VS CATS (3)
I watched in utter disbelief as Furia slammed his shield into the ground with a thunderous crack.
A massive white barrier erupted from the shield, enveloping both Furia and Caersi. On top of that, the golden mana-blocking barrier from earlier layered over it, creating a double-layered defense.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I muttered, completely drained. "Doesn't this bastard ever get tired?"
"Of course I'm tired!!!" Furia shot back with a mocking sneer. Sweat poured down his face as he groaned in obvious agony, yet he stubbornly held his ground exactly as Caersi had ordered. It was incredibly annoying.
Meanwhile, Caersi stood behind him with her eyes closed, both palms spread wide and raised high toward the sky.
"Oh Lord!!! Grant me strength, nya!!!"
Two yellow orbs of light slowly formed in her hands, steadily growing larger. Caersi didn't look any better than Furia. Her arms were trembling faintly, her breathing was ragged, and she looked like she might collapse at any second. Still, her obsession with victory kept her forcibly upright.
The moment I saw those spheres gathering in her hands, my instincts screamed at me. I have to stop that.
But—
"You damn bitch! Stop blocking the way!"
"Hehe, you're not getting through."
"Young Master! I truly cannot break through this!"
There was no opening at all. Thanks to the golden barrier, Jung Ayeon's summons and my Cheonma Repulsor were effectively sealed. In desperation, I used every possible method to shatter the barrier. I materialized every weapon I could still create with my Mana Tattoos and hammered away at it without pause. When one weapon broke, I summoned another. When I ran out of weapons, I used my gauntlets. When even those shattered, I switched to mana-reinforced fists and feet.
Jung Ayeon, determined to help even a little, kept pounding the barrier with her fists until her skin tore. But nothing worked. The white barrier held firm against every strike, just like it had during the main tournament. Any cracks that appeared healed instantly, as if nothing had happened.
The only weapon I could still manifest was the shield from my right-hand mana tattoo. And even for Furia, this clearly wasn't easy. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His entire body shook violently, and his eyes were losing focus. Yet he showed no sign of collapsing.
[At this rate, we're in serious trouble.]
We're fucked.
Furia cackled in a way that was completely unbecoming of a holy knight and taunted us.
"In the end, that proxy or whatever you mentioned is nothing at all!"
"That bitch just said what?"
This motherfucker dared to insult Mr. Han's proxy?
Then, my eyes landed on the corpse of the dead lion. I had no weapons left anyway. Might as well try something. I hurled the lion's body straight at Furia.
Furia's face instantly filled with panic.
"Y-you crazy bastard!! That's blasphemy against sacred felines!!"
Of course, the lion didn't pierce his barrier. But in that brief instant—the split second Furia panicked as the corpse flew toward him—I saw the barrier flicker and weaken.
[Mental shock seems to be effective.]
Mental shock?
The moment I heard those words, something clicked. Mr. Han's proxy. Mental shock. I saw it. A single ray of hope.
With trembling hands, I slowly operated my phone. I was about to release something I had sealed away in the deepest, darkest abyss—an embodiment of humanity's malice that I never wanted to look at again.
Did you call, Master?
The abyss that had been freed from its seal spoke as if savoring its long-lost freedom. It was as horrifying, repulsive, and ominous as ever. I had sworn never to touch it again, but this time I had no choice.
[My dear! This is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions!]
I don't have any other options.
I released the final seal. Everything was ready.
Time to dance.
HAL.
I loaded the abyss into my phone and immediately pulled Jung Ayeon behind me.
"Young Master?"
"Stay back. It's going to get dangerous from here."
When I spoke with a grave expression, Jung Ayeon retreated with a slightly nervous look. After confirming she was at a safe enough distance, I approached Furia.
"Heh heh... What exactly do you think you're going to do?"
"Oh, I'm just going to show you the abyss."
"You think something like that could possibly shake me?!"
"You'll see."
I showed Furia the HAL displayed on my phone while he grinned so widely his mouth looked like it might split.
Furia's smile froze. His pupils began vibrating wildly. His breathing grew even more labored, and his body shook harder than before.
[My dear... No matter what, this is too cruel.]
I've already seen this shit, so everyone else has to see it too!
