Will I die?
Hearing that, Zesshi Zetsumei's smile grew even more twisted.
Excitement. An excitement unlike anything before.
"They call me humanity's strongest guardian. From the moment I was born until now, I have never lost."
"I won't deny that there are powerful monsters in this world. Perhaps some of them could force me into a hard fight."
"But that's as far as it goes!"
Zesshi Zetsumei grinned.
As the strongest God-kin to appear in the Theocracy in hundreds of years, she was born through an almost impossible miracle, carrying the bloodlines of both the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings.
She had effortlessly defeated every opponent she had faced so far, never once tasting defeat.
And on top of that, she possessed a seemingly invincible Talent.
Even when facing the legendary Six Great Gods, the founders of the Theocracy themselves, Zesshi Zetsumei believed she could stand against them.
Seeing this, Pandora sighed and shook his head.
A helpless sigh escaped him.
It seemed the other party hadn't understood the deeper meaning behind his words.
This "death" was not that kind of "death."
The death he meant was clearly getting fucked to death!
Should he give a little hint?
Pandora thought about it, quietly bringing his hands together as he prepared to make a classic gesture.
But before he could finish, a deadly glare shot straight at him.
"Ahem..."
Watching Pandora's Actor start fooling around again, Naohara couldn't help feeling a little exhausted.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Everything had been perfectly serious just a moment ago. How had the conversation suddenly swerved into a direction not suitable for minors?
Normally it wouldn't matter.
But this time was different.
After all, several old schemers were watching as well.
Just a moment ago he had been laughing at someone else, yet karma had come around so quickly.
Now it was his turn to be the one sweating.
Seeing Pandora staring up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, clearly looking guilty, Naohara silently decided that once they returned to Nazarick, he would make Momonga give him a proper childhood.
"Haha, friend, I suppose that makes us even."
Surshana chuckled.
Although part of it was an act, chatting, joking, and teasing with another Player who shared common ground—to be honest, he didn't dislike the feeling.
The other five shadowy figures had blurred faces, making their expressions impossible to see clearly.
But the faint upward curve at the corners of their mouths could still be noticed.
"Friend, regarding the upcoming battle, I have a small request."
"Please strike a bit harder."
"It would be best if you could give her the feeling of being on the verge of death. Of course, if you accidentally kill her, that's fine too."
Confidence was a good thing.
But blind confidence was not.
It could lead to a completely inaccurate understanding of one's own strength.
Zesshi Zetsumei hadn't quite reached that point yet.
Still, as one of the founders of the Theocracy, Surshana felt it was necessary to let this junior experience a small setback.
Naohara glanced sideways but did not refuse.
Even if the other hadn't asked, he had already planned to fight Zesshi Zetsumei.
After all, he was extremely interested in her Talent.
Although the exact ability remained unclear, it seemed to be related to weapons and magic.
But there was one thing he remembered clearly.
In the character introduction from his first life, Zesshi Zetsumei's Talent ranked among the top ten in the New World.
"I originally planned to show you some courtesy."
"I didn't expect you to bring it up yourself."
"In that case, I won't hold back."
After pretending to think for a moment, Naohara finally turned his gaze toward Zesshi Zetsumei.
"Then I look forward to your guidance."
Naohara smiled lightly at the girl in front of him.
"The taste of defeat. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Zesshi Zetsumei licked her lips.
Under her clothes, beads of sweat slowly formed across her slender body.
They were the sweat of excitement.
The figure before her was merely standing there casually, full of obvious openings from head to toe.
Yet her instincts were screaming warnings.
It was a sensation she had never experienced before, and it drove her into a frenzy.
Perhaps the wish she had carried for hundreds of years would finally be fulfilled today.
Breathing heavily, Zesshi Zetsumei tightened her grip on the scythe in her hands, pouring power into it as she swung at him with all her strength.
Clang!
The ground trembled as a terrifying force spread outward.
But once the shockwave passed, the scene before her was utterly unbelievable.
A single finger.
Just one finger had stopped Zesshi Zetsumei's attack.
No matter how much strength she used, the scythe would not move forward even the slightest bit.
"Your strength isn't bad. Your classes are just a bit too mixed."
Feeling the force pressing against his finger, Naohara nodded as he spoke.
Then he applied a little more strength.
A crisp sound rang out.
In the next instant, Zesshi Zetsumei felt a terrifying force crash into her, sending her flying dozens of meters away.
Zesshi Zetsumei lowered her head.
Her hands were trembling, and the divine scythe in her grasp quivered violently.
"Yes… this is it."
"Haha… this feeling! This is the feeling!"
Zesshi Zetsumei finally burst into laughter. This was it. This was the sensation that drove her insane with excitement.
"Perfect! This is absolutely perfect!"
"I must have your child. The strongest child!"
Zesshi Zetsumei stared fixedly at the figure before her.
The desire and madness in her eyes made Naohara shiver slightly under her gaze.
