Volume 2 Chapter 17 Disrespect To The Princess
Hollis, with a pale face, felt his spirit break and began to weaken.
Stumbling back with unsteady steps, he stood frozen, staring at Nemophila.
(Why the hell, with my (Conversion)', am I not leaving a single scratch on her...?)
A special breed of monster born from the Box Garden Master's breeding.
By converting that monster into a weapon, Hollis's physical abilities had skyrocketed.
Even though the weapon itself had extraordinary performance, Nemophila had effortlessly blocked his strike with just her slender arm.
She didn't budge an inch, maintaining a cool demeanor.
Yet, she was staring at him, astonished.
"...D-Don't look down on me!"
Hollis, forcing himself to shake off the despair, let his anger surge.
He swung the 'Neo Cerberus' back over his shoulder and charged at Nemophila, who was looking at him with pity.
"U...raah!"
Bang!
The sensation he had felt earlier surged through his hand again.
Once more, Nemophila blocked the black sword with her delicate arm, and not a single scratch marred her skin.
"Dammit!"
Hollis continued to swing his sword in quick succession.
He slashed down from above, twisted his wrist to immediately slash upward, and then, with that momentum, pulled back the sword to thrust.
He didn't just attack from the front; he circled around to the sides and behind, swinging his sword with all his might.
It seemed she couldn't block everything with her arms, as Nemophila's dress was being torn apart by the sharp blades.
But...
"She's... not hurt...?"
The spectators murmured in disbelief, and it slowly dawned on him too.
The light dress she wore was ripped and tattered in many places by the black sword.
However, beneath it, Nemophila's body was completely unscathed.
Thus, only Hollis's sweat and the remnants of the dress danced uselessly in the air of the battlefield.
"Hah... hah... hah...!"
After swinging his sword for a while, Hollis eventually staggered back, breathing heavily.
Seeing Nemophila standing there, expressionless and unharmed, he clenched his teeth tightly.
It felt like trying to beat a massive chunk of steel with a flimsy wooden stick.
An indescribable sense of despair and inferiority filled Hollis's mind.
And then, perhaps because of frustration and impatience...
He could barely 'breathe'.
"You might as well just surrender."
"What...!?"
"Otherwise, Elder Brother Hollis is going to... 'weaken'...and die."
"――!?"
Die? Weaken and die?
Who the hell was supposed to die here?
Swinging a sword nonstop wouldn't exhaust someone to the point of death.
It had to be a bluff, meant to push him back.
That's right, Nemophila's endurance was insane, but they had no way to actually attack him.
So, the only way they could win was to "make him surrender."
That's why they spouted such nonsense—or so Hollis thought. But contrary to that belief, his breathing grew more and more labored.
(What... the hell? My chest... feels tight...! My body's so damn heavy...! My head's getting fuzzy too...!)
It felt like he was suffering from a severe fever.
Just swinging a sword wouldn't put him in this state—no way in hell.
What was happening to his body?
As Hollis staggered, confused and on the verge of collapse, Nemophila revealed the truth as if to persuade him.
"This is my skill. 'Judgment'――'Nemesis.'"
"Judg...ment?"
"A skill that curses 'anyone' who attacks me. Elder Brother, you've been afflicted by this skill's effect—the curse of 'weakening'."
"..."
A curse.
So this curse of 'weakening' was what was eating away at his body?
If that was true, then everything about this unexpected malfunction made sense.
The weakening effect of the curse gradually eroded the target's body, eventually taking their life.
Hollis's body was now, thanks to the curse, slowly creeping toward death.
(When the hell did she learn a skill like that...!?)
He had thought there was no way Nemophila would attack him.
So, even if his attacks didn't land, he figured there was no chance of him losing.
But to think she had awakened such a troublesome skill...
The scariest thing about her wasn't just her incredible Resilience value.
The real deal was this.
The moment he attacked her, he fulfilled the activation condition for her cursed skill.
And while she defended herself with her inhuman durability, she just looked down on him from above as he grew weaker.
He wasn't even allowed to touch Princess Knight.
(How am I supposed to beat this...!)
His honest thoughts spilled out in his mind.
The people around him seemed to realize Nemophila's strangeness all over again, and they looked visibly confused.
The Nemophila standing before him wasn't the one he knew.
How could that Nemophila...
A weakling who was supposed to stay at level 1...
A sickly, cowardly crybaby... What happened in just one month...!.
"Surrender... and I'll lift the curse."
"Don't... mess with me! I'm, and I ain't goin' down here!"
He struggled to take each step, his legs feeling like they were weighed down with lead.
He lifted his heavy arms, barely managing to swing his sword.
Of course, Nemophila didn't get a scratch.
Soon, weakened, Neo Cerberus that had become his sword returned to its original form.
Right after, it was forcibly returned to Hollis's pocket dimension as a ball of light.
Even without his weapon, Hollis tried to punch Nemophila.
He knew it wouldn't work against Princess Knight with her overwhelming Resilience value.
"Ugh... ah...!"
Before long, Hollis collapsed to the ground.
Struggling to breathe, he writhed on the ground, gasping for air.
He tried to lift his gaze to glare at Nemophila, and he saw the spectators of the Succession War behind her.
"Huh...?"
Among them, he spotted a young man.
He wore a simple black coat and white shirt, his hair silver.
It was the man who called himself "Nurturer," the one he had seen just a month ago.
"You...!"
As his consciousness faded, Hollis glared at Nurturer, gritting his teeth.
Hollis shouted in his heart, remembering the words of that guy who confidently declared he would make Nemophila stronger.
(What the hell did he do to this thing...!)
The Box Garden Master, who had disrespected the princess, lost consciousness due to a curse.
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