Chapter 382. Letting You Touch a Woman
「Borrowing the six contracted quasi-spirits, gathering the rainbow aurora of six elements to release an extraordinary grand magic—that was his strongest magical attack, barring a secret technique he had yet to master.」
「"Clarista!"」
「He did not wish to use such a move against an unarmed opponent, but his trust in his best friend transcended his personal pride. With every ounce of his strength, as the Greatest Knight, it was only natural that he wanted his best friend to see him at his most magnificent.」
「"Julius Juukulius, Finest Knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugnica, requests a lesson—Haaah!"」
「A rainbow pillar of light, imbued with high heat and the will to annihilate the enemy, surged forward, radiating a dangerous aura of destruction. Simultaneously, Crusch swung her "Lion's First Sword" with a sharp whistle; the sword beam and the brilliance of the magic converged, igniting a magnificent offensive.」
「With a soft shout of "Shamak," Beatrice abruptly intercepted the man's field of vision, leaving him with nowhere to evade and nothing to block.」
「Such a tactic was underhanded, but Beatrice felt not a shred of guilt; instead, her heart held only a curse. She cursed that man to die instantly under this triple combination.」
「"To take back Hachiman's memories... to make Hachiman remember everything... Betty's Hachiman, Betty's contractor—for Hachiman's sake, Betty will do anything!"」
「"With this, we can—"」
「—Flash!!」
「The Shamak was dispelled. The darkness was shattered. Cutting off Beatrice's voice was the sight of a man so composed—so composed he hadn't even begun to take them seriously. He grinned with a shark-like smile and said easily, "Got no name worth reporting. I'm just a guy swinging a stick."」
「"Just a guy swinging a stick, but let me state this upfront..."」
「"This sword of mine... it can even cut through light!"」
「No one responded; their minds had already been seized by shock.」
「The man held a chopstick in his hand—just an ordinary chopstick—yet with a casual wave of that chopstick, the Shamak shattered like glass.」
「Boom—!!」
「With another swing, Julius's rainbow pillar of light was ruthlessly cleaved apart by the attack generated by the chopstick. It was split in two with irresistible force; the massive energy of the high heat was touched, divided, and compressed until it erupted in a violent explosion, scattering flames everywhere.」
「The high heat of the explosion filled the vast white space. Emilia manifested an ice shield to block the aftershocks for everyone. Julius's mouth felt dry; he murmured blankly, staring at this impossible scene: "How... could this be..."」
「The man sneered at his ignorance and incompetence. "Don't make me laugh. If you swing it with the perfect angle, the perfect speed, and the perfect feeling, there isn't anything that can't be cut. There's no such thing as 'impossible'."」
「"Even Reinhard wouldn't—"」
「The words of rebuttal stopped abruptly halfway.」
「Julius realized the truth. Indeed, Reinhard had never made such an unfathomable, incredible 'slash.' But that was because he always respected his opponents; no matter how strong or weak they were, he would face them properly with a sword.」
「However, did 'not doing it' mean 'unable to do it'?」
「Other than the man before him and Reinhard, Julius could not think of anyone else in the world capable of such a feat—not even Wilhelm in his youth, nor the "Blue Lightning" of the Holy Vollachian Empire.」
「"...You, could it be..."」
「Julius gritted his teeth. He was trembling... he was excited, excited by the prospect of fighting a 'Reinhard' who didn't hide his skills too much. And he was afraid—afraid that he could not defeat this 'Reinhard' to help his best friend reclaim his memories.」
「But regardless.」
「"...My body... is already moving on its own!"」
「Rumble, rumble!」
「Hundreds—nearly a thousand—ice pillars condensed by Emilia suddenly rained down with fierce momentum, only to be easily extinguished by the man waving his chopstick. Julius lunged forward the moment the man dealt with the ice pillars, exhausting the swordsmanship of a lifetime to execute the most pinnacle strike he had ever produced.」
「Clang!」
「The sword was parried. The man, having easily returned to a defensive stance, revealed a smile and said with a bored expression, "I'm saying, you—hurry up and get serious, will ya? Playing like this is no fun."」
「"Playing?!"」
「His eyes widened with rage, but even using every ounce of his strength, he could not reclaim his sword from that chopstick. The chopstick shifted, dictating the movement of the sword.」
「Before he could let go of the hilt, Julius was flung into the air by the force of the chopstick's movement, becoming a shield. Densely packed ice pillars pierced Julius's back, blood splattered, and a terrified Emilia immediately stopped her attack.」
「"Heh, just right. Still treatable, won't die. Here, your little brother, I'm giving him back."」
「Kicking the sweating, pain-riddled Julius away, the man said with a shark-like grin: "Remember this, the one who used lethal force wasn't me, it was that great beauty on your side."」
「Ignoring him, Hachiman handed Julius over to Beatrice to be taken down to the fourth floor for treatment. In the blink of an eye, the four-person alliance had been reduced to just Emilia and Crusch.」
「Witnessing Julius's tragic fate, they became more cautious in their movements, but it was futile. As the two stepped closer to the stick-swinger and engaged in close quarters, Crusch was disarmed in a single move, her arm struck so hard it nearly fractured.」
「Emilia provided support, forcing the man to fight her, but she found herself in constant peril. Creating ice shields had become an instinct, yet every shield was destroyed the instant it was manifested.」
「It wasn't just the chopstick; every punch and kick from the man possessed an incomparable, crushing level of power, far beyond anything an Archbishop of Sin could match.」
「Emilia was strong enough, but she still paled in comparison.」
「"Great beauty, heh! As the spoils of my victory, I'll just—"」
「The man wore an expectant expression, moving the chopstick to touch Emilia's chest. In the next second, heavy footsteps echoed, and Julius's sharp sword came flying through the air without any technique, whistling as it hurtled toward them.」
「"That's enough, the challenge is over!"」
「Hachiman's command reached their ears. Emilia stopped trying to attack, focusing entirely on defense and retreating, just narrowly avoiding the man's chopstick. With a spring in her
step, she scooped up the fallen Crusch and ran back to the stairs in a few bounds, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her knight.
「The man, thwarted, became somewhat irritated, threatening Hachiman with a menacing look. "You're real stingy, you—stingier than my little brother. What's the harm in letting a good woman like that be touched a bit? It won't change her heart. So stingy."」
「Hachiman looked at him and suddenly nodded. "Fine, then. I'll be generous."」
「"Oh?" The man's eyes lit up.」
「Hachiman rolled up his sleeve and patted his own shoulder. "See this? This skin is about as fair as your average woman's, isn't it? If you're willing to let us pass the trial, I'll let you touch me. You can touch me all day long if you want."」
」
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