Esdeath, You've Lost Again (5.5K) (Continued)

Unlike Dr. Fashion, Esdeath's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if she had sensed something else. A dangerous curve slowly appeared on her cold, beautiful lips.

"Then where are the others? Where are they now?"

"In the Eastern Forest, thirty kilometers outside the Imperial Capital."

So, Esdeath, relying on the information provided by Dr. Fashion, went to their door.

"So, you went through all that trouble to come all this way just to have another fight with me?"

Yotsuba Mahiro looked at the aloof and beautiful woman in front of him with a strange expression.

Aren't you being a little too persistent?

Then, he inadvertently caught sight of the three people following Esdeath not far behind.

Nyau, a boy as petite as a young girl.

He waved to Mahiro with a slight smile.

Beside him was a somewhat elderly-looking man who nodded slightly to Mahiro.

Finally, there was a burly man with a head of messy, yellowish-brown hair and a very rugged appearance, carrying two huge axes on his back.

Upon seeing Nyau, he immediately recognized her as one of Esdeath's Three Beasts.

They already have such talented people under their command, yet they insist on clinging to themselves...

Are you scared?

Esdeath's voice held a hint of mockery, "If you're scared, then come with me obediently and become my pet. I'll treat you well."

"Afraid?"

Yotsuba Mahiro shook her head and said, "Fine, since you want to play, let's play. But what will you say if you lose this time?"

"Hehe, this is the Yotsuba Mahiro I know."

Esdeath giggled, looking quite pleased. "The rules are the same as last time. If you lose, you resign and come with me. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Alright, I happen to be short an instructor. If you lose, you'll have to look after those two kids for me and give them a good training."

Mahiro pointed at Nahashu and Green.

"How about it?"

"A promising talent, he's good."

Esdeath glanced at the two of them. Although her subordinate Green looked a bit weak, she was quite satisfied with Nahashu in the tree.

He has great potential and a promising future.

However, their duel surprised everyone.

Liver, one of the Three Beasts, didn't react much. Before he was imprisoned, he had heard about Yotsuba Mahiro, only knowing that she was very strong and supposedly capable of defeating Esdeath.

After meeting her, I found that apart from being somewhat pretty, there seemed to be nothing else about her.

There are some doubts.

However, the other member of the Three Beasts, Daidara, was very dissatisfied.

How dare he refuse Lady Esdeath's appreciation! He immediately wanted to pick up his axe and Yotsuba Mahiro to a duel in the Imperial City.

Thankfully, Nyau stopped him in time.

You know, even Lady Esdeath couldn't last more than a few rounds against Yotsuba Mahiro. If this guy were to go up there, he'd probably be beaten to death on the spot!

The girls in the Assassination Squad, however, were utterly shocked.

Only Pony, looking completely clueless, asked, "Who is that woman? She actually wants to duel with the Yotsuba Clan!"

"Shut up, you idiot! That's General Esdeath!" Little Silver immediately scolded in a low voice.

"Esdeath, who is that?" Pony held her head in her hands, indicating that she didn't recognize her at all.

"That's one of the Empire's strongest generals. It's said that he has never been defeated in battle and has won every single one," Cornelia said, her gaze towards the instructor and Esdeath becoming serious.

Not only her, but everyone else was the same.

Although they were members of Assassination Squad and hadn't gone out much, they had still heard about Esdeath's exploits.

Now, Esdeath has come to challenge Yotsuba Clan to a duel... Is Yotsuba Clan really okay?

"Hey, you guys better watch closely from here on out. This is a rare live-fire exercise, and observing it will benefit you a lot."

Mahiro's voice suddenly drifted over, startling everyone.

He quickly and loudly replied, "Yes, Lord Yotsuba Clan!"

"Wow, it seems you care about them quite a bit."

Esdeath looked the girls over and then turned to look at him.

"That's right, it took me a lot of effort to get these girls together. How does it feel? Not bad, right?"

"There are a few promising talents, but their quality varies greatly."

"That's true..."

Mahiro acknowledges this.

However, after his training, he can definitely make these girls' strength exceed Esdeath's imagination!

Then, their duel began.

The chosen location is an open space next to the waterfall.

Besides the Assassination Squad serving as observers, Liver and Nyau of the Three Beasts acted as referees.

"Start!"

Thump--

As soon as she finished speaking, Esdeath stomped the ground and charged forward like a female leopard!

