The dueling grounds were situated right in front of the guild, surrounded by the beauties of the Phantom Night Guild. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on the center, where Catherine stood—a towering figure of intimidation. In one slender hand, she gripped a pitch-black scythe, its blade curved beautifully like a crescent moon. Her aura was so stifling that even the dust on the ground seemed afraid to rise.
Noah met their disdainful glares head-on, transforming their scorn into a personal thrill of excitement. Sometimes, he genuinely wondered if he was a masochist.
"Alright, listen well, kid..." Catherine spoke flatly, shifting her feet to demonstrate her stance. "There are three iron rules for duels within our guild. One: striking vital points is prohibited. Two is..."
Whoosh!
Before Catherine could even finish her sentence, Noah launched himself at her!
Since satisfaction was the stake of this battle, Noah was ready to seize every opportunity a low-life scum could imagine. Let those pretentious types keep their honor. For him, true justice was a married woman with children!
There is no morality in this world, Noah thought as he aimed his cheap iron sword, slashing rapidly toward the woman's waist.
"Hey! That's dirty!" Boos and curses erupted from the crowd.
The young man chose to ignore the noise. He considered disgrace the prize for the loser, while the winner took everything... money, fame, women, satisfaction, the best views, the prime cuts of meat, and most importantly... the tears of a woman who is someone else's wife!
And that was exactly what he saw through his Through-Vision skill. Catherine, standing stark naked amidst the scorching heat. Her legs were parted just enough to leave her pristine white Golden Triangle invitingly exposed!
"He actually went for it..." Christina covered her mouth, unable to believe her eyes. She hadn't expected anyone to sink this low.
Oh... this is the moment!
While others saw a battle, with every sway of Catherine's hips, Noah could barely contain his frenzy over her perfect body. He wanted to become her sex slave, a disposable toy for her to use and throw away. Not her good man, not a noble lord, but a pig for her to trample with her high heels and spit on!
Catherine's eyes widened in shock. A sudden chill ran down her spine, raising goosebumps. She sprang backward, dodging the sword's path by a hair's breadth, nearly letting out a squeal like a sow.
"Attacking while someone is speaking? Shameless! What kind of hero does that!?" she shouted sternly. "Do you have no dignity!?"
Noah puffed out his chest, a trickle of blood starting to seep from his nose. He spoke in a deep voice that he thought sounded incredibly cool—ignoring the blood—while the spectators feared he might drown in his own hemorrhage first.
"On the battlefield... the enemy won't wait for your monologue... Madam Guild Leader... Urgh!" He tried to strike a pose, but it looked more like he was intentionally thrusting his crotch toward the sun.
The girls in the arena squinted uncertainly as the young man wiped the blood from his nose.
"You big-mouthed brat!"
Catherine roared before switching from defense to offense. Her slender figure charged at Noah with speed the eye could barely follow. The black scythe swung in a wide arc, the sound of it slicing through the air whistling shrilly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Noah parried the attacks clumsily, mostly because his eyes were focused on the wrong spots! Every time Catherine moved her seductive body, the image of her perfect, unclothed form under his Through-Vision bounced around, making him dizzy. Those plump breasts jiggling with the rhythm of her strikes... it was far too dangerous for his heart.
"Die!"
Catherine leaped high into the air, her body blocking the sun and casting a grim shadow. She raised her scythe, prepared to bring it down on the center of Noah's head. This was the finishing move to end the battle. For a split second, Noah felt genuine fear.
He looked up instinctively.
And what he saw... was the secret of heaven thrown wide open!
The angle from below, combined with his Through-Vision, allowed him to clearly see two plump mounds of flesh defying gravity. They were as beautiful as a painting. The pale pink nipples standing erect challenged his gaze, causing his brain to short-circuit instantly.
"Oh... Oh my... Mother of God..."
Pffft!
Bright red blood sprayed out of Noah's nose like a broken dam! The sudden spike in blood pressure caused a blackout. His legs tangled, and he lost his balance.
"Whoa!"
Noah fell face-first onto the ground in a pathetic heap.
Boom!
Catherine's scythe slammed into the spot where his head had been just a split second ago, blasting a deep crater into the stone floor. Debris scattered everywhere.
