"Wait!" Lupusregina Beta gasped, lowering her massive mace. "That guy isn't dead!"
Under the stunned gaze of the Pleiades Battle Maids, Ban, who had just been brutally and cleanly decapitated by Sebas Tian, remained standing.
His severed head and neck instantly reconnected, the flesh weaving together like liquid magic. Not only did the fatal decapitation wound disappear completely, but even the deep, bone-deep bruises remaining on his body from Sebas's endless barrage vanished without a trace.
Ban held his head with both hands and gave his neck a gentle, cracking shake. He still wore that same lazy, nonchalant expression.
A mere fatal wound...
Ban bent his knees slightly, slapping his palms against his thighs, and smirked at Sebas. He made a flippant "bring it on" gesture with his hand, urging the Level 100 monk to continue.
Arrogant. Incredibly arrogant.
A spark of genuine anger flashed in Sebas's usually calm eyes. His fist, which had been charging with immense Ki for a long time, swung forward toward Ban, executing the exact same flawless martial arts barrage as before.
Ban didn't offer any resistance at all. He took every single bone-shattering punch, one by one.
However, as the seconds passed, the wild smile on Ban's face became increasingly prominent. In stark contrast, Sebas's expression grew more and more solemn.
Only two rapid-fire exchanges had passed, taking no more than a few minutes of real time. Yet, Sebas felt that his physical stamina and internal Ki were being severely, unnaturally depleted. On the other hand, under the relentless bombardment of his iron fists, not only did Ban show absolutely zero accumulated injuries... his expression became even more excited.
"You're not human, are you?" Ban laughed, effortlessly catching one of Sebas's heavy punches. "Humans don't have stamina like yours, old man. Keep hitting me! I'm almost full from absorbing it!"
[Magic: Snatch]
Whether it was magical mana, physical strength, or raw stamina, the Fox Sin of Greed could seize it all. Combined with the absolute immortality granted by the Fountain of Youth, no one could defeat him in a physical battle of attrition.
Except for his captain, Meliodas.
"Sebas-sama, do you require a break?" Yuri Alpha called out, adjusting her glasses.
With Ban's own boastful explanation, the members of the Pleiades also realized the terrifying predicament Sebas was facing. This human could literally absorb his enemy's power through contact.
The six members of the maid group immediately spread out, each taking a tactical combat stance. Except for their supreme leader, Aureole Omega, who remained standing elegantly in the rear, the others had already drawn their weapons.
The eldest sister, Yuri Alpha, her spiked gauntlets glinting with a cold light, took the lead in the vanguard charge.
CZ2128 Delta raised her magical sniper rifle and began to provide heavy covering fire. Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The dark-skinned werewolf cleric, Lupusregina Beta, raised her scepter to cast healing buffs and physical enhancements on the squad.
Crackling blue lightning flickered violently in Narberal Gamma's hands. "[Double Maximize Magic: Chain Dragon Lightning]!"
The insect-maid, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, didn't choose close combat; instead, she threw enchanted paper talismans from the flank. "[Talisman: Shikigami Spider]! [Talisman: Explosive]!"
Finally, Solution Epsilon completely dissolved her human form, turning into a highly acidic, bubbling mass of yellow slime, seeping into the cracks of the asphalt and disappearing from sight.
"Tch. Is that all?" Ban scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Ban completely ignored the barrage of high-tier magical ranged attacks from the Battle Maids. He easily caught Yuri Alpha's incoming vanguard fist with his open palm. Ban was just about to kick the dullahan maid away when he suddenly found his legs unable to move.
Looking down, he saw that at some point, his feet and calves had been completely encased in a highly corrosive, hardening mass of yellow slime. Solution Epsilon had trapped him.
Yuri Alpha immediately pulled her fist back and retreated.
Armor-piercing bullets, explosive talismans, and maximized chain-lightning instantly submerged Ban's immobilized figure. A massive explosion rocked the street, and a thick, suffocating cloud of dust and smoke rose from the spot.
Solution's body reformed from the ground, standing safely beside the other maids.
"Well, that was easy to solve," Lupusregina laughed happily, lowering her scepter.
However, as everyone in Britannia knows... where there is thick smoke, there is absolutely zero damage.
As the dust cleared, Ban stood in the center of the crater, completely unharmed, casually picking his teeth with his pinky finger.
"You guys..." Ban sighed, his crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. "...are getting a bit annoying."
Although that synchronized barrage of high-tier attacks hadn't caused Ban any permanent damage... it had made him feel a bit disgruntled. He enjoyed fighting; at least he had liked the pure physical brawl with Sebas. But the Battle Maids' coordinated attacks didn't even count as a real fight to him. It felt like being bitten by mosquitoes. Not fatal, but incredibly irritating.
