been cut.
This was not an exaggeration, but literally severed.
Starting from Ottar's position, the Battlefield Plain was split in half, extending all the way to the horizon.
Most of the dense green grass had been blown away. The ground around the area was covered in cracks due to the impact shockwaves, as if it had just been bombed by hundreds of cannons—terrifyingly immense.
"Monster..."
Bell subconsciously thought to himself.
Just one strike, and the earth was cut in two.
This completely transcended his understanding of Adventurers.
Against a monster like that, Mr. Lynn...
"Mr... Where is Mr. Lynn?!"
Bell's eyes widened, and his face showed a look of terror.
"Mr. Hedin! Could it be that Mr. Lynn was hit by that last attack?!"
"Relax, he's fine."
Hedin pushed up his glasses.
Although he hadn't expected Ottar to be so serious, even using the Fading Light Slash.
He also understood that Ottar doing this was not for the purpose of killing or winning, but purely for teaching.
That's right, teaching.
Just like what the members of the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia had done in the past, Ottar was teaching Lynn in his own way, trying to make the other party learn this strike.
"Over there!"
Haruhime, who was also worried about Lynn, seemed to notice something and raised her hand, pointing to the front right.
Bell turned his head and saw a familiar figure slowly walking over from the other side of the plain.
"Hoo~ That was brutal."
Compared to a dozen seconds ago, Lynn's clothes were shredded into fragments, with only the lower half of his pants remaining.
"It's been a long time since I was beaten like this... The last time I was beaten this badly was when I fought Ryuu."
Amidst steady breathing, ripples spread outwards, covering small wounds and completing the splicing of broken bones.
Under everyone's gaze, Lynn, who had been blown away by the residual shockwave of the slash, returned to the battlefield, a hearty smile on his face.
"That was truly a powerful strike, Ottar."
"...Your reaction is smaller than I expected."
Ottar stood in place, quietly meeting Lynn's gaze.
In those dark pupils, he saw not the slightest hint of wavering or fear.
Even though he had been grazed by the Fading Light Slash and walked the edge of death, the other party remained calm.
Of course, Ottar viewed this as a good thing.
Ottar gripped the hilt of his greatsword firmly, and a terrifying aura that could shake the heavens and earth once again appeared on his body.
"Did you see that strike just now?"
"Of course, I saw it."
Lynn let out a light laugh: "Thanks to your dedicated performance, I now have another new trump card."
Ottar: "...?"
Ottar, who was preparing to continue the fight, paused.
Even he, who was usually composed, felt a slight tremor upon hearing Lynn's words.
"You learned it?"
"Of course, it's as easy as breathing."
Lynn closed his eyes, recalling the scene from moments before.
Facing the strongest in Orario, he had revealed all his trump cards from the very start of the battle.
Ripple, State of Selflessness, Transparent World, Current Propulsion, and Haruhime's Magic Enhancement.
With all these factors combined, Lynn at this moment was in no way inferior to a Level 6.
And precisely because of this, aided by the State of Selflessness and the Transparent World, he had seen through the principle behind Ottar's strike.
"Using reinforcement magic to amplify the power of the slash, then employing a special force application technique to unleash it. Calling it the pinnacle of the fusion of power and skill is not an exaggeration."
"But in my view, besides power and skill, the most crucial element of that strike was the infusion of the will to kill and the resolve to sever everything."
Having analyzed the previous strike through recollection, Lynn opened his eyes, a pleased smile appearing on his face:
"I've been thinking for a while now about how to create a finishing move akin to a long-chant magic."
"If I only rely on Raikiri, it might suffice against enemies like floor bosses, but against anything beyond that, it falls a bit short. Just like earlier, when I was completely helpless against you."
Stepping forward to a spot about ten meters in front of Ottar, Lynn gripped the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right.
With the aid of the Transparent World and the State of Selflessness, he had successfully deciphered the principle behind the Fading Light strike.
What came next was replication.
First, the most crucial element: will.
Lynn recalled memories of himself cooking.
The infusion of will was something he had actually mastered long ago.
To create a delicious dish, one needs more than just premium ingredients and well-honed culinary skills.
More importantly, one must imbue the food with the will that [cooking is meant to bring happiness].
Using the scabbard and the great sword as 'ingredients', Lynn injected pure [killing intent] and [Selfless Energy (spiritual power) ] into them using the same method.
After that, golden electric light surged forth.
As if about to unleash Raikiri, the electric light flooded into the scabbard, creating a magnetic field and generating terrifying repulsive force.
This time, however, Lynn forcibly suppressed Raikiri within the scabbard using brute strength. While further increasing the repulsion, he simultaneously divided his focus, merging the lightning into the blade itself.
With Selfless Energy as the core, killing intent and lightning-attribute magic power blended together, emitting a terrifying aura.
Seconds later, the repulsive force reached its peak. Lynn ceased his suppression and unleashed his full-power strike.
Fading Light Slash - Raikiri!
As if recreating the scene from not long ago, golden radiance once again illuminated the plain, cleaving the ground in two.
