Illustrious put down her arm, made a fist with her left hand, extended her right hand, and then clapped them together, saying, "I didn't expect you all to be so superficial, only looking at appearance and not focusing on inner qualities. Since that's the case, let's have a match and see who is stronger."
"Illustrious, don't do this. It wouldn't be good if you get hurt," Kijo Kizuki immediately assumed Illustrious would lose.
"Auntie, don't worry, I'm really strong, you have to believe me," Illustrious said with a serious expression.
"Believe you? No way. You're just a woman, I bet I could knock you down with one punch," Muraki Xin Er said disdainfully.
This statement offended the four women present, and their gazes at him turned cold.
Muraki Xin Er felt the piercing stares from all around and immediately realized he had said the wrong thing. He quickly explained, "I'm not saying you women are weak, I just meant that men are stronger than you, so please don't misunderstand!"
Seeing the piercing stares from all around intensify, Muraki Xin Er knew he had said the wrong thing again. He immediately explained, "It's not that you women are weak, I'm saying she is weak."
"Misunderstanding? I think that's exactly what you mean. What's wrong with being a woman? You look down on women, don't you? In that case, let me show you how powerful a woman's strength can be!" Illustrious said angrily, hands on her hips.
Illustrious was quite righteous, as she had the support of three women behind her, and in a broader sense, she had the support of thousands upon thousands of women, a rebellion against men who looked down on women.
Muraki Xin Er was momentarily stunned by Illustrious's aura, but he quickly recovered and said, "Then I shall gladly accept the challenge."
Finally, everyone went to the courtyard. Kijo Kizuki said to Illustrious and Muraki Xin Er, "You two have a match. Whoever wins will be my daughter's bodyguard."
Everyone moved away, retreating some distance, leaving a large open space.
Before the match began, Kijo Kizuki said to Illustrious, "Illustrious, if you can't win, just admit defeat immediately. No one will laugh at you."
"Go, Illustrious!" Asuna cheered for Illustrious, waving both hands.
Although Sanba Ako was very angry at Muraki Xin Er for looking down on women, given that they were from the same group, she still sided with Muraki Xin Er.
She made a fist, bent her elbow, and thrust her elbow down! She made a cheering gesture for Muraki Xin Er. Muraki Xin Er was deeply moved, seeing that. Senior Ako was indeed on his side, so he couldn't disappoint her. He had to knock out the Silver-Haired Girl with one punch.
Illustrious and Muraki Xin Er stared intently at each other, their gazes colliding and sparking intense flames.
The first time Illustrious saw Muraki Xin Er, she immediately judged him not to be a good person. Although he looked at Asuna with a serious face, the wicked intent revealed in his eyes at that moment was caught by Illustrious.
He thought he had hidden it well, but Illustrious saw right through him. This Muraki Xin Er was harboring ill intentions towards Asuna, and how could she tolerate that? Moreover, this guy even turned his gaze to her, wanting to scheme against her too, which was even more intolerable. So, Illustrious, unable to bear it any longer, made her move.
Her plan was to prevent Muraki Xin Er from becoming a bodyguard and also to use him as a tool, giving him a beating. This way, she could not only teach Muraki Xin Er a lesson but also become Asuna's bodyguard, killing two birds with one stone.
Muraki Xin Er was furious looking at the Silver-Haired Girl. Again and again, she tried to disrupt his plans, preventing him from becoming the future master of the Yuuki Family. How could he tolerate this? He couldn't! Since that was the case, there was no need to hold back; he would just cripple her. Then he would say he accidentally couldn't control his strength, and even if they sought trouble, he would just pay some medical fees.
"seal International Security Group, Bodyguard Muraki Xin Er!"
"Moe Meow Maid Cafe, Maid Illustrious!"
After introducing their names and affiliations, Xin Er took the initiative and charged at Illustrious. His momentum looked quite terrifying; an ordinary person might immediately lose courage and not dare to meet his gaze.
Looking at Xin Er charging at her, Illustrious's eyes showed disdain, and Illustrious's disdainful gaze infuriated Xin Er. When he was halfway there, he raised his right hand, curled his fingers into a fist, and when he was only three feet away from Illustrious, he aimed at her face and punched fiercely.
A girl's face is her most valued possession, so Xin Er aiming at Illustrious's face was extremely malicious. Faced with such a treacherous attack, Illustrious showed no panic. Just as the fist was about half a foot away from hitting Illustrious's face, Illustrious instantly teleported away from her original position.
