Frondier menatap senjata Renzo. Pedang besar Renzo telah hancur oleh Mjölnir. Sebagai gantinya, ia menggenggam tombak yang lebih panjang dari tinggi tubuhnya di tangan kanan. Hal itu semakin menegangkan Frondier. Dewa Renzo, Ares, adalah penguasa segala senjata sesuai namanya, tetapi ia terutama unggul dalam ilmu tombak. Ia bahkan memiliki tombak kesayangan di antara tombak-tombak yang disebut 'Enkephalos.' Jika tombak itu adalah Enkephalos, berarti Renzo sedang memegang tombak kesayangan dewanya. "Sampai kapan kau mau bertahan di atas kereta? Kau mau meledak bersama penumpangnya?" Renzo sengaja tidak menyerang Frondier yang berada di atas kereta. Ia tidak tertarik pada penumpang lain. Ia tidak berniat menyandera mereka. Setelah mengatakan itu, Frondier menarik napas. Sebuah Rune raksasa terbentang bersamaan dengan ucapan itu. Renzo mendengus geli melihat skala Rune yang menyebar tanpa batas itu. Ia menarik napas dalam-dalam seperti sedang mencium wangi yang menyenangkan. "Ya, sekarang aku ingat. Rune itu, kau memang punya itu." Frondier menggunakan aura-nya untuk naik dengan Menosorpo. Mata Renzo berbinar. 'Dia menggunakan aura. Aku bisa merasakannya tapi tidak bisa melihatnya dengan mataku. Aura 'tanpa warna'!' Renzo menelan seruannya dan berkata. "Aura, dan 'terbang.' Kau sudah banyak berkembang selama kepergianku, Frondier." Frondier, yang mengamati Renzo mengoceh, mengalihkan pandangannya ke lengan kanan Renzo—entah itu sebagai provokasi atau ketulusan. Itu adalah lengan prostetik Renzo. "Aku pernah melihat itu di suatu tempat." "Aku dapat satu. Menjengkelkan, tapi ini jelas lebih kokoh daripada lenganku yang asli. Kau tidak akan bisa memotongnya dengan mudah lagi. Tentu saja, hanya jika kau berhasil menembus aura-ku." Frondier mengamati lengan prostetik yang terpasang pada Renzo. Persendiannya. Pemasangannya tidak rapi, bengkok karena paksaan. Keadaan bagian dalam lengannya pasti mengerikan. "......Punya Thompson, ya." Frondier tertawa penuh arti. "Sama sepertimu, Renzo." Pakaian Renzo berkibar. Aura membungkus tubuhnya, dan energi merah menyelimutinya. Aura dan kekuatan ilahi Ares. Renzo melepaskan semuanya dalam sekejap. Rasa lengah yang ia tunjukkan saat pertama bertemu, batasan bahwa ia tidak boleh membunuh Frondier, semuanya lenyap. Berkat itu, wajah Renzo kini terangkat penuh kegembiraan. "Aku tidak akan menahan diri lagi. Aku akan membunuhmu dengan seluruh kekuatanku." Dengan senyum cerah, namun dengan keganasan yang tidak cocok, Renzo berkata, melemparkan niat membunuh yang dahsyat ke arah Frondier. Frondier menerima senyum itu dengan senyumannya sendiri. Frondier menelan Nadi Dragon yang telah ia Weaving. Mana-nya meledak dalam pertumbuhan, dan dasi yang ia kenakan bersinar terang. Aura tanpa warna terpengaruh dan melonjak hebat. "Akulah yang membuatnya paling menyenangkan untukmu, kan?" Aura dahsyat Frondier dan kata-kata tanpa rasa takut. Renzo menatapnya dengan mata terkejut sesaat, lalu tersenyum lagi. "Benar. Memang." Di belakang Frondier, kereta rel udara melintas ke sisi lain. Keduanya secara naluriah tahu. Saat kereta benar-benar menghilang akan menjadi awal pertempuran mereka. Frondier tidak ingin melibatkan warga, dan Renzo menginginkan Frondier dalam kekuatan penuh. Keinginan mereka sejalan. Meski waktu hingga kereta menghilang singkat, Renzo merasakan tubuhnya gatal, membuka dan menutup kepalan tangannya. Dan saat kereta benar-benar lenyap, senyum Renzo semakin dalam. Renzo mencoba menyerang Frondier tapi tiba-tiba terjungkal ke satu sisi. Keseimbangan tubuhnya goyah. Secara naluriah, ia menoleh ke kiri. Ada sebilah pedang melayang di udara. Frondier telah memotong benang yang menopang Renzo dengan pedang itu. Tanpa penopang, Renzo jatuh melalui udara. Renzo jatuh. Menatapnya dari atas, Frondier berkata, "Wajah macam apa itu, seperti bertanya bagaimana