"THAT'S IT! YOU CALL ME A KID YET WE'RE THE SAME AGE!? YOU TALK DOWN TO ME!? AND YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME!? THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!!! FIGHT ME RIGHT NOW YOU OVER-ESTEEMED, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING ADVENTURER! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE POWER IS!!!!!!"
"..."
Everyone was left speechless by Haruto's tantrum. Immediate silence broke into the atmosphere as I tried to process what this KID had just told me:
"You're telling me... you'll show ME what true power is...?"
I was just baffled at Haruto's stupidity. 'Since he is a summoned hero... he thinks he can beat anyone out there...?' And to add to the overall stupidity of the scene, Haruto's harem began to support his idea:
"Indeed! Show that slut Hero-sama!" -Eri Evenhide
"Hero-sama can beat anyone, even the other heroes single-handedly!" -Eri Evenhide
"Hero-sama, don't humiliate this slut so much!" -Charlotte Evenhide
After having taken insults all throughout my life, these insults didn't mean anything to me. But, the fact that Haruto felt confident enough to challenge someone, he knows nothing about did... 'I guess if I toy with him a little, nothing bad can happen right...?'
"Alright, let's ask Callum and Pietro for the training grounds, ok?"
As expected and more, Haruto maliciously smirked and then nodded. 'This will be interesting' I thought as signaled for Haruto and his harem to follow me.
3rd Person P.O.V.
As Reika left for Callum's office, Myria and Scarlet remained in their places quietly, until Myria spoke:
"10 gold he doesn't survive"
"Deal"
Scarlet didn't think twice before she responded and with a small handshake, they began to make their way towards the office.
※
Reika's P.O.V.
*Creak*
"Oh Reika, what can I do for you?"
Said Callum a little surprised. Well, I guess even Callum would be surprised if someone stormed into his office accompanied by 6 other people. And gazing over the scene a little, it seemed that my appearance hadn't been greatly pleasurable to Pietro, because he was clearly annoyed. 'In that case, I won't waste your time.'
"Callum, I wish to use the training grounds for a mock battle."
Suddenly both guild masters flinched and stared at me in deep confusion.
"Ummm, Reika who will fight in this mock battle...?"
Callum had said this in a quite worried tone, but there was no turning back now, after all, Haruto already had challenged me.
"Leader of the Everidian party, Haruto Yamamoto and me."
I said without a care in the world. Pietro seemed pretty amused by what I had just said, but Callum... Callum had a mortified expression as if he had just heard the world was ending, and more...
"No, no, no and a thousand times no... Reika... no..."
I, of course, wasn't satisfied by his answer, but I didn't really care if I couldn't fight Haruto. At this point, I just wanted to toy with him, and I'm sure I would have many chances during our quest, so I let it go... But annoyed, Haruto, in his usual loud voice, began another tantrum:
"Pietro, I wish to show this girl a little of my strength, since she is greatly underestimating me!"
I actually, was expecting for Pietro to take the same course of action as Callum with him being a guild master and all, but I guess stupidity must be a plague in the Everidian kingdom, because:
"Alright then! Just don't abuse too much of the pretty girl, ok? She is the leader of one of the strongest parties of Litherm after all, would you imagine how it must feel to have all of your years of practice crushed by someone with raw talent and strength?"
*SLAP*
Callum Myria and Scarlet facepalmed, as Pietro accepted the request for the mock battle.
"Ummm, Pietro I really think this is a bad id-"
"No worries Callum! Let's just have the leaders of our parties have a small spar! It'll help them get to know each other better, Haha"
Pietro then turned away from Callum neglecting any other of his attempts to prevent the mock battle. Ignored, Callum stepped towards me and whispered to me:
"Please, just please don't kill him... For once, that absurd strength of yours"
"Noted"
※
We had finally made our way to the training grounds. They looked exactly the same since last time except for one small thing...
There was a hole in the wall...
"Hehe"
I could only chuckle subtly as I saw Callum's crash point hadn't yet been fixed after a month.
*COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH*
But of course, Callum quickly caught on to what I was laughing at, and urged me to take my position. 'Only Callum huh?' In the audience was Myria, Scarlet, Pietro, Haruto's harem, and, because they were specially requested by Callum, due to the high possibility of fatal injuries... the healers...
"Hello〜 Reika-Cha〜n" -Pervert Healer 1
"This time I hope I'm able to heal you, Reika-chan〜" -Pervert Healer 2
"Reika-chan〜 let's heal each other〜" -Pervert Healer 3
It has been a long time since I last saw them, but my intense disgust was still enough to make me tremble. 'I'm so lucky Myria knows healing magic...'. Of course, I wasn't the only one, when the pervert healers started making advances on me, both, Myria and Scarlet sent a wave of killing intent strong enough to make any normal person pass out... thing they weren't an exception to.
As Myria forced the healers to wake up, Haruto and I started deciding the rules of our duel:
"Alright, first one to receive a fatal injury or is deemed unable to fight loses..."
Nodding in comprehension, Haruto took a fighting stance with his sword already unsheathed, but I hadn't finished driving my point home yet...
"Also, you can fight with anything you wish, spells, summoning, your sword, or anything you'd like, while I'll fight you bare-handed."
I, of course, said that with a smirk which enraged Haruto to hilarious levels:
"HEY! YOU MAY BE STRONG AND ALL, BUT DON'T UNDERESTIMATE A HERO LIKE ME! I CAN'T BE COMPARED WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!"
I didn't even bother to respond as I kept my widening smug smile. And seeing my chill attitude, Haruto couldn't contain himself, as he kept yelling:
"YOU KNOW WHAT?! I'LL FIGHT YOU BAREHANDED AS WELL!"
