[Diana's POV]
Before he had a sword in his hand, he was like a storm that blew everything away in his path.
Having never witnessed him in combat before, my mind was utterly captivated. I was aware of his previous encounter with a demon that had triggered the incident between us, and his victory over a practitioner of dark arts.
But to observe his sheer might firsthand left awestruck and I had to remind myself to focus on my own battles.
Now, with a sword in hand, that storm transford into a relentless beast, unleashing its wrath upon the world.
"...Woah," I muttered as I watched him dash into a crowd of monsters and slice them up like butter, leaving breathless. It was as if his entire being had rged with the sword he wielded.
How is every stroke of his blade so perfect?
Despite their simplicity, each stab and slash bore no flaw. It was almost as if they were a dance of perfection.
The speed at which he reacted to incoming attacks to block and dodge also blew away.
Ichiko who was next to said out loud, "I've never witnessed such a flawless foundation in anyone. If I didn't know his age, I would've believed he spent millennia honing the fundantals."
I struggled to agree with her even if it was her making the observation — because it was her.
Still, it was Bell she was complinting, so I gave a reluctant nod in agreent.
She continued, "As expected from the one who I..."
Hmm? Finish the sentence.
"Do you need to make you a weapon?" I asked, my gaze tinged with a hint of condescension.
"I'm alright," she said, politely declining my offer.
Pulling the sticks out of her hair, she deftly assembled them to create this makeshift weapon.
Woah.
I didn't want to admit it but that was kind of — cool.
As Ichiko was about to step forward, she stopped, turned around to look at , and asked, "Want to have a competition?"
"...What?"
"Let's see... whoever kills the most monsters wins."
"What will the winner receive?" I asked.
"Let the other person have lunch alone with Bell for one week?" she asked. She knew not to make the tifra too long because the risk of losing deterred her way from it.
I thought about it for a second then responded, "Okay. You have a deal."
Imdiately, the two of us dashed into the horde.
.
.
.
[Bell's POV]
With Gon securely in my grip, everything beca a walk in the park.
This feels like child's play compared to before.
It wasn't that these demonic monsters were feeble; it was Gon that was absurdly overpowering. There was a good reason I'd made it a top priority to acquire this sword upon my arrival in this world.
When I unsheathed the sword from the box, Ichiko shot an inquisitive glance.
She must've been wondering why the sword inside the box wasn't the one she had gifted .
Because your sword isn't as good as this one.
Naturally, I couldn't tell her this, so I just thought it to myself and quickly looked away before her gaze grew into sothing more.
As I faced off against these demonic monsters straight out of a horror movie, creatures capable of ending the lives of grown adults, casual thoughts danced through my mind.
Too slow. Co on you ugly bastard, you'll have to be quicker if you want to touch with those nasty claws. Whoops. Hahaha.
'Master, you've improved significantly since the last ti you wielded ,' Gon complinted. 'You're almost as good as my old master.'
Thank you. I've been putting in the work to ensure that this was the case.
With the addition of a fourth or fifth person, if you consider the two Arthurrs to be separate people, our monster-slaying pace skyrocketed, surpassing the rate at which new foes joined the horde.
"Wow, Bell! You're incredible!" Sun exclaid as he leaped into the air, using my shoulder as a springboard to dive into the crowd ahead of .
His fighting style was driven purely by instinct and raw talent.
That was the best way to describe it.
On the other hand, the ever-cold Moon displayed a more thodical and calculated approach to each move.
It was like he refused to make any move that didn't maximize the efficiency of monster-slaying.
With the final monsters on our side of the hallway eliminated, I turned to see what had been going on behind all this ti.
Ichiko and Diana had been calling out numbers.
"51!" Diana shouted.
"52," Ichiko stated calmly.
"52! 53!"
"53, 54, and 55."
It seed they were in a competition to see who could take down the most monsters. At least, that's what I deduced.
"What are they up to?" Moon asked as he wiped his saber clean with a towel from his inventory.
"I think they're having a little competition between the two of them," Sun replied.
"What are they competing for?" I inquired, flicking Gon and splattering the wall beside with a shower of blood.
Sun and Moon exchanged glances before turning back to in unison, answering, "You."
"...?"
They nodded.
I was about to correct them, telling them that idea was preposterous, but as I pondered it, I simply shrugged.
They're probably right. What else do these two have in common that would require them to compete with one another?
I looked at the two Arthurrs and found no signs of jealousy in their eyes. Sun appeared proud of , while Moon seed indifferent.
Does this an that Diana has been completely removed from Arthurr's harem then?
As they completed cleaning up their side of the hallway, their intense competition finally reached its climax.
In a dramatic manner, they glared at each other with fake smiles and simultaneously declared, "Sixty."
Diana let out a scoff, clearly disappointed, and walked away, while Ichiko rolled her eyes, unable to believe the result.
I guess it's a tie then.
Which, under the circumstances, worked in my favor. I wasn't sure about the terms of their agreent, but whatever the winner or loser was supposed to get, it likely wouldn't bode well for .
