"Impossible! Just how good are his kinetic vision and physical capabilities?"

"—「Gale Acceleration」!"

Parupatra responded immediately with another martial art.

That old fart is going way over the top! Has his brain already become a fossil?

"「Dragon Fang Thrust」!"

Using the same technique as before, Parupatra struck once more at Momon. The blade of his spear was brimming with a white layer of coldness which came from the ‘White Dragon Fang Thrust’ he used this time.

A four hit consecutive attack that didn’t give the opponent any breathing room—

A commotion could be heard from amongst the audience watching.

Of course. Even an attack like that wasn’t able to land a single hit or scratch on Momon’s armor.

Parupatra quickly leaped away to create some distance from Momon. Sweat started to build up on his forehead. It wasn’t from exhausting his stamina, but rather from the sheer amount of mental pressure he received during the face off against death.

"Amazing!"

"—Stronger than Hekkeran."

"Obviously, Arche. Don’t use me as a comparison. What you’re seeing there is the highest of the adventurers. The absolute peak of everything. The power of an adamantite-ranked adventurer."

"Well then, looks like it’s my turn to attack."

Momon slowly raised  his staff, entering a stance. In contrast, Parupatra rested his spear on his shoulder, relaxing his posture. He was giving up, having completely lost any will to fight.

"Magnificent. I give up, I resign. Forget about winning, this old man can’t even put a scratch on your armor."

"…Is that so."

Towards Parupatra who announced his loss, the majority of the audience gave off a "uooooh" sound as they sighed. It was without a doubt, an overwhelming victory by Momon, as if he was an adult who played around with a child.

Discussions such as “which martial-arts-school did the footwork technique used by Momon belong to?” started to appear as the overly excited audience began to share their thoughts with each other. Not caring about these things, Hekkeran and Greenham walked towards Parupatra who was busy wiping away his sweat while conversing with Momon.

"Already done, senior?"

It feels as if the atmosphere and speaking tone suddenly changed.

"…I thought you wanted to display your real ability."

"…hya hya hya. That would be too much for an old man like me. What I’ve shown is already my real ability, Momon-dono."

"—Ah, my apologies for being disrespectful."

"No need to apologize, but to be honest I am quite sad about it. Also, you don’t need to be so modest with your words. What we old timers respect is strength and not who has lived longer. To be treated with so much respect by someone as overwhelmingly strong as you just doesn’t make me feel good."

"…I see. So be it then. However, to just end it here like this without letting me even take a swing leaves a bad aftertaste for me. If there’s going to be a next time, I’ll be the one to start. Well then, I will have to get back to moving the luggage."

"There are other people already working on it. You shouldn’t need to be doing that right?"

"I do not think so. No matter what kind of status I have, when a task is assigned to me, I must still finish it properly."

Having said that, Momon turned around and headed back towards the carriages. Following him was the woman possessing peerless beauty. Hekkeran and Greenham whose path crossed by couldn’t stop their eyes from being glued to them once more.

Entranced by the silhouette of the larger than life’s back of Momon.

"Hya hya, you’re making the face of a man wanting to ask questions."

"—Elder, what was your thoughts on this?"

Parupatra’s wrinkled face started to distort, as if wanting to smile bitterly.

"Very strong. No, that should be as expected due to being adamantite ranked. However, I never imagined to what extent that was. The moment we clashed, I got the feeling that no matter how I attack, I would never be able to hit him."

Hekkeran had the exact same feeling. Every single attack of his would probably be evaded by the  man named Momon, and then the counterattack would come. Even if he was able to land a hit after using the best tricks he could think of, the image of his attack being repelled by that armor still appeared in Hekkeran’s mind. Parupatra, who experienced it firsthand, must have received an even stronger impression.

"So that’s… the adamantite rank huh?"

"That’s right. That’s the so called adamantite level. A realm where only few can ever reach. Aahh, truly magnificently stunning. A height that you cannot reach and touch… Well, are you guys satisfied from witnessing this?"

"Without a doubt! Thanks to being an observer, I was able to see the whole thing in detail. If I had been the one fighting, I would have never been able to calmly observe everything. Although I have to apologize for saying this to Elder, but personally, I really wanted to see the Momon-dono the moment he was about to attack."

"That wouldn’t have been possible. Momon-dono never had the intention to attack in the first place. He didn’t even show any fighting spirit. Most likely, it was just as he had said, that he wasn’t used to holding back. If he had really attacked, Elder most likely would have lost his life."

If it was said like that, it would indeed sound quite arrogant. Elder Parupatra was also a warrior of considerable strength, a veteran that should not be underestimated.

However, it was exactly because having achieved it showed just how strong adamantite rank adventurers truly are.

"That can’t be helped. There’s a huge difference in strength between this old man and that person. Even though I was quite unhappy about it, there is nothing I can say after he was able to evade all of these attacks like nothing

That was what it meant to be strong.

Choosing a weapon that he wasn’t familiar with, where the weight and balance was completely different, showed just how much confidence he had in his own abilities. The difference between the two was just that big.

With a final sentence of "so tiring, so tiring", Parupatra turned and walked away towards the carriages.

As Parupatra’s figure gradually got further and further away, Hekkeran heard him utter the following words.

"Even during my prime I was unable to reach that level, so that is the adamantite rank huh… too distant to ever reach."

Parupatra’s figure seemed much smaller when compared to that of Momon’s, which gave off an overwhelming pressure.

"So that’s the highest rank… adamantite."

"Yeah. Truly amazing."

Only the sound of agreement could be heard from those two.

Part 2

On a stone-paved road in Arwintar, a carriage sped by like the wind.

The creature pulling the luxurious carriage was an eight-legged beast, a Sleipnir. Two skilled-looking warriors were seated on the front platform, on the roof of the carriage. The area where the luggage was usually stored had been modified to seat a group of four magic casters and archers, who were watching the surrounding with wary eyes.

It could be described as a mobile stronghold traveling under high security in broad daylight. And of course, the one riding inside was of a fittingly high status.

Just by looking at the emblem on the side of the carriage, which consisted of three overlapping staffs, everyone with a certain level of knowledge/culture would be able to tell who was sitting inside and who the owner of this carriage was. As such, the knights standing guard did not make any sound.