City-State Guild Leader, Part 5
"Did you... sleep well?"
Gornakh spoke, still sounding awkward as ever.
Valeria, surprisingly, looked fine.
"I can't stand owing anyone. How about one more duel?"
"Ah~ I worked hard yesterday, so my body's still sore."
"You'll regret it if you miss this chance."
The Orc nodded, at least to save Valeria's face since she was pushing so hard.
'Okay. She bit the bait.'
"No formal rules for the fight. The win condition is simple."
"Whoever passes out first loses."
This time, unlike before, they were at a more secluded stretch of beach. It was small in size, but completely devoid of any other people. And the way she was openly showing off the weapons she'd equipped made it clear she was trying to give him a real beating.
"So that means anything goes until someone passes out?"
"Of course. And of course, we're not responsible for each other if we get hurt or even 'die' during the fight."
Gornakh decided to gladly step into the trap Valeria had so carefully prepared. It was obvious she was thinking of revenge, but Gornakh's reason for stepping into the trap was simple. She'd thrown out bait that good. "Anything goes" meant even the Orc's specialty was not excluded.
"How about it? Still refusing?"
Did she want to beat him up, or did she want to kill him? He wasn't sure, but—
"No. I'll do it."
The bait was so tempting that she willingly opened her mouth to the hook.
"The referee is just decoration. No matter what happens, he's just there to testify."
Meaning no one could really intervene no matter what happened here.
"Is this really okay?"
Gornakh mocked her at how blatant the trap was.
"What, you scared?"
Valeria was trying to provoke the Orc as much as possible. But such provocation meant nothing to Gornakh. Rather, showing off her current outfit up close would have more value as a "provocation" in a different sense.
"Don't regret it."
The Orc provoked her.
"What!? Fine!"
Valeria threw off her cape, which fluttered in the wind and served no purpose of covering anything.
"You call the start!"
Seeing Valeria get riled up even by the Orc's small provocation, he was already filled with thoughts of devouring that body.
"Then... ready."
The Orc felt his blood boiling at the prospect of hunting a female after a long while.
"Go."
*Thud*
The Orc and Valeria collided simultaneously at the midpoint between them. At the same time, the sound of air tearing through the void echoed like a shockwave. Their hands collided, but Valeria was now able to withstand even that impact.
"Looks like the weapons you prepared are more helpful than I thought?"
"I've always had quite a temper, so my strength follows?"
"I know your temper is filthy."
*Crack.*
Valeria, stung by his introduction, pulled her hand back first. And then, just like before, she launched the same downward fist attack.
'Will she fall for the same trick again?'
He didn't block the same way, and she threw the same fist attack as before.
'If I extend with this attack...'
He was already filled with thoughts of deliciously devouring her body.
But—
*Wham.*
Even though the Orc's fist hit properly, her stomach withstood it. Or maybe she'd gone to the bathroom beforehand so there'd be nothing to spill. But that didn't seem to be the case, as Valeria's characteristic cocky smile remained unchanged.
'Hmm...'
Only now did he notice a small ornament attached to the waist of what might have been panties or pants.
'That must be reducing the impact.'
And it seemed to be blocking a considerable amount of it.
'Then the knuckle dusters on her hands must also be quite—'
At that moment, Gornakh tasted something metallic. Unlike Valeria last time, who only lost and was defeated immediately, this time his own nosebleed came first.
"Looks like you've gotten stronger than I thought."
"Who are you making fun of?"
Valeria wasn't particularly pleased by Gornakh's compliment. Gornakh's durability was beyond imagination. It was an attack swinging a fist equipped with knuckle dusters that could tear through steel. How could one conclude that he just took it on his face? Whatever had happened, he was confident in his own durability, and that wasn't a lie.
"Ouch... that hurts."
Seeing Gornakh exaggerating, Valeria felt her stomach twist. She'd clearly come equipped with powerful weapons to kill him, but the response to the first hit while he was off guard was just "Ouch, that hurts"?
*Huff.*
"You've definitely gotten stronger than before."
Before?