aku tahu." Frondier menyeringai dengan wajah jahat. Tindakan kejamnya tidak berhenti di situ. Khryselakatos, Lokhiera Frondier menenun busur dan anak panah, membidik Renzo yang jatuh. "Hanya melayang di sana saja butuh bantuan Cain, jadi memblokir ini sambil jatuh pasti sulit, kan?" Sebelum Renzo bisa berkata apa-apa, Harmoni 'Hujan Jatuh' dan 'Sure Hit' diluncurkan. Berubah menjadi 'kembang api', mereka terbang menuju Renzo. "Kau pengecut baaaangsaat!!!" Bahkan sambil jatuh, Renzo mengulurkan tombaknya dan mengayunkannya. Momentum, yang dipenuhi kekuatan ilahi dan aura, menyerupai badai. Banyak anak panah terjebak dalam angin ini dan terhempas. Ini adalah teknik yang digunakan dalam pertempuran sebelumnya untuk menjatuhkan 'Hujan Jatuh', tapi kali ini, bukan 'Hujan Jatuh' yang sama. "Ini benar-benar seperti hujan deras!" Dan semuanya membidik Renzo. Bahkan setelah terdorong sekali, masih banyak anak panah tersisa. Renzo pernah membandingkan 'Hujan Jatuh' dengan seratus pemanah, tapi kini anak panahnya berlipat menjadi sepuluh ribu dalam sekejap. Jika perbandingan itu berlaku, kini anak panahnya masuk kategori 'legiun'. Tangan Renzo bergerak ke belakang punggungnya. "Aku tidak ingin menunjukkan ini secepat ini!" Yang dikeluarkan Renzo dari balik punggungnya adalah sebuah perisai. Tidak terlalu besar karena bisa ia sembunyikan dengan punggungnya. Renzo membenturkan tombak dan perisai bersamaan sekali. Dan saat ia mendorong perisai ke depan. Anak panah yang menghujani terpental. Tidak hanya yang mengenai perisai, tapi juga anak panah di luar jangkauan perisai mulai terpental saat mendekati Renzo. Frondier menyipitkan mata melihat pemandangan itu. Perisai kecil itu memblokir setiap serangan yang datang tanpa memandang areanya. Dalam kasus ini, menjadi kecil sama sekali bukan kerugian. "Itu bukan aura Renzo. Itu kekuatan perisai." Jika ia sama terampilnya dalam memanipulasi aura seperti Pascal, menyebarkannya seperti perisai, tidak akan ada kebutuhan untuk mengeluarkan perisai itu sejak awal. Ia menyembunyikannya di balik punggung seolah itu sesuatu yang penting. Setelah desis berisik anak panah berhenti, Renzo, yang berlutut di tanah, berdiri. Tidak ada satu pun goresan di tubuhnya. Ia telah memblokir ledakan kembang api tanpa kerusakan. Namun, bahu Renzo sedikit terkulai, dan napas yang ia hembuskan panjang dan dalam. '…Dia lega. Berarti dia tadi tegang.' Frondier mengonfirmasi itu. Renzo sangat buruk dalam menyembunyikan ekspresinya dan tidak punya kemampuan akting. 'Jika dia bisa memblokirnya bagaimanapun juga, kenapa dia tegang?' Mungkin perisai itu, meski tampak sempurna, tidak begitu? Apakah Renzo tidak terluka sekarang sebagian karena keberuntungan? "Aku tidak bisa membiarkannya terjadi!" Renzo berteriak keras saat itu. "Aku hampir lupa. Kau tipe yang pandai menggunakan akalmu!" Renzo melompat di tempat. Dengan melompat, ia mencapai ketinggian mata yang sama dengan Frondier yang terbang. "…Dasar gila." "Benar, kau memanggilku!" Frondier cepat menarik pedang pendek, dan pedang itu bertabrakan dengan tombak Renzo. Frondier terhuyung. Jika sampai pada kontes kekuatan sederhana, Frondier berada di posisi yang merugikan. "Sialan, berhenti melayang seperti pengecut!" Karena Renzo hanya melompat untuk menyerang, ia kurang dukungan untuk terus mendorong Frondier mundur. Setelah senjata bertabrakan sekali, ia jatuh kembali ke tanah. Frondier menatap Renzo dari atas, berpikir. 'Aku perlu mencari tahu apa perisai itu. Dan tombak itu juga.' Renzo, memegang perisai dan tombak sekaligus. Frondier merasa gelisah melihat siluet itu. Tapi bagaimana cara mengetahuinya? Sejauh ini, aku fokus memahami seluk-beluk musuhku dengan menggunakan informasi yang sudah kuketahui dan menghabiskan waktu untuk itu. Jika mereka menyembunyikan sesuatu, aku akan menguji berbagai metode dan menyimpulkan dari sana. Tidak mungkin mereka akan memberitahuku jika aku hanya bertanya. Semua musuh yang kujumpai sejauh ini cerdik–
