The oath of judah stood on the Academy's training ground. Despite falling from a height, it had no scratches whatsoever.
The oath of judah was made of Soulium, stronger than any metal.
"Annoying thing."
The girl who had become a Pseudo-Herrscher stood not far from the oath of judah. The aura emanating from the cross made her feel very uncomfortable.
However, no matter how she attacked the cross, she couldn't harm the oath of judah.
Even if the vines of these Pseudo-Herrscher girls could pierce through the concrete and rebar of buildings, they couldn't cause even a tiny scratch on the oath of judah.
"Is this the Pseudo-Herrscher who poisoned you? She doesn't look like much."
"Don't be reckless! Even if she hasn't reached the Herrscher level, a Pseudo-Herrscher is not something a human can deal with! If you get poisoned by her, you'll die!"
Unlike herself, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't have Honkai Beast blood. If she got poisoned by a Herrscher, Inaba Tsukiyo would be in great danger.
"Doesn't look like much… How arrogant. If you think you're so strong, why don't you come and see for yourself what you call 'doesn't look like much'?"
Inaba Tsukiyo's evaluation made the girl very unhappy. She had received the power of 'God', and this person actually said she was nothing special?
Thinking of this, the eyes hidden by her bangs glowed with a faint green light, and vines continuously spread around her.
"You, you don't need her to act! I alone can deal with you!"
Remembering her previous failure, Theresa, unable to take it anymore, decided to rush out and teach this person a good lesson.
But before she could charge out, a long blade directly blocked her way. If she hadn't reacted quickly enough, she might have crashed right into it.
"Calm down, my Headmaster. As the cutest person in the world, haven't you noticed anything unusual? Like… a smell."
"Huh? What did you say? A smell? Eh… Wait a minute, what is that fragrance in the air?"
Theresa, who hadn't been very concerned initially, noticed the flowers on the opponent's vines after smelling the scent in the air, and quickly covered her nose with her sleeve.
"So… although you are very strong, don't act on impulse. Even if your strength is great, you must understand that your enemy isn't a fool either."
Because her five senses were sharper than Theresa's, Inaba Tsukiyo had noticed the scent drifting in the air from the very beginning.
As long as she didn't inhale, there would basically be no problem. Holding one's breath was something every martial artist could do, let alone a swordsman.
"Damn it!"
Giant vines crawled up from the ground, plants carrying Herrscher toxins attacked Inaba Tsukiyo and Theresa.
Without the oath of judah, Theresa was just a girl with slightly better physical fitness; she had no way to deal with these vines.
"Is this… a Pseudo-Herrscher's attack? With this kind of attack, even without that power… it's fine."
Although they carried Herrscher toxins, these vines were just slightly tougher vines.
[Magic Power Release]
mikazuki munechika drew her sword. No fancy moves were needed; simply drawing her weapon, the constantly attacking vines were cut down.
Not only that, Inaba Tsukiyo, moving constantly between the vines with her footwork, was able to approach the Pseudo-Herrscher. No matter how dense the opponent's attacks were, they couldn't hit her.
"So… so amazing. Is this a master swordsman?"
Theresa stared blankly at the contest between Inaba Tsukiyo and the Pseudo-Herrscher. One must know that it was a Pseudo-Herrscher, not a Honkai Beast, yet Inaba Tsukiyo was dealing with her so easily.
Before coming to the Academy, Inaba Tsukiyo had told Theresa that she was a master of the Pill Self-Manifestation Style. At first, Theresa hadn't paid much attention to it.
So what if she was a master swordsman? Could ordinary weapons deal with Honkai Beasts? They weren't weapons specifically used by Valkyries, so how could it be that simple?
Inaba Tsukiyo's performance reminded Theresa of someone at St. Freya Academy, and that was Fu Hua.
Fu Hua was a martial arts master who applied martial arts to fighting the Honkai, making her one of the people Theresa valued most.
"Damn it, you little mouse, always hiding! Let's see how long you can hide!"
The opponent was clearly furious that her attacks couldn't hit Inaba Tsukiyo. With a wave of her hand, the entire nearby area was almost covered by vines.
"The Honkai Energy in this area has been completely absorbed by me! So what if you can temporarily evade my attacks? You will all die here today! Go to hell with this filthy world!"
More and more vines attacked Inaba Tsukiyo, and the places she could dodge became fewer and fewer. The fragrance in the air grew stronger and stronger, which was not a good sign.
