"The look in your eyes feels very rude, y'know..." Puck said, having apparently sensed something, floating in front of Natsuki Subaru and staring at him with narrowed eyes.
"Ah, what are you talking about, Puck..." Natsuki Subaru was just about to offer a defense when he suddenly sensed a strong magical fluctuation from ahead. His pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body tensed in an instant.
"They're here! Sloth!"
Before his voice had even faded, a massive, blazing fireball, over two meters in diameter, was already tearing through the air, whistling towards them with a scorching heat wave!
"Huma!"
Emilia reacted with incredible speed, her slender arm shooting up. A translucent, crystalline ice barrier instantly materialized in front of her, refracting a brilliant light in the sun. The moment the ice wall formed, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and tiny ice crystals even began to form in the air.
"BOOM—!"
The instant the fireball violently collided with the ice wall, a piercing shriek of steam echoed all around. Scalding vapor immediately filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision. The ice crystals rapidly melted under the high temperature, only to be immediately replenished by new magic, making a continuous hissing sound.
"Wh-What's happening?! Mr. Subaru...!" Otto, in the driver's seat, frantically reined in the ground dragon, bringing the carriage to a sudden halt.
"Otto! You stay in the carriage and don't come out!" Natsuki Subaru commanded sharply, his right hand grabbing at the empty air. A flash of eerie blue light appeared, and the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger materialized in his right palm.
Good, the Witch Cultists have attacked, just as planned! Everything is proceeding according to the plan!
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru turned to look at Rem and saw that the blue-haired maid had already assumed a combat stance, her eyes shining with a determined light.
"Subaru-kun, please be careful," Rem said softly, the morningstar in her hand already poised to strike.
"Don't worry," Natsuki Subaru said, gripping the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger and offering a reassuring smile. "We're fully prepared this time. We'll be fine."
At the same time, from the surrounding woods, dozens of Witch Cultists dressed in pitch-black robes emerged like ghosts. They wielded specially made cruciform daggers, the blades of which were engraved with strange runes that glinted with an ominous, bloody light in the sun. These cultists all wore large, black hoods that completely concealed their faces, and even their gender was hidden by their wide robes. They moved with a strange, gliding motion, tightening their encirclement on the dragon carriage.
"Rem, Emilia, I'm leaving this to you!"
Before his words had finished, Natsuki Subaru's figure had already shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring, the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger in his hand drawing a beautiful silver arc through the air.
Swish!
With a flash of his dagger, a line of blood instantly spurted from the throat of the foremost cultist. The body beneath the black robe swayed for a moment before collapsing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
[System Notification: +428 Experience Points]
Ignoring the system's notification, Natsuki Subaru's movements didn't stop. He kicked the corpse towards a nearby cultist. The body flew through the air in an arc, about to obstruct the other cultists' line of sight. However, these fanatical cultists showed not a hint of hesitation at their comrade's corpse. Two cruciform daggers swung out simultaneously, and with a flash of cold light, they precisely sliced the incoming body into three pieces.
"What pitiful fanatics," Natsuki Subaru murmured, a complex look of pity flashing in his eyes. But the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger in his hand remained on its precise and ruthless trajectory. The blade glinted coldly in the sunlight, every swing carrying an unquestionable killing intent.
He knew very well that these Witch Cultists had been thoroughly brainwashed, having lost their basic humanity and reason. After all, the Witch Cult itself was an extremist organization composed of the Sin Archbishops who had absorbed Witch Factors and their fanatical followers. They acted with cruelty and viciousness, showing no mercy not only to their enemies but even more so to their own. In this world, the name of the Witch Cult was enough to make ordinary people tremble in fear, an existence that was both hated and feared by all.
In the instant Natsuki Subaru's thoughts raced, the cultists before him had already unhesitatingly chopped their comrade's corpse to pieces. And in the next moment, Subaru's dagger, like a viper's striking tongue, stabbed out with precision—
Squelch!
