Ogun found himself wary inspite of himself.
His heartbeat slightly spoked up and he felt saliva gathering in his throat as it itched.
A cold pressure enveloped him; like tiny icicles piercing his skin and fusing him to back off.
The ebony man could not ignore these feelings
And so, he raised his club and asked the stranger who had displayed miraculous feats before him a simple, but pertinent question.
"Who… are you?!"
The man in the mask was a mystery. According to the intel he had received, the strongest in the KariBlanc Group—other than their leader himself—was Yuri.
There were also a few other notable individuals strong in the KariBlanc Group, but none matched the description of the man who stood before him.
No one mentioned anything about this guy, which meant he wasn't in the group, or perhaps wasn't simply regarded as strong.
But now that Ogun was staring at him now, he could tell without a doubt—
'He's stronger than that Yuri girl!'
Despite how Ogun looked and acted, he was actually a very logical individual.
He prided himself on the ability to think and make sensible decisions alongside the power to pummel down his enemies.
His intelligence was looked down on by the other Nine Heads, but he considered himself a master strategist.
'That man is strong. But is he stronger than me?'
So far, Ogun had seen him do a bunch of things that shouldn't have been possible by normal standards.
'He healed the girl instantly, and he also teleported her to the rest of the group. As for them…' Ogun slightly shifted his gaze towards the other KariBlanc members and their merchandise.
'… He is also protecting them with a barrier.'
All of these seemed to be high-level Skills that required some form of specialization.
There was no way he could have all of them at once—talkless of using them freely.
'They must be one-time use Skills. Or maybe even have large cooldowns.'
There was also the possibility that these were simply the effects of items—most likely consumables.
'Yes… yes, that's definitely it!'
Ogun simply couldn't imagine a scenario where this man before him was stronger.
"My name is Ogun! Warrior of Blood and Iron. I am a proud member of the Nine Heads of Destruction." Upon seeing that the masked man didn't respond, Ogun had to take the initiative.
As he spoke, he reminded himself of just how powerful he was.
'I'm a big deal, you know?'
Broadening his lips, he displayed his fanged teeth with such ferocity you'd think he was a wolf beast.
"The Great Ogun is asking you a question. You would do well not to waste my time and answer!"
As he said this, Ogun smashed his club's head on the ground, causing a small explosion of pressure.
Cheers from his men echoed into the air as they roared his name and sang his praises
"Hehehehe… hahahaha!!"
To him, all of it was music to his ears.
However, to the opponent…it had to symbolize danger.
'He's been standing there and watching while I beat the Yuri brat. I doubt he's very strong!'
Once Ogun convinced himself of this, completely erasing the memory of how the man had stopped his club mid-motion; or that the man was fast enough to leave his position without even alerting him.
No…
None of those mattered now.
"Since you've clearly proven yourself to be a mute, then I'd better put you out of your misery." Ogun smiled as he took a step forward.
"Weaklings like you should be—"
"Hey, can I ask a question?" The deep voice of the man in the mask suddenly pierced the air.
It caused instant silence, prompting even the cheering audience to cease their noises.
Ogun felt a bead of sweat forming on his face for no good reason.
"Tch. I don't need to—!" He ignored the question and was about to take a step forward.
Then—!
~BOOM!~
The earth before Ogun was destroyed by what pleaded to be claw marks.
It looked like five claws had scraped the ground, digging several layers inside as they shattered hard rock.
And all of it happened in an instant; faster than even his eyes could process.
"Are you the strongest of the Nine Heads of Destruction? If not, where would you rank your strength?"
The moment he heard this, Ogun felt a wave of shock course through him.
'Why is he asking me such a question?!'
He quickly shrugged it off as the nonsensical babblings that a desperate man would utter.
"Dead men do not need to know such things!" He grinned.
"Hmm. True, but I do not see how that applies here…"
As Ogun heard this rebuttal, an uneasy feeling began to take over his body.
Only a handful of people could talk back at him when he spoke.
He wasn't comfortable in adding another to the list.
"Dead men indeed do not need to know certain things. That's why I didn't respond when you asked for my name."
Upon hearing, Ogun flared up instantly.
"You fool! You dare say such in my presence? I hope you can back those arrogant words with your actions!" He smashed his club on the ground again, creating massive cracks.
He was done thinking or analyzing.
He was a Barbarian, so he simply had to fight like one.
'[Power Output]! [Intimidation Aura]!'
As soon as his thoughts echoed in the depths of his mind, his muscles swelled with overflowing energy.
Ogun didn't have a wide array of Skills. He preferred the term "quality over quantity."
Or, perhaps he was only stuck with a few Skills because he hardly did anything consistently to warrant him getting a new one.
But, Ogun didn't care.
He was plenty strong as he was now—far stronger than most humans could ever be in their lives.
'I can only think of two or three members of the Nine Heads that can match me in sheer power!'
He had the most destructive offense, and coupled with his impenetrable defense, he was truly invincible.
"I'll show you why you truly shouldn't have messed with me!" With veins appearing all over his head, Ogun licked his lips in anticipation.
"I'll beat you to a pulp!"
*