As the dust settled, it revealed Noah lying face down... miraculously alive.
"T-That just now..." Christina, watching from the sidelines, stood with her mouth agape. "Did he read the scythe's trajectory... and drop to dodge at the very last second? That ridiculous-looking movement... I don't really get it, but it seemed to work."
Murmurs of admiration rippled through the arena, while Noah lay gasping for air due to blood loss.
Ding!
A blue holographic window popped up in front of Noah's blurred vision.
[System Alert: Target's impression level is plummeting into the abyss! You are about to be killed in 3 seconds!]
[System Evaluation: Since the Host's ability is pitifully low, the System is granting Emergency Aid in advance!]
[Received Temporary Item: Sword of Light (Grade ???)]
[Warning: Do not die, and do not make a perverted face in public exceeding 50%! Otherwise, the System will shock your balls!]
Suddenly, the chipped iron sword in Noah's hand began to tremble. A soft white light slowly enveloped the blade. It shone brightly enough to sting the eyes, yet radiated no heat.
Noah slowly pushed himself up. The sword in his hand had turned into a shaft of pure light, concealing the blade within. He didn't know what it was, and he didn't want to know, but he had to act cool first.
"What is that sword..." Catherine paused, her eyes fixed on the mysterious weapon.
Noah wiped the blood from his cheek, smiling faintly with exhaustion—exhaustion from enjoying the heavenly view moments ago—which the audience mistook for the weariness of a battle-hardened warrior.
"Sorry... I'm a slow starter."
The battle continued, but this time Noah just stood still and swung the light sword wildly by instinct. However, every time the light sword clashed with the scythe, it easily deflected Catherine's attacks as if aided by a mysterious energy—or perhaps the System was forcing his arm to parry!
Catherine began to pant, beads of sweat forming on her body, which Noah could see clearly down to every pore. The more she sweated, the more glossy and touchable her skin looked.
"Don't look down on me!"
She decided to go all out, closing the distance and sweeping her leg to trip him. But Noah staggered backward because he felt dizzy again, causing him to fall onto his back, and Catherine lunged down to mount him!
In her panic, the young woman quickly used her strong, flexible legs to lock Noah's neck in a Triangle Choke to prevent him from escaping. But the young man thought it was high art for the bedroom.
"Got you! Surrender now!" Catherine shouted, applying pressure.
For a moment, a smile of victory appeared on her face, but then something unexpected happened...
Instead of thrashing in agony or trying to pry her legs apart, Noah lay still... completely still, like someone attaining enlightenment.
To the onlookers, Noah was in a desperate situation. His face was clamped tight between Catherine's firm thighs, suffocating him.
But in Noah's mind...
Ah... this scent... the smell of mild soap mixed with the sweat of a working girl... the texture of these thighs, so soft yet so strong... This is absolute heaven... If I die like this, I have no regrets!
Noah closed his eyes blissfully and took a deep breath...
Snifffffffff~
The sound of inhaling was loud and clear amidst the silence of the arena. The young man's nostrils flared. Catherine froze. She looked down at her prisoner of war, and what she saw made the hair all over her body stand up in horror.
Noah's face was beet red from lack of oxygen, which only made him inhale even more air into his lungs. A creepy grin plastered his lips. The nosebleed that had just stopped began to gush out again, staining the fierce woman's white thighs. His eyes fluttered open to look at her, filled with lust and worship, as if to say, Squeeze more, please. Squeeze harder. I love it.
And there was no other second in her life that Catherine hated a human smile this much.
"Y-You..." Catherine went pale, immediately springing off Noah as if she had touched something burning hot.
"Eww!!! Disgusting! You pervert!" she screamed, frantically rubbing her thighs as if a cockroach had crawled on them.
The entire arena fell dead silent. The atmosphere shifted from fierce combat to extreme awkwardness.
Noah remained lying there spread-eagle, smiling happily amidst a pool of his own blood. The sword of light in his hand slowly faded away as if out of power.
The female referee on the sideline looked around in confusion before announcing in a
reluctant voice.
"T-The winner is... Lady Catherine!"
Christina watched Catherine, unsure if the young woman wanted to scream or cry.