Chapter 278: Lierre's Head Was Punched Askew!
"I refuse!"
Ryohei Tanaka looked down at the tiny Lierre and rejected her without a second thought.
"Hah—!?"
"I'm just an ordinary chef; what kind of duel would I have with you!"
Ryohei Tanaka looked at Lierre with an expression that said 'How dare you even ask', then raised a finger and added:
"I refuse any challenge other than a culinary one."
"Ugh—!"
Lierre puffed up her cheeks at Ryohei Tanaka, instantly becoming an angry little pufferfish.
"Elder Sister, he's so cunning, only competing with others in what he's good at." Petra turned her head and complained to Lucoa.
Lucoa hugged her bountiful chest with one hand and gracefully rested the other on top, tapping her fair cheek with her fingertips:
"I think that's fine, playing to one's strengths and avoiding weaknesses..."
"..." Listening to the sisters' conversation, Ryohei Tanaka couldn't help but glance sideways at Petra.
I'm cunning again!
Speaking of which, Petra seemed to like calling him cunning, even though he wasn't cunning at all...
"..."
Pino shrank behind the crowd, looking towards Ryohei Tanaka with trepidation. She was truly sweating for him.
Taking the Lord of Heaven so lightly, showing no reverence for a god...
Pino felt Ryohei Tanaka was repeatedly dancing on the edge of death, and she was so worried about getting dragged down with him!
She was so scared!
(つ﹏⊂)
"Yurine, can I count on you?"
If force was the only solution, without asking Lucoa, Ryohei Tanaka could only ask Yurine.
It just so happened that against the Lord—
Against the Lord in this tiny form, she was a guaranteed win, with actual combat records to prove it!
"...Hah!?"
Yurine was clearly stunned for a moment. Upon reacting, she pointed at herself with a look of astonishment and asked:
"Count on me for what? You want me to fight her? Ryohei-kun, are you serious!? Σ(゜ロ゜;) !"
"Yup!"
"'Yup' my foot!"
Yurine leaned back, amused and exasperated. Ryohei Tanaka really thought highly of her. She couldn't help but clench her fist and lightly punch his shoulder:
"I have reason to suspect Ryohei-kun is tired of me and wants to take this opportunity to switch to a new girlfriend!"
As she spoke, she deliberately glanced sideways at Lucoa and Petra—joking, of course!
Meanwhile—
Lucoa opened her eyes wide, looking at them in surprise, obviously unexpected by Ryohei Tanaka's words.
Petra, however, showed no change in expression. As a "kuudere" type, her expressions were rare to begin with.
"Misunderstanding! That's a huge misunderstanding!"
Ryohei Tanaka grabbed Yurine's small fist and cried out loudly: "I just have more faith in Yurine's strength!"
"Even I don't have as much faith in my strength as you do!"
"You're being modest, aren't you?"
"I'm not being modest!"
"..."
Ryohei Tanaka reached out and pulled Yurine into his embrace. Seeing him hold her, everyone's expressions became subtle.
Are you guys showing off?
Showing off your love to us even at a time like this?
"..." Lierre was completely speechless, almost rolling her eyes.
She placed her hand on her fair, soft waist, raised her chin slightly, and said with a hint of disdain:
"It's impossible for a human to defeat me. Even if I stand still and let her hit me, I doubt she could even scratch me."
"Is that so?"
Ryohei Tanaka looked over with just the right amount of surprise on his face.
Lierre, don't speak too soon! You might get slapped in the face!
Still holding Yurine by her slender shoulder with his left hand, Ryohei Tanaka raised a finger with his right hand, suppressing a smile, and proposed:
"Since Lierre-sama is so confident, how about a bet? Let Yurine punch you once. I bet she can break your defense."
"Hmph! Impossible!"
Lierre immediately scoffed, lifting her chin even higher. Then, she raised her hand as if granting a favor:
"Fine, I'll bet with you. For the sake of lunch, I can make an exception and let her punch me once."
"As long as she makes me take half a step back... no, as long as she makes me wobble slightly, I'll give up the idea of cleansing the human world."
"Conversely, don't try to stop me again..."
"Lierre..."
Persephone looked at Lierre, who was acting all magnanimous, her gaze softening as she smiled: "You really are cute~."
"Hah—!?"
Lierre stiffened, her face exploding with red. She glared at Persephone like a cat with its fur standing on end, shouting in embarrassment and anger: "What did you say!? What do you mean!?"
"I didn't say anything." Persephone covered her mouth and snickered.
Ohh—! The difficulty has dropped significantly! If it's just making her wobble...
Kobayashi looked at the bristling Lierre, subconsciously pushed up her glasses, turned her gaze to Yurine beside her, and thought:
It might actually be possible!
She wasn't close with Yurine, but she had heard some stories about her, for example—she often brutally beat up the trouble-making Jashin-chan!
Yurine was stronger than the evil god from the Demon World!
"..."
"Alright, let's go outside!"
Seeing Ryohei Tanaka's questioning gaze, Yurine shrugged and led the way outside.
She wasn't confident about winning against Lierre, the Lord of Heaven, but making her take a step back or move a bit... that shouldn't be a big problem.
So, everyone headed outside together.
Jashin-chan and the others, who were cleaning up the dining room and kitchen, curiously followed. They couldn't miss something like this; it would be a pity to miss it!
"..." Pino and Poporon trailed nervously at the very back of the group. They didn't care what happened to the human world; they were only worried about whether the Lord would reckon with them later.
Pekola, being somewhat ditzy, forgot about that for a moment. Her gaze shifted between Yurine and Lierre, secretly praying that Yurine could shake the Lord, otherwise the human world would be in danger.
Soon, the group arrived at the open lawn outside.
"Come on, you only have one chance!"
Lierre crossed her arms, divine power permeating around her. Although she was tiny, her presence was not weak at all.
"Yurine, beat her up!"
Jashin-chan shouted from the sidelines, waving her fist, excited about who knows what.
Ryohei Tanaka took his phone out of his pocket, his finger hovering over the camera app, hesitating whether to record the upcoming "famous scene."
Thinking about it, he decided against it. Let's leave Lierre some dignity.
Mainly because they weren't close. If it were Jashin-chan and the others, that would be a different story.
Yurine took out the brass knuckles she received today from her pocket and gestured to Lierre: "Can I wear this?"
"Go ahead."
Lierre replied nonchalantly, her demeanor relaxed.
Persephone showed a look of surprise.
Yurine didn't hold back either. Seeing Lierre agree, she put the brass knuckles on her hand and took a deep breath.
Surrounded by a dark aura, Yurine looked at Lierre sharply:
"Here I come!"
As her voice fell, she appeared right in front of Lierre.
Her fist, clad in brass knuckles, tore through the air under Lierre's astonished expression and mercilessly blasted towards her face.
"Bam—!"
With a muffled sound, Lierre's head was punched askew!
Not only that, her petite body flew backward like a kite with a broken string under the massive impact, crashing heavily onto the grass in the distance!
For a moment, there was dead silence!
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