Esdeath tried to slowly get up but her legs were still shaking from exhaustion so I helped her regain her balance.
The black-haired woman immediately narrowed her eyes when she saw me touch Esdeath.
...I don't know why but I have a big urge to kiss Esdeath to see that woman's reaction, hehe.
I couldn't help but deviously think.
Unfortunately, this isn't only about me, I wouldn't want to make Esdeath uncomfortable and she is strong as a warrior which I also respect. I won't do something like that to somebody I respect but I can still take advantage of the situation...
I thought and wrapped Esdeath's arm around my shoulder to support her since she wasn't in the state to fight again.
Esdeath was slightly surprised by this but she just smiled a little with closed eyes, if it was before our fight, she would perhaps refuse but now...she decided to accept my help.
When the woman with the umbrella saw this, I heard the sound of gritting teeth.
"Don't talk rubbish, love won't make me stronger plus I am not interested in girls." Esdeath redirected her gaze at the people in front of us and said with a small smirk across her face while glaring at the black-haired woman.
"Ah, that's where you are wrong my Esdeath. Love can make everyone stronger as for you not being interested in girls, I can help you change your view if you want~" The woman replied with a small smile while touching her lips with her finger seductively.
"No thank you, why are you even here? To assassinate me?" Esdeath instantly refused with a disgusted expression before smiling again.
...She is too crazy, I am starting to miss Suzuka and Mez.
Anyway...Now I am perfectly sure that the special class is influencing my personality a bit. At least during the fight.
After seeing how strong this special class is...I will reveal my ability to freely manipulate fire, this way I will be able to use the incoming battle to gather experience points for my Fire Monarch special class. And I can use the Yato special class when I will need to act against the Empire in discreet. Of course, I can manipulate fire even without Fire Monarch being active but I can feel that it's a bit worse than with it. Plus I won't be able to use my fire against the Empire once I will reveal it.
It has been already 30 minutes and not to mention that I am no longer in battle...
---
Special Class: Fire Monarch (Lv. 9; +18 Cha, +16 Int, +12 Const, +6 Str) 124/2560 BXP
[Health: 320/610]
[Energy: 1115/1115]
[Strength: 40 (62)]
[Agility: 45 (61)]
[Intelligence: 32 (57)]
[Constitution: 40 (58)]
[Charisma: 25 (48)]
---
Once I activated my other special class, I immediately calmed down the urge to fight more almost with no effort. My passive from title also started to work as my eyes regained its bored and uninterested look.
Even my entire aura changed to a calm, arrogant one. This change alarmed everyone and they immediately snapped their heads at me with shocked expressions, although only Esdeath's and that woman's expressions were visible...it was still obvious that the other 3 people were shocked too.
I ignored their shocked expressions and let go of Esdeath since she already seemed to recover enough to stand on her own and then put both of my hands in my pockets and slightly raised my chin, my half-open eyes made it immediately seem like I am looking down on everything in front of me.
When I let go of Esdeath, she looked at me with a complicated expression, perhaps even slightly disappointed, it was too hard to judge.
---
'What happened to him? But it's the same Akashi I have met for the first time...But what was that weird feeling when he let go of me?' Esdeath thought with a smile while looking at Akashi but her expression quickly changed to a thoughtful and confused one as she began thinking about what was that feeling.
'What the hell happened to him? If he didn't look the same, I would have thought that he is a different person just based on his aura...Those eyes are the same ones I saw in the sky when he...intimidated me.' Mera thought with a shocked expression and wide-open eyes.
'Heh, looks like he is still the same Akashi...Looks like I don't need to worry about him breaking our deal.' Babara thought with a small smile under her mask.
'Hehe, that's the old Akashi.' Taeko thought with a happy expression when she saw the same person who had a spar with her 3 years ago.
---
After the woman recovered from the shock she immediately redirected her gaze at Esdeath once again.
"Of course not. I have already said to you that I won't kill you because I love you." She replied with a small smile while hiding half of her face behind her umbrella as if she was embarrassed about it.
Esdeath wanted to reply with a disgusted expression but I was faster...
"Who are you, nympho woman?" I voiced out with an uninterested tone that silenced everyone and created complete silence for numerous seconds.
"Ooh, someone is trying to be funny, haha. You can call me Merraid or Mera-sama but...I didn't like the way how you phrased your question and I am also not that fond of your tone and how you act so arrogant. You are pretty beaten up and exhausted, you should cool down, it's still visible that you are in the heat after that fight." Mera recovered after a few seconds and immediately started laugh while covering her mouth with her hand and then she narrowed her eyes and extended her hand with her palm aiming at me.
"Wrigglers." She said and thousands of bugs appeared from the forest and completely surrounded me until they slowly crawled on my body, completely covering me in many layers.
I just watched them crawl on me with a small smile and calm eyes.
"Ehm!!!" I heard a loud sound of someone's clearing their throat.
"Don't worry, I will just let him cool down." Mera replied with an amused tone.
"Akashi?! Tch!" Esdeath shouted at me and when she noticed the number of bugs she redirected her attention to Mera, wanting to attack her despite her bad condition but Esdeath wasn't someone who would be afraid to fight while being in disadvantage. However, before she had time to attack Mera...
"Me acting arrogant? I am not acting, I am simply absolute, there is no need to act." My calm voice stopped Esdeath from attacking Mera and instead she directed her attention to me once again.
