Chapter 0130: You Lose
After roughly three minutes of waiting, the grand hall's doors swung open.
"Sorry, I was delayed by some matters."
Heathcliff brushed the dust off his clothes as he walked toward the hall. Passing by Antilene, he noticed the Rubik's Cube in her hand, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes—Wait, do Rubik's Cubes exist in this other world too?
"No worries."
Hayashi waved his hand with a smile. Once Heathcliff approached, he continued, "See that person behind you with half-white, half-black hair? That's the most powerful combatant from the Theocracy, Antilene Heran Fouche."
"And my opponent this time." Heathcliff coldly raised his right hand but then remembered he no longer wore glasses and lowered it again. "Let's get started quickly. I have many things to attend to."
"How interesting—"
Antilene clearly overheard Heathcliff's words. She flashed a delighted smile and said, "What a coincidence. I also have plenty to do. Let's settle this battle swiftly."
"Fine." Heathcliff nodded, then turned to Hayashi. "When do we begin?"
"You're both more impatient than I am." Hayashi shrugged helplessly. "Then let's start now. We can continue the discussion after the battle, alright?"
The last question was directed at the captain of the Black Scripture, who paused briefly before nodding with a smile. "Of course, no problem! Master of Sky City."
"Then... shall we begin?"
"Let's begin." x2
...
...
Heathcliff donned his silver-white sacred knight armor, gripping the handle of his cross shield with his left hand and a one-handed sword with his right. He eyed Antilene and asked, "Aren't you going to equip yourself?"
"Hmm, if necessary—" Antilene stared at the Rubik's Cube in her hand, scratching her head in frustration. With a sigh, she put it away. "Even though I've played with this cube for a long time, I still can't restore it to its original state."
"Is that so?"
Heathcliff regarded her impassively. He couldn't fathom why a mere 3x3 Rubik's Cube posed such difficulty—wasn't it child's play? Unless she was disabled?
After a quick glance at Antilene's hands, he dismissed the thought.
She had hands. Not disabled. So why couldn't she solve it?
Ah, perhaps she lacked brains.
'Focus on the battle first.' Heathcliff slowly lowered his stance, raising his shield with full concentration fixed on Antilene. His overly serious demeanor drew a laugh from her.
"Oh, no need to be so cautious." Antilene waved her hand casually. "Because I'll try to end this in an instant—"
The moment she finished speaking, she kicked off the ground, charging at Heathcliff with a fist raised. Her speed was so blistering that even the watching Black Scripture captain clenched his fists reflexively.
'Could I react to that speed?'
He asked himself inwardly.
'No, I couldn't.'
He sighed silently.
'She's still so strong. It seems this battle will... What?'
When the captain saw the scene that followed, his eyes widened in disbelief, having initially thought the fight would end quickly.
Blocked!
Antilene's lightning-fast assault was blocked by the opponent!?
"Oh?"
Antilene's voice rose slightly in surprise, clearly not expecting her attack to be countered.
'Luck? Or reflexes? Interesting—'
Such thoughts flashed through her mind, but her movements didn't stop. Instead, she launched an even fiercer offensive.
Punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee jabs...
Every joint in her body, every hardened bone, seemed to become a weapon in her assault. The seemingly chaotic yet intricately linked attacks left Heathcliff...
Completely unfazed.
'So weak—'
Heathcliff blocked Antilene's strikes with an expressionless face, unable to resist a mental scoff.
'Hayashi called her the [Strongest in Another World]? This is it? Just this?'
Upon hearing she was the strongest from another world, Heathcliff had prepared for a grueling battle, even donning all his equipment in advance. Yet this was her level? It felt like he wouldn't even need to move to render her attacks useless.
With that thought, Heathcliff abandoned his defenses entirely. He simply spread his arms and stood calmly before Antilene.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Antilene halted her movements and asked.
"Just didn't see the need to block." Heathcliff delivered the harshest taunt in the calmest voice. "Your attacks are so weak I can't be bothered to waste energy defending."