Looking at Illustrious who had disappeared, his fist missed, hitting an afterimage. This made Xin Er very nervous. It seemed this Illustrious was a master! Could it be that he had run into a formidable opponent today?
But he didn't want to admit defeat just yet. After all, he was going to be Asuna's man and the future master of the Yuuki Family. How could he surrender without a fight? Relying on his usual combat instincts, he immediately located Illustrious. "Hmph! Behind me! Hah!"
He swung his right hand to his back and immediately saw Illustrious. "Found you! Trying a sneak attack, ridiculous. Now I'll knock you down with one punch."
Illustrious saw the incoming fist and immediately teleported again, leaving an afterimage in an instant. Xin Er's fist hit the afterimage's face, and the insubstantial feeling let him know he had missed again.
He calmed himself down and tried to sense Illustrious's location again, but found she was nowhere to be found. This filled him with extreme fear. Unable to sense her, he could only guess, 'Is she behind me again?' He immediately turned around and found Illustrious was indeed behind him, so he quickly clenched his fist and swung at Illustrious.
Unfortunately, Illustrious's fist was one step faster. With a whoosh, the fist moved like the speed of sound, creating a sonic boom in its path, and the surrounding air scattered away from the fist, forming a vacuum zone.
With a bang, the fist stopped one centimeter from Xin Er. The punch-wind, generated by its extreme speed, immediately formed, turning into a compressed air cannon that sent Xin Er flying.
Xin Er flew backward 10 meters before landing.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth. Feeling the power generated by the fist, Muraki Xin Er's face was filled with horror.
Muraki Xin Er, fallen on the ground, was given no respite. Illustrious instantly teleported in front of him and stomped on his stomach, causing him even more pain and agony. Illustrious stomped again and again, as if she wanted to kill him.
This terrified Muraki Xin Er. Only then did he realize that the gap between him and Illustrious was immense. He hadn't expected the Silver-Haired Girl to look so harmless, yet be so brutal when fighting. He quickly surrendered. "Wait, stop hitting me. I give up."
She had originally aimed to stomp on Muraki Xin Er's crotch to ensure he wouldn't have the chance to target Asuna again, but upon hearing him surrender so quickly, Illustrious frowned. "Don't give up like that! You still have a chance to win. Let's continue."
"I'm not fighting, I'm not fighting, I'm not fighting! If we keep going, I'll just be getting abused. Please, let me go!" Muraki Xin Er hurriedly begged for mercy.
Glancing at Asuna and the others, Illustrious had no choice but to withdraw her foot. Although she detested Muraki Xin Er, he had already surrendered. If she continued to beat him, Asuna and the others would surely think she was cruel, leading them to distance themselves from her, which would be counterproductive.
Turning around to walk toward Asuna, Illustrious said in a cold tone, "Get lost! If I ever see you again, I will beat you every single time."
"Thank you for sparing me. I promise I will never appear in front of you again." Muraki Xin Er was covered in tears and snot, looking utterly spineless.
"Why is this Muraki Xin Er so pathetic? He really is all show and no substance. I think Illustrious is much stronger than him." Asuna said happily. "Great! Illustrious is going to be my bodyguard and live here."
"Is this the quality of the people from your seal International Security Group?" Kijo Kizuki was very dissatisfied, and she began to doubt the capabilities of the Sanba Ako standing before her.
Sensing Kijo Kizuki's suspicion, Sanba Ako wanted to kill Muraki Xin Er. This guy was really causing trouble! "I'm sorry, Madam. This Muraki Xin Er is a new hire and doesn't know any better. I will report this to my superiors and have him fired."
Hearing the discussion between Ako and the Madam, Muraki Xin Er was filled with resentment toward Illustrious. Not only had Illustrious prevented him from becoming the future master of the Yuuki Family, but she also caused him to lose his job. She truly deserved to die.
He wanted revenge on Illustrious. Watching Illustrious turn around, leaving her back completely unguarded, Muraki Xin Er felt tempted. Such a good opportunity—if not now, when?
He jumped up, pulled a dagger from his waist, the sharp blade glinting. Muraki Xin Er charged toward Illustrious, who was not far away. "You bitch, you've ruined me! I want you dead!"
Hearing the sound behind her, Illustrious immediately turned around. Discovering Muraki Xin Er charging at her, she was just about to defend herself when a figure blocked her path.
"Pfft!"
A spray of blood splashed onto Illustrious's clothes. She widened her eyes in disbelief; the person who had blocked the knife for her was Asuna.
