V1C25

"Babies don't come from storks!" Erica retorted at Luo Hao causing the latter to feel increasing shocked, "What do you mean? I have heard a lot of stories about babies being delivered by storks" Liliana was shocked to hear this facepalm herself because she could not believe what she heard from Luo Hao. Liliana turned her head looking towards Matteo in hopes he could resolve this issue fast, "Luo, are you sure your more than a hundred years old and not a middle school child forcibly grown with magic?" Matteo asked feeling quite surprised, just how pure is this girl's mind.

"You dare insult my intelligence!? I would let you know that I have been training in the mountain for a hundred years after I slew my first heretic God. After that, I managed to meet a few other Campione's but none of them ever questioned my intelligence!" Luo answered Matteo's question but her breathing was growing increasingly rough from rage, Matteo nodded his head "But do you not know that in order to create a baby then a man and woman should copulate? I am certain you saw animals do it didn't you?"

Hearing Matteo speak such vulgar things made Luo Hao remember the time she spotted two dogs before, remembering the scene her face burnt from embarrassment "You vulgar shameless man, you dare speak of such vulgar things in front of me and the girls! You intend to corrupt our minds!?" Matteo tilts his head at Luo's outburst before slamming the nail in to snap her rage, "Well every one of us will get to that point in life when we want children"

Luo shivered from rage as she felt like she was being compared to those two dogs, "You---!!! I'll make you a eunuch!" In a minor berserk state out of fury, Luo leaps at Matteo to attack him but before she could touch him her entire body froze, even her existence froze. Matteo was holding his palm towards Luo who was frozen in mid-air, "I will be leaving for now" Matteo spoke to the two girls before teleporting him and Luo far away from civilization and only then did he undo his time power.

But when Luo was unfrozen she did not continue attacking since she was still aware of her surroundings while Matteo froze her, "What kind of authority do you have?" Luo asked Matteo with vigilance in her eyes as she never came across an authority that bypasses Campione's defences like this one, however, only Matteo knew he could do it for limited time because of those said defences. "Who knows, any way you can forget about the jokes I made in regards to children... Why are you looking me for Luo?"

"Regardless of what you say I will still have to turn you into a eunuch for shaming me, and why can't I look for you. Since you entered my territory, isn't it courteous to first pay a visit to the rules?" Luo answered. Matteo, took his battle stance the moment he noticed her eagerness to fight was reflecting in her eyes. "This is no longer 100 years ago, we are living in the 20th-century young lady." Matteo retorted, "You should call me your highness!" Before Luo Hao appeared in front of Matteo he already enhanced his body with time power dodging her first palm strike, feeling an alarm going off in his head, Matteo knew he should not take her head-on.

"Last year we fought where the Sang-kan flows. This year it was Onion River Road. We've washed our swords in the Eastern Sea. Grazed our horses on Tian Shan's snowy side. A thousand miles are not enough for this war. Our armies grow old in their armour. Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl" Luo Hao began to sing her authority incantation as Matteo was feeling uncomfortable with sharp noises attacking him while the winds were placed pressure on him, just from seeing the surrounding trees were not being blown away was a testament to the fact she held back from going all out.

Just as Luo Hao was about to sing her second incantation to add her martial arts, Matteo muttered softly "Come to me, spells of the world carved into the book with disinherited knowledge" Matteo point his palm towards the ground as he completes the incantation "Manifest before me thy wonders and let the world know of the sorceries which is forgotten." Using the grimoire spellbook as his medium, Matteo channelled his mana while casting earth magic which created an empty hole beneath Luo.

Luo easily leap to the left but Matteo used that subtle distraction to teleport away from his current position behind her as he launches a kick at her head, but she blocked "You should know such childish attempts are for nought, for I am a master" Luo turned around wanting to attack Matteo, but thanks to his speed being enhanced to unnatural degree he was able to dodge her attacks. However, dodging was not the only thing he was doing since he was watching her movements.

"The root of my power of Vajra, now is the time for great might that can tear apart heaven and earth!! Divine Might of Vajrapani" While making use of the winds and the power of her voice to suppress Matteo was having little effect since Matteo was dealing with the winds by using his spellbook to ward off the wind by using the wind of his own. Realizing her hands were giving off a tint of transparency, Matteo's eyes squinted as he dodges her attacks only to realize that it became more powerful.

If it was not because Luo was a master, she might not have been able to cope with Matteo who was abnormally fast. He was fast for the world but the world was simply too slow for him because a mistake in thinking her next attack was a real one he dodge only to see it was a feint as Luo slammed her leg into his gut.

