Chapter 196: A wind and a flower
Chapter 196: A wind and a flower
"Next time, call my name when you are in crisis."
It was fortunate that Isao had come, but if he hadn't, then...
So, he hoped that she would call his name next time so he could open the "Infinity Castle" for her.
"Um, I will."
Yet Isao's keen eye caught something peculiar about the lifeless body of the woman he had just beheaded. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled Aiz into his protective embrace, channeling his magic to heal her.
Aiz was obedient and clung to him directly when she was healed tightly, without letting him go.
"...if you hug me that hard, I can't breathe."
"...sorry."
Aiz apologized sincerely and loosened her arms, but she never let him go.
Her hero.
Before her father disappeared and left her alone, those were the words he told her.
"Find your own hero."
She found him, and she knew that he was the one.
Only Lefiya and Lulune were stunned when they saw Isao.
"Aiz-san..."
While Lefiya was in relief that Aiz was saved, she cried, feeling extreme sadness as the woman she longed for had become a woman in the embrace of a man; Lulune was stunned by the one who appeared.
"Th-The Centipede! Isao Iinuma!"
It was impossible for Lulune not to know Isao, especially due to his feat after defeating hundreds of the Apollo Familia and even killing its leader. Moreover, his way of fighting mostly made him stick his body almost near the ground, his unbeatable feat, along with the tattoo on his neck, making people call him the "Centipede."
Well, he was also called the "Higan," as the red spider lily flower tattoo on his neck was also impossible to ignore. This ominous yet beautiful flower of death had become one of his nicknames, too.
Among all the adventurers, while Loki Familia and the Freya Familia were famous for being the strongest Familia, if it was individual popularity, no one could ignore Isao.
Even a Level 4 adventurer wouldn't dare to say that they could defeat Isao easily due to how ruthless he was.
While others mostly knew him for his feats in the War Game against the Apollo Familia, his business, newspapers, and also his feats at making a free school for the orphans, Lulune knew his ruthless and notoriety side the most as many criminal organizations were slaughtered by Isao.
Singlehandedly, cleanly, mercilessly.
Those who tried to harm him were all killed by him and never realized that they were all killed by him, like a group of insects that were preyed on by a centipede that had invaded their nest.
Or rather, in the impression of her god, he said, "It's like he is trying to cover his ugly side. All the good things he does are just a disguise for him so people will think of him as a good person."
"Huh? Then, isn't he a bad person?!"
Hearing such a naive question, her god only laughed.
However, when Lulune saw Isao for the first time, she couldn't see the ugly, filthy, and evilness on his body. Instead, what she saw was an incredible charm that could even seduce anyone, including deities.
Isao appeared dangerous yet somehow bewitching, tempting those who saw him to come closer like a carnivorous plant that seduced an insect to come closer to being eaten.
"Stay here."
"What's wrong?"
Nevertheless, Isao didn't bother about Lulune and Lefiya, as his eyes were always on the corpse of the woman.
While Aiz was confused, she reluctantly let him go, then noticed the body of the female killer seemed to move. Its movement was shaky, but it took the beheaded head and then placed it again on her neck.
"Hmm..."
The female killer fixed her head and revived once again.
"...." Aiz, Lefiya, and Lulune.
"H-How?!"
"Is-Isn't she supposed to be dead?!"
They had seen how Isao beheaded this killer silently, but then the body of the killer moved on its own, stuck her head against her body, and then revived once again.
"Step back. I will handle this."
Isao knew that his opponent should be stronger than Aiz. This person should be comparable to a Level 6 adventurer or more, yet even so, he stood in front of the three females, protecting them.
"Do you think you can stop me?" The female killer looked at Isao in disdain. While it was true that Isao had beheaded her, he did it with a sneak attack. However, this time, she had learned her lesson and wouldn't give him another chance. More importantly, in her eyes, Isao was just a Level 2 adventurer!
What could he do against her, who was prepared for his attack?
Yet, Isao simply ignored her and made his body as small as possible, as if he were ready to accept all of her attacks.
This stance made everyone feel strange since usually, when one fights, they would make their body bigger, like a fighting cock that raised its chest proudly, trying to intimidate its opponent.
However, Isao did otherwise, making his body smaller and weaker with his two hands open, seemingly ready to receive any of the attacks.