Muraki Xin Er's dagger was embedded in Asuna's heart. Seeing that the target was not Illustrious, he hurriedly pulled it out, wanting to continue his attack and stab Illustrious.
Upon having the dagger pulled out, Asuna immediately collapsed. Illustrious caught Asuna, staring at Muraki Xin Er with a face full of fury.
If glares could kill, Muraki Xin Er would have died tens of thousands of times already.
"Stop glaring. You'll be meeting the same fate soon," Muraki Xin Er said viciously.
Seeing Muraki Xin Er swinging the knife at her, Illustrious raised her right leg and delivered a full-force side kick. With a bang, Muraki Xin Er went flying, slamming into a tree in the courtyard, knocking the tree over directly before passing out.
"Asuna! Are you alright? Don't scare me like this!" Illustrious crouched down, holding Asuna and shouting.
Asuna had been attacked in the heart. As everyone knows, the human heart is the most vital organ; if it is pierced by a dagger, the result is certain death.
"No... stop shouting. I... I won't die. You... you don't need to... worry about me," Asuna said, comforting Illustrious.
Looking at the blood constantly flowing from Asuna's chest, staining the green grass into a patch of red, it was obvious she was not okay! Illustrious said anxiously, "But you're bleeding so much! Why are you so stupid? You didn't have to block that knife for me!"
Asuna's energy faded as she said, "Cough, cough, cough... So... so much... blood... has flowed... out. It... seems I... I really am going to die."
"I... I don't know... why. When I... I saw you in danger, my body... just... moved on its own. Pro... promise me, after... after I die, don't be sad. I... I probably won't be able to be your girlfriend anymore. You... you should find someone else!"
"No! I only want you. I forbid you from dying!" Illustrious said, tears streaming down her face.
"Asuna, hold on. I'll call an ambulance for you right now." Kijo Kizuki panicked and picked up her phone to call the hospital.
Seeing her mother's concerned expression, Asuna couldn't help but be moved. It seemed her mother still loved her very much.
Asuna slowly closed her eyes, her hands dropping limply. This caused Illustrious immense grief. "Asuna!!!"
Illustrious held Asuna, repeating her name over and over. "Asuna, how could you leave me behind? Didn't you say you wanted to become a swordswoman and save the world?"
"You were supposed to drag me onto the ship to be a swordswoman and save the world together. How could you just leave like this..."
Standing to the side, Kijo Kizuki, who had put down her phone, saw that Asuna had died. Her phone dropped involuntarily, and her eyes lost their luster. For a long while, she remained silent, her heart feeling incredibly heavy. Some things are only realized as precious once they are lost. If she had been better to Asuna in the past, they wouldn't have ended up in a relationship like that of a superior and subordinate in a company, when they were clearly mother and daughter.
Holding Asuna, Illustrious kept talking, going on for three minutes. Illustrious hoped for Asuna to wake up, although deep down, she knew it was impossible. After all, dying from a pierced heart—there was no way she could come back to life.
Watching Illustrious in such deep sorrow, Kijo Kizuki couldn't help but sigh. It was truly a blessing for Asuna to have such a friend before she died.
Standing behind Kijo Kizuki, Sanba Ako had a massive headache. What was she supposed to do now? A life had been lost; the company's reputation would suffer. Wouldn't that lead to layoffs? If she were laid off, she wouldn't have money to eat! This Muraki Xin Er was truly a jinx!
Illustrious said through tears, "Asuna, as long as you wake up, I will listen to you from now on. If you tell me to go east, I'll go east; if you tell me to go west, I'll go west. I will never go back on my word."
"Really? You promise? You know, people who lie will turn into puppies!" Asuna suddenly opened her eyes and said.
"Mom! Ghost!" Illustrious, who had been holding Asuna, immediately let her go and scrambled back four or five steps, her face full of terror.
Kijo Kizuki and Sanba Ako were also frightened by Asuna's sudden resurrection and retreated over a dozen steps. This was too bizarre! They had clearly checked just moments ago and Asuna had no breath or heartbeat.
"Ah! That hurts. Can't you be a little more gentle with a lady?" Asuna rubbed her head and stood up with a relaxed expression.
"Eek! Asuna, didn't you die? Are you human or a ghost?" Illustrious said, very frightened.
Asuna put one hand on her hip and said with dissatisfaction, "Of course I'm human! Why are you hiding so far away? I'm really not a ghost!"
"But you clearly didn't have a heartbeat or breath after you died! Now that you've suddenly come back to life, how can I believe you're human?" Illustrious said fearfully.
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