Chapter 524: Hell's Recruitment Standards
The group made swift progress through the bustling commercial district. Nakiri Mana and the others had finalized their purchases in record time, leaving only Justice with a few items to check off her list. The brisk pace kept the afternoon flowing smoothly.
Rantabi paused, her sharp eyes dropping to the dark leather encasing Justice's hands. She studied the reinforced knuckles and the snug, flexible fit. "Say, Justice... do you practice some kind of martial art?"
Mana tilted her head, a strand of pale hair slipping over her shoulder. "Hm? What makes you ask that?"
"Because she's wearing combat-grade gloves," Rantabi pointed out, gesturing to the heavy-duty material.
Mana blinked in genuine surprise. "Wait, really? I thought those were just high-end driving gloves! They look so similar."
Rantabi let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Lady Mana, sometimes I really have to wonder if you are deliberately trying to act cute. They do not look alike at all. The material, the grip, the padding... those are strictly for breaking jaws."
Mana scratched her cheek, a faint flush creeping up her neck. Did she really come across as trying to be cute? She wanted to defend herself, to insist that she was just naturally oblivious to street-brawling gear, but the words died on her tongue. A woman of her station had to maintain at least a shred of dignity.
Justice held up her hands, flexing her fingers. The leather creaked softly, a rich and dangerous sound. A wide, effortless grin spread across her face. "Rantabi hits the nail on the head. These are indeed combat gloves. Lucifer gave them to me. Pretty slick, right? I never take them off."
Lucifer offered a faint, elegant smile, her crimson eyes gleaming with a touch of pride. "You should consider it an immense honor. Outside of Ren, you are the only person I have ever gifted something so personal."
"Oh, I know," Justice laughed, rolling her shoulders. "That's exactly why they feel so perfect when I'm throwing a punch."
Decora stared at the blind woman in utter bewilderment. "Wait. You actually fight?"
Pandemonica took a slow, measured sip from her steaming cup of coffee. The dark liquid seemed to match the sudden coldness in her voice. "Lady Justice possesses a level of combat prowess that is deeply terrifying."
Aoandon swallowed hard, her ethereal presence suddenly feeling very fragile. "Exactly how terrifying are we talking about?"
Lucifer chuckled, a dark, velvety sound that sent a faint ripple through the air. "Let us put it this way. The Fang of Metsudo? Justice could kill him with a single, casual punch."
Somewhere far away, Kanoh Agito suddenly sneezed, completely unaware he had just been reduced to a standardized unit of measurement.
The reference flew completely over the heads of Nami and Aoandon. Hiratsuka Shizuka and Sengoku Chihiro looked equally lost; despite Shizuka coming from a wealthy background, her family's influence did not extend into the blood-soaked underground arenas of the Kengan matches.
Mana, however, understood the weight of that name perfectly. Her eyes widened in absolute shock. "One punch?! What kind of monstrous strength is that? I knew Ren could easily dismantle the Fang, but I had no idea Justice was on that same level!"
Justice rubbed her chin, her grin turning a shade more feral. "Taking out a guy like that shouldn't be too much of a hassle. But wait... Ren actually fights? Now that sounds incredibly hot."
"Ren is exceptionally lethal," Lucifer replied, her tone laced with deep, possessive admiration. "If you were to spar with him in the shop, you would find yourself thoroughly and utterly dominated."
Justice paused for a fraction of a second before a bright, thrilled laugh escaped her lips. "Ha! As expected of my man! He really is the perfect match for me. Maybe I should drag him into the ring the second we get back."
Shizuka leaned against a nearby pillar, crossing her arms in disbelief. "Shopkeeper Ren? He looks so tall and slender... almost delicate. Is he really that dangerous? I just cannot picture it."
Chihiro nodded vigorously in agreement. "I can't imagine it either. He always seems so gentle, whether he's quietly reading a book behind the counter or carefully preparing ingredients."
Courage adjusted her glasses, her expression turning dead serious. "Your intuition about his gentle nature isn't wrong, but make no mistake, Ren is a monster in combat. His techniques are flawless, and he is ruthlessly decisive. Pity the fool who ends up standing across from him."
