Lucian: "How did I suddenly become the bad guy!?"
Lucian looked completely innocent. He didn't even know which word he supposedly got wrong.
But an Oni woman doesn't wait.
Hoshiguma had already turned into a full-on tank, charging at him with a vicious expression!
If she started running with her shield up, she could plow through several buildings without breaking a sweat.
Lucian dodged her momentum, trying to leap aside from the flank!
"Naive!"
Hoshiguma accelerated to sixty miles an hour in just a few steps, then planted a foot to halt—all in one motion. She swung her shield and smashed Lucian flying!
Her physical power was downright terrifying.
It wasn't just toughness; her long, perfectly proportioned limbs unleashed explosive force that made you wonder if her bones and muscles were made of D32 steel.
Seeing Lucian launched into the air, Hoshiguma stepped forward, ready to continue the chase.
But the moment she felt the ground shift beneath her feet, she slammed Hannya down without even looking!
Her black iron shield braced against the ground—thud! A muffled explosion went off.
From the Seven Floating Blades circling Lucian, the shortest Dagger peeked out of the dirt before darting back into the air beside him.
Still midair, Lucian sighed with genuine admiration. "Not bad, Hoshiguma. You even caught that."
Hoshiguma snorted. "How long do you think I've dealt with you, kid? If you got blown away that easily, I'd call that strange."
Lucian hovered in the air, unharmed.
He had sold the hit pretty well, but he had actually just gone with her momentum.
And he had no plans to win with something cheap like aerial dominance. He landed obediently and said, "Alright, that counts as my warning shot. These Floating Blades work the same as a Gun—they can explode with Originium Arts. Make sure you don't get hurt, Hoshiguma."
"No big deal."
Hoshiguma leaned forward, hoisted Hannya, and charged again!
But this time Lucian didn't dodge—he met her head-on.
Aside from the two swords in his hands, the rest of the Floating Blades shot toward every angle around Hoshiguma—her feet, her sides, her back, and the front of her shield!
The first blade struck Hannya's front. The Originium energy packed inside collided with the shield and detonated, sending the blade flying.
But Hoshiguma's momentum did falter. She paused mid-step.
Then multiple red-glowing blades shot at her sides and feet.
Hoshiguma reacted instantly—she kicked one away and smacked another aside with Hannya.
The Originium Weapons exploded where they hit the sand, kicking up grit and dust.
This was exactly the opening Lucian wanted.
Hoshiguma's eyes sharpened. She dropped her stance, bracing Hannya, catching Lucian as he charged in with a heavy strike!
Lucian pressed both swords against her shield and grinned. "Hoshiguma, you're as sharp as ever. I thought working for the Lungmen Guard Department would be easier than your old enforcer days, but it doesn't look like you've gotten rusty at all."
Hoshiguma smiled too. "Work is easier now. Which means I have more time."
"Even if the higher-ups are watching me like hawks, I can use the shared facilities whenever I want. The Gym at the Lungmen Guard Department is pretty great. Ch'en and I spar all the time."
Lucian nodded. "Makes sense. I thought Inspector Ch'en's arms looked thicker lately. I figured she just got chubby. Turns out it's because she's beating on this shield every day. No wonder she's getting buff."
"You care about Ch'en that much? Feel sad she's getting more muscular?"
Thud!
Hoshiguma punched the inner side of her shield, and the shock made Lucian's arms go numb.
She continued, "And you don't care about me at all? Since your eyes are so sharp, why don't you tell me what's changed about me?"
"Uh…"
Lucian completely froze, even as he kept pressing down on her shield.
Awkwardly, he said, "Hoshiguma, your figure's always been great. You've got all the right curves in all the right places. Next to you, every popular idol looks like a kid. What else am I supposed to say?"
"…Shameless." Hoshiguma's reply was flat.
Lucian thought, Called it.
For someone as steel-straight as Hoshiguma, calling her pretty does nothing.
She's a big boss—what she wants is being told she hits hard!
Lucian's brain—dense as D32 reinforced steel—could wait. Winning her approval, though? That he took seriously.
"Hoshiguma, heads up. I'm gonna push!"
"What?"
Still hung up on his last line, Hoshiguma widened her eyes.
Lucian was strong, sure, but nowhere near enough for her to worry about. She could overturn him any time.
But then the pressure on her arms doubled in an instant. She grunted, forced to bring both hands up to fully brace Hannya!
Her eyes widened. "Your strength is still increasing!? Impossible! What trick is this!?"
"It's Originium Arts!" Lucian roared.
The twin swords in his hands glowed a fierce crimson. Though they seemed still, they were vibrating at an incredible frequency, steaming with heat. The point where they met Hannya was blindingly white!
Rhine Lab's engineering truly was top-tier.
Even when he was a Holy Son in Laterano, Lucian had never seen such excellent personal-combat weapons.
These red Originium Weapons were forged with special methods, able to detonate their stored energy.
They could also boost physical strength and generate ultra-vibrations—cutting through steel like butter.
But precisely because the Originium craftsmanship was so complex, even Sankta skilled with precision Guns struggled to use them.
Their short control range meant you couldn't fight safely from afar like with a Gun—making them defective weapons in practice.
But Lucian wasn't an ordinary Sankta—he was the Holy Son.
Letting his Halo handle the Originium Arts calculations was enough. What was like mental calculus for normal Sankta was elementary math to him—single-digit stuff. He was the king of multiplication tables!
Lucian shouted, "Hoshiguma! Today I'm getting Inspector Ch'en's photo!"
"You—! You damn man!"
Hoshiguma was furious, but Lucian really was overpowering her, forcing her knees back step by step.
And with a flick of his mind, all the other Originium Weapon blades slammed against Hannya's front, firing at full power, adding even more pressure!
The moment she was pushed dangerously close to the boundary line she'd marked, Hoshiguma roared from sheer pride:
"If you want Ch'en's photo, TAKE IT YOURSELF!"
She twisted her wrist—Hannya's triangular shield face tilted and began spinning!
Hannya might be a shield, but its edge was as sharp as any blade.
Combined with its rotation and Hoshiguma's monstrous strength, anyone could guess what would happen to a body caught in its path.
She rarely used such brutal techniques after joining the police, but when pushed far enough—anything goes.
Hannya spun faster and faster, turning into a massive industrial fan. Blades were flung off one after another, embedding themselves into surrounding walls.
Not surprising—it was Hoshiguma's trusted personal weapon. Lucian's Floating Blades only left faint pale scratches on its surface. Cutting through it was still a fantasy.
But that didn't mean Lucian was out of options.
With barely contained excitement, he shouted, "Hoshiguma—here I go again!"
"Again!?"
She was at her limit.
Lucian hopped back, dodging Hannya's spinning edge.
Then he brought his twin swords together… and they clicked into a perfect single greatsword!
He said, "Hoshiguma, do you know what a man's romance is?"
The now-double-wide crimson blade slammed into Hannya, sending sparks flying like fireworks.
Lucian grinned wildly through the blinding flash.
"A man's romance… is combining! And transforming!"
"Son of a—!"
Even the usually mellow Hoshiguma couldn't hold back. Her massive body was forced back, her boots carving long tracks in the ground.
Once he confirmed Hoshiguma's footprints crossed the line, Lucian immediately dropped the Originium Arts.
Heat steamed around him as he whooped in triumph.
"Inspector Ch'en's photo! Swimwear special—ow!"
"Who said anything about swimwear!? Stop adding scenes!"
Hoshiguma locked his head under her arm, looking ready to smother him right into her chest.