If I have to suffer, so does everyone else! That's why that saying exists. Even if it's something that should never exist, if I've seen it, others have to see it too. And since this isn't even a heroine, there's no need to show mercy to an enemy.
Furia, his gaze fixed on my phone, opened his mouth and let out a quiet groan.
"Oh."
"......?"
[......?]
I retract that. It wasn't a groan of pain. It was a small exclamation of wonder.
The situation was so incomprehensible that I nearly dropped my phone. My hands shaking, I had no choice but to ask.
"Hey... what the fuck... what did you just say?"
"Exactly what it sounds like!"
Furia stood up straight as if to prove his conviction and declared proudly.
"It means I'm horny!"
"You crazy bastard!!!"
This was the worst-case scenario. A true holy knight who didn't submit to the abyss but instead got aroused by it. Piece expressed her shock and urgently shouted at me.
[Th-that is a genuine insane lunatic!!!]
Did that god bastard die? Why isn't he smiting someone like that?
Maybe my wish reached the heavens. From a clear, cloudless sky, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down—directly at Furia.
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!!!"
"Lord!!! Justice still lives! I shall believe in You this once!!!"
God's wrath had descended upon Furia. The lightning seemed to roar that daring to have one's heart stolen by the abyss and feel lust was unforgivable. It struck relentlessly, as if intending to burn Furia alive.
But it didn't end there.
"Ah! Ah! Lord! You mustn't! Please stop!!!"
Furia's barrier began to slowly disappear. The god had withdrawn the holy power from him. In a way, it was an incredibly obvious outcome. There was no reason to grant divine power to someone so blasphemous.
Caersi, who had been maintaining her stance, jumped in shock when she saw the barrier vanish and yelled at Furia.
"What are you doing, nya?! Block it right now!!!"
"Th-that's... My holy power is gone!!!"
"What kind of bullshit have you pulled this time!!!!!!!!"
Caersi furiously scolded Furia, but she remained motionless, continuing to gather the spheres of holy power.
"Why the hell did this happen!!!!"
"Th-that... It's difficult to explain!!!"
"Don't worry, I'll let you see it too."
I walked over to Jung Ayeon, handed her my phone, and gave her strict instructions.
"Whatever you do, do not look at the screen. Just go show it to that damn cat."
"Why are you acting like this, Young Master? I am quite familiar with cruelty."
".......It's not that kind of thing. Anyway, absolutely do not look at it! Got it?"
"U-understood!"
When I spoke with a serious expression I rarely showed, Jung Ayeon answered with slight tension. True to my words, she didn't look at the phone screen at all as she ran over to Caersi and showed it to her.
It didn't take long.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"
Caersi let out a bloodcurdling scream. It was clearly effective on her. Those who face the abyss are consumed by it. Caersi thrashed her head around, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid looking, but Jung Ayeon faithfully carried out my orders. She forcibly pried open Caersi's eyelids and burned the abyss into her retinas.
"Stop averting your eyes!!!!"
"Just gouge my eyes out!!! Please take it away!!!"
"What on earth is it that makes you react like this?"
"Save me! Save me! Save me!"
[This is an atrocity that shouldn't even be done to prisoners of war.]
I'm sorry... I'm really sorry.
Caersi had even forgotten to add her usual "-nya" or "-nyang" at the end of her sentences. She could only repeat "save me" over and over. Jung Ayeon was physically attacking with her summons while simultaneously dealing massive mental damage.
But there's a saying that curiosity killed the cat. Caersi's intense reaction only fueled Jung Ayeon's curiosity, which swelled until she couldn't resist. In a moment of weakness, she glanced at the phone screen.
"Aaaaaaaaaaagh!!! You fucking bastard!!! What the hell is this!!!"
"Shit."
I had killed Jung Ayeon.
"Please scoop out my brain! Return my memories to the previous chapter!!"
"You crazy bitch!!! That's why I told you not to look!!!!"
Jung Ayeon clutched her head in agony. This created two problems. First, all the summons Jung Ayeon had created vanished due to her internal injuries. Second, Caersi had momentarily recovered.
"You fucking bastards, get lost, nya!!!!!!!!!"
Caersi, having regained her senses, began her counterattack.