Diana made her way over to and raised her hand for a high-five, which I reciprocated.
"Great work out there," she said as if we had been doing so normal job.
"Thank you."
"What about ? I didn't do a good job?" Sun playfully asked.
Ichiko also began making her way to the group, but just before she reached us, she suddenly stopped and turned around.
He's coming.
The rest of us also turned our heads in the sa direction, not because of her, but because of what was approaching from that direction.
"Ichiko, co over here," I said, gesturing with my hand.
Nodding, she followed my instructions and sped her way over to .
We had a brief three-minute window before that approaching presence reached us. It wasn't that the entity was moving slowly; it was simply a considerable distance away, yet its ominous aura was palpable even from here.
"Sun, Moon, will you fight alongside ?" I asked, looking at the two Arthurrs.
They both nodded.
"I will—"
"What about—"
I cut them off. "Diana, Ichiko... I need both of you to retreat from here," I said. "The two Arthurrs and I will stay to confront it."
"...What?" Diana was flabbergasted by my request.
"No," Ichiko shook her head. "No no no."
"I'm not leaving you behind."
"Sa here. I'm not leaving. If I leave, you must leave too," Ichiko told with conviction.
The two of them glared at as if they were offended that I even suggested that they run away like cowards.
Now the two of you are in sync with each other?
"Just listen to . I understand that both of you would like to stay here and fight against that... whatever that is that is coming towards us," I said.
They nodded their heads.
"Please, don't question right now but I know that only Arthurr and I will be able to deal with the abilities of that demon," I told them.
"How?" asked Ichiko.
I said not to question .
"I have an artifact that granted that information," I lied.
"Okay, I guess... but at least explain why Ichiko and I can't handle their abilities?" Diana inquired.
Ichiko nodded in agreent.
Sun and Moon also looked at , curious about what I had to say as an answer.
"Because the demon can liquefy your limbs. Do either of you possess a regenerative ability to counter that?" I asked.
"I..."
"Uhm..."
Both of them shook their heads hesitantly.
I clasped my hands together and implored, "Please... I care about both of you. I understand your bravery and your willingness to risk your lives by staying here. However, I won't be able to concentrate on the battle with you here. If not for your own safety, then do it for ."
Both of their faces turned red, their cheeks blushing, and their determination wavering.
There was also this jealousy in their eyes because they were ntioned together rather than solely.
Diana was the first to relent, sighing and saying, "Alright. I'll trust you then."
Ichiko followed suit shortly after, her voice wavering, "Just promise you'll win."
"I promise you I will."
I'm the redeed protagonist after all.
"Wait, before I go, could I have a quick resupply?" Diana asked .
She had pushed herself against the horde with her usage of mana so I understood she was running a little low.
"Here?" I questioned.
She nodded, and I granted her the approval, unsure of how she intended to conceal her actions but trusting her discretion.
Within seconds, we found the two of us encapsulated in ice, separated from the outside world.
Her ice magic has improved a lot.
"Just a quick one," I gently reminded her.
Nodding, Diana delicately sunk her fangs into my neck. She extracted what she needed for half a minute, her lips glistening as she withdrew, and then dissolved the ice around us.
She was hungry for more but was able to keep her sanity intact and not lose herself to the temptation.
Erging from the ice, the others exchanged curious glances, with Ichiko in particular appearing puzzled.
She looked like she wanted to interrogate about the relationship I had with Diana outside the friendship.
"What was that all about?" Sun inquired.
"Nothing," I replied, hinting that I preferred not to discuss it further.
The two girls after bidding farewell, ran in the opposite direction. They paused briefly, exchanged a aningful look with , and then continued to sprint away.
"Playboy," Moon teased.
"Hmm?" I responded.
"You must've broken many hearts before," Sun chid in.
"Oh, hahaha," I chuckled.
"By the way, Bell, how do you know that I have a regenerative ability?" asked Sun, suspicious about how I knew.
Moon nodded, also curious.
When I say they can regenerate, all I an is that as long as both of them don't die, they can just rge back into a single body and it'll be like whatever damage they took never existed.
This was how Arthurr survived against this powerful demon to begin with.
"An artifact," I replied, lying again.
"How convenient," Moon remarked, showing no further interest in the topic.
Sun, however, looked envious, not realizing that it was a lie. "I want an artifact too. Moon, when we're out of this pickle, let's go search for one."
"Whatever."
As the ominous presence drew nearer, we focused on the impending threat and refrained from nonsensical banter.
"What's the plan, Bell?" asked Sun.
"Simple. Don't die," I responded.
"Great plan," he chuckled.
The demon was tasked with randomly killing students, but he was now approaching because Arthurr's soul was of the highest quality at the academy.
The thousands of demonic monsters he had unleashed in the academy had effectively kept the teachers and professors occupied, allowing him to target Arthurr without having to deal with the powerful adults.
Looking off into the distance, I saw this floating purple head with tentacles surrounding it appear from around the corner.
"It's here," Sun noted, a nervous smile playing on his lips as he tightened his grip on his saber.
"...Yeah."
Nice to finally et you, villain number one.
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