But the moment her leg connected she felt something abnormal as Matteo managed to catch her leg and held it firmly with his titan strength authority that was passive unlike hers that needed a chant to active. "You--- You have super strength as well!?" Luo Hao was surprised as Matteo twist his body in a spinning motion to throw Luo away from him, he gazed at his hands which was still shivering from the aftershocks of her kicks. 'She is seriously strong' He thought

Luo Hao was quite surprised, 'So far he displayed three authorities, just how many powers does this boy have!?' She was shocked, compared to her age where she had met quite a few heretic gods, Matteo already almost caught up with her in terms of the number of authorities. 'Will have to start to get serious' She thought as she took a step forward but suddenly thousands upon thousands magic circles materialized around her, it was at this moment Matteo felt a familiar voice giving him encouragement to use it, her bow.

"Shadows hiding within the twilight, blood with a colour darker than crimson that flows" Matteo muttered as all the magic circles began to change colour from transparency to crimson, "Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." He poured in his time power in this attack since he intends to give her a real blow, "Grant me the arrow to conquer all the foes who stand" Within Matteo's grasp a bow materialized while blood coloured arrowheads were emerging from the magic circle.

"Before the mighty Bow bestowed in my unworthy hand. Artemis's Last arrow!" The moment Matteo released the string to unleash the arrow he pulled with his bow, so did the arrows from the magic circle unleash a volley after volley of attacks at Luo Hao who was forced to use her Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl to fend off the arrows coated with divinity. However, there was a singular arrow that was travelling towards her at an incredible speed, if it was not for her experience she would have been killed here.

"Glowing sun, the brilliance of scorching lightning! Spirit of the heavens, the spirit of the earth, Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, make haste as commanded!" Upon the end of the incantation, a large avatar of Vajra in the form of a guardian statue appeared in front of Luo Hao but it exploded into pieces when the arrow came in contact, the aftershocks were powerful enough to send Luo back a few meters.

But suddenly her body froze in the familiar sensation as Matteo chanted an incantation "Oh guardian of the Land of Shadows. Protector of the entrance. Teacher of Heroes" a crimson red spear began to materialize his hand hands as he moved towards Luo Hao, "Bestow upon your filial last disciple your last inheritance. And grant me the power to pierce through my enemies" Just when Luo broke through the time freeze Matteo was close enough "And send them off to the land of Shadows Gáe Bolg!!" With a thrust, Luo Hao managed to dodge the strike but Matteo froze her body once more before slamming her head with the blunt end of the spear causing her to lose consciousness.

Seeing she was laying on the ground Matteo collapse on the ground feeling quite exhausted from expending most of his energy into containing her two times with his time authority, 'I will need to look for heretic gods that can aid me more in close combat and wide-scale attacks, my options are not enough especially in a fight where I can't kill since most of my strongest attacks are prone to kill instead of injuring' Matteo thought as he sits upright noticing Luo Hao also regained her consciousness.

"Guess we can stop it here?" Matteo spoke as he points at Luo's leg which had a scratch on it, a faint trace of blood could be seen from the edge of the scratch mark. "To think there would be one like thee in this world" Luo spoke with a face reluctant to stop the fight but Matteo pointed in a certain direction, turning to look what Matteo was pointing at, she saw Lu Yinghua running in full speed towards her.

"Master! You have been injured!" Lu came running pulling out a first aid kit from who knows where and began to treat Luo's leg carefully, seeing her disciple caring so much for her Luo almost forgotten her battle with Matteo, "I see you have quite a capable servant" Matteo muttered as he could see Lu was quite experienced in being a servant of Luo, "Of course since it was I who trained this disciple of mine to have benevolence as large as the yellow sea, a righteous heart ---"

Matteo ignored her and lowered himself, "Is she the cause of your speaking manner in such a subservient manner?" Hearing this Lu's face became pale while looking up at his master who had a displeased face, "Ye are quite bold to ignore the words of I..." Matteo look up at Luo with a smirk "You are proud of your disciple since you brought him up, have you not?" Hearing this Luo nodded believing that he had been listening to her at least so she will let it slide this once but then her eyes became stern again.

"What you mean by I am the cause of how he speaks? He is a servant so he should naturally be respectful!" Luo pouted as she looked towards the other side, now that she has gotten a proper look at Matteo's face she became a bit conscious of him since he was the first one to properly injure her. "You should study the way of the world Luo, if you are the empress you need to understand your people and how they live. You can have Lu teach you plenty of things" Matteo smirked suddenly he made Lu stopped as Matteo used temporal recovery as he reversed time for Luo Hao's wound to revert back to before it was injured.

Luo Hao blushed see how Matteo treated her leg so perfectly while Lu face cramped thinking he had been duped with a problem by Matteo, 'I don't like this Campione compared to others they do not make it hard for me' He thought while Luo snorted, "I will consider thee's proposal since ye managed to do more to me than the other two Campione's who could only dirty my clothes" Luo was not entirely convinced to follow Matteo's suggestions but since she had her pride as a Martial artist she had to concede. "But I still owe you a favour for healing my injury" Hearing Luo Hao's words Matteo felt shocked 'Th-This is a injury!?'

Meanwhile, during their combat, a certain crimsoned haired female was looking at the battle that unfold before her with a smile and eyes that could not hold back her anticipation in meeting the Campione of Time.