What is going on?
How the hell did this happen?
Why is this idiot so unbelievably strong?
Bruised and battered, Kaguya lay sprawled on the ground in the shape of a starfish while Alise sat on top of her and continued dishing out punishment.
But don't misunderstand. Alise was merely dealing damage in the purest sense of the word—using her fists to ruthlessly hammer Kaguya's face. She wasn't doing anything strange.
However, just because Alise wasn't doing anything weird didn't mean Kaguya wouldn't, especially not while she was the one getting beaten up.
Right as Alise was really getting into it, Kaguya suddenly reached out toward her head. She moved so fast that Alise couldn't fully react in time.
In terms of Power and Endurance, Kaguya naturally couldn't compare to Alise after Elise's brutal training. But when it came purely to speed, Kaguya was actually evenly matched with her. Combined with the techniques she had honed over many years, she could even surpass Alise in short bursts.
So Kaguya reached out without hesitation, aiming directly for...
Her hair?
She was actually going for the hair?
By the time Alise realized what was happening, her crimson hair had already been firmly seized in Kaguya's grasp.
"Aaaah! Don't mess with my hair! That's the soul of a fiery beauty!"
Alise looked at Kaguya in horror. The move had completely caught her off guard. She didn't even dare struggle too hard, otherwise her hair would definitely end up scattered all over the ground.
I don't want to go bald!
"Heh!"
Kaguya answered only with a scornful laugh.
"After beating me up for so long, it's your turn to bleed a little!"
She yanked hard on Alise's hair. The sheer resentment in her expression made Alise suspect that if she struggled too much, Kaguya would genuinely rip the hair straight from her scalp.
How could there be such a vicious woman?
Doesn't she know how important hair is to girls?
Left with no choice, Alise could only follow the direction Kaguya was pulling and fall sideways. Otherwise, she'd lose her hair.
Kaguya smoothly reversed their positions and straddled Alise instead. The situation had completely flipped around.
At this point, Kaguya no longer cared about the large patches of pale skin exposed after getting beaten around earlier. She clenched her fists and glared viciously down at Alise beneath her.
"The tides have turned. Now it's my turn, right?"
Before she even finished speaking, Kaguya copied Alise's earlier actions and launched her own assault.
However, after only a few punches, she was already struggling to keep Alise pinned down.
It couldn't be helped. The difference in strength between them was simply too massive. There was no way for Kaguya to make up that gap in such a short time.
But she could always use the same trick again!
Hair pulling!
"Are you done yet? Stop targeting my hair already!"
Feeling the pain on her scalp once again, Alise cried out loudly.
"Hah? Then was I beaten up for nothing earlier?"
Kaguya showed absolutely no intention of letting go. Instead, she pulled Alise's hair even harder.
"Forget it!"
Originally, Alise had planned to let Kaguya vent her anger with a few punches. But she never expected this woman to be so furious. If Kaguya got any more ruthless, Alise would definitely be the one at a disadvantage.
"If that's how it is, then I won't bother acting like a gentleman anymore either!"
Alise...
Chose to do exactly the same thing as Kaguya...
Hair pulling!
"You bastard! Don't you know how important hair is to a beautiful girl?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You're the one who started it first!"
The two of them grabbed each other's hair with one hand while using the other to relentlessly punch each other's faces.
The fighting style looked incredibly bizarre, even somewhat terrifying. Even Astraea could not help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Aaaah, I can't take this anymore! Let go already, you brute!"
"You're the one who grabbed my hair first. If anyone's letting go first, it should be you, you scheming woman!"
"We'll count to three and let go together!"
"Fine!"
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Then let go already, you liar!"
"You're still holding on too! How dare you accuse me?"
Kaguya and Alise continued grappling while standing upright, twisting and struggling against one another.
After who knew how long, Alise suddenly noticed something.
Kaguya's fists, which had been targeting her face the entire time...
Had changed direction?
What is this sneaky woman trying to do now?
Compared to Kaguya, Alise did not scheme as much. But that didn't mean she was stupid.
A woman capable of becoming captain in the original story could never be simple.
She had already made up her mind. No matter what dirty trick Kaguya tried to pull for victory, she absolutely would not waver!
She was going to punch this woman in the face no matter what!
But...
"Why are you doing something so shameless, you sneaky woman?!"
As the saying goes, the tides of battle change in an instant.
No matter how many plans you make, it's impossible to execute everything perfectly.
And what Kaguya had done was honestly far too outrageous. Most women would never even imagine fighting like this.
So what exactly had caused Alise to lose her composure so completely?
Because what Kaguya grabbed was a crimson strap, red as blazing flames.
And that strap happened to be hidden beneath Alise's heavy armor...
At this point, you understand, right?
What Kaguya grabbed...
Was her underwear!
"Who the hell grabs that during a fight?!"
"Me!"
Now, the battle had escalated!
This was no longer a fight about who could defeat the other!
It was now a battle over who would survive to the very end!
"An eye for an eye! My turn now!"
Compared to Alise's armor, Kaguya's kimono was much easier to slip a hand into.
And Alise really did exactly that.
But she touched...
Nothing.
At that instant, Alise's brain began spinning at full speed.
Empty? There's nothing there?
Why isn't she wearing anything underneath?
"Heh... hahahahaha!"
Noticing Alise's stunned expression, as well as the hand inside her clothes, Kaguya's face flushed red. Yet she still threw her head back and laughed triumphantly like a victor.
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
"I'm so poor I can't even afford underwear anymore! What are you gonna do about it?"
That was a lie!
Kaguya used to be nobility. No matter how poor she became, there was no way she'd be reduced to that extent.
The real answer was...
She sold them!
She had sold the things she wore in exchange for enough money to support her journey to Orario.
Faced with Kaguya's triumphant pose, how could Alise possibly accept defeat?
If there's nothing underneath, then I'll just strip off the clothes on the outside!
After all, kimono...
Are very easy to undo!
Astraea, who had silently been watching the spectacle until now, finally chose to turn around.
It couldn't be helped. There would always be corners of the world untouched by the light of justice...