The Laughable Absolute Defense! A Coward Unqualified for Selection!

The once-bustling department store was now as silent as a grave.

Terrorists were scattered throughout the building like ghosts, while the hostages crouching in the lobby with their heads in their hands clamped their mouths shut, terrified that the slightest sound would bring about their deaths.

Stella's gaze swept over the growing number of hostages. She leaned toward Shizuku on her left and spoke in a low voice.

"Targeting women and children... these bastards are despicable beyond words."

Shizuku Kurogane discreetly observed their surroundings. After confirming that the terrorists' attention was not focused on them for the moment, she lowered her voice.

"I have a plan, but I need time to prepare it."

"Until then, please endure it. Do not let them notice us."

Clearly, the Kurogane sister had never heard of Murphy's Law.

If nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected was bound to happen.

A woman suddenly rushed out from the hostages, clung desperately to a terrorist's leg, and cried as she begged him to spare her child.

But the desperado, brainwashed by the New World theory, merely bared a savage grin and kicked the woman away.

Seeing this, the child cried and rushed at the terrorist.

Growing increasingly impatient, the desperado raised his foot again and kicked the charging child aside, then immediately raised his gun and fired.

Unable to bear it any longer, Stella boldly made her move. Flames surged forth, melting every bullet, and she shouted that she wanted to see their leader.

Yet it was precisely this overly reckless action that made the rebel leader realize a big fish had taken the bait.

"Oh ho~ Isn't this Princess Stella of the Vermillion Kingdom?"

A man wearing a pitch-black cloak, his face marked with twisted tattoos, slowly emerged from the shadows.

He spread his hands, adorned with extravagant rings, and performed an awkward imitation of a noble's bow.

"It is an honor to meet you. Apostle Smile extends his greetings."

Stella stared at the affectedly posed Smile before her and snapped with a frown.

"You're their leader? Release the hostages immediately, or I'll burn every last one of you to ash!"

They stood less than twenty meters apart. She was confident she could take his head in an instant.

Smile, however, paid no heed to Stella's threat. Still spouting nonsense, he raised his gun and aimed it at the woman from before.

With life and death hanging in the balance, Stella had no time to think. With a flick of her hand, Dragon Princess's Sin Sword appeared in her grasp, and she shot toward him like lightning!

She never imagined that this was the trap Smile had carefully prepared for her.

He raised his left hand, and a circular barrier instantly unfolded. Stella's fierce flame-coated slash was completely absorbed!

Then, the ring on Smile's right hand flared with vicious light, and a shockwave filled with immense fire magic power slammed directly into Stella's abdomen!

"Well? This is my Device, the Grand Judge's Ring."

"Its ability is sin and punishment. My left hand absorbs every 'sin' directed at me, while my right hand turns that power into 'punishment' and returns it all."

Smile perfectly demonstrated the classic villain's self-exposition moment, looking smugly pleased with himself.

Stella clutched her throbbing abdomen and struggled to raise her head.

"So that means... I was defeated by my own full power?"

"Yes, exactly. I hope this lesson teaches you to think calmly, Vermillion."

Holding the holy sword upside down, Kashu appeared leisurely beside Stella. He reached out, pulled her up from where she sat collapsed on the floor, and softly admonished her.

Stella stared at him in astonishment. "Wait! Why did you just come out like that? Isn't that even more reckless than what I did?"

"So you know you were being reckless."

Kashu raised a hand, gesturing for her to look around.

"Don't get worked up. It's all taken care of. I should thank you for making such a good lure."

Only then did Stella and Smile both look around with bewilderment.

To their horror, the terrorists who had been so arrogant moments ago were now sprawled across the floor. A pitch-black void swirled beneath every one of them.

Smile turned toward Kashu in disbelief, unable to understand how he had done it.

Such a powerful restrictive Blazer technique?

What bored Blazer would specifically develop something like that?

"Ha... Hahaha! What a dramatic turn of events."

"Who would have thought that besides Vermillion's princess, Hagun Academy also had a magic prodigy like you hidden away?"

Smile did his utmost to maintain his affected elegance. Raising his ring-shaped Device for all to see, his eyes brimmed with mockery.

"What a shame. No matter how strong you are, you will never break through the absolute defense of the Grand Judge's Ring!"

Thunder Form: Light Fang!

In an instant, lightning tore through the darkness and illuminated the entire lobby. Kashu appeared before Smile like a phantom and chuckled.

"What defense did you say?"

Only then did the still-self-satisfied Smile belatedly realize what had happened. Thunder exploded beside his ears, and he slowly lowered his gaze to his arm, severed cleanly at the shoulder.

His hand... was gone?

"Ah—!!! My hand!"

"Why? Why did this happen!?"

Kashu looked down at Smile, who was writhing on the floor in agony, with undisguised disgust. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The black hole spell silently unfolded, and silence returned to the lobby.

Seeing even the terrorists' leader so easily subdued by Kashu, the terrified shoppers finally dared to shakily rise to their feet.

Those who still had their wits about them stepped forward to thank him, but even more people frantically surged toward the department store's exits.

Clutching her abdomen, Stella took two steps back and watched Kashu as the shoppers crowded around him.

Her head, usually held high in pride, now hung helplessly as she murmured softly.

"I lost..."

"Vermillion! Shizuku! Are you two all right?"

Ikki Kurogane rushed down from upstairs. Seeing that they were both unharmed, he could not help but sigh in relief.

Shizuku Kurogane walked over beside Nagi Arisuin. She first glanced at Stella, then said in an even, tranquil voice.

"Please rest assured, Brother. Neither Alice nor I were injured. And besides—"

"Thanks to a certain dairy cow acting on her own, my original plan has gone down the drain."

Stella raised an eyebrow and fired back.

"What did you say, you washboard!"

Seeing this, Ikki Kurogane and Nagi Arisuin hurriedly stepped between them to play peacemaker.

"Come to think of it, why hasn't the academy sent anyone to help yet?"

"No, they did send someone."

Having shaken off the shoppers, Kashu walked over to the group and raised a hand, indicating the stairs in the lobby.

A male student in Hagun's long uniform, with a careless expression and a flippant grin on his face, dropped his invisibility and strolled toward them.

"My, my~ As expected of the A-rank Radiant Dragon Holy Sword. You've truly opened my eyes."

Kashu gave him an indifferent glance and spoke coldly.

"Second-year Shizuya Kirihara. You arrived before Stella stepped forward. Why didn't you act?"

At that, Shizuya Kirihara slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"What would have happened if I acted rashly under those circumstances? That princess personally demonstrated it for us. I was merely waiting for the best opportunity."

Hearing that assessment, Stella's face instantly darkened.

Kashu narrowed his eyes at Shizuya Kirihara and sneered.

"Leaving aside the fact that you could have created a forest large enough to shield every hostage."

"The reason you chose to stand by was simply because you can't afford to lose."

Shizuya Kirihara's face stiffened. He raised his chin and snorted.

"What a childish provocation! I'm Hagun Academy's representative student. How could I possibly lose—"

"A correction. You were last year's representative student."

Kashu raised a hand to cut off Shizuya Kirihara's boasting. His sharp gaze fixed on this cowardly piece of trash who feared getting hurt.

"And this year, I'm in charge of the selection list. You are not qualified to be selected."