The word "monster" was something Esdeath had always heard others use to describe herself. But at this moment, she truly felt the man before her was a monster.
Fire, ice, lightning, even the ability to resist her own ice powers, that strange golden sand, and finally, that bizarre slash that seemed to transcend time and space.
Despite being so far away, it wasn't a sword energy or anything else. I was just abruptly cut by the blade.
Her internal organs could clearly feel the sensation of Ryuji's greatsword passing through them, yet she could also tell that what severed her organs and body wasn't Ryuji's greatsword at all.
Although Ryuji's greatsword was sharp, cutting through the ice armor she had condensed on herself would still be somewhat difficult. Moreover, before his greatsword even grazed her organs, a gash had abruptly appeared on her body.
Only then did Ryuji's greatsword arrive.
This strange feeling kept her mind racing about the principle behind that slash, even as she bled profusely and felt dizzy from the sudden drop in blood pressure affecting her brain.
An ability that reverses cause and effect? Did the slash hit first, and then the sword was swung? Or is it, as I thought, an ability that directly severs space-time? If my ability hadn't been weakened, could I have forcibly frozen it?
Her mind constantly pondered various possibilities, but no matter how much she thought, she couldn't deny one fact.
She had lost.
She was weaker than Ryuji.
Even if they fought again, she would have absolutely no chance of defeating Ryuji now that her ultimate move was also revealed to him.
His swordsmanship level was excellent without saying. Although she looked down on so-called dojo swordsmen and Ryuji's sword lacked heavy killing intent, his swordsmanship was still refined through rigorous training. Fighting him would only continuously improve his swordsmanship.
As for physical skills, it was even more obvious. He was much taller than her, stronger and just as fast. While his combat intuition was slightly lacking, his basic attributes already surpassed hers.
As for abilities...
She only had one ability, but Ryuji had several.
Forget about Ryuji using his flames to suppress her ultimate move, Mahapadma; his flames were no ordinary fire either. The fact that her own move was still underdeveloped was fatal enough.
Even if her ability hadn't been weakened in this world, her incomplete ultimate move definitely couldn't kill him.
Because he also had similar ice abilities. Although they seemed fundamentally different from hers, he clearly had some resistance.
Add to that the strange golden sand, the terrifying slash that ignored her defense, space, and even time... there was no way she could defeat him head-on!
"You really are a monster... How did you master so many abilities at your age?"
Lying on the ground, Esdeath no longer wanted to fight. She looked at Ryuji, who was walking over slowly, and asked curiously.
She had studied combat since childhood. Although she disliked the title of genius, she couldn't deny she was a genius in combat.
But now, encountering someone who subtly surpassed her in combat skills and could proficiently use various abilities was truly beyond her comprehension.
"Who can explain the affairs of a Transmigrator?"
Ryuji crouched down, looking at Esdeath, whose face was stained with her own blood, lying amidst the ice she had created as if resting on a bed of flowers. He gently reached out, trying to reposition her internal organs as much as possible.
Dragon fire could heal injuries, but if too many internal organs were missing, it was powerless.
"Mmm... Such a rough man, but I like it... But you struck too hard. I can't be saved anymore. And, as expected, you're no ordinary person... To think you also came from another world, just like me. How enviable... and you've even managed to become stronger."
Esdeath chuckled softly. Her ability to speak now relied on her advanced knowledge of human anatomy to freeze her own body. She simply didn't believe she could survive.
Her spine was severed in half; the only reason her body wasn't split in two was because flesh and skin still connected it, a result of her evading during Ryuji's slash.
Her heart and lungs were the same. Liver, spleen, intestines... basically all were shredded by Ryuji. If she looked down now, she could even see the organs meant for bearing life.
Injuries like these were simply not survivable.
Even with the Empire's secret medicines, it was impossible. Her life was already like a candle in the wind.
"Don't speak so definitively, just like when you first came to my throne room before."
Ryuji, however, grasped Esdeath's heart which had been cut in half, and flames ignited in his hand.
Yes, he didn't intend to kill Esdeath.
Although she was really rude, the undeniable fact was that his victory this time was largely due to luck.
Her move, Mahapadma, while clearly incomplete, was still a formidable technique.
The reason he could tell it was incomplete was simple: when she unleashed it, there had still been a clear moment of buildup, and the speed of the ice formation wasn't perfectly controlled.
