The barren desert stretched endlessly, a vast expanse under a harsh, cold wind that whipped up sand and grit. The desotion felt raw and coarse. In the far distance, blood-red mountains y across the horizon, unduting and rolling like a living thing, though it was hard to say if they were real or just a mirage.

  "What is this pce?" EeDeChi carefully surveyed her surroundings. After being unexpectedly swallowed by the door, she found herself in this desote nd. But EeDeChi had a feeling—she had been "pulled" here by some unseen force.

  "It's just a good pce for a fight," Sebas answered, standing not far from EeDeChi. His bck suit trousers and crisp white shirt tucked into his waistband stood in stark contrast against the oil-painting-like backdrop of the barren desert, as if he was a simple sketch drawn on a canvas that didn't belong.

  "Oh come on, old man. Last time at the Great Tomb of Nazarick, I didn't even use my full strength. Besides, I didn't have a weapon then," EeDeChi said, pulling out a simple yet massive giant sword, its tip aimed directly at Sebas. "But don't worry, I'll hold back. I'm not gonna kill you. After all, your Justice Value is 300, and I'm sure your wife is waiting for you at home, right?"

  The giant sword in her hands was straightforward and fierce, its spine straight, but the bde itself was dull.

  "No need for that," Sebas replied solemnly, his eyes steady. "Your confidence is a little too much. Can I ask you something? Last time when my colleagues cornered you and you jumped into that bck crack... How did you manage to escape? And what did you see in that bck crack?"

  "Isn't that a spatial rift? What's so surprising about it? Don't you have a skill called 'Spatial Ssh'?" EeDeChi held her giant sword, reflecting on the st fight with Sebas, analyzing her opponent's skills and combat style.

  Sebas gently shook his head. "Everything in this world relies on space to exist, like fish in water. Some magic and martial arts can indeed shatter, split, or tear apart space, causing damage beyond compare.

  "But the bck rift is different. It's both a spatial crack and not one at all. It's like a canvas of the world being torn. Lord Ainz has explored it, but still has no answers. What did you see inside the bck spatial rift?"

  "Nothing. Just emptiness," EeDeChi slid her feet sideways, getting into a combat stance.

  Wait a minute, she suddenly remembered the sound she had heard inside the spatial rift. The sound was ethereal and distant, as if it came from the ancient depths of the universe. But who had made that sound? EeDeChi still couldn't figure it out.

  "Your sword is comparable to a World Item, and I'm unarmed. Isn't that a little unfair?" Sebas smiled gently.

  "Why are we talking about fairness in a fight? You think this is a duel in an arena?" EeDeChi said impatiently.

  "But we are in an arena," Sebas' tone suddenly rose, "We must pursue fairness!"

  EeDeChi's giant sword suddenly slipped from her grip, soaring into the sky, drifting higher and higher until it hung in the gray, misty heavens.

  "You..." EeDeChi was weaponless, stunned beyond belief. She realized something was wrong with this pce.

  "This is the duel space of the World Item, Knife and Chopping Board," Sebas said. "Only hand-to-hand combat is allowed. One side must either be defeated, or the owner of Knife and Chopping Board must give the command for both to leave this space. The term 'Knife and Chopping Board' means: I'm the knife, and you're the meat!"

  Golden light fshed in Sebas' eyes as he transformed into his dragonoid form. His white shirt and suit pants shredded like a cocoon, and pieces of fabric scattered in the air. What stood in pce of Sebas now was a dragonoid, muscles bulging, scales sharp and angur, cws like long knives in his hands.

  No wonder I got dragged into this—it's a World Item. EeDeChi nodded slightly, then pointed at Sebas. "Even barehanded, I can beat you half to death!"

  Sebas exhaled a bst of scorching dragon breath. "Is that so? This is my turf!"

  He raised his hand, and in an instant, the ground to EeDeChi's left and right cracked open, rising into two massive mountains. The mountains closed in like giant hands, smming down on EeDeChi with a "bang."

  Sebas charged forward, his dragon cws sshing, creating brutal, cutting arcs of light.

  "Spatial Ssh!"

  The two towering mountains colpsed into six neat yers of rock. As the debris and soil shattered, a streak of rapid bck lightning shot toward Sebas.

  EeDeChi roared as she swung her fists, which were as heavy as warhammers. She narrowly dodged Sebas' cws, but her fists collided with his armored scales. Their fists and cws cshed like rushing rivers, each exchange happening faster than the st, hundreds of times in an instant.

  Blows nded hard, and cws sshed like knives. The battle raged from the sky down to the ground, the air crackling with thunderous shockwaves. The earth was torn apart, deep craters appearing as if meteors had struck.

  "Rrriiip!" EeDeChi's right shoulder tore open, a long, narrow line of bright red blood bursting out. She took a deep breath and leaped back, retreating over a hundred meters. She examined her wound—deep enough to see bone. There were several other cuts on her body, and her clothes were torn, blood gushing out.

  Her powerful healing ability was working frantically to close the wounds. EeDeChi gritted her teeth, gring at Sebas, her eyes burning with raging fury.

  In terms of speed and strength, EeDeChi was definitely not at a disadvantage. When physical abilities and basic strength were nearly even, it came down to combat skills and the experience forged by countless life-or-death battles.

  Back when they fought in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Sebas' martial arts hadn't surpassed hers by much. Otherwise, the fight wouldn't have ended in a draw.

  But now, it seemed like Sebas could easily predict the range, direction, and distance of her punches. Even when EeDeChi tried to change her attack on the fly, Sebas anticipated her moves, adjusting quickly to counter her punches.

  It felt like her fists were hitting water—creating a massive spsh, but no real impact. Sebas' skills hadn't changed much since st time, but he was always one step ahead of her, taking full advantage of every opening.