The speed it unleashed left the women speechless.

Pony, who was most skilled in leg strength and explosive power, couldn't help but gape slightly upon seeing this. Compared to Esdeath's speed, her instantaneous burst of speed was simply tortoise-like.

There's simply no comparison.

"General Esdeath, so much time has passed, and you still haven't made any progress..."

Yotsuba Mahiro shook his head and slightly shifted his body to dodge the woman's flying kick.

However, as the two passed each other, a strange smile appeared on Esdeath's lips.

"Really?"

Swish--

Suddenly, Esdeath produced a crystal-blue ice scythe, which trailed behind her. The biting cold air swirling around it was like the cold wind of December, blowing against Yotsuba Mahiro's black, wispy hair.

And the scythe was pointing directly at his neck!

"How could I... I was just kidding~"

Mahiro feigned shock, but just as the scythe was about to arrive, he suddenly grinned and swung his fist to the side.

Click!

The sharp scythe was instantly shattered by a single punch, turning into countless ice shards that scattered and danced in the sunlight, resembling twinkling stars.

"How about this?"

Esdeath had slid several meters across the ground, adjusted her military cap, and a chilling wind instantly emanated from her.

"Ice Storm General!"

Pure white snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

A fierce wind swept across the land, instantly turning it silvery-white.

In the blink of an eye, the ice and snow turned into a blizzard, and everything around was dyed the color of ice and snow.

It must be said that Esdeath is indeed very strong in terms of strength and tactical strategy, and she is stronger than ever before!

Despite having only recently acquired the Imperial Arms, he was able to fully control its power and develop numerous techniques.

They even used this power to change the landscape in a way that was advantageous to them.

Only...

"It's completely useless."

"Hehe."

Esdeath simply chuckled with pleasure, then waved her hand.

"A massive hailstorm is falling from the sky!!!"

In an instant, the sky darkened.

It wasn't that the sun had set, but rather that some kind of shadow had fallen over the earth.

Looking up, I saw a huge block of ice, as big as a shooting star, falling from the sky!

The women, who were huddled together for warmth, were terrified by what they saw.

"How about this time?"

"Not very good."

Yotsuba Mahiro shook his head, then stretched out his hand, and "Night Demon" appeared in his palm.

He raised his gun and aimed it at the giant iceberg in the sky.

"Heavy Metal Burst"

Buzz--

The gun barrel flashed, and then a particle beam shot out, instantly vaporizing the ice.

A dazzling beam of light shot straight into the sky, dispelling the dark clouds.

Even the pervasive blizzard was instantly wiped away completely.

This move is naturally a strategic-level magic from Angelina, but the way "Heavy Metal Burst" is deployed is different from other strategic-level magic; it is not unique.

The usual method of release is to use metal particles to create a burst of magic, but when necessary, it can change its form and shoot out a particle stream like a cluster cannon.

Simply put, it's similar to Planet Godzilla's Charged Particle Cannon.

However, to be fair, this kind of tactic is merely a preliminary appetizer in their duel.

Esdeath may have anticipated this, for the instant the blizzard dissipated, she was already in front of Yotsuba Mahiro, her fist, wreathed in a chilling aura, aimed directly at him.

Snap!

The fist was caught firmly.

The spreading frost was instantly evaporated by the Psions wave that Mahiro was entangled in.

The two exchanged blows and engaged in another fierce hand-to-hand combat.

The intensity of this battle is something that the Assassination Squad and the Three Beasts will never forget.

Not only has General Esdeath become stronger, but what the Three Beasts didn't expect is that Yotsuba Mahiro's strength is like a bottomless pit, and no matter what strength Esdeath displays, she can always win.

However, Yotsuba Mahiro also noticed that Esdeath had become stronger.

Perhaps due to drinking [Demon Manifestation - Demon Extract], Esdeath's physical strength has clearly increased by a level!

If I were just a little stronger, I could be on par with him!

However, in terms of technique, he was slightly superior. Even when Esdeath combined her Imperial Arms to launch an attack, it had no effect on him.

"It's time to end this."

Mahiro took a step back, creating some distance between himself and Esdeath, and then charged forward again, simultaneously drawing his fist to his waist.

It's coming!

Esdeath instantly understood what he wanted to do.

Several shields made of giant ice immediately extended from in front of them.

The thickness of each side is such that even a level one dangerous species would find it difficult to budge even a fraction!