The members of the subjugation party watched this scene in disbelief. No one had expected Natsuki Subaru, with a single move, to be able to
The members of the subjugation party watched this scene in disbelief.
No one had expected Natsuki Subaru, with a single move, to be able to send the impossibly arrogant Sin Archbishop of Greed flying a hundred meters away.
The scene fell into a brief, deathly silence, then erupted in cries of astonishment.
"Hahaha! Beautifully done!" Ricardo's hearty laughter was the first to break the silence. He beat his sturdy chest forcefully, his rugged face filled with excitement. "That punch from little bro really packed a wallop! It even made the air explode!"
"Did... did he successfully defeat the Sin Archbishop?" Crusch's emerald eyes widened, her slender fingers unconsciously covering her lips as she gazed at the still-unsettled dust cloud in the distance, finding it hard to believe.
"Lord Subaru, such incredible speed... and astonishing power..." Wilhelm's pupils under his silver hair contracted slightly, his voice carrying a rare hint of shock. As a battle-hardened warrior, he knew better than anyone the terrifying power contained in Natsuki Subaru's strike—it was a destructive force sufficient to shatter steel into fragments.
"Subaru-kyun, did you defeat that guy, meow?!" Ferris's cat ears stood straight up, his amber eyes flickering with shock.
"..."
However, amidst the gasps of amazement, only Natsuki Subaru remained terrifyingly calm. He slowly retracted his fist, his dark eyes showing not a hint of joy.
It's useless. An attack of this level, it's not that it had no effect on Regulus, it's that it did absolutely no damage at all.
Just as Natsuki Subaru had anticipated—
"...I say, are you the type of person who can't read the room?" The arrogant voice came from within the dust cloud.
Regulus slowly strolled out, casually patting non-existent dust from his pure white robe while chattering endlessly at Natsuki Subaru. "No matter how you hit me, how you kick me, it's all meaningless to me. You should have understood that by now, right? I was just about to push that old geezer into a corner, yet you just had to meddle."
Unbelievably, despite having taken Natsuki Subaru's full-force blow, Regulus's pure white attire was spotless, without even a single wrinkle.
"Is that so..." Natsuki Subaru stared at Regulus, his expression unchanging, his mind already clear on the matter.
As expected... this is the terror of the Authority of Stillness of Time. By freezing the flow of time for himself, Regulus can become completely immune to any form of damage. Although he can selectively accept external forces to be sent flying, he can adjust his Authority at any time to completely isolate himself from all external effects if he so chooses.
"You're not looking so composed anymore, you fool..." Seeing Natsuki Subaru still maintaining his unfazed expression, Regulus suddenly pointed at him and roared irritably, "Just now, I had already set the time of your death, I was going to..."
Swish!
Before he could finish, Natsuki Subaru had already attacked again, a vicious whip kick striking Regulus squarely in the face.
Rumble—
Regulus was sent flying once more, plowing a long trench in the grassy field.
"—That's enough! Give me a break!" Regulus scrambled up again, looking disheveled, patting non-existent dust from his clothes, and glared angrily at Natsuki Subaru. "I wasn't finished speaking! Why can't you people understand how to respect others' right to speak?"
"All you talk about is rights. A person like you is truly disgusting!" Natsuki Subaru glanced at Regulus and said with sharp disgust.
Seriously, this chatterbox Regulus is always claiming to be content with himself and free of selfish desires, often ignoring others and pushing his specious theories. It's all just pontificating nonsense. In reality, every sentence exposes his pathological need for self-expression.
"And your fighting style is the same..." Natsuki Subaru had already seen through Regulus's game. Relying on his invincible Authority, Regulus would deliberately endure all attacks, and then, when his opponent was exhausted, he would slaughter them in the most cruel way possible.
This behavior precisely exposed Regulus's deep-seated desire for acknowledgment and his pathological need for self-display. On the surface, he pretended to be free of desire, but in reality, he craved others' approval more than anyone.
"In the end, Regulus is a complete and utter psychopath."
Although Regulus's Authority was indeed tricky, Natsuki Subaru felt no fear in his heart. He knew very well that even if Reinhard arrived, without being able to crack Regulus's Authority, the most they could achieve was a stalemate.
But on the other hand—
As long as they found a way to break Regulus's Authority, dealing with him would be as easy as flipping a hand.
After all, in the original work, the Sin Archbishop of Greed, Regulus, was the only archbishop who failed to take Natsuki Subaru's head. Despite having the strongest defensive Authority, he ended up with a comical death by drowning.
Thinking about it this way, this guy really is the most unimpressive of the Sin Archbishops. He talks about rights all day long, but in the end, he couldn't even protect his own life. What a waste.
"You don't understand. You people just don't understand. You really don't understand anything. It's useless, this is useless. You have no chance of winning. You can't reach my level, it's meaningless, why is your comprehension so poor~? I've told you, I've shown you with my actions, a principle like this, and you still don't get it~?"
Regulus mumbled as he slowly walked towards Natsuki Subaru.
"Against trash like you, fists are often more effective than reason!"