He could feel she wasn't very proficient with it yet.
Still, as far as teammates went, she was more than qualified.
Looking at the teammates, he had been paired during this period...
Mai Shiranui goes without saying; although her strength was passable, her personality really wasn't suited for being a teammate. And Misato Katsuragi...
How to put it? Her abilities were quite good, but for the same reason.
Mindset and strength were both lacking, simply not suitable as his teammate.
When it came to travelling between worlds, Ryuji hoped that if he truly needed to cooperate with someone, that person should be like him, someone with a low bottom line but who wouldn't trample on important matters.
Esdeath fit the criteria for a teammate quite well. As long as you were strong enough, you could keep her in check.
Of course, Ryuji hadn't actually decided to choose Esdeath as a teammate at this point. After all, teammates need to be evaluated. If Esdeath was unwilling to follow his orders, then he would have to reluctantly eliminate her.
He wouldn't leave enemies or potential threats behind.
The 7 Days to Die World Fragment was very humble towards him, but Ryuji knew why. It was because the process of restoring its form required his help, and he was willing to provide it.
But Ryuji also knew that even such work could become tiresome. After all, the enemies encountered were just too bizarre. There might come a day when he faced a situation requiring escape.
Or it might simply be that as the 7 Days to Die world recovered more and more, he might not want to continue. He couldn't work for it his entire life just because he had received some benefits from it initially.
However, the 7 Days to Die world had always been generous with rewards, so Ryuji didn't mind helping it find a new owner if possible.
Or, rather, someone to pass the responsibility to.
But before discussing these matters, showing some goodwill was always correct.
"Mmm..."
Esdeath groaned in pain, watching in disbelief as her heart, which had been split in two, returned to its original state in Ryuji's hand. Then, her neatly arranged, shredded internal organs also returned to normal under Ryuji's flames. She couldn't help but open her mouth wide.
The pain of flames burning her insides didn't bother her at all. After so many years of fighting, there was no injury she hadn't suffered; she simply didn't care.
But what shocked her was:
Ryuji still had abilities he hadn't revealed!
Marvelous!
Looking at Ryuji's face, his muscular upper body exposed during their fight, and the cock she had seen when she kicked the door open, Esdeath, whose insides were being scorched by flames, revealed a smile that could be described as seductively charming.
Marvelous!
Marvelous!
This man is marvelous!
Watching Ryuji continuously repair her body, repeatedly squeeze her heart to make it beat again after it had stopped, Esdeath felt her heartbeat quicken, blood rushing to her head.
Although there was a certain physical aspect to this reaction, and Esdeath knew she was near her death, urgently desiring an offspring, she still couldn't help but gaze infatuatedly at every inch of Ryuji's skin. Ryuji even subconsciously shivered under her gaze.
Especially the focused way Ryuji was treating her made Esdeath's breathing become hurried.
Ryuji, who had shivered, subconsciously looked up at Esdeath's face and found her licking her lips at that moment.
Ryuji: "Huh??"
What's with this perverted look?!
Although having women stare at his pectorals and muscles had become routine, after all, anyone who exercises regularly becomes quite handsome unless they have shockingly ugly features.
And Ryuji was continuously having his appearance refined and optimized by his Blood qi and training, making him more attractive.
Although he hadn't reached the level of being devastatingly handsome, he was definitely the type you could admire by looking at for a long time.
"What's with that look of yours?"
Stuffing Esdeath's intestines back in, Ryuji then used dragon fire to heal them all together. He couldn't help but ask. Looking at the continuously healing intestines under his hands, he couldn't help but ponder one thing:
With just this dragon fire ability, I could make countless doctors tear up.
Sterilization? Major bleeding? Sutures? Infection? They were nothing before the dragon fire. With a single burn, damaged internal organs would immediately heal, even hidden injuries would be directly cured by Ryuji's flames. Ryuji even felt that for tumors and cancer, as long as someone knowledgeable cut out the affected area and the tumor, his dragon fire would fix it right up.
Even damage to the retina or brain could be healed by dragon fire.
Honestly, even if Ryuji knew nothing else, he could now be an incredibly top-tier surgeon.
Did I just become a top-tier doctor?
