Last night, after a probing match with Tiona, Eiji had already recognized his current strength.
Compared to when he was Level 3, the improvement after leveling up was undoubtedly immense.
Due to accumulating a massive amount of hidden parameters, his agility was unparalleled among Level 4 adventurers. No one in Level 4 could compare to him, and only Level 5 adventurers specializing in agility could have the qualification to suppress him.
His dexterity was also among the top in Level 4, and his strength and endurance were at the core level of this tier. His overall strength far surpassed an average Level 4.
With his exceptional swordsmanship, he was now fully capable of facing a Level 5 head-on.
"What happened?"
"The direction of the underground prison?"
From outside, a commotion could be faintly heard, and the chaotic sound of footsteps gradually approached.
In the dimly lit corridor, Eiji took a deep breath.
Time was running out.
If he were surrounded by too many people, it wouldn't be easy to leave without exposing his true identity. Especially if he attracted the attention of Goddess Ishtar, it would be troublesome.
Of course, retreating was not an option.
Since that was the case, he would settle this in one decisive strike.
Eiji raised his katana to the middle stance.
This was supposed to be the standard defensive posture in kendo, but unexpectedly, he charged forward, launching an attack against Phryne in this stance.
His eyes were filled with sharp aggression.
At this moment, his mind contained only the determination to move forward, without the slightest hint of retreat.
"HOOOAHHHH——!!"
Phryne was confused.
She only saw Eiji launching another offensive after a brief rest. For the sake of her life, she quickly roared and retaliated.
This time, she had learned her lesson and no longer used sweeping strikes. Instead, she clamped the spear shaft under her arm and attempted a series of rapid thrusts with the spear tip.
In less than half a second, the two clashed again.
Eiji ignored the potential follow-up thrusts from Phryne, his eyes fixed on the tip of her spear. With his extraordinary perception, he instantly caught her first strike.
The gleaming blade and spear tip clashed in the blink of an eye.
"——Seamless Perfection!"
Splurt!
Suddenly—
The storm-like thrusting assault was halted before it even began.
A large amount of blood spurted from Phryne's mouth, and her face instantly turned pale.
Immediately afterward, her body hunched over, trembling violently. Even her battle axe spear slipped from her grasp, and her expression was filled with disbelief.
"What happened…? Magic? A skill?"
Why?
With just a brief clash, she felt as if she had suffered a serious injury… No, she truly was heavily injured. Her limbs were numb, her internal organs trembled uncontrollably, and she could collapse at any moment.
How was this possible?!
Phryne was utterly shaken.
Eiji was also pushed back several steps by the impact. His arms trembled violently, almost losing grip of his sword.
"Tch… Huff!"
Eiji took several deep breaths and took out a healing potion from his pouch to drink.
Seamless Perfection.
This was the ultimate technique of Ayatsuji Ittou-ryu, learned from Kaito Ayatsuji. It was the ultimate "responding-after-the-fact" technique, the strongest sword move Kaito Ayatsuji had developed after a lifetime of training.
This technique could block any attack from an opponent. On the surface, it appeared to be a perfect defensive move, similar to Eiji's Buddha's Light, but in essence, it was a counterattack technique.
In other words, it reflected damage.
Using this technique, Kaito Ayatsuji had defeated many Blazers far stronger than himself. Blazers had formidable magical defenses, to the point where even bullets had difficulty penetrating them. Yet, this counterattack move ignored defenses and directly transferred the damage to the opponent, making it extraordinarily powerful.
Eiji had secretly learned this move while sparring with Kaito Ayatsuji.
"It's over."
Eiji stepped forward and kicked the battle axe spear away.
"W-Wait! Don't be impulsive!"
Seeing the murderous intent in his eyes, Phryne shivered violently.
She had no healing items, was severely injured, and had lost an arm, bleeding continuously. Given their previous one-sided battle, she knew she had no chance of winning.
She forced a grin, displaying a nauseating smile.
"Look, our Familia has already compensated you with a lot of money. By logic, we should be even now, right?"
Eiji smirked in disdain.
Sure.
She had settled the score with the Loki Familia, but what did that have to do with his personal grudge?
"W-Wait! I understand now. If you don't want to, I won't force you!"
Seeing Eiji's utter lack of mercy, Phryne became even more terrified. The crisis of losing her life made her tremble as she hurriedly tried to negotiate.
"Whatever you want, I can give it to you! Money? Beauties? Our Familia has them! Goddess Ishtar is beautiful—I can help you capture her! I can even accompany you—"
Someone as beautiful as me must be even more valuable than Goddess Ishtar.
She truly believed that without a shred of self-awareness.
"Ugh!"
Eiji was so disgusted that he gasped.
Then, his hand trembled.
With a crescent-shaped arc of blade light, a large toad-like head flew into the air.
Phryne hadn't even realized what had happened before she was beheaded. Her face still bore the fantasy of possibly getting intimate with the handsome young man.
Her massive body swayed, then collapsed, and blood gradually dyed the ground red.
"Damn! Did she even think about why I went out of my way to do an assassination? No self-awareness at all!"
Eiji's eyelid twitched.
This was his first time killing someone, but he only felt momentarily disgusted before feeling nothing at all.
The moment he chose the path of a swordsman, he had anticipated such a scene. With his profound state of mind, he had long prepared himself mentally and would not break down due to guilt.
But it was still disgusting!
"I'm outta here!"
Eiji sheathed his sword, put the empty potion vial back in his pouch, and carefully examined his surroundings. Finding no clues that could lead to him, he swiftly left the underground prison.
"You… ah~!"
"You… mm~!"
Along the way, Eiji used Charm to clear his path.
The dozen or so Amazonesses who rushed toward him all turned flushed red the moment they made eye contact, collapsing to the ground with their consciousness completely blank. When they awoke, they would have no memory of their encounter with him.
A true "one look, instant climax"!
The Charm skill was truly overpowered!
After leaving the underground prison, Eiji quickly exited the Ishtar Familia's stronghold.
Due to the suddenness of the event, the Amazonesses and customers outside had not yet realized what had happened. He swiftly blended into the crowd and disappeared into the dark night.
Soon after, Phryne's decapitated body was discovered, causing a massive uproar within the Ishtar Familia.
As the news spread among customers from all corners of the world, the death of the Ishtar Familia's Level 5 captain spread throughout Orario in just one night.
But by then, Eiji had long left the southeastern district.
Not only that—
"I finally rolled into a new world!"
***
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