Chapter 34: The Mark of a King

"An old lady? Hah! It is true my mental age is well over thirty-five, but my combat skills are far beyond anything you could hope to reach!"

"You moron, that was a total rejection. She’s calling you a hag."

"What?! Preposterous! Do you not know that a person’s worth isn't found in their age or their appearance? You should apologize to every older woman in the world!"

"Whatever, just get mad for yourself for once... So, we doing this?"

The tension between the three spiked. Each of them deployed their weapons, standing at the ready—!

"Hah!!"

Yellow was the first to strike.

It was a charge so straightforward it almost seemed simplistic. However, by swaying her body, she created dozens of possible attack paths—a tactical suicide charge designed to force a mental lag in her opponents' reaction time.

It seemed they were a step behind—until King stepped forward and calmly intercepted the blow with his tower shield.

"Haha!"

Yellow sheathed her knife and clung to the shield, using the momentum to pour a lethal amount of amperage into the metal.

King handled it with composure. He kicked the inside of the shield, creating a shockwave that blew Yellow back, then casually reclaimed his defense.

"In terms of raw destructive power, you have the edge. But you lack experience! Your training in humanoid combat is nothing but a half-baked imitation!!"

"Don't bully her too much. She’s going to be one of us soon," Noise added.

It seemed as though Heroes Estoc was guaranteed to win... but then!

Crack-crack-crackle—!

"!!"

King and Noise tensed up. This was the work of a rookie who had been a Phantasm Girl for less than two years.

"Whoa, that’s way more electricity than a single unit should be able to produce."

"To think it’s this high... in terms of raw output, she’s already far beyond us!!"

With every blink, the lightning in her eyes whirled faster. With every breath, the electrical charge in the air intensified.

"What!?"

King suddenly lost his footing as if caught by something invisible. She was dragged across the ground, closing the distance to Yellow at a terrifying speed. She desperately carved at the space with her lance, but there was no resistance to hit.

(It isn't an invisible tendril. Based on her ability, this must be electromagnetism!!)

He stopped resisting and prepared to take Yellow's blade—until!

"Hmph!!"

She used a kip-up motion to snap her upper body forward and drove both legs into the ground.

The distance was barely thirty centimeters. She no longer needed her shield or lance! She pinned Yellow’s feet to the spot, cutting off her retreat.

(It’s not volts that destroy the human body—it’s amps! As long as I just let it flow, there’s no permanent damage! My feet aren't just for stabilization; I can keep a constant current running through her!)

(We’re about the same height, so I’m giving up the high ground... but in an infight, the one who takes the low ground wins!!)

"Strike her, Noise! What kind of King would I be if I didn't make use of you here!!"

"On it!!"

It was perfect coordination. In an instant, the tables turned on Yellow.

But the disciple of the one who rules the world could not afford to lose in a place like this.

"This is... really tough... but it’s exactly what I needed."

Wham—!

A punch heavy enough to crack the sound of the air slammed into King’s gut.

"Gah... Not bad!"

The current she couldn't fully dissipate charred his skin and left cracks like porcelain. But King didn't fall.

"Allow me to return the favor!!"

An uppercut from below and a barrage of rubber bullets from Noise slammed into Yellow.

"I don't mind a dirty fight! I am prepared to tear myself apart if it means protecting the people!!"

"You’re crazy, partner! I love that about you!"

Noise rushed to King’s side and used high-frequency vibrations from her fingertips to free King's feet before tossing out a marker.

King reclaimed her lance and kicked Yellow to create distance, settling into her finishing stance.

"The way I see it, a true King doesn't just sit back and be protected! The people have grown cynical because of this war—they won't follow you unless you stand at the vanguard and take the first spear!!"

"Fly, my brave soul! Royal Cluster!!"

The King charged toward the target Noise had set.

Trusting in the knight—the friend—who had promised to protect Paradise together.