The sharp blade pierced the cultist's chest without resistance, and with a sideways slash, his upper body was cut diagonally open. Scalding blood gushed out like a fountain, refracting a cruel and lurid light in the sun, dyeing the surrounding ground a shocking crimson.
The remaining cultists showed no reaction to this, instead changing their formation with astonishing speed. Dozens of cultists displayed a jaw-dropping level of tactical discipline, completing a seamless encirclement of Natsuki Subaru in the span of a breath. Their coordination was so perfect it was as if they shared a single mind, their movements as uniform as a precision killing machine.
Such tactical discipline was indeed commendable. An ordinary opponent would have long since been trapped in this airtight encirclement.
But unfortunately for them, today they were facing Natsuki Subaru, who had long since transcended common sense.
"Come on, let's see what other tricks you can play." Looking at the cultists closing in on him, a cold smile tugged at the corner of Subaru's lips.
Because this battle's outcome had been decided from the very beginning!
Clang, clang, clang—!
The Witch Cultists suddenly attacked in unison. Dozens of cruciform daggers shot towards Natsuki Subaru from all directions. The glinting blades interwove in the air, forming a net of death.
Faced with this seemingly unavoidable attack, Natsuki Subaru merely narrowed his eyes. Empowered by his Level 37 physical stats, his senses were terrifyingly sharp. Instantly, his entire body flickered like a phantom, and the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger in his hand became a silver bolt of lightning.
Cling, clang, clang—!
The sounds of metal colliding became a continuous, bell-like chime. In the last 0.1 seconds, Natsuki Subaru's Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger had completed twelve precise parries, each collision perfectly altering the trajectory of an incoming dagger. A few of the deflected daggers even flew back and pierced the throats of other cultists. This was Subaru using the Dagger Throw skill.
Too slow... too weak, Natsuki Subaru thought to himself. For his Level 37 self, the strength of these Witch Cultists was simply not enough. His various stats were already more than ten times that of a normal person. Whether it was strength, speed, or reaction time, he completely crushed his opponents.
Even after witnessing their comrades fall one after another, these Witch Cultists remained expressionless, maintaining their mechanical combat posture, showing neither anger nor fear, as if they were merely puppets being controlled.
"They're really just like robots..." Natsuki Subaru's cold gaze swept around him, watching the cultists charge at him again. "This won't get anywhere. I need to strike first."
Making an instant judgment, Natsuki Subaru suddenly burst forward.
"—Die!"
The Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger drew a dazzling red arc in the air, and a sharp sword aura whistled out. The aftershock of this single strike even cut the trees in its path in half, sending wood chips and dirt flying everywhere. The Witch Cultists hastily dodged, some leaping into the air, others dropping to the ground. Natsuki Subaru seized this opening, his figure flashing into the enemy's formation like a phantom.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
The sound of blades entering flesh rang out repeatedly. The Witch Cultists, wielding their cruciform daggers, attacked from all sides, but Natsuki Subaru's sword strikes were several times faster than theirs. Every swing of his dagger accurately pierced an enemy's vital point, bringing forth a shower of blood.
[Notification: +468 Experience Points]
[Notification: +432 Experience Points]
[Notification: +501 Experience Points]
[Notification: +426 Experience Points]
[...]
A continuous stream of system notifications echoed in Natsuki Subaru's ears. Only when the last Witch Cultist fell did the system's alerts finally stop.
"It's over!" Natsuki Subaru's deep eyes calmly surveyed the surroundings.
Dozens of black-robed Witch Cultist corpses lay scattered about, each one in a posture indicating they had been killed in a single blow. Some had a thin line across their throats, others a bloody hole in their chests, all of them killed with chilling precision.
"Somehow... that felt a little too easy." Natsuki Subaru thought to himself, shaking his head slightly and tightening his grip on the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger. Any one of these Witch Cultists was a ruthless character capable of single-handedly massacring an entire village. But before Natsuki Subaru's absolute, overwhelming strength, the advantage of numbers had long since lost its meaning.
From the moment the first cultist fell to the end of the battle, the entire process had taken no more than ten seconds. From a normal person's perspective, this was simply unbelievable. One second, the murderous Witch Cultists were charging, and the next, they were a field of corpses.
