In the midst of the fierce battle between Natsuki Subaru and Regulus, the situation was grim. Regulus remained not only unharmed but his bre
In the midst of the fierce battle between Natsuki Subaru and Regulus, the situation was grim.
Regulus remained not only unharmed but his breathing wasn't even disturbed. No matter which part of his body Natsuki Subaru attacked, he couldn't inflict the slightest damage. In stark contrast, a simple grain of sand tossed by Regulus or a single breath he exhaled carried lethal force.
This went far beyond the simple concept of invincibility.
"This guy... he's a complete and utter monster. Perhaps only Reinhard could stand a chance against him," Natsuki Subaru thought to himself, clenching his right hand in the empty air, instantly summoning the Kasaka's Venom Fang Dagger into his palm.
Even if he were to attack Regulus another ten thousand times, the result would be no different. The realization was despairing, but Natsuki Subaru had no other choice. If he didn't continue to engage him and stall for time until Reinhard arrived, he, Crusch, and everyone else would surely die.
"Don't misunderstand," Regulus said, his twisted smile growing more sinister, his voice dripping with self-importance. "The only reason I've played along with you until now is purely out of the magnanimity of the strong. But no matter how gentle I am, my patience has its limits. A tragedy born from not knowing one's own place is what we call a wasted effort. There's no cure for that... so just die gracefully."
"If you've got what it takes, then try and catch me first." Natsuki Subaru deftly dodged an attack, his breathing perfectly steady.
"Heh heh... you should have realized it by now, haven't you? You're completely cornered, you know?"
After a long-winded tirade, Regulus ultimately refrained from dealing a fatal blow. Instead, he wanted to lecture Natsuki Subaru from his position of overwhelming superiority. In that instant, Subaru had already devised a strategy to counter him.
He could continue to spout nonsense to buy more time, but from a strategic standpoint, it wasn't the best plan. He needed to strike back appropriately to maintain this dangerous equilibrium.
However, the cruel reality was that Natsuki Subaru still had no way to break through Regulus's absolute defense. At least for now, it was an unsolvable puzzle.
His only option was to keep dodging, to keep weaving through the storm of attacks, searching for that single sliver of hope. Every sidestep, every roll, was a brush with death.
But... as long as he could still move, there was still hope.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Nothing to say? Or are you at a loss for words? So that was just a tough act to get by, was it? In that case, I'll just have to execute you again..." Regulus tilted his head, a sickly smile creeping out from under his white bangs.
"Getting this excited chasing after a man's tail?" Natsuki Subaru glanced over his shoulder at the relentlessly pursuing Regulus and pointed a finger to his own temple, twirling it. "You don't really think I have to answer whatever you ask, do you? Why? Is it because you've got a problem with your head?"
Though he wanted to directly call him a brainless idiot, Natsuki Subaru knew this kind of subtle sarcasm would sting the narcissist more. Judging by the instantaneous contortion of Regulus's face, the provocation had hit its mark perfectly.
"Damn you! Scurrying around like an insect!!"
Gradually losing his patience, Regulus furiously clawed at his hair, his eyes flashing with a crazed light. He suddenly bent down, grabbed a large handful of sand, and with a savage grin, tossed it into the air.
"Turn into a sieve!!"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!
The grains of sand instantly transformed into a deadly storm of shrapnel, each particle whistling through the air with terrifying kinetic energy. The once-lush green plain was instantly ravaged by the sandstorm, vegetation torn to shreds, and the ground gouged with countless deep furrows. Fortunately, this wave of attacks wasn't aimed in the direction of the subjugation force, or the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"——Sprint!"
Natsuki Subaru's leg muscles tensed as his speed suddenly skyrocketed. His figure became a black blur, deftly weaving through the gaps in the sandstorm. A few grains grazed his cheek, leaving small bloody trails, but he managed to narrowly avoid the brunt of the attack.
Just as he thought, the angrier Regulus got, the more simplistic his attack patterns became.
"You bastard...!" Seeing Natsuki Subaru still alive and kicking, Regulus's expression twisted in rage once more. "Hopping around on the ground like a rabbit!"
Meanwhile.
"Lord Subaru's speed..." Wilhelm's pupils contracted slightly beneath his silver hair. "Even I can barely follow his movements completely."
"Subaru-kyun's speed is really meow-mazing!" Felix couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Indeed, the speed Natsuki Subaru was displaying now was dozens of times beyond that of an ordinary person.
"Although Regulus has an invincible Authority, as a warrior, he's a complete amateur. He can only throw sand and stones based on his feelings," Natsuki Subaru calmly analyzed in his mind as he dodged.
