Chapter 134: First Kiss

“This older sister will make sure such a little boy doesn’t catch my eye.”

The battle begins with Olivia blowing a kiss to Rohan.

The moment she removed her hand from her glossy red lips and blew a kiss into the air.

The swirling pink Mana gathered into a baseball-sized heart shape.

A bobbing heart.

Its leisurely floating appearance, far from being funny, evoked a sense of unease.

The concentration of the gathered Mana gave the certainty that being hit by that small heart would be a disaster.

“Ichinose. Watch out for that.”

“You too, Rohan.”

Rohan and Ichinose Yui straightened their respective weapons.

At their resolute appearance, Olivia’s lips curled upwards.

“Hee hee, don’t make such scary faces. The pain will only be momentary.”

It’s coming.

Olivia’s whip, as powerful and wide-ranging as it is, has a clear tell.

The moment it’s thrown, its trajectory changes erratically, but the backward swing of her arm as she prepares to wield the stationary whip is clearly visible.

The starting point of the attack can be clearly recognized.

And it was certain that the start was the opening.

The weakness of a whip long enough to drag on the floor is its vulnerability to close-range attacks.

With such a weapon, a single step is the difference between heaven and hell.

‘Close the distance.’

He had no intention of idly waiting for the whip to be swung.

The instant Rohan caught Olivia pulling her arm back, he kicked off the ground.

Ichinose, seemingly thinking the same thing, was also moving.

“Such impatient personalities.”

Olivia moved her body according to the combat method ingrained in her instincts over a long period.

She coated her sharp high heels with Mana to block Ichinose’s drawn sword.

With the sturdy handle of her whip, she deflected Rohan’s burning sword.

Immediately after the exchange, Olivia quickly created distance.

And finally swung her whip.

The whip wasn’t aimed at the two of them, but at the heart suspended in the air.

Crack!

The lashed heart flew towards the far wall.

The heart moved away from the two, but there must be a reason for the Succubus’s actions.

Just as Rohan and Ichinose heightened their vigilance and tried to close the distance again.

Poof!

The heart that flew to the opposite mirror emerged from the mirror closest to Rohan.

“!”

Rohan narrowly dodged the heart that suddenly appeared without warning.

Reflexively, he swung Radiance.

The fragmented Charm instantly repaired itself and began flying again.

“Tearing apart my older sister’s love like that. I’ll be sad if you keep putting up a wall~”

Her expression, contrary to her words, wasn’t sad at all.

Olivia’s face was triumphant, as if she had already gained the upper hand.

“You know what happens if you get hit by that, right? A future steeped in pleasure awaits you.”

Olivia pulled her whip taut with both hands, creating a snap! snap! sound.

Rohan and Ichinose’s expressions turned serious as they grasped the situation.

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[One Sword – Flame Cut]

──Clang! Sparks fly and metal screeches as the whip is deflected.

Immediately after blocking, he leaps to avoid the incoming Charm.

‘It’s still impossible to cut the whip.’

If it were possible, Ichinose would have done it already.

The material was sturdy, and further empowered by Olivia’s Mana, so persistently trying to cut it would likely backfire.

“I love that your spirit isn’t dying down. This is the taste of youth, after all.”

Dodging Ichinose’s Slash, Olivia once again struck the heart with her whip.

When the heart enters a mirror, it emerges unexpectedly from another.

The mirrors that spewed the swallowed Charm seemed to be designated by Olivia, as there was no consistency.

Furthermore, the problem was speed.

Struck by the whip, the heart flies at tremendous speed.

A lump that would cause major trouble if it landed a hit frequently came flying from out of sight, making evasion difficult.

Olivia, living up to her title as the Dungeon boss, still had Mana to spare and exceptional physical abilities.

On top of that, her cautiousness and prudence were unexpectedly high, bordering on excessive.

While trying to gain the upper hand with her whip, she also displayed defensive behavior, aiming to land a hit with Charm.

She knows that a direct hit with Charm means victory for her.

“Ha!”

Kwa-kwa-kwa──!!!