"I must stand on the ground, but now the only place I can stand is there."
The ground was mostly destroyed by vines; the only place left to stand was near the oath of judah.
Perhaps due to the special nature of the cross, these vines instinctively kept away from its vicinity.
Having no choice, Inaba Tsukiyo could only land on the ground, instantly drawing her blade. A sword qi flew towards the Pseudo-Herrscher, cutting off the vines along the way.
However, the girl protected by the vines was not harmed by the sword qi; instead, the disdainful smile on her face grew wider.
"A person who only talks big…"
"Oh? Is that so? Then let me show you how I, this person who only talks big, will deal with you."
Her right hand rested on the oath of judah. The moment she touched the cross, a familiar sensation came, and the oath of judah even vibrated slightly when Inaba Tsukiyo caressed it.
'Do you remember too, Judah… Do you remember the soul of your former master?'
"Unfold! oath of judah!"
The oath of judah emitted a crisp sound, and its two sides suddenly unfolded. Thirteen golden spears with chains flew towards the Pseudo-Herrscher.
All these weapons were made of Soul Steel. The vines had no way to stop the spears' advance, and the opponent could only watch helplessly as the chains wrapped around her body.
"Now, let all this end."
Opening her eyes, Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes glowed with a sapphire blue color. In her vision, she saw a huge spot on the girl's body, which was entangled by chains.
That… was her death point. As long as that point was pierced, her existence would disappear from this world.
Without using any quick movements, Inaba Tsukiyo walked slowly, step by step, towards the opponent.
To prevent Inaba Tsukiyo from advancing, a large number of vines tried to block her, but the spears on the oath of judah automatically struck down those vines for Inaba Tsukiyo.
"What exactly is going on… Tsukiyo-chan… Is she really human?"
Could it be that she, like the opponent, was also a Pseudo-Herrscher born from this Honkai?
However, her detector only detected one Herrscher and found no trace of a second Herrscher. What exactly was going on?
What concerned Theresa most was that Inaba Tsukiyo could actually use the oath of judah! What was going on? Wasn't it said that no one could use this weapon except for specific individuals?
"It's over… May you, in another world, not resent this one."
The long blade pierced through her chest. There was no blood, no pain, not even any sensation.
The Pseudo-Herrscher's distorted expression disappeared. She looked calmly at Inaba Tsukiyo. She could feel her existence gradually fading away.
But… why, at this moment when she should be resentful, did she feel nothing at all?
Past memories continuously surfaced in her mind—memories of family, memories of school, all the unfortunate memories replayed in her head.
"Why…?"
"Why is it always me who suffers? Why does my mother hate me? I'm her daughter, so why do I get scolded for every little mistake? Why do even my classmates avoid me? Why?"
"Why is this world… so cold? Why is this world so cruel?"
By the end, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Why was her life so painful? Why was this world so unfair?
"It's not like that, you know.
This world isn't just about suffering."
As if knowing what the young girl was thinking, Inaba Tsukiyo retracted the blade in her hand, looked at the weeping girl, and continued.
"It is precisely because love and pain exist in this world that humans can fight for it and grow.
When people grow, they forget many things.
The love their family has for them, the care their family provides—these things are forgotten as you grow.
You only remember the bad things your family did to you; you only remember their scolding when you were lazy."
"Think carefully, does your family truly not love you?
Do your classmates avoid you really because they hate you, and not because you haven't tried to integrate with them?"
"I… I…"
Inaba Tsukiyo's words made her recall many things.
Yes, why had she forgotten?
Her family had always loved her—birthday wishes, care when she was sick, and daily companionship.
These were all expressions of her family's love, so why had she forgotten?
After a moment of thought, she finally realized it wasn't that she had forgotten, but that she had taken these things for granted, forgetting that they were her family's love.
The reason she felt alienated by her classmates was also because, after entering high school, her inability to speak well with others made people find her difficult to approach.
It was simply because she had never made an effort, yet she believed the reason she had no friends was due to being ostracized by others.
Why… why hadn't she noticed this?
"Thank you… Eh? You… you are…"
She seemed to realize something, but before she could say it, her body began to collapse, gradually disappearing into the air.
Although she didn't know what the other person ultimately wanted to say, she must have found peace in the end, leaving without resentment towards this world.
For her, all of this was just a nightmare.
It was just a nightmare.
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