Might Makes Right — Guard Captain Eruka
I stood with my arms crossed, thoroughly enjoying the show Eruka was putting on. With a heavy thud, she unstrapped the massive greatsword from her back and set it on the ground, then slowly began peeling off her leather armor. Drenched in sweat, the leather clung stubbornly to her skin before finally tearing away.
"Phew..."
Upon hearing the news about Tsuruka at the village entrance, Eruka had rushed over here without looking back. Because of that, her body beneath the leather armor was already glistening, slick with sweat, giving me an unobstructed view of her voluptuous, athletic physique.
Her undergarments, which looked like tight leggings, squeezed her toned thighs, and a hole cut out just above her tailbone allowed her fluffy wolf tail to pop out. Thanks to the tail standing erect in tandem with its owner's fury, her firm, tightly clenched buttocks were also on full display.
Sensing my eyes licking over her body, Eruka spun around to face me, glaring and grinding her teeth.
"You disgusting human! First you lay your hands on my sister, and now you dare look at me with those filthy eyes...!"
"It hurts my feelings when you put it like that. We both wanted it, you know."
"Shut up! There is no way my sister would ever desire the touch of a lowly human like you!"
Instead of replying, I tossed my coat right into her face and slowly began to stretch. Peeking at her, I saw her grip the coat covering her face so tightly it looked like she might rip it to shreds. After holding it there for a long moment, she slowly pulled it off her face and threw it to the ground.
"Does a disgusting human's scent smell that good to you?"
"...! Don't talk nonsense. You must have picked up some cheap jokes somewhere."
Her face flushed red, and she bared her fangs, scowling like an angry dog. It looked like a petulant tantrum, which made me chuckle, but pushing her any further might be dangerous. I slowly rolled my shoulders and stepped toward her.
"I'm not a big fan of beating up women, but..."
"Ha! Beat me up? A weakling like you thinks he can beat me?"
The word 'beat' seemed to strike a nerve. Eruka marched toward me, gritting her teeth. Because of our height difference, she had to look up at me while glaring, making her look like a stubborn little niece throwing a tantrum after being teased one too many times.
"Let's not make excuses afterward. Whatever the outcome, we both accept it."
"That's my line. The moment you lose to me, pack your bags and get out of this village!"
"I told you, stop talking as if my defeat is a foregone conclusion."
I leaned down slightly to lock eyes with her. Her arched eyebrows and crooked smirk were a textbook expression of mockery. That look on her face—as if to say, stop talking nonsense—was incredibly irritating.
"There is no way that I, the greatest warrior of this village, would ever lose to a pathetic human."
"Then I wonder what our glorious 'greatest warrior' was doing, crawling back only after everything was already over..."
When I subtly jabbed at her—asking what she had been doing when the wooden barricade was on the verge of collapsing if she was so amazing—Eruka's face turned beet red, and excuses began pouring out of her mouth.
"I had other areas to oversee at the time...! It was my oversight, but we would have held them off in the end anyway. You just threw a few drops of water on a fire that was already dying down!"
Her desperate struggle to downplay my achievement showed just how dishonest she was with herself. I gave a half-hearted shrug, which only infuriated her more. She kicked at the dirt beneath her feet, glaring at me with pure venom.
"Shall we stop talking and get to it?"
"My thoughts exactly!"
She really refuses to lose even a single word. As if by unspoken agreement, we both took a few steps back to create some distance. My reach was clearly longer. Due to our height difference, Eruka's arms and legs were noticeably shorter. Still, I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
I don't know the exact extent of a Beastkin's physical capabilities.
I had watched them fight the magical beasts that invaded the village, but that wasn't enough to gauge their true physical limits. According to what an old herbalist in Hormia had told me, a fully grown Beastkin warrior was tireless and agile enough to take on multiple opponents at once.
Thud!
While I was busy calculating the distance, Eruka made the first move. Leaping across the short gap, she aimed a mid-kick straight at my hip. I immediately swung my left arm down to block. Feeling the heavy impact of my elbow against her shin, Eruka furrowed her brow and quickly backed away to reset.
"Phew..."
Closing the distance in the blink of an eye—her leaping ability and speed were definitely top-tier. It had been a light, probing kick, so I blocked it easily, but she hadn't taken any damage either. Slowly dragging the tip of her foot along the dirt, Eruka smirked and gestured for me to come at her.
Beckon, beckon.
She wanted me to make the next move. Did she really think I would just charge in blindly? Though I shook my head at her foolishly straightforward mindset, I slowly took a step forward.
Step, step.
Given her reflexes and speed, she would easily block any sudden charge and counterattack. That was why I chose to close in slowly and openly. Unable to read my intentions, Eruka grew suspicious but didn't back down. Soon, the distance between us shrank to the length of my arm. Watching her closely, I suddenly thrust my right fist straight toward her face.
Whoosh!
She must have been waiting for the exact moment of my strike. The instant my right arm extended, Eruka reacted, tilting her head slightly to dodge the punch before immediately countering with another mid-kick. I didn't bother hiding the smirk that spread across my face as I snatched her lightning-fast right leg with my left hand.
Thud!
My timing was a split second off, and her kick slammed hard into my ribs, but I gritted my teeth and endured the pain. I immediately wrapped my left arm around her ankle, retracted my right fist, and locked her leg in a tight, two-armed embrace.
"W-What?!"
Flustered, Eruka hopped on her remaining foot, trying to maintain her balance. Sensing her eyes harden as she prepared to counter, I immediately swept her left ankle with a powerful kick.
"Ugh?!"