What Gornakh meant by "before" was—
"Shut up!"
Valeria kicked the Orc who dared to bring up the times he had ravaged her even at this moment. Kicks were naturally more powerful than punches. The power of a kick from her attractive thighs was more vicious than a punch.
"Eek."
Even the Orc felt a bit of it from a kick with equipment on.
"Why did you dodge!"
"Would you take it if you were me?"
This quite hot-tempered beauty seemed to get angry even at the point of dodging attacks. Of course, she was a female with that bouncy, sharp-edged flavor—
*Whoosh.*
"Why! Why isn't it landing!?"
She had quite a reckless side when fighting, so one needed to be careful.
'That ornament seems to be massively boosting her defense.'
A kick he couldn't dodge came flying toward his head.
*Thud.*
But Gornakh's arm didn't easily allow any attack through. He felt the impact on his arm, but it wasn't enough to break bones.
"Pretty impressive."
It was Gornakh's honest assessment. But if he just kept blocking like this, there'd be no resolution. Gornakh also wanted to finish quickly since he was looking forward to devouring her rather than fighting.
But more than he thought—
*Whoosh.*
*Thud.*
Valeria's growth was more outstanding than he thought. He hadn't noticed because she was finished with one punch on the first day, but it was true that her physical abilities had risen. If only she didn't let her guard down like before—
*Whoosh.*
"You know you'll get beaten and collapse again!?"
With considerably faster reflexes, she lightly dodged the punches he was casually throwing.
'This is going to be quite a hassle.'
Had Valeria really grown that much?
The "weapons" were ultimately just the level of things worn on hands and feet. A fight where they literally battled with each other's physical abilities was a fight where sweat flew in all directions. But even this alone could be felt as considerable progress.
'Damn it...!'
She thought she could now crush this Orc like a bug. She had grown that much. A body forged by exhausting all the sexual energy that the Orc had tamed and grown into training. She never thought she'd be hassled this much by one demon race.
Even though they seemed evenly matched, in the end she was wearing equipment while the Orc was wearing nothing. Being even now meant she was still behind in pure physical strength. Valeria was furious even at that. Even after being beaten like that, she still hadn't grown enough to pay him back?
Killing him was nearly impossible.
Then—
'At least beat him until I vent my frustration!'
First, revenge—
Valeria threw a punch faster and stronger than ever before. Even the Orc couldn't block this attack.
*Thud.*
The fist landed precisely on Gornakh's abdomen. She'd given him a proper punch strong enough to create a shockwave.
*Cough.*
'Got him! I landed it!'
It would have been more satisfying if she'd made him wet himself like her, but that was impossible. An Orc like Gornakh's durability seemed to exceed her imagination. The Orc touched his stomach as if gauging the impact.
"What was the condition for ending the fight?"
"Until someone passes out."
"So shouting 'surrender' means nothing?"
"Yeah."
Valeria had originally intended to kill him instantly rather than just knock him out, but that was her arrogance. She'd changed her plan to beat him until he passed out, as much as she could.
"What? After taking a hit, you want to surrender?"
Her characteristic delinquent-like provocation.
But Gornakh, who had taken a hit, smiled even more lightly.
'What is it?'
"No, I was wondering if this was the best you could do."
Even Valeria, equipped with the strongest weapons, flinched at that Orc's smile. Her body, which had been defeated by the Orc so far, was recalling the past.
'No...'
She had grown this much now. Moreover, she was wearing equipment that even the ruler of a city-state would have to spend considerably to acquire. She couldn't lose to an Orc who only knew how to swing that big body of his.
But—
*Tremble.*
'Am I afraid?'
Valeria's body wasn't large, but it was slightly trembling with fear. The mind knows what the body can't do, but sometimes the body knows what the mind doesn't.
"Then this time, I'll go."
Her mind couldn't understand why the Orc was still smiling while being pushed back, and why her body was trembling.
But her body would have known.
It might already have known that the Orc hadn't yet gone all out.
And if she were to be defeated...
She probably knew she'd face the most shameful situation of all the things she'd experienced.