What should have been a horrific mauling had somehow turned into the kind of bizarre scene that would make any passerby call the authorities.
Three enormous One-Punch Bears, each capable of smashing granite with a single swipe, had surrounded Darkness and were roaring furiously.
Their paws, thick as tree trunks, tore through the air with a deafening whoosh as they hammered relentlessly against Darkness's armor and shoulders.
Yet instead of the expected sound of bones breaking, the only thing growing louder was Darkness's panting, which had somehow taken on an almost sacred, if thoroughly perverted, fervor.
"Uooohhh! These heavy blows, reeking of raw, sweaty wildness! The feeling of being crushed between all that furry flesh... It's... it's the greatest reward imaginable!"
Darkness's face, pale from exhaustion only moments ago, was now so red it looked ready to bleed.
Under the overwhelming stimulation, the monstrous strength hidden within the Crusader's body seemed to undergo some kind of biological miracle.
She suddenly threw both arms wide and locked them around a One-Punch Bear that had been about to bite into her shoulder.
Her grip was so absurdly powerful that the massive beast, weighing well over two hundred kilograms, actually let out a pathetic whimper like a frightened kitten.
"Come on! You adorable little things! Harder! Crush this useless body of mine... completely!"
Darkness stood like an immovable fortress of steel, single-handedly holding all three bears in place.
Unfortunately, the remaining five One-Punch Bears had already gone around the steel-clad masochist and were drooling as they closed in on the collapsed Megumin and the screaming Aqua.
"Hey! Kōichi! Darkness is broken! She's completely broken!"
Kazuma shouted in terror as he dragged Megumin backward by the ankles.
"Look over there! Those two bears are staring at Aqua's butt! If she gets bitten, she'll scream so loudly she'll attract every monster for miles around!"
"Stay away! Stay away from meeeee!"
Aqua frantically rummaged through her clothes for all kinds of props used in party tricks. She even tried performing [Nature's Beauty] for the bear at the front.
"Take this! The ultimate water-spraying performance... Huh? I'm out of water? Kōichi! Save me! I swear I'll never waste money again!"
Just as Kōichi was about to forcibly drag away the useless Goddess, who was already too terrified to speak coherently, something unexpected happened.
From the edge of the dark forest, a brilliant golden sword beam suddenly tore through the thick smoke and night.
It sliced through the air like a blade through butter, passing just inches from Aqua's nose before cleaving the drooling One-Punch Bear lunging toward her cleanly in half.
"Huh?"
Aqua's folding fan froze in midair. The water she had been about to spray shot backward into her own nose from the shock.
"C-cough! Cough! W-was that... an aurora?"
Light, rhythmic footsteps followed.
A young girl slowly emerged from the shadows, dressed in an ornate traveling cloak with a Holy Sword at her waist. Her golden hair gleamed as purely as moonlight.
As her clear sapphire eyes swept over the chaotic battlefield, they carried a composure and dignity far beyond her years.
"Ganging up on defenseless travelers in the wilderness at this hour is hardly behavior befitting kings of the forest."
Her voice was sweet, yet carried an authority that allowed no argument.
The girl shifted slightly.
In the next instant, she became a streak of golden light too fast for the naked eye to follow, weaving through the bears.
Within a single breath, the remaining four bears charging toward Kōichi and the others froze in place before they could even scream.
Several perfectly clean cuts appeared across their bodies.
Then they collapsed with a series of heavy thuds.
"S-so strong... Hey, Kōichi, did you see that? Is that even a sword technique a human being can use?"
Kazuma stared with his mouth hanging open, completely failing to notice that he had let go of Megumin and dropped her face-first into a mud puddle.
Meanwhile, the three One-Punch Bears trapped in Darkness's grip, which had already begun rolling their eyes back from the pressure, suddenly displayed an unprecedented will to live the moment the girl appeared.
They desperately tore themselves free from Darkness's deadly embrace and scrambled into the depths of the forest.
Apparently, the small girl in front of them was ten thousand times more terrifying than the perverted female Knight behind them.
"Ah... Don't go... My embrace wasn't finished yet... That wonderful suffocating sensation..."
Darkness dropped to her knees and reached after them in despair, only managing to grab a few strands of bear fur.
The girl slid her sword back into its sheath with a crisp click.
Her golden hair shimmered dreamily beneath the moonlight.
Just as she turned around, seemingly prepared to offer them an elegant, reserved smile, Kōichi caught sight of the magnificent crest peeking out beneath her cloak.
Then his eyes fell on the Holy Sword Caliburn at her waist, whose divine presence could not be concealed even by its sheath.
He recognized her immediately.
"Iris?!"
The name slipped out before Kōichi could stop himself.
The moment she heard it, the blonde girl's dignified expression completely collapsed.
She jumped like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, panic filling her sapphire eyes as she hurriedly waved her hands.
"N-no! That's not it! You've mistaken me for someone else! I'm just an ordinary traveling Swordsman passing through, one who happens to be just a tiny bit stronger than average! Really!"
"Give it up. That swordsmanship is beyond normal human limits, and you're carrying that Holy Sword. Who else in the entire world could you possibly be besides Her Highness Princess Iris of the Kingdom of Belzerg?"
Kazuma finally caught on as well.
He abandoned Megumin, who was still face-down in the mud blowing bubbles, and scrambled over with an expression of complete disbelief.
"Wait, the Royal Capital is nowhere near here! Why are you wandering around the countryside in the middle of the night, surrounded by perverts and monsters?!"
With her identity completely exposed and no way left to hide it, Iris sheepishly stuck out her tongue and gave them a mischievous smile more fitting for a girl her age.
She lifted the edge of her cloak and gave Kōichi and the others an informal but warm curtsy.
"Hehe, you found me out? My lessons at the palace were just so boring, and... I really missed Brother and everyone else, so I snuck out to come play with you. This is a secret operation that neither Rain nor Claire knows about!"
"Y-Your Highness?!"
Aqua, who had been throwing a tantrum on the ground only moments before, immediately performed a miraculous recovery.
She wiped away her tears at astonishing speed, straightened her tattered skirt, and assumed a solemn, divine pose.
"Oh my, if it isn't Iris. As the Goddess who guides humanity, I was actually using [Nature's Beauty] to peacefully reform those wild bears. I simply didn't expect you to act so quickly. Since you're here, why not make a small donation to the Axis Order... Ow!"
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