Chapter 101

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Alright, let’s admit it.

Humans, and the captains of the Celestial Corps, were much stronger than Astaroth had anticipated.

It would be no exaggeration to say that she had overestimated herself.

She had judged them too optimistically, thinking they were just humans.

She had foolishly believed that since they weren’t the “Chosen Ones”, their strength would only go so far.

As a result, she was now being bullied by three captains.

Pathetic cowards. She wanted to challenge them to a fair one-on-one fight.

But saying that would make her look too petty, so she decided to drop the idea.

In truth, there was no other way to bridge the gap between humans and devils.

Isn’t numerical superiority the best strategy for the weak to defeat the strong?

It was a good decision. That’s right. Gradual deployment would have been foolish. Splitting their forces would have been a mistake. Launching a full-scale assault immediately was the correct judgment. With power like theirs, it would be easy for the captains to become arrogant, but they were surprisingly flexible in their thinking.

But it was precisely because of this that their fatal weakness became even clearer.

Not a physical weakness, but a mental one.

“You carry too much burden.”

The foundation laid by the Ni-ō.

Beneath the ground, dozens of meters below.

Astaroth raised the corner of her mouth as if tearing it apart.

“You have too many things to worry about. Look, this is your limit.”

The ice had melted into water, which seeped into the ground, turning into muddy puddles.

Astaroth ignored the dirt staining her hem and tapped the ground with her heel.

She had created a crater dozens of meters deep. Impressive.

But if they had truly unleashed their full power, the national park would have been obliterated.

Captains are beings of that caliber. They possess that kind of power.

“That’s your weakness.”

To minimize damage, they engaged in unnecessary consumption.

When two captains attacked, the third would mitigate the aftermath.

This was a city.

Beyond the park were civilians.

The captains are beings who protect those civilians.

Moreover, the park was surrounded by Celestial Corps warriors tasked with exterminating monsters.

If they went all out, it wouldn’t just be the monsters that got caught in the crossfire.

People. That was the captains’ weakness.

“…You’re right.”

Indeed, the heroes always fight with those penalties.

If they have rights, they must also bear obligations.

They have many things to protect.

“That’s why I will eliminate you here. I won’t leave any unnecessary variables behind.”

As the battle continued, the identity of the girl with the red fox mask became increasingly mysterious. A vague sense of unease gradually became clearer. Despite the captains clearly having the upper hand, for some reason, they couldn’t feel confident in pushing forward. Astaroth, whom they had only read about in reports, was far more dangerous in person.

If left alive, she would undoubtedly become an uncontrollable threat. They would have liked to capture her and extract information, but they didn’t even consider that from the start, as it was impossible.

A dangerous element that threatens the nation, society, and the safety of innocent citizens. A powerful individual who uses that power for evil. It is the duty of the Celestial Corps captains to cut off this threat before the damage escalates.

Thunder God’s Blade:

Spiral

A swirling bolt of lightning.

The flow of lightning intertwines like a spiral, compressing into a single focal point.

Even sparks and thunderous sounds are swept away, leaving only a quietly glowing bolt of lightning in Kallad’s hand.

“Pyrokinesis? Nice fire. You’re the first one to melt my ice.”

Isabella restored the Ni-ō’s arm.

Cold air flowed down the crater.

Ice powder spread like mist, surrounding Astaroth at its center.

“What a shame. If you had a more upright mindset, I might have tried to reform you.”

At that age, with such skill.

It’s an overwhelming talent.

No, talent doesn’t even begin to describe it.

She was a once-in-a-lifetime genius.

Is she really human?

…No, maybe not.

Even if she looks young, maybe she’s actually an old soul.

Even the Grand Captain looks much younger than his age.

Well, regardless of the truth, she’s an enemy that must be eliminated.

Her talent is otherworldly, but if she uses it for evil, it’s worthless.

Immediate execution is required.

“Third bullet, loaded.”

Kaen grabbed her right wrist with her left hand to stabilize her trembling arm.

Her ultimate technique, using a core as a bullet, is extremely powerful but comes with severe recoil.

She had already used it twice. From the third time onward, her fist and arm would bear a significant burden.

“Captain Kallad. Captain Isabella. I agree with you. Let’s end this here.”

Kaen clenched her trembling fist even tighter.

She’s too dangerous to keep alive. Eliminate her.

Her talent, potential, and strength will be wasted. Even so, they have to execute her.

Giving her a chance would only deepen the sins she’s committed.

Her future sins will be just as deep.

They will cut off that future here.

“…”

The hostility of the three captains converged on one point.

The higher the level of a supernatural, the more their will becomes an intangible force.

If they’re at the captain level, their killing intent alone can kill.

The sharp killing intent felt like being stabbed with needles.

A cold chill ran down her spine.

But Astaroth’s smile deepened.

She giggled and rounded her lips.

A thin whistle sound spread.