Honestly, Regulus's attack methods were like a child's game. There was absolutely no skill involved. Without the Authority of time-stopping, any common soldier could probably take down this scrawny madman.
"Run, run~" Regulus suddenly let out a sinister laugh. "Considering the gap between us, running is a wise choice~ I respect your decision~ However..." As he spoke, Regulus's expression abruptly turned ferocious. "It doesn't matter what you do! I am a perfect and complete human being! I, who am thoroughly satisfied, can be surpassed by no one! I am the only human who has attained eternity——"
Before his words finished, Regulus leaped lightly, a single jump covering nearly a hundred meters. He stretched his body in mid-air, clutching a handful of sand in each hand, looking down on Natsuki Subaru below like a god of death.
"Die!"
Boom, boom, boom——!
A 180-degree fan-shaped sandstorm swept out. Natsuki Subaru instantly made a judgment call, pushing off with his legs and sprinting to the right with all his might. The sandstorm grazed past his left arm, his sleeve instantly disintegrating into fragments, and his arm was immediately covered in fine, bloody lines.
"Can't lose focus..." Natsuki Subaru forced himself to concentrate. "The next attack is coming..."
"I say, just how long are you going to keep hopping around..." Regulus sneered as he opened his other hand, revealing another handful of sand!
"What?!" Subaru's heart sank at the sight. "He had a follow-up?!"
Swoosh!
Regulus's strike was too fast, too sudden. Subaru instinctively dodged, but his right leg was half a beat too slow.
Squelch—!
His right leg exploded from the knee down. The intense pain made Natsuki Subaru's vision go black. Blood gushed out like a fountain as he collapsed heavily to the ground, the warm liquid quickly soaking the earth beneath him.
"Your footwork is pretty good, dodging the sand and dirt... but you're still too naive~ If you were fighting me seriously, you'd have to pay attention to even the air I breathe out." Seeing Subaru finally injured, Regulus slowly approached, chattering on with the glee of a cat playing with a mouse. "You were struggling like a monkey before, and now you're in this disappointing state. Didn't I tell you? Your pathetic struggles as a mere mortal are just a sign that you don't know your place! This is the retribution you get for treating others like fools."
At the same time.
"!"
Seeing Subaru injured, Crusch's emerald eyes narrowed sharply, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of her sword.
"Lord Subaru!"
Wilhelm's treasured sword was already drawn, a rare look of anxiety on his aged face.
"Subaru-kyun—!" Felix's cat ears shot up in alarm.
"The kid's in danger!"
The members of the subjugation team all took a step forward, their weapons uniformly pointed towards the center of the battlefield.
"Stay back, all of you!" Natsuki Subaru shouted, his blood-stained palm pressed firmly against the ground. He knew better than anyone that even a powerhouse like the Sword Demon would only be another casualty against Regulus. He had to buy time. Only when Reinhard arrived could they deal with Regulus.
"My, my, what touching camaraderie~" Regulus clapped his hands lightly, a disgusting, mocking smile on his lips. "However, your advantage is gone now. Why not just obediently accept your fate and savor the taste of despair?"
Only silence answered him.
Natsuki Subaru calmly gazed at the deranged Regulus, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"Nothing left to say, is there? Well then, you must all pay the price for your inhumane and despicable actions. Right? That's how it is, isn't it?" Regulus began to ramble on, repeating his absurd justifications.
"If this is the best you can do..." Natsuki Subaru suddenly cut Regulus off. Kneeling in a pool of his own blood, his figure slowly straightened, his voice unnervingly calm. "Then you'd better be careful. My advantage is far greater than you imagine."
"Hah? Did you get kicked in the head?" Regulus's eyes widened slightly, then he immediately adopted a condescending expression as he looked at Natsuki Subaru. "I'm the one with the clear advantage here. Ah, speaking of which, I'm not very good at holding back. After all, the strong should act like the strong~ Although it doesn't quite fit my desireless image..."
Regulus placed his hands on his hips, looking down at Natsuki Subaru with satisfaction as he continued, "For the complete version of me to say such things, it must sound quite annoying."
"What a sickening narcissist!"
Natsuki Subaru stared coldly at the chattering Regulus as a translucent system panel quietly appeared at the edge of his vision:
HP: 2700/2800
Status: Right Leg Severely Injured
The stabbing pain from his right leg constantly grated on his nerves, but for Natsuki Subaru, who had been through numerous life-and-death battles, this level of pain was something he was long used to. Besides, with the massive amount of HP granted by the system, this bit of damage was nothing to worry about.
"I say, are you still talking tough with a ruined leg?" Regulus glanced contemptuously at Natsuki Subaru's mangled right leg, his voice dripping with mockery. "The next blow, how do you plan to dodge it? By crawling?"
"Oh? Is that so...?"