"I still can't wrap my head around it..." Shizuka murmured.
"Kirari told me about his last match," Mana interjected, her voice dropping to a hushed, reverent whisper. "She said Ren can crush solid stone and shatter human bones with terrifying ease. In his fight against the Fang, a single kick shattered every bone in his opponent's upper body and actually displaced his internal organs. Ren isn't just a fighter. He is a living, breathing weapon."
Chihiro swallowed nervously, hugging her arms. "That is terrifying... but strangely, it also gives off a massive sense of security. Shopkeeper Ren really is flawless at everything, isn't he?"
Lucifer waved a dismissive hand, her silver hair catching the afternoon light. "Hardly. Ren himself admits he only knows practical, violent skills. Ask him to write a poem or do something deeply artistic, and he is completely hopeless."
Shizuka let out a long breath, her tense shoulders dropping. "Thank God. If he were absolutely perfect at everything, he would be impossible to be around."
Nami tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking Justice up and down. "If Shopkeeper Ren is really that much of a monster, are you sure you can handle a spar, Justice? You might just get countered hard."
Justice tilted her head, the silver horns catching the light. "Am I sure? Well..."
"Do we need to find a dynamometer to test your grip strength?" Rantabi suggested, looking around the commercial square.
"No need for anything that complicated," Justice said smoothly. "Is there anything around here I can break without causing a scene?"
Rantabi scanned the pristine shopping district, finding nothing suitable. But Justice had already turned her attention to a small, decorative water fountain nearby. She strolled over and casually fished two smooth, solid river stones from the shallow water.
Rantabi stared at the dripping stones. "Pebbles? What exactly are you planning to do with those?"
Justice merely smiled. As the human women watched in utter confusion, she held one of the wet stones in the center of her leather-clad palm. "Keep your eyes open. What do you think is going to happen?"
Courage frowned, leaning in slightly. "You aren't going to... try and crack it, are you?"
Justice's signature grin widened. Without a single shift in her posture, without even a flex of her bicep, she slowly closed her fingers.
A sickening, dry crunch echoed in the air.
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Justice opened her hand. The solid river stone was gone. In its place, a stream of fine, chalky dust cascaded from her palm, blowing away in the afternoon breeze.
Chihiro gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "That was solid rock! And she just... she turned it into powder!"
Not giving them a moment to recover, Justice tossed the second stone into the air. As it fell, she snapped her other fist forward in a blindingly fast jab. The leather knuckles connected with a sharp crack. A web of fissures exploded across the stone's surface before it completely disintegrated into a shower of jagged debris.
Justice dusted off her gloves, looking entirely unbothered. "That's the gist of it. Honestly, Lucifer and Cerberus could do the exact same thing."
Chihiro stared at the CEO of Hell in sheer, unadulterated terror.
Lucifer merely brushed a speck of dust from her tailored suit. "It really isn't that difficult. Come along, let us find a quiet place to sit and rest. We still have plenty of time before the shop opens."
The group nodded numbly, still processing the casual display of superhuman violence.
Mana fell into step beside Lucifer, her eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion. "Say, Lucifer... I have to ask. Aside from mandating a specific body type and hair color for your company, do you also require all your employees to be weapons of mass destruction?"
Lucifer's eye twitched. She waved her hand sharply. "Do not be ridiculous. We have absolutely no requirements regarding body type or hair color!"
Rantabi scoffed, crossing her arms. "That is the least convincing lie I have ever heard. Look at the evidence! Every single person from your company who has visited the shop wears sharp suits or red shirts, rocks over-the-knee boots, has striking white hair, glowing red eyes, and possesses a supermodel figure."
Lucifer's mouth twitched again, harder this time. She wanted to argue, but the words caught in her throat. Was Hell really just entirely populated by gorgeous women? Now that she thought about it, even Zdrada had an exceptionally incredible figure beneath all that smoke and leather; if the bitch just toned down her exaggerated makeup, she would be strikingly beautiful.
Did Hell's recruitment system actually filter souls based on breast size and aesthetics?!
'That is completely absurd...' Lucifer thought, though a deep, unsettling doubt began to take root in her mind.
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