Now that she'd reached 4th class, the sheer size of Zara's beast form had reached untold proportions. If she truly expanded to her greatest size, she would become a being that stood a few hundred kilometers in height.
For a large-scale brawl, this form would allow her to net a greater amount of damage for the same amount of effort. Since she was only fighting a single opponent, though, Zara made sure to limit her size to the appropriate level.
She wasn't much bigger than Ria when they clashed. Her terrifying paws were coated in a deep blackness that seemed to suck one's soul. Her gaping maw was lined with razor-sharp teeth sharper than any Chaos-ranked artifact.
With this body made for killing, she became a completely different monster. The way she used her Laws also morphed, becoming more bestial and instinctual.
Concepts like techniques were simply thrown to the wind.
BOOM!
Ria's body slammed into Zara's side heavily, the dark red aura around her expanding into a material construct and exponentially heightening her striking power.
"Keuk!"
Zara coughed out a mouthful of blood, but didn't budge from her spot. Shadows shot up from the ground and mounted her to her position. At the same time, a massive shard of ice jutted out from the area Ria impacted, heading straight for her forehead!
"Haa!" Ria shouted enthusiastically. She ducked her body under the ice shard and punched upward, shattering it with a single fist. Her leg kicked up at Zara's underbelly in hopes of finding a weak spot.
Bang!
Zara bowled in pain. In the first place, Ria was stronger than her purely based on levels. Zara's advantages came in the form of elemental affinities and human techniques, both of which she learned to use in the outside world.
Ria's striking range was limited to where her body could reach. But for Zara…
The underbelly that Ria tried to attack was coated in a thick layer of ice. Even the shadows projected by her body onto the ground responded to her calls, forming an airtight defense for her most obvious weak spot.
Ria's kick made impact, and the shockwave caused Zara immense pain, but she didn't get off scot-free either. She found a murky black layer of frost covering her leg, slowing her movement by a small amount.
Only, this small amount would become far greater if she allowed Zara to continue. Ria narrowed her eyes. She wasn't used to fighting against somebody who could counter her so well. In Aquazyl, there were no clans who held either shadow or ice affinities, both of which being exclusive to creatures of the surface or of environments that matched their affinities.
Despite Aquazyl's denizens living their lives nocturnally, they were never truly connected to the darkened. Instead, their Sea God bloodline forced them to maintain a connection with the sea alone.
The two clashed for what seemed like the thousandth time. Regardless of how much blood they lost or how brutal their fight became, neither seemed to have any intention of stopping.
Off to the side, high-ranking members of the Oga Clan watched in awe.
There were never enough opponents. Whenever enemies came, the elders were usually enough to slaughter them. In reality, they'd rarely ever seen their Clan Head fight to her full capabilities.
At the same time, nobody dared to fight her and find out her limits. They were well aware based on her aura alone how much stronger she was than them.
But seeing this current battle, they realized they'd vastly underestimated their Clan Head. The mere shockwaves from the ongoing clash continuously forced their bodies back, and that was after they'd been dispersed by the seawater!
Among this group, the Great Elder was especially shaken. Zara could fight head-to-head with the Clan Head…
What right did she have to act the way she did?
Her body shivered in terror. If Zara didn't hold back during their previous interaction…
'It's not too late…it's not too late…' she chanted religiously in her head. As long as she could keep her life, she didn't mind becoming Zara's dog.
She wasn't someone with a strong mentality, anyway. She was the type to vent her inferiority complex on those under her.
Nevertheless, the Great Elder received several pitying glances from the surrounding elders while they observed the battle.
At this time…
Zara and Ria stood 10 meters apart. Zara's fur was matted in blood, deep holes puncturing into her body. Rather than external injuries, the internal injuries she wracked up were far more terrifying.
As for Ria, she was also covered in blood from head to toe. Harrowing gashes ruined her toned visage, making her seem like a mutated science experiment rather than a sentient being.
Blood dripped down her face and splashed into her eyes and mouth. She licked her lips and savored its taste.
"It's been so long…it's been so long since I could fight like this! Kuahahahahaha!" She roared. She'd truly gone mad from battlelust.
Zara watched her indifferently, but internally, she was suppressing the same madness that Ria was letting loose.
'This battle won't end for a very long time…we are evenly matched in physical defense, and while her physical attack is better than mine, my elemental attacks can match her. If this goes on…'
"Enough." She spoke out loud, attracting Ria's attention.
"Enough? You think this is enough?! It won't be enough until one of us is dead!" Ria shouted in protest.
Zara shook her head. "Get it together. We aren't here to fight each other, but to talk about cooperating. Continuing further isn't good for us."
No matter how much she wanted to continue fighting, she knew her priorities. It wasn't just Damien who wished to finish their part in this war quickly and return to Hidden Death Valley.
Zara also had this desire. She wanted to compete with peak geniuses who were similar in age to her. Aside from that, she wanted to see the ongoing war.
The Nox played a large role in her origins. She could grow by consuming their power, as she'd learned through the Death Seed. Rather than waste time in a fight where she would gain nothing, she chose progress.
The Zara of the past would've never made this decision, nor would she have even realized the decision's existence in the first place.
"I refuse to end this fight without declaring a winner!" Ria said. After listening to Zara, she did manage to regain a semblance of sanity. She understood clearly how important Zara's proposal would be to the Oga Clan's survival.
But still, she couldn't run from her nature. It was in her blood to fight until the brutal end.
Zara sighed. She figured it would be this way. Then, there was no other choice.
"The solution is simple. Instead of physical combat, let's compete in status."
"Status?" Ria asked, tilting her head curiously.
Zara nodded in affirmation. "Right. You're a Godbeast descendant, aren't you? Let's compete in bloodlines. The first to fall to the other's suppression loses."
Ria raised her brow in surprise and said, "hm? You want to compete with me in bloodlines? Haha, you're quite the confident one!"
Her aura flared in excitement. "If it's bloodlines, I will never lose! Come! Show me what gives you the confidence to contend with the Sea God!"