However, unlike last time, Lynn had aimed his attack, and Ottar likewise did not evade.
Facing the oncoming lightning slash, he gripped his great sword with both hands and swung forward.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening roar erupted. The lightning slash pressed against Ottar's body, forcing him to slide backward, leaving two deep gouges in the ground.
"What a monster."
Hedin let out a soft sigh.
It had been a long time since he had praised anyone.
But he had to admit, Lynn was a monster that defied common sense.
Having seen it only once, he analyzed the principle of the Brilliant Light Slash and replicated it in his own way.
His talent for combat had reached an unreasonable level.
"So... so incredible!!!"
Beside Hedin, Bell, equally stunned by this scene, strained to keep his eyes wide open, not daring to blink for a moment as he stared fixedly ahead.
Whether it was Lynn who unleashed the Fading Light Slash, or Ottar who was facing it head-on, in his eyes, both were beings of strength far beyond imagination.
To one day approach their level, Bell tried with all his might to etch this scene into his heart.
As for Ottar, after being pushed back over a hundred meters by this strike, he finally completely negated Lynn's Fading Light Slash.
"So, didn't I tell you?"
Lynn's voice came from the other side.
"See it once, master it. As easy as breathing."
"...No, it's still not perfect."
After a moment of silence, Ottar slowly spoke: "That strike just now still has room for optimization for you."
Lynn rolled his eyes: "Being able to learn it after seeing it once is already good enough. Don't be so demanding."
"Let's continue."
As if not hearing Lynn's complaint, immense magic power manifested on Ottar's body.
If the other could grasp the basics after one viewing, then seeing it a few more times should lead to improvement, right?
Harboring a simple thought incomprehensible to ordinary people, Ottar activated his magic once more.
Then, under Lynn's 'what the hell' gaze, golden radiance once again severed the plain.
...
Six hours later, Hestia Restaurant.
Looking at the black-haired youth with his arms wrapped in bandages, Tiona blinked, a trace of confusion appearing on her face.
"Lynn, what's with your condition?"
"I've bet them on the new era."
Lynn took off the straw hat on his head and placed it on the head of the Amazon girl before him.
"Don't cry. I'll be waiting for you in the new world."
"I'm not crying, hey!"
Tiona swatted away Lynn's hand.
"Good afternoon, Lynn."
Finn walked over from behind.
Facing Lynn's peculiar attire, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face: "Although this is just my speculation, this wouldn't happen to be Ottar's doing, would it?"
Lynn was startled: "Finn, are you a genius?"
Finn shrugged: "Hardly a genius. Just received some information and made a basic deduction."
The Fading Light Slash was no ordinary technique; it was a finishing move created by heroes to defeat the Black Dragon.
Even with its power controlled, the commotion from Ottar's sword swing had shaken the entirety of Orario.
Several hours earlier, Finn had received news that the Freya Familia's Battlefield Plain had been carved through by sword marks.
At the time, he had wondered why Ottar would suddenly start practicing the Fading Light Slash within the familia for no apparent reason.
Now he had the answer.
He wasn't practicing; he was teaching.
"Lynn, may I ask an impertinent question?"
"If you're calling it impertinent, then maybe you shouldn't..."
"1,000,000 Valis."
"Don't... don't say anymore. Just ask directly."
Lynn nonchalantly took the money pouch from Finn's hand.
Earning 1,000,000 Valis on his first day back working at the restaurant—this was the power of a head chef!
On the other side, seeing that Lynn didn't seem inclined to hide anything, Finn, having paid, got straight to the point:
"Lynn, are you still Level 2?"
"No, I'm Level 3 now."
"Huh?"
Tiona's eyes widened as she let out a gasp of surprise.
"W-wait a minute! That can't be right!"
"Didn't you just break through to Level 2 last month?"
"That doesn't conflict with me breaking through to Level 3 now."
Lynn replied with a calm expression: "Not only did I kill a floor boss, but I also fought continuously in the arena for a long time. Breaking through a bit faster is reasonable, isn't it?"
"No, no, no! It's completely unreasonable!"
Tiona didn't even know where to begin complaining.
"So, you're indeed not Level 2 anymore."
On the other side, Finn's expression was much calmer.
Although Lynn's breakthrough speed was rather abnormal,
compared to the fact that he, at Level 3, was able to train in the Fading Light Slash with Ottar, this news was practically mundane.
The Fading Light Slash was no ordinary move.
For Lynn to be able to train in it meant he possessed physical capabilities on par with a First-Class Adventurer.
Level 3, with the physical prowess of a First-Class Adventurer...
Finn let out a light chuckle: "At this point in time when the end is approaching, your emergence should let the people of the lower world see hope, Lynn."
Lynn waved his hand: "Let's put a stop to that topic. I came today to talk to you about the Evilus. If you want to talk about the Black Dragon, that's a different price."
Finn: "..."
The thought that the final hero might be someone so obsessed with money suddenly made Finn feel the world was beyond saving.
...