The whip thrashed wildly as if it had a will of its own.

Rohan and Ichinose evaded the fiercely swinging cord and continued their counterattack.

Ting! Clang! Kagagak···!

Swing. Block.

Roll to dodge. Thrust.

A chaotic melee of overlapping and intermingling harsh sounds.

While the battle seemed to maintain a stalemate without any noticeable advantage or progress.

With each exchange, the balance tilted subtly in Olivia’s favor.

Ichinose was still showcasing consistent swordsmanship, but.

Rohan’s vigorous movements caused the wounds inflicted by the Pleasure Doll to reopen, worsening the bleeding.

So he couldn’t help but think.

‘When the Quest is completed, there’s Full Recovery.’

A trump card.

It meant he had a chance to make a risky move at least once.

As long as he didn’t die, he could manage somehow. A bolder move was needed to break the balance.

‘Avoid Charm, but taking hits from the whip is acceptable, except for vital points.’

The excitement was suppressing the pain, but the whip would probably hurt like hell.

Still, he was confident he could endure it once. He couldn’t guarantee he could handle Charm.

“Ichinose.”

“Huu, tell me.”

To the girl sheathing her sword and catching her breath, Rohan emphasized.

“I’ll create an opening, so don’t miss it.”

“…What are you planning?”

There was no time to explain everything.

Because the whip, having touched a mirror, was flying towards them again.

Pak!

Instead of dodging to the side or back, Rohan dashed forward.

His muscular body plunged into the waves of the erratically swinging whip.

“Oh my?”

Olivia’s eyes widened at Rohan’s audacity.

Was he trying to commit suicide?

She intended to kill the woman but not the man. She shouldn’t, and couldn’t, kill him in the first place.

That action just seemed like him rushing in, unable to bear the stagnant situation.

“Such a lack of patience and a fiery temper… You really are a troublesome man.”

Olivia moved her hand, redirecting the whip aimed at his head towards Rohan’s legs.

As if anticipating it, Rohan slammed Radiance into the ground.

Using the sword like a pole, he launched himself.

Thud!

At the sight of Rohan landing right in front of her, Olivia smiled.

Looking at the man’s fierce face, she felt excited, wanting to pin him down and drain his Essence.

“Hmm… Did you take advantage of the fact that I didn’t want to kill you? You’ve got guts.”

Rohan’s gamble had succeeded, closing the distance for the second time.

Still, it wasn’t a problem.

Olivia was confident she could push him back, just like before.

Rohan, realizing the awkward distance for swinging his sword, boldly released Radiance from his hand.

He blocked Olivia’s roundhouse kick with his forearm.

Pak! Pabak! Ppakak!

Fists and kicks were exchanged.

As if unwilling to lose the secured distance, Rohan desperately held his ground and didn’t retreat.

“How can you be so skilled in fighting? Interesting.”

Olivia’s body heated up.

This man was different from before. He was already adapting and responding to her movements.

His attacks were systematic yet wild.

If their Mana levels and physical abilities were equal, she would have been subdued by this man.

She shuddered to think what would have happened if these youngsters had come a little later, more mature.

A chill ran down her spine, but the realization that luck was on her side in the current situation was exhilarating.

While dealing with the struggling Rohan, Olivia checked on the girl who had her eyes closed.

‘That little one is preparing to do something.’

She wasn’t joining the brawl to help, but was taking a stance.

Even with her sword sheathed, Olivia could feel the ominous Mana compressing.

“Slut. Where are you looking?”

While her Consciousness was momentarily diverted, Rohan, at the cost of an injury, finally managed to grab Olivia’s arm with his side.

He gripped tightly and poured Mana into it.

[Target’s weakness to Physical Attribute has been applied.]

“!!!”

Olivia smiled at the foreign Mana.

Her monster instincts screamed.

Olivia desperately tried to push Rohan away, recklessly releasing the Mana she’d been saving.

“──!”

The shockwave Olivia created further widened Rohan’s open wounds.

Blood gushed from Rohan’s entire body. However, he didn’t let go of the arm he was holding.