But this was by no means because the enemies were too weak. On the contrary, these fanatics, strictly trained by the Witch Cult, each possessed strength comparable to a Royal Knight. If dozens of them teamed up, even the most elite knightly order would be forced into a bitter struggle. However, before Natsuki Subaru's powerful Level 37 physique, such combat strength was still far from enough.
"Subaru... is so amazing!" Emilia's amethyst-crystal eyes widened as she scanned the field of dead Witch Cultists in disbelief. When she moved her gaze back to Natsuki Subaru, her eyes were shining with an undisguised look of admiration.
"As expected of Subaru-kun. Rem didn't even have a chance to make a move," Rem's voice was soft but also filled with shock. She was silently comparing in her heart: If I were to face so many elite Witch Cultists, even if I were in my Oni form, I would at the very least be drawn into a bitter fight lasting dozens of minutes, and I would definitely be injured. However, Subaru-kun was as composed as if he were taking a walk in a garden, easily annihilating all the enemies in a casual manner.
This meant that Subaru had ended the fight in an extremely short amount of time with absolutely overwhelming strength.
So strong, Subaru-kun... At this thought, Rem suddenly felt her face flush. She looked up, her gaze unconsciously following Subaru's figure. The sunlight was falling on him just right, plating him in a dazzling golden edge. That relaxed, confident posture made Rem's heart beat uncontrollably faster.
Subaru-kun... is a hero for whom Rem would devote her everything.
"D-Did... Mr. Subaru do all of this by himself?" Otto's trembling voice came from the direction of the dragon carriage. He was leaning halfway out the window, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, clearly terrified by the carnage before him. "I-I only saw a flash of sword light, and then all these people fell down... Mr. Subaru truly is the kingdom's hero."
Puck also couldn't help but fly to Natsuki Subaru's shoulder, patting it with his furry little paw. "My, my, Subaru has become so reliable now~" Although his tone was still light, his little round eyes were shining with a scrutinizing light.
"Well, I have to protect everyone," Natsuki Subaru showed his signature bright smile, deliberately speaking in a relaxed tone. "These small fry aren't even enough for a warm-up." He was telling the truth. In dealing with the Witch Cultists, he hadn't even used half of his full strength.
"Subaru..." Emilia suddenly took a step forward, her slender fingers gently tugging on Subaru's sleeve. "Even though you're amazing, but... don't push yourself too hard..."
"Don't worry," Natsuki Subaru gently held Emilia's hand and turned to show everyone a confident smile. "That was just the appetizer. The Sin Archbishop of Sloth, who we're about to face, is today's main course."
"Wh-What?! There's an even stronger enemy?!" Hearing this, Otto nearly fell out of the carriage window. His face instantly turned pale, and he had to grip the window frame tightly to steady himself.
"No matter who the opponent is, Rem will follow Sir Subaru to the death," Rem said, gripping her morningstar again, her blue eyes burning with a battle-lust even hotter than before. The iron chain clinked crisply with her movements, glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"Alright, alright~" Puck flew into the middle of the group, his furry little paws on his hips, his small, cute body swaying back and forth in the air. "Since Subaru is so reliable, let's just go ahead and take care of that madman called Sloth! Let's show him what we're made of, 'kay!"
"Mhm, I understand!" Emilia nodded vigorously, her silver hair swaying with the movement.
"Rem will fight together with Subaru-kun." Rem took a step forward to stand by Subaru's side, her blue bob dancing gently in the breeze.
"I-I..." Otto stammered. As a merchant, he should have stayed far away from this kind of danger, but thinking of how Subaru had saved him from slavery, had essentially saved his life, he finally mustered his courage and said, "Mr. Subaru, please give me your orders! I will also do my best to help!"
Natsuki Subaru looked around at his companions, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. Emilia's determined gaze, Rem's unconditional trust, Puck's seemingly frivolous but reliable promise, and even Otto's determination to help despite his fear. This was everything he wanted to protect. And now, he truly possessed the strength to protect these bonds.
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