Natsuki Subaru suddenly revealed a meaningful smile and silently thought to himself:
"—Status Recovery."
In an instant, his once-shattered right leg was restored to its original state.
"Eh?!"
Regulus's pupils contracted slightly. This was not something healing magic could achieve. Even the highest tier of water magic could never instantly repair such a severe injury.
What was this? An Authority? A Divine Protection? Or something else.
Regulus's mind raced, trying to find a logical explanation. Meanwhile, Natsuki Subaru had already stood up as if nothing had happened, even deliberately stomping his newly formed right foot, a hint of mockery flashing in his dark eyes.
"Surprised? There's more to be surprised about later—"
It was a good thing he had saved this reward after completing the hidden quest from the battle of champions. Although the system's daily quest could also grant a status recovery, today's daily quest was not yet complete. Natsuki Subaru thought to himself.
"I say, stop being so full of yourself!" Regulus roared, swiping his hand violently, and the ground cracked in response. Countless fragments of rock and earth flew in all directions like a torrential rain, and dust instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
"Regulus, I've already seen through the nature of your Authority!" Natsuki Subaru's voice pierced through the smoke, carrying a tone of certainty.
"Oh~?" Upon hearing this, Regulus raised an eyebrow, but his movements involuntarily paused, a twisted smile forming on his face. "That's quite an interesting thing to say. You... thing. Did you just say you understand me?"
"More than just understand," Natsuki Subaru said, stepping slowly out of the dust and looking directly at Regulus. "The power you're so proud of is worthless in my eyes."
Truth be told, Natsuki Subaru's understanding of Regulus was more intimate than Regulus's own self-awareness. At his core, Regulus was nothing but utter scum. But even that evaluation was too shallow. More accurately, Regulus was the embodiment of a desperate craving for recognition and a pathological need for self-glorification. He spouted nonsense about being desireless and boasted of his own perfection, but in reality, he couldn't live without flaunting his worth to others.
He used violence to suppress others, and fear to establish his superiority. This wasn't the composure of the strong, but the insecurity of the weak. He didn't fight because he was powerful; he fought because his fragility demanded the submission of others.
That was why he was so obsessed with crushing Natsuki Subaru in the most direct way possible. He needed to shatter this being who repeatedly provoked him in the most brutal manner, in front of everyone. Tactical thinking was cast aside, all for the sake of his twisted self-gratification. Of course, all of this was predicated on the blind confidence that he would never be injured, that he would never be defeated. He sought the illusory pleasure of victory by utterly trampling his opponent's body and spirit.
Natsuki Subaru understood all of this perfectly.
"Heh heh... you certainly make it sound convincing." Regulus's face began to contort, a dangerous light glinting in his golden pupils. "But you, a disgraceful thing that just runs around, a pathetic wretch who can't even stand properly, you think you're worthy of facing the perfect me? How utterly laughable!!"
"Regulus, your ability allows you to be immune to all magical and physical attacks, keeping you in a constant state of invincibility." Natsuki Subaru stared directly into Regulus's eyes, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"I say, you claim to know the true nature of my Authority? No, coming from someone who only knows how to run his mouth, your words have no credibility at all," Regulus said with a look of complete indifference to Subaru's claim.
Indeed, for Regulus, such a guess was nothing surprising. For hundreds of years, countless powerful individuals had tried everything they could and failed to harm him. How could a guess from someone like Subaru shake the belief in his own invincibility, a belief that was etched into his very bones?
Thinking of this, Regulus looked down on Natsuki Subaru, his voice suddenly shifting to one of feigned pity. "Even if it's just a wrong guess, it would be too pitiful to die without ever knowing the truth. I, you see, am very merciful."
"Putting on a brave face won't do you any good, Regulus. Besides, you have the right to listen, don't you? Your favorite thing, 'rights'." Natsuki Subaru looked at Regulus, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk.
"My right to listen...?" Regulus involuntarily stopped in his tracks, intrigued enough to hear what Natsuki Subaru had to say. However, Subaru's next words made Regulus's brow furrow once more:
"Although your defensive state is strong, you cannot defend against attacks on the soul!"
"What are you talking about?" Regulus's expression went blank for a moment as he processed Subaru's words.
"What I mean is, the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Greed is about to die by my soul attack," Natsuki Subaru declared, pointing the Kasaka's Dagger straight at Regulus, his expression exceptionally serious.
"Hah? Soul attack? I have no idea what you're talking about. I can't even laugh. What are you even trying to say? Forget it, I don't want to know anyway. It's all just meaningless nonsense."
Although that's what Regulus said, the phrase "soul attack" was like a tiny thorn that had quietly pierced its way into his perfect defensive barrier.
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