"So far, everything is going as planned. There was a minor setback since Gram and Colorful Nimbus got eliminated before the two-minute mark, but there's nothing that can be done about that." Niflheim internalized as the countdown for him to teleport onto the platform neared its end.

Ideally, Gram and Colorful Nimbus would have survived the full two minutes against Tal'Nis; however, she was stronger than they anticipated.

The worse part of it was that Tal'Nis, instead of exposing her weaknesses or hitting some sort of limit, only seemed to be growing stronger with every confrontation.

"Is she toying with us? No... I'm not getting that feeling from her. Well, no matter. My objective doesn't change. I must force her to reveal at least one of her trump cards, and—I have to endure the entire two minutes." Niflheim thought to himself.

The next moment, Niflheim was transported to the platform's center. Upon arrival, Niflheim unsheathed his sword as a shield materialized in his other hand.

'We've already reached the halfway mark and all she has done is summon more swords while periodically infusing the blue flames into the blades carefully. If it was only capable of this much, not to mention the Immortal Hydra, even the Headless Horseman of the Abyss would've overwhelmed her.'

After observing Tal'Nis' matches against Gram and Colorful Nimbus, Izroth had suspicions regarding her unusual approach.

Earlier, Tal'Nis mentioned that crusades were a way for those who've ascended to leave behind their mark so that they would not be forgotten. Then, instead of an actual battle, she sets up a challenge that benefited them more than anything else.

But, what truly bothered Izroth was being reminded of Guide's warning and advice.

"Everything that appears before you is an enemy in one way or another without exception" and "For the third stage, do not think about winning against what you face."—these two warnings were what troubled Izroth.

At first, he simply brushed it off as Guide's way of making sure they kept their guard up at all times. Or, perhaps it was a mind games ploy, and Guide himself was also an enemy despite claiming to be their only ally. Whatever the case, for some reason, the longer he watched Tal'Nis, the more Izroth could not shake Guide's words.

'What was he trying to tell us?'

As this thought crossed Izroth's mind, he set his sights on the platform's center as the match was about to start. He hoped that Niflheim would be able to verify some of his suspicions. After all, if there was one person who was suited for surviving against an opponent one on one, it was Niflheim.

"Maw of the Devouring Beast." Niflheim raised his shield as the massive maw of a mighty beast rushed out towards Tal'Nis.

CHOMP!

The beast devoured Tal'Nis before dissipating, leaving Tal'Nis completely unharmed in the process.

"This one is a little more interesting than the two that came before him," Tal'Nis said to herself.

Swoosh!

Two of the swords by Tal'Nis' side sliced through the air as they aimed right for Niflheim!

"Assimilate," Niflheim called out just moments before the swords were about to strike!

〈Battle Alert: The skill «Assimilate» has failed!〉

Failed? Niflheim was shocked when he received the alert; however, he did not have time to think as he repositioned himself to intercept the two swords.

BANG!

Niflheim slid back one step but managed to firmly hold his ground as the blow's impact.

Heavy—this was the first word that came to Niflheim's mind when he blocked Tal'Nis' swords. Now, he could see why Gram and Colorful Nimbus struggled to survive a full two minutes. There were only so many times one could guard or parry against this kind of attack before their arms turned numb.

Fortunately, Niflheim had the advantage of a shield, which allowed the impact to be more evenly distributed.

"It failed?" Niflheim internalized as he inwardly furrowed his brows.

There were only two reasons that Assimilate would fail. The first was that the shield would be detrimental to Niflheim and provide lesser benefits than his shield at the time. As for the second reason, it was that he would be unable to control the newly acquired shield!

Given that Tal'Nis was a Hero Class individual, Niflheim concluded the first reason was too much of a stretch; therefore, it had to be the second.

However, if Niflheim could not find a way to successfully Assimilate, it would place him at a significant disadvantage!

The two swords returned to Tal'Nis as blue flames formed around the other two blades. At the same time, the blades exploded forward in a blue and white streak with incredible momentum.

"Rampart of the Passive Beast."

Rmmmmmble!

The surrounding area at the platform's center slightly trembled. Then, out of nowhere, a thick wall rose from the ground in between Niflheim and Tal'Nis.

The wall stood roughly four meters high, one meter in length, and nearly two meters thick.

Crash! Crrrrck!

Almost immediately after the wall appeared, the first sword with blue flames slammed into it, causing the wall's surface to develop several cracks.

The second sword reached the wall not even a second apart as it pierced through the spot right above where the first sword was impaled. This caused the wall to collapse and crumble to pieces.

Swoosh!

While the wall managed to somewhat slow it down, the second blade did not stop even after the wall's collapse and continued on its path to Niflheim.

"Hm? That is... I see. This must be why the aura I sensed earlier possessed an air of familiarity. You—are you the descendant or discipline of the Seventh Demon Clan?" Tal'Nis questioned as the swords retreated next to her with the flames around them extinguished.

"Seventh Demon Clan? Never heard of them. Though I don't mind hearing about them if you're in a talkative mood." Niflheim replied calmly.

〈Battle Alert: You have successfully used «Assimilate». A new shield has been added to your arsenal. Auto equipping...〉

This was the alert Niflheim got just as his Rampart of the Passive Beast was broken.

Since Assimilate only had a one-second cooldown, Niflheim continued to use it and planned to do so until he was successful. Though he never imagined that it would only take him one more attempt. It was as if his shield sensed the impending danger from Tal'Nis' attack and allowed him to call forth his newly assimilated shield.

"Still, this is more than just a little different from what I envisioned." Niflheim internalized.

The shield in his hand underwent drastic changes. It no longer had a physical and was replaced by formless light-blue flames that resembled what Tal'Nis used; however, its intensity, while fierce, was much less defined in comparison.

This was not Niflheim's first time obtaining an unusual shield, but out of the countless shields he acquired from using Assimilate, this was definitely the most unique in terms of appearance. Not to mention...

"What is this sensation? It feels like this shield is constantly flowing away from me every time I try to control it. And, whenever I let it go for even a split moment, it feels like I'm drowning." Niflheim thought to himself.

If he had to describe the sensation, it was similar to someone trying to keep water in their hand by balling up their fist. No matter how hard you tried to hold it, the water would flow out from your grasp.

"It's fine. If you don't know, perhaps it is your fate. Walk your own path. If it is truly meant to be, then the answer will reveal itself to you." Tal'Nis responded.

"Then, since you insist—I will show you the results of the path I've chosen up until this point." Niflheim shifted his stance. He then utilized Rush as he kicked off his back foot with a burst of movement speed!

'Oh? Are those flames his new shield?'

Izroth was unable to examine the shield from this distance with his Energy Vision Sense due to the barrier's interference; however, it gave off a similar aura to the flames Tal'Nis used.

Of course, there was a lack of Essence considering Niflheim lacked a Source. But, the flames he wielded seemed to possess a unique trait of their own.

'It appears to be in a state of instability. Will he be able to hold out for two minutes?'

Even from outside the platform and without the use of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth could tell that Niflheim was having some trouble controlling his newly acquired shield. However, given the power it contained, Izroth was not surprised.

'If he can find a way to control those flames, his combat potential will reach a new height.'

Niflheim swiftly closed the distance with Rush and arrived less than six meters away from Tal'Nis.

That's when Tal'Nis did something that went against all expectations. The four swords at her side disappeared—she got rid of them!

Niflheim inwardly frowned when he saw this action; however, he did not halt his steps.

"I don't know what she's up to, but I won't give her time to do it." Niflheim internalized.

...Plop

Suddenly, a single raindrop fell from the sky and landed right in front of Niflheim.