"That look…"
Seeing the crazed expression on Zesshi Zetsumei's face, Naohara suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It was just like… the way he used to look at the Platinum Dragon Lord.
"This is troublesome."
Naohara cursed inwardly.
However, he didn't have time to think further.
Having completely abandoned rational thought, Zesshi Zetsumei raised her scythe excitedly and charged again.
She moved incredibly fast, afterimages flickering behind her.
In the blink of an eye, the scythe was already above his head.
Yet in Naohara's vision, the attack seemed almost frozen.
He shifted his body slightly to the side, dodging it by a margin of mere millimeters.
Bang!
The scythe slammed into the ground, sending dust flying everywhere.
When the strike missed, Zesshi Zetsumei gripped the scythe with both hands, flipped it around, and immediately launched another upward strike.
This time, Naohara didn't dodge.
Instead, he reached out and grabbed the scythe directly.
Two fingers clamped onto the blade.
Following the direction of the force, he twisted and flicked it backward.
Zesshi Zetsumei was instantly thrown away.
Midair, she adjusted her posture slightly and landed steadily on the ground.
"So… I was actually used against my own momentum?"
"Ahem. Don't attack using brute force alone. It makes it easy for others to exploit your openings."
Naohara gave his evaluation without hesitation.
He wasn't just pretending.
Even though it wasn't something people often noticed, he still possessed the [Sword Saint] class.
Ever since arriving in this world, his mind had naturally been filled with numerous techniques and applications related to swordsmanship and combat.
Although he didn't know much about scythes, the same principles could still apply, allowing him to offer some advice.
"Are you worried about me?" Zesshi Zetsumei asked.
"Huh?"
A question mark practically appeared above Naohara's head.
"You're telling me not to release all my power at once, but to concentrate it and break through a single point instead. Is that right?"
Zesshi Zetsumei rarely paid attention to combat techniques.
After all, even the slightest effort from her was already the limit of what the Theocracy could handle. Because of that, she had never truly received proper training.
But those words made her deeply realize her own shortcomings.
Zesshi Zetsumei carefully examined the figure standing before her.
Stronger than her.
Better combat technique.
Decent appearance too. Although the Dragonoid trait was a little unfortunate, it was still acceptable.
Yes.
Practically the perfect husband candidate.
Zesshi Zetsumei took a deep breath. The madness on her face faded as her expression returned to calm.
However, a closer look at her eyes revealed the strong desire and impulse she was struggling to suppress.
Wanting to keep fighting, wanting to continue feeling the other's strength, wanting to continue being gently ravaged, wanting...
"Hiss..."
Naohara couldn't help but take a step back.
He sensed an unprecedented possessiveness.
It was exactly the same feeling as when Albedo looked at Momonga.
"No, this can't continue!"
Naohara shook his head sharply. Magic power began gathering inside his body.
He intended to end this increasingly strange battle.
"Oh? Finally going on the offensive?"
Zesshi Zetsumei showed a hint of surprise, but immediately gripped her scythe and focused completely.
She was now certain of one thing.
If she didn't go all out, she really might die.
Slowly, she raised her arm. A silver-white glow gathered at her fingertips.
Her finger brushed against space and casually drew a line.
Space rippled like the surface of water. An almost invisible slash appeared and shot toward Zesshi Zetsumei at terrifying speed.
Crack!
Where it passed, space visibly twisted.
Not [Reality Slash].
But [Spacial Slash], another 10th-Tier Magic.
Both were degraded versions of the World Champion special skill, [Dimensional Slash].
[Reality Slash] was a spell for magic casters, while [Spacial Slash] was a technique for warriors.
Among Tier Magic, they were two of the most destructive attacks.
If the two were combined, their power could even rival [Dimensional Slash].
Blood sprayed into the air.
Even though Zesshi Zetsumei remained on guard and wore Divine-class armor, the attack pierced straight through her body without the slightest resistance.
In Naohara's hands, the space-cutting strike displayed terrifying power.
It could not be defended against.
It could not be blocked.
"It hurts… Why does it hurt so much…"
The slash passed through her chest. Zesshi Zetsumei lowered her head.
From below her shoulders, every part of her body, including her heart, bones, blood, and every tissue, was gradually being devoured by the spatial fissure.
Her overwhelming vitality prevented her from dying instantly.
But as she felt her body beginning to collapse, even Zesshi Zetsumei felt a trace of panic.
She didn't know any resurrection magic.
She had always believed no one could kill her. Besides, she was within the Theocracy, so she carried no resurrection items.
Her consciousness began to fade.
Darkness slowly swallowed her vision.
Naohara reached out, grabbed Zesshi Zetsumei's head, and gently laid it on the ground.
He looked in the direction of the Six Great Gods and gave a slight nod.
He waved his hand.
Pandora immediately ran over eagerly to Naohara's side.
Using Tier Magic to teleport for the first time in a while, their figures slowly turned into nothingness and disappeared from where they stood.