Caught completely off guard, Eruka lost her balance and stumbled. I immediately threw myself to the ground with her, preparing to lock her in a submission hold. I knew I would lose in a proper exchange of blows, so my plan from the start was to drag her into a messy, down-and-dirty dogfight.
Clinging to her thrashing leg, I racked my brain for memories of wrestling submission holds and quickly wrapped my limbs around hers. Panicked by the tightening grip on her limbs, Eruka thrashed wildly, spitting venom.
"What do you think you're doing?! You disgusting human, so this was your goal all along! To grope my body...!"
What the hell is she talking about? Letting her words slide in one ear and out the other, I held onto her leg, twisting it to secure the lock. However, her raw strength was immense. As she thrashed with increasing violence, my grip began to slip.
"Ngh...! A trick like this...!"
Baring her fangs, Eruka grabbed my arms, trying to pry them off. I resisted as best as I could, but with veins bulging in her neck, her sheer power forced me to let go. Instead of letting her recover, I shoved her away, slamming her onto the ground. Her head whipped back as she hit the dirt. Dizzied, she tried to push herself up and find her footing, but her trembling body refused to cooperate.
Realizing this was my chance, I lunged forward, taking her back. As Eruka thrashed her head in panic, I slipped my arms under her armpits and locked my forearm tightly around her neck in a rear-naked choke.
Our bodies were drenched in sweat from the heat and murderous intent. The sticky, slimy sensation with every movement was incredibly unpleasant, but this was my golden opportunity. Ignoring the discomfort, I channeled every ounce of my strength into my arms, squeezing her throat.
"Ngh...? Ack...!"
I wrapped my legs around her thrashing thighs, binding her lower body like a mating snake. Eruka clawed at my forearms with her fingertips, desperately trying to pry them apart, but as I squeezed tighter and pressed my body flush against hers, I could feel her strength gradually draining.
"Ngh...! You dirty human...! Let go...!"
Barely managing to squeeze out a cry, she gripped my forearms and pulled with all her might. Startled by how easily my grip began to widen the moment I relaxed even slightly, I pressed myself even tighter against her back, using my entire body weight to crush her into the dirt.
From here on, it was a battle of endurance. I didn't utter a single word to avoid wasting energy, focusing entirely on squeezing with my arms and legs. Locked in my embrace, Eruka thrashed wildly, her breath coming in ragged, furious gasps.
"Ngh...! Haaah...!"
I marveled at her sheer tenacity as she twisted her head, seizing on the slightest slack in my grip to struggle. Pulling at my forearms to create a tiny gap, she gasped for air, straining every muscle to break free from the suffocating hold.
By the time I lost track of how many minutes we had been locked in this struggle, I noticed a strange shift. Her furious, spiteful cries began to subside, and the angry noises she made in my arms started to sound wet and breathless.
"Ah... Ngh..."
Whenever she grew too exhausted to thrash her head, she would tilt her face to the left, rubbing her cheek and neck against mine. At first, she had slammed her head against my cheek like a headbutt, but as her strength waned, she simply buried her face in my neck, resting to gather her strength.
As if by mutual agreement, we both relaxed slightly, holding the position while catching our breath. The sweat soaking our skin began to cool, bringing a pleasant chill, and with the brief respite, sensations I hadn't noticed before started to flood my mind.
Her firm thighs pressed flush against mine, her plump buttocks rubbing against my groin, and the sweet, feminine scent wafting right in front of my face... It sent a sudden rush of blood straight to my pants. As my groin began to swell against her, Eruka, who had been catching her breath with her face buried in my neck, suddenly stiffened. She snapped her head up, grinding her teeth.
"You... piece of trash...!"
I couldn't really deny it, but I had a counterargument. Only an idiot wouldn't notice when she was sniffing me this obviously.
"Who are you calling trash, you pervert? You're the one sniffing me while getting choked out."
Squeeze...!
I tightened my grip once more, squeezing her throat. Startled by my accusation, Eruka's eyes widened. She tried to shake her head and protest, but as the pressure returned, she frantically reached up to grab my arms. It was too late.
Summoning every ounce of strength—even the energy I'd spent taming Undine—I pinned Eruka's limbs and choked her with everything I had. I could feel her nails digging into my forearms, drawing blood as she gasped and wheezed, but I gritted my teeth and squeezed harder.
Tremble, tremble.
Her desperate scratching slowly weakened, and finally, it was over. Her trembling hands went limp and fell to the dirt. Like a doll with its strings cut, Eruka lost consciousness. I immediately let go, rolling her off me onto the ground as I gasped for air.
"Phew...! Haaah..."
Blood trickled from the claw marks on my forearms, and my clothes were a complete mess of dirt and sweat. I had managed to subdue her by turning it into a sloppy grapple, but I knew better than anyone that it was pure luck. Eruka, who had intended to beat me to a pulp with her superior physical strength, had panicked when I clung to her and choked her, preventing her from utilizing her power properly.
Sitting down on a nearby boulder in the clearing, I looked at the sprawled-out Eruka. With her face buried in the dirt and her hips thrust high into the air, she looked exactly like a woman left collapsed after being ravished repeatedly. Her limp tail was caked in mud from rolling around, and her toned thighs were covered in scratches from the rocks, her torn undergarments revealing glimpses of her bare skin.
"Ngh...! Ah..."
As I sat there catching my breath, Eruka began to stir, groaning as she pushed herself up from the dirt. Crawling on all fours, she shook her head to clear her vision. The moment her eyes locked onto mine, her face contorted with demonic rage, and she tried to spring to her feet.
Thud.
Rising too quickly made her lose her balance, and she collapsed right back onto the ground. I stood up from the boulder and slowly walked over to her. Watching my approach, Eruka tilted her head back to look up at me, and I looked down at her with a mocking smirk.