Natsuki Subaru firmly assumed a combat stance, quickly calculating in his mind. The most important thing now was to stall for time. He had to hold out until Reinhard arrived.
Natsuki Subaru knew very well that the key to dealing with a madman like Regulus was not to let him regain his sanity. On the contrary, keeping him in a state of rage was the best strategy. An enemy who has lost his cool is like a frenzied beast.
Although Regulus's destructive power was astonishing in a state of rage, he would also be more prone to revealing openings. Natsuki Subaru knew better than anyone that the truly terrifying opponents were always those who could remain calm.
"I'll grind you into paste, then tear you into pieces, and let you taste what true pain is, for daring to trample on my rights."
Just as Natsuki Subaru expected, his provocation immediately took effect. Regulus became hysterical, like a child whose toy had been snatched away, roaring madly on the green plain.
Regulus's casually swinging arms whipped up a destructive storm, each movement bringing catastrophic destruction.
Rumble—
The verdant grass was torn up in large swaths, soil and grass clippings flying everywhere. Sturdy rock piles collapsed with a roar under the violent energy impact, sending debris flying.
The area of destruction expanded outwards at an astonishing speed, covering a radius of several hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The terrifying shockwaves spread continuously like a chain explosion; the once picturesque green plain was disappearing at a visible rate.
In the raging turbulence of energy, the flying debris and fragments whizzed by like bullets, each piece lethal enough to kill. Natsuki Subaru's figure nimbly dodged and weaved, precisely avoiding every flying piece of debris.
That's it, Regulus. Stay angry. The more irrational, the better.
"All this useless talk, wouldn't it be better to just fight?" Natsuki Subaru nimbly dodged the flying debris, a cold smile on his lips, deliberately drawing out his tone. "Or could it be... you're actually afraid of something?"
"Afraid?!" Regulus was enraged by Natsuki Subaru, his expression instantly contorting. "I would be afraid of an ant like you?! I am perfect—!"
He crazily emphasized the last word, his voice piercingly sharp. Clearly, Natsuki Subaru's taunt had worked.
While nimbly dodging the flying debris, Natsuki Subaru was rapidly analyzing the current situation in his mind: This can't go on. This madman Regulus has no restraint at all. If we continue to fight here, Crusch and the others will be caught in Regulus's indiscriminate attacks. I have to get him further away.
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru suddenly turned and sped off in the opposite direction.
"Come and get me if you have the guts!" Natsuki Subaru shouted at Regulus behind him without turning back.
"Hahaha! Do you think you can escape?" Regulus was indeed drawn by Natsuki Subaru and immediately gave chase. "Not only is your resistance futile, but your overinflated ego and underestimation of your opponent are also infringements on my rights! I'm going to kill a senseless guy like you right here! See, I'm about to catch up to you..."
Natsuki Subaru silently glanced back at the pursuing Regulus, a cold smile in his heart. He really took the bait. What a low-IQ fellow.
"Look at that expression. You know you have no chance of winning, right?" Regulus's plain face smiled, putting on a mockingly pitiful expression. "Up until now, you may have successfully inflicted violence on me to your heart's content, but there should be a limit for someone who can only build their own happiness by sacrificing others! Just how much must you trample and ravage to be satisfied, you greedy, terrible monster!"
"Are you talking about yourself?" Natsuki Subaru retorted coldly while nimbly dodging his opponent's attacks.
"Let me, the satisfied one, ask you," Regulus continued as if it were a matter of course. "Can you die in a state of contentment? If not, that is truly pitiful."
"Then why don't you die first?" Natsuki Subaru shot back.
"Death will come one day for everyone." Regulus suddenly became serious, placing a hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture of emotion, and continued to ramble on. "Therefore, a living will constantly pursue happiness. And I am satisfied with the small happiness I pursue. If I were a greedy person, then I would be a greedy monster who wants everything in the world; one cannot be happy that way. However, I am a person who is satisfied with small happiness. I am just that sentimental of an existence."
"What a brain-damaged fellow!" Natsuki Subaru commented mercilessly in the face of Regulus's self-contradictory statements.
Speaking of which, this guy Regulus practically traded his intelligence for immense strength. It's worth mentioning that the Authority produced by absorbing a Witch Factor will twist a person's mind. Just as shown in the original work, the Sin Archbishops of Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, and the others were, without exception, all mentally unstable.
Meanwhile, the members of the subjugation party present were also witnessing this unbelievable battle. Natsuki Subaru's figure transformed into countless afterimages, launching attacks at astonishing speed, while Regulus turned sand, stones, and even air currents into lethal weapons.
Even more shocking was that Regulus from time to time displayed superhuman physical abilities, which were clearly his Authority at work. The intensity of this battle far surpassed the clash between Wilhelm and Regulus by several times.
On the surface, it seemed both sides were fighting seriously. But Natsuki Subaru knew very well that only he was giving it his all; Regulus wasn't even serious.
Speaking of which, Regulus's talkative nature was on full display in this battle. It's known that Regulus's extremely conceited personality makes him constantly chatter about trivial matters, his train of thought leaping around in a way that is difficult to follow.
