Chapter 46: Emilia, Save Me, Ribbit! (Patreon)

The intel was a bit too advanced. Emilia and her two companions, who hadn't even known Priscilla had such strong luck, were still left dazed and half-understanding.

Al had stopped scratching his helmet. Even through the helmet, you could feel how stunned he was, as if he were asking: Bro, how do you already know all this? You don't have a trace of the Witch's scent on you. Where is this intel coming from?

This isn't right, bro. You haven't died even once, or half a time, and you're already cosplaying Great Sage and doxxing people on the spot?

Priscilla's languid ease was gone. Her sharp gaze narrowed as she glared at Subaru Natsuki. If looks could kill, he'd have died at least three or four times over.

Subaru wasn't tied down by anyone's reaction. He looked straight at Priscilla and recited, one word at a time:

"A frog in a well, self-centered, big chest and no brain. No matter how beautiful you are, it's an empty shell, and what's inside is filthy. Forget comparing yourself to fellow Royal Selection candidates like Anastasia, Crusch, and Emilia. Forget even Anna and Cru-Cru, who aren't candidates at all. You can't hold a candle to Felt!"

"And setting the Royal Selection aside, this has nothing to do with it. As a person, and not just as a woman, you're the lowest scum I've met so far. You can't even beat those three low-grade punks, Chin, Kan, and Ton."

"In other words, Priscilla, you're a low-grade human being!"

Subaru wasn't the type to hurl truly vile curses, and Priscilla hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve a fight-to-the-death level of abuse. Narcissistic as she was, it wasn't a crime worth that.

But Subaru had his own judgment. He didn't need any cruel or excessive personal attacks. He only needed to state his objective assessment of Priscilla.

That alone was an insult that someone with Priscilla's nature could never tolerate.

"—You certainly dare to speak, commoner. To aim such presumptuous words at this one is a grave act of disrespect. Very well. Since you claim you'll suffer no punishment, let this one see for herself. Witness it with those useless, murky eyeballs of yours, and learn whether you can escape this one's chastisement."

Unexpectedly, Priscilla didn't flare up or burst into tears.

Her darkened gaze was proof enough that those words hit harder than anything she'd ever heard. Yet she didn't crack and turn herself into a clown, and that genuinely made Subaru look at her in a new light.

Maybe this self-proclaimed extraordinary, brainless narcissist did have some measure of largeness of spirit after all. She wouldn't be reduced to something Ton, Chin, and Kan could be compared with, or something those three could leech off.

But in any case, that wasn't the point right now.

Three seconds of locked eyes, and the fight began. Beneath the blazing sun, her gaze razor-sharp, Priscilla closed her hand around empty air and drew a Yang Sword wreathed in scorching flame from the void. She had ended the war of words and openly turned to a war of blades.

Subaru didn't waste a word. He yanked a sword out of a hidden compartment in his stall table.

Otto had bought it for him. It was a hundred-forged blade, nowhere near the level of any divine weapon, but among ordinary weapons you could buy anywhere, it counted as sturdy and sharp.

Going hard, huh?

Fine. Hiding your strength is like wearing brocade at night. I'll show you that I, Subaru Natsuki, have plenty of tricks and swordsmanship to spare!

"Clang—!"

The Yang Sword came down with careless ease, and Subaru swept his blade through an arc full of advanced technique. Anyone could see it: this guy had high-level swordsmanship. He was a high-level swordsman, a high-level human!

In the span of a single second, the dazzling Yang Sword and Subaru's blade crossed again and again. Both sides were blindingly fast, and in the middle of the exchange, the stall's table became the first casualty, chopped into several pieces on the spot.

"It seems you're not merely quick of tongue. Swordsmanship that makes other clowns sing its praises barely manages not to disgrace this one's hand. But, commoner, you should praise your own luck. To behold the radiance of this one's Yang Sword is a miracle you will never have twice in your life."

Priscilla praised him without reservation, just as she freely admitted she couldn't beat the Sword Saint. Once Subaru showed the swordsmanship he'd forged through real effort and sweat, she saw his tenacity in it, smiled sweetly, and gave a light nod.

"Hmph hmph. Had Heaven not given birth to Subaru Natsuki, the way of the sword would be a long night for ten thousand ages. I am the number one swordsman! Priscilla, you carry a sword, right? Since you're a swordswoman too, you're bound to be beneath me. Admit defeat or surrender, pick one!"

Sweating bullets, bro.

Priscilla and Subaru were trading bluffs, but Subaru already wanted to sweat.

From the start, Priscilla had gone for his tongue or his eyes to vent her anger. She'd thought it would be easy, so she hadn't taken it seriously. Once she realized he had real skill, she immediately switched to proper swordsmanship.

Judging by the results, he'd lost nothing in those few exchanges. But Subaru knew perfectly well that he truly couldn't beat this narcissist. At most he could hold out for a short while.

No way. The very first opponent of my new path is a master like this?

Nobody told me Priscilla was this strong!

Setting aside how their physical strength, swordsmanship, and combat experience compared, the quality of their weapons alone was on a completely different level.

In a duel between masters, weapon quality matters enormously.

Seeing this, Al drew the sword at his waist and cried out his loyalty: "Princess, you don't need to lift a finger, leave it to me! Bro, I'm coming to kill you!"

"Get lost, you treacherous clown!"

Priscilla laughed in exasperation. With one swing of her heavy blade she sent Al flying. Al's true intentions were obvious to every passerby.

"Now, do you still dare say you won't face retribution or punishment? Had you admitted your fault from the start, this one might have let you leave by rolling away. But now that you've boasted so loudly, it would be this one's failing not to carve out those useless, blind eyes and rip out that meddling tongue."

Think, dumb brain, think! Where's the way out of this?

Subaru's thoughts raced. The Yang Sword was already upon him again. He turned his blade to meet it, and a rapid series of strikes clashed. Then, with a sudden crack, the ordinary weapon couldn't withstand the Yang Sword's sharpness and flames, and it was cut clean through, split in two.

With nothing left to block it, the Yang Sword was about to sweep down.

"—Emilia!"

Save the king, ribbit!

[Author's Note: PS: Please check out my other book, "In the Ultraman World, Do You Think You're a Ten Shadows Technique User?"]