Ryougi Raku's heart pounded faster than ever before.
He knew that Altrouge's magical fluctuations had already alerted her guardians, but Ryougi Raku didn't care.
He wanted to fight strong opponents; only then could he become stronger.
Of course, he was also prepared to flee at any moment.
Though confident, he wasn't so arrogant as to believe he could single-handedly eliminate Altrouge and her entire party.
"Beautiful Princess, your beauty shines brighter than the stars in the sky.
I wonder if Your Highness would grant me a request, to give this humble one a chance to pursue your exquisite form?" With a slight bow, as if he had forgotten that he had just wounded someone, Ryougi Raku uttered rebellious words.
However, while part of it was to tease Altrouge, a large part was genuine.
Ryougi Raku was not a 'god' without desires.
Altrouge's noble figure indeed captivated him, making him yearn to hold her in his arms.
'I really am an incorrigible loli-con!' he sometimes mocked himself.
Upon hearing Ryougi Raku's declaration of love, Altrouge's alluring lips parted slightly, and she seemed to freeze, taking a long time to react.
In her hundreds of years of life, there were those who feared her, those who hated her, and those who revered her, but no one had ever loved her… No, perhaps there were; her figure must have enchanted countless people, but their fear of her outweighed their affection, let alone someone as reckless as Ryougi Raku, who dared to say it to her face.
At this moment, she felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
She already had a good impression of Ryougi Raku, but that impression was far from love.
Moreover, he had just wounded her; who asks someone out right after cutting them?
However, despite being annoyed by his bold words, she was also at a loss for how to respond.
Deep down, she also felt a strange sweetness.
In hundreds of years, who had ever confessed to her like this?
This novelty made her heart flutter a little.
This awkward situation came and went quickly.
A voice helped Altrouge escape the silent stillness.
"Hmph, where did this brat come from, daring to defile Lady Princess with such vile words!" With boundless rage, a cold voice transcended the distance, echoing through the field.
And with the voice came three figures, swift as phantoms.
Two knights and the White Beast stood before the Princess, protecting her securely.
The White Beast and the Black Knight glared at Ryougi Raku with suppressed fury, as if they wanted to tear him apart with their eyes, while the White Knight, Vlov, stared intently at Ryougi Raku with shining eyes, like a pervert encountering a beauty, even a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth.
Even Ryougi Raku found Vlov's gaze a bit too much and instinctively took two steps back.
After her guardians arrived, Altrouge quickly regained her composure, calming her heart that had been flustered by Ryougi Raku's words.
Regardless of the truth, in front of others, she had to maintain the Princess's elegance at all times.
She had to reassure her loyal subordinates with a perfect demeanor… no matter how scarred she was in private… As the voice reached them, a katana mysteriously appeared in Ryougi Raku's hand.
He pointed it at Altrouge and her group, collecting himself, and with a serious expression, slowly said, "Four of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors… This is… what an honor!"
There was no fear in his tone; only the confidence and resolve of facing a formidable enemy!
---
"Strout, leave this to me!" Vlov stopped the Black Knight who was about to fight, saying with a smile, the light in his eyes making it impossible to refuse.
Strout saw the White Knight's determination and nodded slightly.
Only then did he have a chance to check on the Princess's condition.
He saw the black-clad Princess covering her wound with her slender hand, and seductive blood dripped from the gaps of her fingers.
Strout frowned, his gaze towards Ryougi Raku even more terrifying.
If Vlov hadn't volunteered, he would have already drawn his beloved sword—the True Demonic Sword—and chopped the guy who injured the Princess into pieces.
Bremet, on the other hand, showed no reaction, still looking languid.
As long as the Princess wasn't fundamentally injured, it was fine.
This wound seemed troublesome, but to a Dead Apostle Princess, it was nothing.
What interested her more was the young man before her.
He was so calm and composed in the face of her aura.
One must know, she was Primate Murder!
Ryougi Raku breathed a slight sigh of relief seeing only Vlov step forward.
If all of them had attacked together, his first move would have been to turn and run; there would have been no fight at all!
At the same time, what truly made him feel thorny, even somewhat fearful, was that white dog.
He couldn't know if he belonged to the concept of humanity.
When facing Primate Murder, he didn't know if he would be suppressed by her aura.
Now, it seemed that although the big white dog's aura was still terrifying, that was just the inherent strength of Primate Murder, completely different from her species suppression.
This made Ryougi Raku secretly breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, deep down, he felt a slight melancholy.
Since his previous life, he had always existed as a human.
Now, even the concept of the planet no longer considered him human?
This thought came and went quickly.
Ryougi Raku quickly shook that unnecessary thought out of his mind.
He himself didn't have much identification or sense of belonging to the identity of a human.
What he cared about was the existence of his own will, the power he fully controlled.
Everything else was illusory!
Even if he turned into a legendary tentacle monster, what of it?
If he wished to exist in a human form, as long as his power was sufficient, changing his external form, or even projecting a human form to act, would be a very simple matter!