Bonus chapter thanks to @Damoon and @Kabir from Ko-fi!
Frondier looked at Renzo’s weapon. Renzo’s great sword was shattered by Mjölnir. Instead, he was holding a spear that was longer than his height in his right hand. It heightened Frondier’s tension. Renzo’s God, Ares, is the master of all weapons as his name suggests, but he especially excels in spearmanship. He even has a beloved spear among spears called ‘Enkephalos.’ If that spear were Enkephalos, then that means Renzo is holding his God’s beloved spear. “How long are you going to stay on top of the train? Do you want to blow up with the passengers?” Renzo deliberately didn’t attack Frondier who was on top of the train. He had no interest in the other passengers. He had no intention of taking them hostage. After saying that, Frondier took a breath. A huge Rune unfolded along with his words. Renzo let out a chuckle upon seeing the scale of the infinitely spreading Rune. He took a deep breath as if he smelled a pleasant scent. “Yeah, now I remember. That Rune, you had that.” Frondier used his aura to rise up using Menosorpo. Renzo’s eyes lit up. ‘He’s using aura. I can feel it but I can’t see it with my eyes. An aura of ‘colorlessness’!’ Renzo swallowed his exclamation and spoke. “An aura, and ‘flight.’ You’ve improved a lot while I was gone, Frondier.” Frondier, who was watching Renzo chattering away, shifted his gaze to his right arm whether it was in provocation or sincerity. It was Renzo’s prosthetic arm. “I’ve seen that somewhere.” “I got one. It’s frustrating, but it’s definitely sturdier than my bare arm. You won’t be able to cut it off easily anymore. Of course, that’s only if you manage to pierce through my aura.” Frondier observed the prosthetic arm equipped on Renzo. The joint. It wasn’t properly done, it was twisted by force. The state of the inside of his arm must be gruesome. "......Thompson's, huh." Frondier let out a meaningful laugh. "Just like you, Renzo." Renzo's clothes billowed. Aura wrapped around his body, and a red energy draped over it. Aura and the divine power of Ares. Renzo released all of it in an instant. The complacency he had shown when they first met, the constraint that he shouldn't kill Frondier, all of it disappeared. Thanks to this, Renzo's face was now lifted in exhilaration. "I won't hold back anymore. I'll kill you with all my strength." With a refreshing smile, yet with a ferocity that didn't match, Renzo said, shooting a fierce killing intent towards Frondier. Frondier received that smile with a smile of his own. Frondier ingested the Dragon Heart he had Weaving. His mana exploded in growth, and the tie he wore shone brightly. The colorless aura was affected and surged greatly. "I'm the one who made it the most fun for you, right?" Frondier's fierce aura and fearless words. Renzo looked at them with surprised eyes for a moment, then smiled again. "That's right. Indeed." Behind Frondier, the train of the aerial railway was crossing to the other side. Both instinctively knew. The moment the train completely disappeared would be the start of their battle. Frondier didn't want to involve the citizens, and Renzo wanted Frondier at full strength. Their desires were aligned. Though it was a short time until the train disappeared, Renzo felt his body itching, opening and closing his fist. And the moment the train completely vanished, Renzo's smile deepened. Renzo attempted to charge at Frondier but suddenly leaned to one side. His body's balance was off. Instinctively, he looked to his left. There was a sword floating in mid-air. Frondier had cut the thread that was supporting Renzo with that sword. With nothing to support him, Renzo fell through the air. Renzo fell. Looking