Mera narrowed her eyes when she heard my calm voice.
*Whoosh* Flames of extreme heat came from my body out of nowhere and burnt thousands of the bugs within 1 second, revealing my figure with numerous wounds on my body from my fight with Esdeath but I was just calmly standing there with my hands in my pockets and glowing red eyes with vertical pupils.
[+ 0.1 BXP for killing Danger beast] x 3340
Special Class: Fire Monarch (Lv. 9; +18 Cha, +16 Int, +12 Const, +6 Str) 458/2560 BXP
[Absolute Dominance - Active]
"Wha-?!" Mera opened her eyes wide in shock and slightly fearful expression appeared on her face as she took 1 step backward.
---
'?! What? He still has something hidden in his sleeve...Is that teigu?' Babara thought with a shocked expression under her mask before she slowly calmed down after thinking through. Akashi was after all, noble from the Capital, of course he had some trump card or teigu.
---
"Your head is held too high. Only those who gain my respect may look me in the eye, lower your head." I said with a domineering tone as flames were flickering from my right eye.
Everyone looked at me in silence and with a shocked expression.
Only after a few seconds, Mera finally recovered but my entire aura was focused on her so she had the hardest time out of everyone to breathe.
"Grr, just so you know, my wigglers planted eggs in your body through your wounds. So don't get too cocky, you lowly man!" Mera gritted her teeth in frustration and shouted at me with an angered expression.
"Really?" I said and my entire body was engulfed in flames and those flames entered my body through my wounds.
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.
---
'That's not normal Teigu!!! This is beyond Teigu's abilities!' Even Babara lost her composure
---
After a few seconds, flames burst out of my wounds and disappeared.
[Energy: 1000/1115]
"Did you just...?" Mera was speechless and could only voice out 3 words so I helped her.
"Yeah, I made a few omelets right inside my stomach, hopefully, I won't have an upset stomach from so many eggs." I said and then looked slightly concerned about my stomach's health.
---
'He...He is totally ignoring me and treating me as someone not even worthy to look at!!!' Mera thought when she saw how Akashi was concerned about his stomach instead of her, she tightly gripped her fists so much that her long purple nails pierced her skin a bit.
'Pff, Akashi is much stronger than he showed during our spar...I knew it, heh.' Taeko had to do her best not to laugh aloud.
---
"Akashi, is that...?" Esdeath finally said something, she was perhaps uncertain if she should say something when I changed like that.
"Esdeath..." I called out and turned at her with my glowing red eyes.
*gulp* She looked slightly startled when I called her out and looked at her but she still nodded her head to show that she is listening.
"I will explain everything later, for now, just rest." Although I was still in my "arrogant mode", I still gently smiled at her.
"Anyway, as I said before...lower your head Mera or whatever you are called and I might let you leave with that head on your shoulders."
"? What? Lower my head?" It was obvious that she wouldn't accept and Babara folded her hands together to gesture me to spare Mera. I just looked at Babara and then slowly returned my gaze at Mera.
---
'...Me? Lower my head...to a man? Unacceptable!' Mera thought while looking downward before raising her gaze back at Akashi with resolve in her eyes to defy him.
---
"How abo-" She started saying something in mocking tone but before she could say anything more...
[Phantom Strike]
[Energy: 980/1115]
I appeared in front of her and when she felt my aura so close to her she was unable to respond, just to stare at me with wide-open eyes.
"Mera-sama!" The 3rd masked person I didn't know shouted and tried to intervene just to get stopped by Babara.
She immediately started shouting at Babara but I completely ignored them and focused just on Mera standing just in front of me.
"You have refused my generous offer, lowering your head is no longer enough..." I said and put my hand on her shoulder and she immediately shivered upon feeling my touch.
"Kneel." I just said one simple word with the most domineering tone I could while glaring into her purple eyes, she kept on staring into my eyes without even breathing so I slowly applied a little pressure on her shoulder and she immediately dropped on her knees with a very complicated expression, there were anger, hate, fear and the most confusion but there were also signs of some positive feelings which slightly surprised even me.
"And don't forget, I am absolute." I said while staring down at her and she just raised her head to see my red glowing eyes with the image of the moon shining above my head, she unconsciously nodded her head very slowly.
"Now, get out of my sight!" I shouted and kicked out with my leg and only at that time she finally recovered and crossed her arms in front of her to block my kick.
"Agh!" *fwoosh* She groaned aloud and upon impact, her body flew deep inside the forest.
"?! Mera-sama!!!" The 3rd masked person in the maid outfit immediately ran after Mera.
Babara and Taeko kept on staring at me for a few seconds before following after Mera to discreetly show their gratitude.
"...Akashi?" Esdeath watched all of this in silence and after they left, she finally called my name out with a confused expression.
I walked up to her and extended my hand to her.
[Absolute Dominance - Inactive]
"...Let's go back, I am kinda sleepy after our fight." I said with a gentle smile.
"You should have killed that vile woman, but yeah, I would like to recover too." She said with an annoyed tone but a genuine smile was still visible on her face as she took hold of my hand.
"*cough*" Suddenly, I coughed out some blood from my mouth.
[Health: 270/610]
"Akashi?!" Esdeath shouted while looking at me with a worried expression.
I guess using something like [Absolute Dominance] with so many wounds and so low health isn't a very good idea.
"I am alright, just need to rest, my wounds are already slowly closing." I answered with a calm expression.