He constantly imposes his own values on others, and if he is opposed, he immediately turns hostile and kills. This extremely arrogant man is always immersed in the fantasy that he is the most satisfied person in the world. Anything that doesn't go his way is seen by Regulus as an infringement.
Ironically, the Witch Factor of Greed gave him the Authority to avoid infringement—absolute invincibility. But this invincibility also brought a fatal flaw: his body could not withstand it, so he obtained the Authority of Small King, forcibly placing his heart onto others.
It is precisely this overwhelming strength that has prevented Regulus from ever experiencing a true life-and-death crisis. His mind is forever stuck in a childish stage, arrogant, rude, and immature.
That's why in the original work, when Regulus's Authority was broken, he panicked like a helpless child, because he had no experience in dealing with adversity. Until the moment of his death, all Regulus left behind were complaints and dissatisfaction, not remorse and reflection.
"In the end, Regulus is nothing but a giant baby spoiled by power..." Natsuki Subaru stopped, a cold smile in his heart.
"Oh? You've finally recognized the gap in strength between us? Commendable~" Regulus said smugly, thinking Natsuki Subaru had given up resistance.
"Shut up!" Natsuki Subaru stared coldly at Regulus, slightly adjusting his breathing rhythm, and said, "Your nonsense is a hundred times more annoying than your attacks."
"Fool! I'm on a different level from you!" Regulus suddenly started getting agitated again, gesturing wildly with his hands. "You are all incomplete individuals! Only I am perfect! Those fools who need to confirm their own value through comparison are not qualified to judge me!"
"Are you done?" Facing Regulus's arrogant tirade, Natsuki Subaru interrupted impatiently. "Your self-admiration is truly nauseating."
Regulus's Authority was indeed very tricky. Anything he touched would have its time stopped. So, the activation condition for this ability was that there must be physical contact.
For example, if Regulus rolled in a mud pit, his clothes would remain spotless because their time was frozen in a clean state. He walked on water as if on flat ground, and the dust and stones he threw would maintain their state of motion, ignoring all resistance and obstacles, only stopping when they exceeded the range of his Authority.
In the original work, Regulus had even time-stopped Reinhard and thrown him into space; Reinhard was only able to return to the ground by using the moon for leverage after he was out of the Authority's range. Although the specific range was unknown, a conservative estimate was at least a dozen kilometers or more.
If Regulus's 'Small King' ability isn't broken, even Reinhard can't do anything about him.
It's known that for hundreds of years, countless people have tried to eliminate the Sin Archbishop Regulus, or to rescue the wives he forcibly took, but all ultimately met a tragic end, killed because they could not break his Authority. Regulus's existence is like an unsolvable curse; no attack can touch his essence.
At this moment, as the only person on site who knew the effect of Regulus's Authority, Natsuki Subaru could only continuously adopt guerilla tactics, avoiding a direct confrontation with him. After all, Natsuki Subaru had only one goal: to stall for time, to wait for Reinhard's arrival.
Natsuki Subaru's figure flashed, moving at high speed among the ruins. Every time Regulus was about to close in, he could quickly evade with his agile movements.
However, such a tactic was ultimately not a long-term solution. Natsuki Subaru's stamina was rapidly depleting, and Regulus's patience was also gradually wearing thin.
On the other side, the members of the subjugation party watching the battle were also anxiously analyzing the situation.
"Natsuki Subaru, whether it's a surprise attack or an ambush from a blind spot, seems to have no effect on the Sin Archbishop of Greed..." Crusch's brow was furrowed as she muttered to herself. "This is completely different from the ability of a Divine Protection. It's almost as if... some kind of absolute law is protecting the Sin Archbishop of Greed."
"Indeed." Wilhelm, who had fully recovered, watched the battlefield with sharp eyes, his fingers unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword. "The Sin Archbishop of Greed has taken so many attacks yet is completely unharmed. The top priority is to find out the condition for his invincibility as soon as possible. Fortunately, the Sin Archbishop of Greed can't keep up with Lord Subaru's speed, but this advantage... I'm afraid it won't last long."
"Old Man Wil is right!" A pair of cat ears on Ferris's head twitched slightly, his expression also uncharacteristically serious. "Subaru-kyun's stamina is depleting quickly. If this goes on, his movements will sooner or later slow down... and then it will be dangerous, meow!"
"That's right, little bro's stamina is a big problem." Ricardo clenched his fists and added in a deep voice. "And although Regulus looks irritable, he's definitely not a fool... He'll find a way to deal with it sooner or later."
"But what can we do now?" Ferris's gaze was fixed on the two on the battlefield, very worriedly. "If we rashly interfere, we might end up disrupting Subaru-kyun's fighting rhythm..."
"Everyone." Crusch took a deep breath, a resolute light flashing in her emerald eyes. "No matter what, we must be prepared. The moment Natsuki Subaru is in danger, even if it costs our lives, we must buy him time!"
"Understood, Lady Crusch."
"Alright."
"Rest assured, we will not let little bro fight alone."
Everyone immediately nodded.
Look at your expression.
__
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