Just as he was contemplating this fact he had always overlooked, Esdeath, whose internal organs had been repaired and whose abdomen was now being fixed by Ryuji, raised her hand and placed it on Ryuji's face. Her somewhat cold fingers slid from Ryuji's cheek to his neck, and then...
Stopped on his chest, giving it a squeeze.
Ryuji: "....."
What a female pervert!
"Are you interested in having a child with me? Since you defeated me, who came to challenge you, and don't intend to kill me, it seems you want me alive, right?"
Her hand continuously stroked Ryuji's chest, feeling the powerful heartbeat and the muscles that had tensed up the moment she touched him. Esdeath licked her lips with satisfaction.
"Since you're letting me live, besides having me serve you, you probably also want to use my body and get me pregnant, right?"
She was already quite impatient.
"I feel like you're being influenced by this world."
Ryuji grabbed Esdeath's hand. He was stating a fact because he clearly perceived that his patience had decreased in this world and his desires had significantly increased.
But seriously...
Looking at Esdeath's large breasts which were exposed after her clothes tore, and her fair lower body, Ryuji really did want to have sex with her.
However, he intends to respect his teammates.
And who knows if this woman's current submissiveness is genuine or fake? What if she bites down with a crunch during oral?!
Even if he could reattach it, the psychological trauma would be there!
When he was off guard, Esdeath's strength was truly capable of doing it!
This woman's power was no joke!
But Esdeath just chuckled. Of course, she knew this. Anyone who had trained their body to its limits could sense this world's influence on them, but she simply didn't care.
"Ha, of course I know. But even before coming to this world, there were times when I felt restless here. My body is urging me to find a man and have a child with him."
Esdeath gently stroked her lower abdomen. Back in her world, the pleasure she derived from torturing prisoners had long ceased to satisfy her spirit. Moreover, she often felt an emptiness in her abdomen and a desire to hold someone.
She certainly knew what this meant: she wanted a man.
And Ryuji, standing right in front of her was very suitable.
He defeated her but didn't kill her. He possessed powerful abilities. And to reach this level, he must have either a resilient spirit or strong desires.
He perfectly met her mate selection criteria!
As for things like an innocent smile...
Before the ability to defeat her, those things meant nothing!
"Ha..."
Ryuji was speechless. Honestly, although he knew some information about Esdeath and he knew not to believe all intel, Esdeath's attitude of "defeat me and you can have me" was really hard to stomach.
"While I'm not entirely clear, are you saying that anyone who can defeat you can... have you? Then how can I ensure your loyalty? And you should also know, we're from different worlds."
Ryuji stood up. Although he really wanted to believe what Esdeath said: that he could have her right now, but there were two problems.
Was this person really Esdeath? The Demon Slayer world had monsters that could affect his mind; it was possible this world had them too.
Did the anime fully reveal Esdeath's true personality and principles?
Had the storyline of this Esdeath he encountered been altered? After all, she was chosen as a Transmigrator; such a thing wasn't impossible.
Did Esdeath genuinely want to pledge allegiance to him?
If these issues weren't resolved, Ryuji wouldn't let his guard down around Esdeath.
Even though he felt that having reliable, long-term teammates would significantly increase his speed and efficiency in completing world missions.
But these problems need to be solved. Otherwise, with Esdeath's strength, she could truly threaten his life.
Ryuji wanted happiness for his lower body, but he also wanted to keep his life.
After all, Esdeath's change was too abrupt!
When she attacked earlier, although the killing intent wasn't directed at him, she wasn't exactly gentle either.
"Ha, such a wary man. This is really..."
Feeling her body had already healed, Esdeath stood up, completely unconcerned that her clothes were now in tatters, fully exposing her body to Ryuji.
Her snow-white breasts trembled before Ryuji's eyes due to her movement, and her smooth, hairless pussy was unabashedly displayed.
After standing up, she felt that many internal injuries and old wounds inside her body had also disappeared, which made her even more satisfied with Ryuji.
"But you're right. Our enemies aren't that simple; otherwise, they wouldn't need to recruit powerful individuals like you and me from various worlds. But it's fine. If my strength makes you uneasy, how about you enjoy the gifts I brought first?"
Esdeath walked over, using the one glove that remained somewhat intact on her hand to lift Ryuji's chin. Although she really wanted to possess this strong, gentle, and highly vigilant man right now, she knew gaining his trust wouldn't be that simple.
"Gifts?"
~~~~~~~~~~
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