There wasn't even a trace of power from this posture!
This was his fighting style against the strong, the utmost development of Flower Breathing.
"Whatever you do, it's all meaningless!"
The female killer yelled and held her weapon tightly, ready to fight as if trying to mask her uneasiness. Her instinct told her that there was something wrong with Isao, but her rationality told her that it was stupid for her to think so.
If her opponent was Finn and Riveria, then she might think differently, but this was Isao, a Level 2 adventurer.
With her power, she believed that she could crush him!
"Aiz-san..." Even though Lefiya felt annoyed at Isao as he had stolen Aiz, she knew that this wasn't a time for petty hatred.
"It's fine. Believe in him," Aiz said confidently.
While weak, Isao could defeat the strong.
At that moment, the female killer leaped and raised her blade high, ready to pulverize Isao.
Faced with this attack, Isao pushed his senses to the limit, including touch, smell, sights, and everything else.
As the female killer got closer, everything moved in slow motion, and his body quickly moved before she was in motion, clearly predicting her next course of action, catching her off guard, and making her unable to fully unleash the power on her body.
Catching her wrist, Isao led her in a circular motion, causing her to pull her hand away. However, her body seemed to move on its own; the reflex on her body moved differently from what she wanted, causing her to jump and be slammed into the ground by Isao.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ground cracked, and a powerful impact was felt on her body.
Yet, the female killer was still calm. The feeling of pain was felt on her entire body, but as she got close, she should be able to grasp Isao, killing him!
However, Isao was also decisive. This female killer might be beautiful, but he wasn't someone who would let go of someone just because they were beautiful.
Yes, Aiz might have forced herself on him, but Isao would be lying if he didn't enjoy it, so for someone who wanted to kill her, don't expect him to give this person mercy.
The blood on his hand suddenly formed into a claw-like knife, Karambit. Using the blood manipulation he gained from Gyutaro, a demon on the Kimetsu no Yaiba, he killed this female killer once again, separating her head from her body.
However, when his knife was about halfway through, she reached his hand, so Isao quickly let her go and escaped.
"Tsk! Don't you dare—"
The female killer thought that Isao would fight her to the end, but—
"Match with me, Aiz!"
Before the female killer finished her words, Aiz made her move and sent a killing blow!
"—?!"
The female killer raised her blade quickly, blocking Aiz's attack, but her hand was torn, yet at that moment, Isao came and cut her tendons!
"Dammit!"
Under the combination of attacks of Aiz and Isao, the female killer could do nothing.
"Dammit! Dammit! Fight me fairly!"
Yet, Isao and Aiz ignored her and kept attacking her together. This had never been a duel, and this female killer was too stupid to pick a fight against them!
Watching their combined attack, Lefiya, Lulune, Riveria, Finn, and the others were stunned, in a daze.
If Aiz were the wind, then Isao would be that falling flower that fluttered within the wind.
The flowers might be harmless, but they could disturb, and sometimes, this flower was also poisonous.
It was a beautiful combination, yet deadly at the same time.
The female killer was overwhelmed, and even if her body could regenerate as long as she could, she couldn't do anything against the two, who kept running, never facing her frontal, always never accepting a direct confrontation.
In the end, she was fed up and wanted to run away, but she suddenly lost all of her power and was seemingly about to melt.
She was startled and quickly focused on all of her power to regenerate her body!
"This... poison?!"
The female killer looked at Isao, this cunning and dirty guy who kept attacking her vitals with hatred, knowing that this was a guy who had put poison in her body, slowly, yet surely, until she couldn't move anymore, fully incapacitated. More importantly, she was also surrounded, and with her body, it was impossible for her to live.
Yet, Isao ignored her and looked at Finn, who had come closer. "Do you want her to die or live?"
"Can you keep her alive? I have many questions that I want to ask her."
"Okay, but take responsibility if you lose her."
"I am sorry."
"It's fine. I will make it easier for you to carry her to the surface."
"What are you going to do?"
Isao used his ice manipulation ability and froze this female killer.
"....."
Watching how he froze this female killer without hesitation, they knew that they couldn't make him an enemy no matter what.
---
I don't expect many of you to want an MC with a working adult background, but then again, let's see how it goes. It is rare to see an anime with an attractive adult woman as a main heroine, after all.
By the way, I am going out.