"Hoho—"
Hearing the sound Antilene made, the Black Scripture Captain could be certain—she was angry. Extremely angry.
Don't think Heathcliff was merely taunting her for her weak attacks. A closer reading of his words would reveal an underlying message: The effort I expend dodging and blocking your strikes outweighs the damage you deal.
Just how brutal was that taunt!? Veins were already bulging on Antilene's forehead—a rare display of emotion.
He's done for.
The Black Scripture Captain couldn't help but think.
"Good. It seems you're quite confident in your abilities," Antilene said expressionlessly, staring at Heathcliff. "Then I'll get serious too."
The next moment, with a flash of light, a full suit of armor materialized on Antilene's body, and a spear appeared in her hand. The former was the Radiant Angel Armor, once wielded by the legendary player and one of the Six Great Gods, Radiant Angel Meow Meow.
"Oh? Finally willing to use equipment?" Heathcliff chuckled. "I thought your arrogance would keep you from relying on it."
Antilene ignored his further provocation. She had already decided to go all out and beat this man senseless—thoroughly senseless!!!
Die!!!
He's done for. The Black Scripture Captain averted his gaze, unable to bear the sight. He didn't even dare imagine what would happen next—this man was surely about to be pummeled half to death by an enraged Antilene… just like the members of the Black Scripture.
Outsiders didn't know this, but because every member of the Black Scripture possessed incredibly powerful innate talents and extraordinary gifts, each could be called a prodigy. Thus, after they joined, Antilene would use a very straightforward method to make them understand the harsh realities of the world—namely, beating them into the ground.
For example, the Eleventh Seat of the Black Scripture was a disheveled female mage. She had once been an unruly delinquent who flaunted her Hero-class strength. But after Antilene tanked her magic bombardment, charged straight at her, pinned her down, and continued to endure her spells while slapping her left and right, she became remarkably docile.
See? Isn't that method wonderfully simple?
Just as the Black Scripture Captain thought history was about to repeat itself, the scene before him made him question whether he was dreaming.
"H-How… is this possible…?"
With great effort, the Black Scripture Captain barely managed to force out those words.
Before him, Antilene was launching a flurry of attacks—yet no matter the angle, no matter the combat skill, no matter the equipment she activated, her strikes were effortlessly deflected by the armored man's shield, as if they were nothing more than a breeze brushing against a mountain.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid succession of metallic clashes rang out between Heathcliff and Antilene, sparks flickering intermittently from the collisions, making the spectacle appear even more dazzling—though that was all it was: a spectacle.
In reality, if this battle scene were to be translated into straightforward text, it would probably go something like this—
Antilene Heran Fouche attacked Heathcliff, but it was blocked;
Antilene Heran Fouche used a martial skill on Heathcliff, but it was blocked;
Antilene Heran Fouche cast a spell on Heathcliff, but it was blocked.
"Is this all your attacks amount to?" Heathcliff's tone was filled with disappointment, his expression akin to when Kirito had defeated him and he subsequently gifted Kirito The Seed. On a whim, he had decided to see how Kirito would use The Seed, so he snuck in to take a look—only to find that Kirito had turned it into a tentacle game where he gender-swapped into a magical girl who got corrupted and laid eggs.
Utterly disappointed.
"Huff… huff…"
Antilene felt her mind in complete disarray. She never expected this armored man to be this strong—why were all her attacks completely ineffective against him?! Was it a gear disparity? Impossible, her equipment was inherited from the Six Great Gods…
Just as Antilene was doubting herself, Heathcliff took the initiative for the first time. He discarded his shield and sword, barehanded, and simply walked straight toward her, tanking her attacks head-on.
"It's over."
He said calmly, then extended his left hand. Despite Antilene's desperate resistance, he spread his fingers and gripped her head, forcibly slamming her into the ground.
"I said, it's over."
He reiterated, then effortlessly wrested the weapon from her grasp and tossed it aside.
"You've lost."
He coldly declared her defeat. After Antilene stubbornly punched his head twice to no effect, she finally spread her hands and stopped struggling.
"I lost."
She said with a hint of resignation.