down at him, Frondier said, "What a face, as if asking how I knew." Frondier sneered with an evil face. His ruthless act didn't end there. Khryselakatos, Lokhiera Frondier wove a bow and arrow, aiming at the falling Renzo. "Just floating there required Cain's help, so blocking this while falling must be difficult, right?" Before Renzo could say anything, The harmony of 'Falling Rain' and 'Sure Hit' was launched. Turning into 'fireworks', they flew towards Renzo. "You cowardly baaaaastard!!!" Even while falling, Renzo extended his spear and swung it. The momentum, filled with divine power and aura, resembled a storm. Many arrows were caught in this wind and blown away. This was a technique used in previous battle to drop 'Falling Rain', but this time, it's not the same 'Falling Rain'. "It's really like a heavy rain!" And all of it was aiming for Renzo. Even after being pushed back once, there were still many arrows left. Renzo once compared 'Falling Rain' to a hundred archers, but now the arrows had multiplied to ten thousand in an instant. If the comparison held, now the arrows were in the 'legion' category. Renzo's hand went behind his back. "I didn't want to show this so soon!" What Renzo took out from behind his back was a shield. It wasn't very big since he could hide it with his back. Renzo clashed the spear and shield together once. And the moment he pushed the shield forward. The arrows raining down were deflected. Not only those that hit the shield but also arrows outside the shield's range began to deflect the moment they got close to Renzo. Frondier narrowed his eyes at the scene. That small shield was blocking every incoming attack regardless of its area. In this case, being small wasn't a disadvantage at all. "It's not Renzo's aura. It's the power of the shield." If he had been as skilled in manipulating aura like Pascal, spreading it out like a shield, there wouldn't have been any need to bring out that shield in the first place. He was hiding it behind his back as if it was something important. After the noisy hiss of arrows had ceased, Renzo, who had been kneeling on the ground, stood up. There wasn't a single scratch on his body. He had blocked the explosion of fireworks without any damage. However, Renzo's shoulders drooped slightly, and the breath he exhaled was long and deep. '…He's relieved. That means he was tense.' Frondier confirmed that. Renzo was terrible at hiding his expressions and had no acting skills. 'If he could block it anyway, why was he tense?' Maybe that shield, although it appears perfect, isn't? Is Renzo unscathed now partly due to luck? "I can't let it happen !" Renzo shouted loudly at that moment. "I almost forgot. You're the type who's good at using your wits!" Renzo jumped on the spot. By jumping, he reached the same eye level as the flying Frondier. "…This crazy bastard." "Right, did you call me!" Frondier quickly drew a short sword, and it collided with Renzo's spear. Frondier staggered. If it came down to a simple contest of strength, Frondier was at a disadvantage. "Damn it, stop hovering cowardly!" Since Renzo had simply jumped up to attack, he lacked the support to keep pushing Frondier back. After clashing weapons once, he fell back to the ground. Frondier looked down at Renzo, thought. 'I need to figure out what that shield is. And that spear too.' Renzo, holding both a shield and a spear. Frondier felt uneasy looking at that silhouette. But how to find out? So far, I've focused on understanding the ins and outs of my enemies by using the information I already knew and spending time on it. If they were hiding something, I would test various methods and infer from there. There's no way they would tell me if I just asked. All the enemies I've met so far have been clever–
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