11: Chapter 10: Shouldn’t You Be a Little Gentler with Me?
11: Chapter 10: Shouldn’t You Be a Little Gentler with Me?
Chapter 10: Shouldn’t You Be a Little Gentler with Me?
She paused, the corners of her mouth curving up into a smirk.
Diavolo said nothing, his green pupils narrowing slightly.
Inside his body, Subaru was also sweating bullets.
*Oh man, oh man, oh man.* *This woman is terrifying.* *She takes a hole straight through the chest like it’s nothing and still manages to smile.* Yet the moment he recalled Boss’s terrifying abilities, he relaxed a bit.
It would be fine.
Against Boss’s unseen attacks, even an immortal would have to get down on their knees.
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Elsa wasn’t in any rush either.
She simply remained seated on the ground, leisurely watching Diavolo.
It was as if she were waiting for him to blurt it out himself.
Or perhaps…
observing his reaction.
After a few seconds, she let out a light laugh and stood up.
She dusted off her clothes.
Her movements were absurdly calm, as though she hadn’t just been in a life-or-death battle moments ago, but rather drinking tea and chatting.
“Oh well, whatever.” “I’ll find out sooner or later anyway.” She twirled her blade smoothly in her hand.
The edge glinted coldly under the dim light.
“However—” “Before that, I need to confirm one thing.” Her smile took on a dangerous edge, her eyes glittering with excitement.
“That ability of yours…
how many times can you use it?
How many times can you kill me with it?” The instant the words left her mouth, she moved.
She suddenly sidestepped to the flank while launching three throwing knives from her sleeve simultaneously.
Though thrown from a single trajectory, the knives veered unnaturally, hurtling toward Diavolo from three entirely different angles.
This was a probe.
She wanted to see what his ability truly was, what rules governed it, and what limitations it had.
“I’ll help you!” Emilia spoke up, raising her hand at the same moment to block the throwing knives with her magic.
Ice crystal collided with blade, making a sharp, ringing noise.
This suited Diavolo’s desires perfectly.
Having a meat shield was ideal; with the enemy deliberately trying to probe his abilities, this outcome was undoubtedly the best scenario possible.
Watching Elsa charge straight toward him, Diavolo sneered with utter disdain.
“Foolish insect.
You lack even the right to draw near me.” Trying to test my attack range?
Keep dreaming.
“King Crimson!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Diavolo triggered time erasure directly.
*Hum.* The world fell silent once more.
Elsa remained locked in her sprint, dodging ice magic as she surged forward.
Emilia was similarly frozen in her stance, hand raised as she cast her spell.
Only Diavolo was free to act.
Controlling King Crimson, he took a few unhurried steps forward.
He walked until he was merely a few meters away from Elsa.
Then, King Crimson raised its fist.
“Time shall resume its flow once more!” *Whoosh!* Time resumed.
Elsa felt her vision blur as her surroundings abruptly shifted.
Not only that, but the young man who had just been standing over ten meters away…
Was now suddenly right in front of her face.
*Bang!* Before she could even finish the thought, a heavy fist smashed violently into her chest, sending her flying like a kite with a broken string.
She crashed heavily against the wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Using her blade as a prop, she dragged herself up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her gaze toward Diavolo overflowing with shock and thrill.
What happened?
What just took place?
How did he close the distance so suddenly?
Or rather…
was his attack range actually over ten meters?
No.
No, no, no.
If his attack range really reached over ten meters, why hadn’t he struck earlier at the warehouse door?
Elsa’s mind raced at top speed.
She couldn’t make sense of it at all.
This ability…
Was far too bizarre.
Fascinating.
Truly fascinating.
This time, she didn’t continue her assault.
Instead, she cast a deep, lingering look at Diavolo, then turned on her heel, intending to make a run for it.
But how could he possibly allow that?
Emilia’s insignia hadn’t been recovered yet, and it was almost certainly in this woman’s hands.
Meanwhile, Emilia was stunned again, not quite processing what was happening.
What was that just now?
Why was that woman suddenly sent flying?
She hadn’t seen an attack at all.
And that regeneration speed…
It was way too terrifying.
Subaru, inside the body, let out a sigh of relief.
He knew Boss was strong, but he hadn’t realized he was *this* overwhelmingly dominant.
It sent a surge of excitement through Subaru.
With Boss around, what did he ever have to fear?
At this moment, Diavolo didn’t hesitate, intending to step forward and finish her off once and for all.
After several attempts, it seemed clear the opponent had no other tricks up her sleeve.
Still, her immense regenerative capacity alone was troublesome enough.
Most importantly, she had already begun probing his ability.
If he let her escape, the consequences would be endless.
If they met again, she would only become harder to handle.
“Insect!
The emperor has not granted you permission to leave!” Seeing Elsa try to flee, King Crimson struck out abruptly, grabbing Elsa by the throat and lifting her straight into the air.
The woman was nothing more than fast and possessed high vitality.
Yet before King Crimson, those meant nothing.
Invisible and intangible—those two traits alone were fatal.
“Wh…
What?” Elsa was completely thrown off.
She tried slashing wildly at her surroundings, but it accomplished nothing.
Yet the sensation right now unmistakably felt as though she were being hoisted into the air by an invisible person.
By now, Diavolo and Emilia had already walked forward, stopping three meters away from Elsa.
“Hand over the insignia,” Diavolo said coldly.
The moment her throat was gripped, Elsa’s eyes widened just a fraction.
Not out of fear, but…
surprise.
Then, she smiled.
“Cough, cough…
Ahaha…” Though held aloft by her throat, she didn’t seem to suffer at all; instead, she let out a chuckle.
Her laughter came in broken gasps, raspy from her constricted windpipe, yet inexplicably…
a bit sweet.
She lowered her eyes, as if she could actually see the hand gripping her neck.
“…Impressive.” She raised her head to look at the person before her.
Fascinating.
So very fascinating.
“This is the first time…
anyone has ever held me up like this.” Her voice was very faint, tinged with a slight laugh, not sounding like someone being choked in the slightest.
Rather, it sounded as if…
she were enjoying it.
“The insignia?” She tilted her head, as if pondering.
“Are you talking about…
the insignia belonging to this half-elf lady here?” “My, my, so you did all this for that?” She giggled softly, her tongue flicking out to lightly lick her lips.
“However—” Her gaze lazily drifted away from his face, sweeping down his body, before finally resting on his stomach.
Her eyes turned…
burning hot.
As if she were looking at some delicious delicacy.
“Rather than the insignia—” “I’m far more interested in you.” “What on earth are you?” “That incomprehensible attack earlier…
and now this trick…” “Inside that belly of yours…
are you hiding something fun?” As she spoke, she stuck out her tongue and licked her lips once more.
She didn’t care in the slightest that her neck was still being squeezed.
She didn’t care in the slightest that her throat might be crushed.
She wouldn’t die anyway.
Besides…
being choked like this and held up in the air…
carried quite a unique sensation.
A glistening sheen welled up in Elsa’s eyes.
Not from asphyxiation, but from pure arousal.
“Hey…” She spoke softly, her voice thick and sweet, like dripping honey.
“If you want to know where the insignia is—” “Shouldn’t you…
be a little gentler with me?” —