Ban opened his hands, and his Sacred Treasure suddenly materialized in his grasp.
"I'll take out this annoying trash first..." Ban tilted his head, speaking directly to Sebas with a chilling smile. "...before we continue our fight, old man."
Sebas's pupils contracted. "Defend yourselves!"
But before the Pleiades could react... Ban's figure had already vanished from the spot.
Of the Battle Maids who had just besieged him, except for Aureole Omega—who had cautiously taken to the air to escape the initial strike zone—the other six were instantly, brutally, and lethally displayed in six different ways of dying by the swinging force of the Holy Rod Courechouse.
"You!" Sebas roared, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles bled, while a furious red light appeared in his draconic eyes.
Seeing her sisters fall, Aureole Omega, hovering in the air, showed a look of profound sadness mixed with absolute anger. Her traditional red and white Miko outfit heaved incessantly as she raised her hands to summon her highest-tier retainers.
"[Summon: Ukanomitama]! [Summon: Ootoshi]!"
Cherry blossoms flashed brilliantly in the air.
A spiritual girl wearing a traditional fox mask and a boy wearing a golden sun mask materialized simultaneously. The boy charged directly at Ban with blinding speed. The girl stood perfectly still in place, slowly raising her palm.
Seeing this, Ban swung his hand to dissipate the holy staff back into his magic reserves. He smirked, preparing to meet this new, energetic enemy empty-handed.
However, at that exact moment, a strange, hypnotic purple glint flashed in the fox-girl's palm.
Ban's previously excited, bloodthirsty crimson eyes instantly went completely hollow and glassy.
"Ban! What are you doing?!"
"Hurry up and come help me!"
Ban shook his head violently, waking up with a gasp. He felt as if he had just been pulled out of a very long, very strange dream. In the dream, he had been pulled to an entirely different, bizarre world with metal carriages and flying metal suits by his Captain.
However, seeing the Fairy King's sister calling out to him in the sunlit forest ahead...
"Forget it. Whatever," Ban smiled lazily, walking toward the fairy. "Elaine is what's most important. As for the Captain, he can handle things himself."
While the battle between Ban and Sebas had been in full swing... the battle here was also on the absolute verge of breaking out.
"Since you still stubbornly insist on attacking innocent civilians..." Meliodas said, his cheerful demeanor completely vanishing. "...then I have absolutely no choice but to strike you down."
Meliodas placed a hand on the hilt over his shoulder.
"I am the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins... the Dragon Sin of Wrath, Meliodas!"
As he declared his title, Meliodas drew the short, curved sword from his back.
Demon Sword [Lostvayne]
He leaped high into the air, slashing directly downward at Ainz Ooal Gown. The razor-sharp blade of the Demon Sword shot out a massive, terrifying crescent beam of light, carrying heavy, suffocating black demonic mana straight toward the Overlord.
At this point, there weren't many high-level Guardians left by Ainz's side. His greatest protection was the World Item currently equipped in his internal inventory, but for now, the tactical situation hadn't reached the point of activating his ultimate trump card.
"Aura! Mare!" Ainz commanded sharply.
"Understood!" Mare squeaked.
Facing the incoming, catastrophic blade-light, Mare dropped his usual timid, stuttering demeanor. The young dark elf swung the massive wooden staff in his hands—the [Shadow of the World Tree]—and collided head-on with the demonic energy.
The black blade-light and the divine staff met in mid-air, the kinetic forces violently neutralizing each other and instantly vanishing without a trace.
This was originally just a casual probing attack; Meliodas wasn't surprised that someone in the Overlord's retinue could block it.
"Elves?" Meliodas asked, tilting his head as he floated back down. "As elves, why are you doing such cowardly things?"
Meliodas's closest companion, the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, King, was the Fairy King. The Elven and Fairy races had always fiercely loved peace, nature, and life. These two dark elves clearly weren't under any form of mind control. Yet they willingly, eagerly followed that terrifying Undead skeleton to indiscriminately slaughter humans.
Meliodas didn't quite understand it, chalking it up to the bizarre cultural differences of this strange new world.
This philosophical doubt lasted only for a fraction of a second. Meliodas cast aside all other thoughts. Since he had made the choice to fight, he would fight to the absolute bitter end.
With a rapid swing of his Demon Sword, four exact, identical copies of Meliodas materialized out of thin air.
This was the true, innate magical ability of the Sacred Treasure, [Lostvayne].
It could provide the user with up to four physical clones, and the clones possessed all the martial abilities and magical skills of the original. However, the clones would also equally divide the original's raw power level.
But for Meliodas, this division was absolutely perfect. This was the specific ability that best complemented his ultimate, signature magic: Full Counter.
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