"Do as you please, you are still allowed to change your mind mid-battle"
"I'm going to humiliate you..."
"Sure〜"
Right now, I stood just a few feet away from Haruto while facing him. In between our discussion Callum had stepped in with his arm raised.
"Ready?"
As Callum's words forced silence to fall into the room, Haruto adopted a fighting stance, while I placed my hands in my jacket's pockets. Haruto's face was reddened from the anger by now and noticing this Callum finally yelled:
"STA-?!"
"DIE!!!!!!!!!"
Yep, Haruto had already begun charging before Callum even had a chance to bring his arm down. 'Hah〜 They never learn do they?'
As Haruto began closing the distance between us at just above average speeds, I stood disappointed, without even taking my hands out of my pockets. Instantly, Haruto's harem and Pietro began their usual trash-talking:
"This is the leader of Litherm kingdom's best party? What a joke!" -Pietro Aurum
"She's just too overconfident because she's a little pretty." -Mia Evenhide
"I bet she isn't even strong." -Eri Evenhide
"She probably just hires male adventurers with her body." -Charlotte Evenhide
While that last one did make me tense up a little, I managed to remain calm as Haruto finally closed the distance and began throwing punches:
"GOT YOU NOW!"
He yelled in ecstasy as his fist got close to my face. But just when his punch was about to connect, I stopped his fist dead in its tracks with a single finger.
"Hitting a girl in the face first? I mean, I know you're low, but that much?"
He was left in shock as I knocked him back several feet... with a single finger.
"Wha...t?"
While he was quite literally losing his raison-d'etre, I was starting to become bored at his slow reflexes and his inability to follow-up after having his single attack blocked.
"Come on, are you giving up already, KID?"
"TCH"
As soon as I tempted him more, he charged at me once more and began throwing repeated attacks. Of course, I was blocking each one of them with ease with a single hand. 'He doesn't even have the brains to use a kick? Well, in contrast to him... I do'
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*
In a split second, I sent a 'controlled' kick at his abdominal area sending him flying across the training arena. Sadly, he didn't break through the wall. 'Wait, why didn't it break?'
"It's reinforced now!"
I turned around curiously as I was met with a proud Callum staring at me with a fulfilled look on his face.
"Yep, nobody will be breaking through that wall anytime soon!"
He said while letting out a large sincere laugh.
'We'll see about that...'
I then turned back to face Haruto, who was slowly standing up, He was wounded quite a bit, yet not as much as I had expected. 'I guess he can't be too terrible to stand up after a soft kick from me.'
But, I noticed how Haruto no longer paid heed to me. 'Is he focusing on something?' It was strange, but suddenly energy started accumulating around him at a very rapid pace... It was abnormal...
'What's he doing?'
But before I could even infer about it, somebody suddenly yelled from the audience. It seemed to be Pietro, and he was quite alarmed, to say the least...
"HERO-SAMA, YOU CAN'T DO THAT! DON'T KILL HE-!"
"SHUT UP...! SHE HAS DISRESPECTED ME FAR ENOUGH!"
It was quite obvious Haruto was having his 'power-up' moment, as he unsheathed his sword. Once his sword had made its flashy debut, its blade made out of pure sapphire began rapidly irradiating energy in all directions while a faint white glow began to emanate from Haruto.
"This is it..."
He muttered as he proceeded to chant:
"[HEROIC SLASH]!!!"
In an instant, Haruto was in mid-air, bringing his sword down with mighty force towards my body. Meanwhile, strong surges of energy and light irradiated from his body and blade equally, creating a beautiful spectacle of lights.
Looking at the audience for a second, gave me a rough idea of what I was dealing with:
Pietro was utterly enlightened...
And Haruto's thirst personal harem was unfathomably ecstatic...
...
"THIS IS THE END!!!"
Haruto yelled, as his sword plunged towards my head from mid-air.
...
...
...
*CLANK*
...
...
...
Yep... I had caught his [Heroic Slash] or whatever, with my bare hand...
Haruto was staring in horror as I was able to stop his attack without suffering a single injury...
"H-how did you sto...p that...?"
Meanwhile, Haruto's harem and Pietro had gone silent, But, they had dropped their jaws long ago... 'Maybe toy with him some more?'
Accepting my own proposal, I sent a smirk directed at Haruto which, for some reason, made him desperate?
"HYAAAA... HYYYYY... GUUUUUUU"
Yep, he had begun articulating incomprehensible sounds as he attempted to release his sword from my grasp, which I wouldn't let go...
"What a...re you?"
"Well, I'm your worst nightmare, but I won't do anything to you, due to a promise to my friend over there..."
I said as I pointed towards Myria before continuing...
"Anyways... as for, "What I am..." I don't think words can put it properly, so I'll make it clear..."
I then shook Haruto off the sword strong enough for him to be sent flying once again, as I remained with his sword in my grasp...
'Hmmm, this would make for a nice sword...'
"[Oblivion Blessing]"
In an instant, the sapphire sword was engulfed in flames and what was left, was a wicked midnight-blue sword with a faint purple light radiating from it...
'Not bad...'
Seeing, what had just transpired in front of them Pietro and Haruto's harem tried to barge in, but I silenced them with killing intent before they could say anything...
Haruto's P.O.V.
I had just been flung into the air, with 'shoo' from Reika...
'She really is strong...'
And as I now laid in the ground, with all of my body pulsating from the pain I opened my eyes...
...
...
...
There she was... holding what used to be my sword and pointing it at my neck...
...
Stood Reika...
I was actually ready to die at that moment...
'I really acted in the wrong... I disrespected her... I complained when all she wanted to do was protect me... ...I deserve this...'
But as I closed my eyes, in order to wait for the inevitable to come... the incomparable beauty said a single word that resonated within me...
"Repent..."