Ichinose kicked off the ground.

An unspoken opportunity.

[Dream Illusion Shadow Style (夢幻斬影流) – Distant Night in the Sky (天外瞬夜)]

The girl aimed for Olivia’s neck.

Ichinose’s illusion consumed Olivia, and

Olivia’s vision blackened, albeit briefly.

However, a monster’s senses and instincts…

Olivia reacted reflexively, even while blind and sightless.

As a result of her struggle…

She protected her neck. But the arm Rohan was holding was cleanly severed.

A deep sword wound, likely spilling her insides, appeared on her abdomen.

“Kghhh…!”

She winced in pain, but the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

Olivia retreated, manipulating the mirror,

Poof!

Charm directly hit the severely injured Rohan.

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“Haa, still, this big sister wins, right?”

It seemed the black things covering the Succubus’ vital areas weren’t just for show.

They clung to her split abdomen and severed arm, stemming the bleeding.

“…I won’t let you go. I’ll kill you.”

Ichinose took a stance, her voice deadly.

Those wounds were definitely not shallow.

Olivia wiped away the cold sweat with her remaining hand and

pointed at the charmed, frozen Rohan.

“Little girl, you’re naive. Are you trying to come in?”

Pink Mana bubbled from Rohan’s body.

Olivia kept her distance and continued to try and control the Charm, attempting to subdue Rohan.

“How can his willpower be so strong? He’s not succumbing immediately.”

Rohan grimaced, seemingly in pain.

He was resisting the Charm.

Ichinose bit her lower lip as she watched him.

She adjusted her unsheathed sword and quickly closed the distance to Olivia.

Whizz! Ping!

Every time Ichinose swung, another wound appeared on Olivia’s body.

She couldn’t dodge perfectly.

The problem was, Ichinose had used a major Skill, and didn’t have much Mana left.

“You know that if this man becomes a Pleasure Doll, he’ll die with me the moment I die, right? Are you still going to kill me?”

“···!”

“Which will be faster? This man succumbing to the Charm, or you killing me? I guess I’ll have to run around diligently~”

Olivia pretended to be relaxed despite her serious injuries.

Based on accumulated experience and her Succubus nature, she tried to break the girl’s spirit.

“If you surrender now, I’ll just take some Essence from the man. After that, we can peacefully part ways.”

“Take out the contract…”

“I don’t have enough Mana for that right now. A verbal agreement is enough, isn’t it?”

That was definitely a lie.

Nevertheless, many assumptions flashed through Ichinose’s mind.

Rohan, standing right next to her, seemed to be struggling, gritting his teeth and groaning in pain.

‘Should I hit Rohan to wake him up?’

If she hit him hard with his current injuries, he really could die.

Touching him gently would be meaningless, and she doubted a physical method would work against such a powerful Charm.

‘A method… a method…’

Theories whizzed through Ichinose’s mind.

Holy water, herbs, Charm Unbind Skills.

Various things passed by, useless.

One possibility with even a slight chance surfaced.

‘Mental shock…’

A stronger temptation or mental shock than the Succubus’ Charm.

Literally, an abstract solution.

Still, she had read about numerous cases where people had escaped powerful Charms.

The situations and anecdotes she read about felt close to a romance novel.

A true story that had been made into a movie, though it flopped at the box office.

Recalling that record, the girl…

Made up her mind.

She’d try it once, and if it failed, she would trust Rohan’s willpower and kill the Succubus as quickly as possible.

“If you just give up the little girl, we can all go our separate ways amicably. Don’t you think you’re doing something stupid?”

Ichinose ignored the provoking Succubus and grabbed Rohan by the collar.

She couldn’t stand to see the man she loved degenerate into a Succubus’ Pleasure Doll.

She wanted to save him, no matter what.

“…I-If this doesn’t work, I really will cut you down!”

It wasn’t the romantic situation Ichinose had dreamed of.

But it was with the person she desired.

The girl pulled the hand she was holding and

pressed her lips against Rohan’s.