If the Style Is All Wrong, Then It's Right!

"You will rule over the life and death of the defeated!"

An invisible whisper sounded in his ear, and Colin felt a sense of control over Li Chou.

As long as he wanted, he could kill the other man with a single thought.

And Li Chou couldn't disobey him or consciously do anything to hurt him.

At that moment, aside from his thoughts, Li Chou's status was practically the same as one of the system's Servants—or perhaps even lower.

Remembering what had just been said, Colin began to understand.

"Mr. Colin, are you hurt?" The moment Shana appeared, she immediately enveloped him in Holy Light to heal him.

"Protect the lord!" The Servants quickly surrounded Colin, leaving no gaps.

They hadn't seen the fight clearly. They only knew the two had clashed, and then it was over.

"Whew, it was a fierce fight, but I'm fine. I was just a little shaken."

Seeing everyone's concern, Colin acted relieved, then held up two fingers and made a tiny gesture.

"But it looks like I'm just a little bit stronger."

At that, Shana and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Apart from Number Two, none of them had ever seen Colin fight, so they didn't know how strong he was.

But he certainly looked fine.

That was good.

On the other side, several Survivors stared at Li Chou, who was lying ten meters away and spitting blood at Li Hang's feet. Their mouths twitched uncontrollably.

Then they looked at Colin, who hadn't been hurt at all.

His people were way too biased!

That had been a completely one-sided fight!

Especially that breastplate. It had been utterly smashed to pieces. Could an ordinary person do that?

How was that only being "a little bit stronger"?

At that moment, they realized just how deeply.

Shana wasn't the only monster here. This Survivor himself was a monster, too!

Seeing Li Chou's condition, they couldn't help mourning for him in their hearts, sympathy showing in their eyes.

It looked like they'd made the right choice by surrendering early!

Meanwhile, Colin walked over to the prone Li Chou. Li Hang, standing beside him, immediately grew flustered.

After all, this whole incident had come about because he'd mishandled things.

Who the hell would've thought someone would hide something important outside their Inventory instead of inside it?

No, who could've guessed this world even had a mysterious item like this?

Fortunately, Colin simply reassured him not to worry, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

"This is a nice item. It belongs to me now."

Looking at the triangular shield on the ground, called the "Shield of the Just Knight," Colin smiled. He knew how unfairly powerful the thing could be in the right hands.

He stepped forward, bent down, and picked it up to inspect it. He could tell at once that it was no ordinary object.

It looked covered in rust, but as Colin picked it up, he tried to damage it with all his strength and couldn't leave even the slightest mark.

Only three seconds after Colin touched the shield, a whisper began repeating in his ear:

"I long for a 'fair and just' battle."

"I long for a 'fair and just' battle."

"I long for a 'fair and just' battle."

Colin suddenly felt an urge to find something to fight, and looked at Li Chou, who lay unconscious on the ground, spitting blood.

The guy here who "best" fit the requirements for a duel.

The urge to duel seemed to favor opponents weaker than him.

Fortunately, the thought had only just arisen and was easy to suppress.

But the longer he held on to it, the stronger it would become.

"Looks like he didn't carry this thing around all the time," Colin muttered, checking its information.

["Shield of the Just Knight": You can use it to issue a declaration, forcing an enemy within thirty meters who meets your gaze to duel you. The winner will rule over the other's life and death.]

[Basic rules: Escape is impossible, outside help cannot enter the duel, and the battle can last no longer than one hour.]

[Active rules: The shield-bearer gains the home-field advantage and may set three rules that conform to the general public's understanding of fairness. Both sides must abide by them.]

[Note: This item has negative effects. Explore and compile the specific information yourself.]

What the hell did "conform to the public's understanding" even mean? Colin complained inwardly, then focused and activated his Insight.

[A palm-sized shield with two curved corners, covered in verdigris. Its etched lines faintly outline a set of Scales, a symbol of justice.]

[You think it may have been formed from the power of some mighty being. As you consider it, you feel that being might be called the "King of Knights." The mysterious item represents the virtue of "justice," one of the eight virtues associated with him as a knight.]

[Warning: Do not touch it for more than one hour a day, or you may become a Duel Maniac.]

"'King of Knights,' huh? One 'virtue of justice' is already this shameless. I wonder how twisted the other 'virtues' are."

Colin grumbled inwardly. Then he noticed Shana staring strangely at the shield in his hand.

"Do you know it?" he asked curiously.

Ever since she'd appeared, Shana had seemed utterly unfamiliar with this world. She seemed to know nothing about the Suffering Church or Aberrations.

Colin had heard her talk about the past she remembered, and it had seemed...

As if she came from another world.

Or perhaps she really did come from another world.

"I feel like I've seen it somewhere. Could I take a look?"

"Sure."

Colin didn't refuse. He handed it over, and after taking the shield, Shana instinctively glanced at Li Chou, who was being treated.

But she quickly suppressed the absurd thought that had risen in her mind.

"It should be a mysterious item from the branch of the Eight Virtue Knights representing 'justice.' The negative effects don't seem too strong, so it doesn't need to be sealed. I remember our church studied some of their techniques..."

Shana furrowed her brow, struggling to recall the past, then handed the shield back to Colin.

"They were from the same world as you?"

"Probably."

Shana hesitated, but still nodded.

For some reason, when Colin thought of Shana's unusual personal attributes, the item suddenly made perfect sense.

If the style was all wrong, then it was right.

"Do you know what the other 'virtues' can do?"

Colin asked, curious about these things and wondering just how strange the style could get.

Shana tried to remember. She seemed to recall something, but just as she was about to speak, she froze. In the end, she could only shake her head.

"I don't know anymore. I... feel like I remember, but whenever I try to say it, I suddenly forget..."

Colin quietly guessed that the memories of special character cards were in a state resembling a seal.

He didn't think much more about it. Colin gathered up the many thoughts that had suddenly sprung into his mind, tossed the rusty triangular shield in his hand, and looked at the other Survivors with a slight grin.

"Anyone up for a friendly one-on-one match?"