Chapter 91: First Test of Possessiveness.
[You have activated "Possessiveness B" on Rider Caenis!]
[The affection level between you and Caenis has not reached the standard for 'Possessiveness'; the effect may be greatly reduced, and at the same time a skill Check is required.]
Great—having the effect reduced might not necessarily be a bad thing for Eikou; on the contrary, it was more like an extra layer of insurance.
A die fell down.
[The result is C, Check — success.]
[A special bond, both strange and heavy, has bound you and Caenis together.]
"...Huh? And then what?"
Faced with this vague skill description, Eikou felt a bit confused. He then turned his head to look at Caenis beside him, able only to judge the specific effect based on her direct reaction.
"..."
Only to see Caenis, who had been fiercely exchanging blows with Heracles, suddenly stiffen her toned body. Her beast ears abruptly stood straight up, and her ferocious attacking posture immediately came to a halt.
She slowly lowered the spear in her hand, her face filled with confusion as she turned her head to look at Eikou.
"...Wh-what skill did you just use on me?!"
"It was a support skill..."
Eikou said with a bit of guilt, "It's my first time using this skill too, so I'm not sure what the specific effect is. Do you feel any kind of enhancement?"
"Mm..."
Caenis seriously closed her eyes, as if sensing the changes in power within her body.
"It seems… like I did get strengthened, maybe..."
"What kind of perfunctory answer is that? Is something wrong?"
Eikou did not quite believe it and directly used True Name Discernment to confirm the other party's information.
Caenis's Servant status panel showed no changes at all; the five parameters were still the same as before.
But when his gaze reached the innate skills section, he could not help but furrow his brows in deep confusion.
What should have been [Beach Crisis EX (Poseidon)] had suddenly been rewritten as [Beach Crisis EX (Mochizuki)].
"?"
Eikou froze.
Wait, could it be that I overwrote her Blessing of the Sea God with my own thing? What exactly does this do?
[[Beach Crisis EX (Mochizuki)]]
[A skill that seems similar, yet not entirely the same, as Summer Spirit Origin skills such as Flower of the Beach or Beach Crisis.]
[Anyone who is attracted by the beautiful and sexy appearance of the maiden will, without exception, be targeted by Mochizuki Eikou out of jealousy. In order to monopolize the woman he likes, this person's power will be temporarily enhanced by that jealousy.]
[Your burst power is enhanced; Strength rank C is raised to C＋.]
"So the one being enhanced by Possessiveness isn't Caenis, but me?!"
Eikou was somewhat surprised.
Wait, then doesn't that mean that in the future, when I cooperate with female teammates, as long as I place a layer of monopolizing buff on the other party, my own parameters will temporarily gain an extra '＋'?
If it's me myself, not staying up late and in peak condition, wouldn't I reach the level of A＋ stats?
Looks like this skill is actually pretty damn good!
[Through this bond, you and Caenis have formed a special relationship similar to a temporary Contract.]
[You can now transmit mana to her, and the effects of previous support skills are also enhanced.]
Very good—this skill even has support and mana-transmission effects. It truly is a god-tier skill.
Before Eikou could even feel happy, he sensed something unusual being transmitted from the Greek female warrior.
"Haa, haa..."
"Caenis…?"
"Wait, stay a bit farther away from me!"
Caenis did not answer him. Instead, she reflexively retreated a little away from Eikou, raising her hand to cover her slightly flushed beautiful face, not daring to turn her head to look at him.
"What on earth is going on, my heart is beating too fast, too heavily, I even feel a bit short of breath—what kind of condition is this? Hey Eikou, are you sure this thing is really a support skill?!"
"..."
Caenis, could it be that you've been bound by my 'gravity'?!
[Caenis senses your black-hole-like gravity; Agility is slightly reduced.]
[Do you believe in gravity?]
"Why can 'gravity' with a spiritual meaning reduce Agility? Could it be that my emotions have become so heavy that they can actually distort speed in reality?!"
Eikou was a bit speechless.
But thinking about it again, perhaps it was precisely this sudden sense of emotional gravity that distracted Caenis—this explanation seemed more reasonable?
"Ahhh, this is so damn annoying!"
Crack!
Only to see Caenis let out an angry, everything-be-damned roar, forcefully stabbing her spear into the ground, her gaze locking tightly onto Jason, who was trying to hide behind Heracles.
"I can't be bothered to think about all this stuff anymore—anyway, as long as I've got mana, that's enough!"
Along with her roar, the mana she had accumulated almost explosively erupted without any regard for consequences.
On the not-too-distant shoreline, a heavy sound rang out, like a massive object tearing through the waves and water.
Everyone froze.
"That is..."
"It's the Sea Dragon I summoned, and also the Noble Phantasm I had when I was in the Rider Spirit Origin..."
At the same time, the long spear in Caenis's hand, resembling a fishing harpoon, gradually revealed its true form — the Trident of the Sea God.
"Wait, Caenis,"
Eikou panicked, "You're planning to use a Noble Phantasm here?"
Setting aside whether that would be going too far, Heracles still had God Hand; a single Noble Phantasm would not be able to bring him down. In this situation, the correct decision should have been to distribute mana steadily and wear him down in an attrition battle.
Wait...
Eikou very quickly figured out Caenis's true objective.
So that's how it is—she never intended to kill Heracles at all. She only needed to use overwhelming firepower to break through his defensive line, then use her strongest strike to eliminate Jason!
Eikou realized that he had underestimated the depth of Caenis's hatred. At first, he had only thought about pushing Heracles into a passive position, but he had not considered that she valued the issue of her gender to such an extent—so blindly, in fact, that it was precisely because of this that she had compatibility with the Berserker and Avenger classes.
Clearly, he himself still was not smart enough and had overlooked this point.
"..."
He suddenly froze.
Then didn't that mean that earlier, he had done something extremely disrespectful to Caenis...?
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Hearing the sound of the waves drawing ever closer, the gigantic monster in the sea surged straight onto the shore. Jason clearly sensed death closing in and immediately panicked.
"Please, Caenis, isn't there no way to reconcile?!"
Before Eikou even had time to silently mourn for him, he felt another powerful surge of mana from behind, filled with killing intent.
It was clearly Berserker Atalanta, preparing to unleash her Noble Phantasm. She intended to kill Eikou in a single strike.
"Those who harm children, die!"
Atalanta in a state of Mad Enhancement roared loudly, making cold sweat break out on Eikou's back.
"So this side is also the kind of Berserker filled with obsession, fighting to the death..."
Greece really was a bunch of lunatics. Was there not even a few people who could talk things out properly? Just because of a friendly match, they were fighting to the point of life and death—what kind of customs were so pure to this extent?!
"Haa..."
In the minds of Eikou and Jason, the same thought arose at the same time.
"My life... is it about to end here?"
…