It was nothing special, quickly swallowed by the noise and disappearing without a trace.

“…What?”

That was the beginning of the anomaly.

Suddenly, the monsters began acting strangely.

The monsters scattered throughout the park, as well as those fighting the Celestial Corps heroes and those emerging from the rifts, all rushed toward the same place as if possessed.

They roared and charged at the captains as if united.

“What’s going on? Why are they acting up? Are you controlling them? How?”

“…I remember a report saying she controlled monsters through a mask.”

“Do they look like they’re wearing masks to you?”

Of course, even if they were, they posed no real threat.

Isabella flicked her fingers.

Kallad waved his left hand through the air.

Whether they were mid rank or high rank monsters, they were all crushed equally, their flesh and bones scattering in the wind.

The gap created by the monsters’ sacrifices lasted only a few seconds.

That was enough for Astaroth.

“You know, I actually hate hard labor. I don’t prefer close combat.”

Astaroth reached into her parasol and pulled out something.

A plain, unadorned wooden stick, devoid of patterns, bent awkwardly like an old vine.

It looked like a bow made by twisting old vines together.

No, it was questionable whether it could even be called a bow.

It lacked the bowstring that is essential for a bow.

It was a malformed shape, with only the bow frame standing alone without a bowstring to hold an arrow.

“I tried copying Angelica’s spear techniques and my big brother’s swordsmanship, but they just didn’t suit me.”

Yet Astaroth took a stance as if there was a bowstring.

She aimed at the sky and pulled back her arm.

Then, a bowstring that shouldn’t have existed was pulled back.

“Third bullet, fire!”

Only Kaen could react in time. Even though monsters were swarming toward her, she didn’t pay them any mind, focusing entirely on controlling the overwhelming power that threatened to tear her apart. It was an undefended action, but she trusted her seniors.

The power that could collapse the ground and create an endless sinkhole erupted at once.

If it hit, even Astaroth would not escape unscathed.

Yet the girl with the red fox mask smiled.

Her lips formed the word:

Weakness.

“…?!”

Kaen had to quickly withdraw her hand.

The reason was simple.

The girl had made no counterattack.

She was the 7th Division Captain, whose pure destructive power was unmatched among the captains.

Her full-power attack wouldn’t just flatten the park—it would leave an irreversible catastrophe across the entire city.

Yet she unleashed her full power because she expected Astaroth to counterattack.

To repel Astaroth’s counterattack, which was at least captain-level, she had to give it her all.

But if Astaroth remained undefended, while she could certainly finish her off, she couldn’t guarantee the safety of the civilians living in the city. The situation being what it is, they might have evacuated, but you never know.

“You’re using dirty tactics!”

Still, there’s always a way. Change tactics. Instead of unleashing energy from a distance, charge in and beat her up directly. If the direction of the punch changes from top to bottom to bottom to top, the damage can be minimized.

“Bang~”

A moment of hesitation.

Astaroth struck in that instant.

Interestingly, the attack wasn’t aimed at Kaen.

The arrow passed right by her side.

A spinning, compressed flame that pierced the heavens like a spear.

“Was it like this?”

Sun Sword.

Eugene’s ultimate technique was reproduced not with a sword but with an arrow.

At first, Kaen thought it had missed and ignored it, but a gut feeling told her something was wrong. She quickly moved away. Not just she, but Kallad and Isabella, who were repelling the monsters that charged without fear of death, chased the arrow with their eyes, leaving a red trail like a shooting star.

To rise to the position of captain, talent alone is not enough.

Effort to cultivate that talent. Experience that can only be gained in real battles.

If all of these do not harmonize, one can never reach the top.

Thus, their instincts warned them.

Even without precognition abilities, their honed intuition screamed.

That arrow is dangerous.

“Ahaha, if there’s a weakness, of course, you have to strike it, right?”

Don’t call it cowardly.

That’s how fights are, aren’t they?

If we started with three against one, we can’t be called cowards.

The arrow split.

One into two.

Two into four.

Four into eight.

It continued to split endlessly.

Soon, the broken sky was filled with red arrows.

Hundreds of arrows, spinning and compressed.

Sun Sword:

Meteor Shower.

A technique used to protect human lives was now being unleashed to threaten them.

“Now, watch. Even if a couple gets destroyed, a lot of humans will die, won’t they?”

The red lights beautifully painted the blue sky.

But the power and intent it carried were far from beautiful.

Beyond the park, across the entire city.

Red meteors fell.

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene should really copyright his techniques.

That aside, do readers actually hate r-19?

The number of views has dropped so much… I worked hard to increase the length… It was almost 2.5 times longer than the usual…

Huh, it seems that everyone pretended to like the r-19 but actually hated it.

I won’t do r-19 in the future!

All the IF side stories I had in mind have been scrapped!

Anything obscene won’t do!

I’ll become the king of wholesomeness!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A very twisted sense of wholesomeness you got there, heh.