"Just you?" Ryougi Raku's lips curled slightly, with a hint of undetectable excitement, as he coldly watched Vlov step out.
Vlov's smile grew brighter.
He showed no anger at Ryougi Raku's disdain.
"Such a beautiful young man, if you hadn't injured the Princess, I would have been very happy to get close to you… Now… although we still have to get intimate, it will involve swords and guns before that."
As he spoke, Vlov's entire body began to tremble slowly.
That was the excitement of encountering a perfect prey.
What a beautiful young man!
That simple yet refreshing single ponytail, that skin as white as a young girl's, those firm yet brilliant black eyes, how captivating… That seemingly slender body, emitting a suppressive aura, truly made one wonder how he had hidden it so perfectly before!
How long had it been since he encountered such a perfect young man?
No… he should say, since he gained consciousness, he had never encountered one, right?
In his hundreds of years of life, even if he had met beautiful young men who were as good or even better in appearance, their temperament and strength were far inferior!
He was completely captivated… Only this young man could make him desire to train him, to train him to his heart's content… Vlov's eyes clearly conveyed his thoughts.
Ryougi Raku inexplicably felt a chill down his spine and a tightening in his anus… Although he knew from memory that this White Knight was a pervert, upon actually meeting him, he realized he had been too naive.
This was beyond perverted; it was practically demonic!
"Young man, I won't ask your name for now.
After I defeat you, I'll slowly inquire…" Vlov licked the corner of his mouth, preparing for battle.
He wanted to capture him; such an excellent collectible required him to get a little serious!
"Hmph! But I know you very well… The Eighth Ancestor, White Knight!" Ryougi Raku seemed to look down on him, but in reality, he had already regarded him as a formidable enemy.
Striking first was always Ryougi Raku's philosophy of combat.
Accompanying his words was the boundless sword energy radiating from Ryougi Raku's body!
"Four Directions, Eight Directions, Slash and Flash!" Countless sword energies traced mysterious trajectories, shooting out from all directions towards the White Knight!
This was not the usual single sword energy Ryougi Raku casually used, but a rain of sword energy like brilliant meteors!
In years of grueling combat, Ryougi Raku had integrated his swordsmanship techniques, and his strength was now even greater than in earlier years!
Facing this swarm of sword energies that tore through the air, Vlov's previous thoughts completely vanished.
Before him were only these countless sword energies moving in erratic paths, vowing to tear him to shreds!
All the opponents Ryougi Raku had encountered before would probably suffer greatly when faced with this move, whether it was an Ancestor like Merem, who was not skilled in close combat, or those legendary Heroic Spirits!
Heroic Spirits, though experienced in combat, mostly gained their experience only while alive.
But Vlov, he was truly, with an immortal body, fighting completely for hundreds of years; combat had long become instinct!
Of course, among Heroic Spirits, there were also those whose combat experience rivaled these Twenty-seven Ancestors, such as the Guardian, Red A… Vlov stood still, as if completely helpless against these sword energies, but just as the sword energies were about to strike, he suddenly leaped from his spot.
He knew very well that since each of these sword energies could move in a different trajectory, there was a high probability they would continue to track him… And now, at this speed of sword energy, Vlov didn't believe the young man could fully control them!
Indeed, after Vlov leaped, endless sword energies, like missiles, slammed into the spot where he had just stood.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" A series of explosions, like a city being bombarded by bombers, deafening!
Smoke billowed.
Vlov, suspended in the air, drew his sword… As soon as he leaped, he had already noted Ryougi Raku's position.
This leap not only allowed him to dodge the sword energy but also to turn defense into offense, engaging Ryougi Raku in close combat!
He believed that with his hundreds of years of honed swordsmanship, the young man before him would be utterly unable to resist!
However, thoughts are always beautiful.
Vlov had expected all those countless sword energies to miss, but several sword energies, in that instant, seemed to possess precise guidance.
They changed direction the moment they missed, continuing to attack Vlov in the air!
But for a Dead Apostle Ancestor, mere physical laws to a certain extent could not restrain them.
Even in the air, he was like on flat ground, his longsword brandishing, blocking all the few incoming sword energies.
Each sword energy pierced and shattered countless trees, finally subsiding only after slamming into the earth.
But at that moment, a crescent-shaped sword energy reappeared from below Vlov.
In a rush, Vlov's longsword once again blocked this sword energy.
This block was a perfect combination of calculation and instinct, precisely striking the center of the crescent moon.
He had expected to forcibly disperse it, but this time, it was completely different from the previous sword energy.
Even though he cut it in half, the remaining sword energies surprisingly transformed into two crescent shapes, one above and one below, grazing Vlov's left shoulder and right leg.
"Demon-Slaying Sword, Taichi Flash!" A faint voice then emerged from the surrounding dust.
Ryougi Raku would not make the foolish mistake of announcing the name of his move before executing it!
However, Ryougi Raku had indeed underestimated the White Knight, Vlov.
He hadn't expected Vlov to be able to quickly block the final crescent moon while simultaneously blocking the sword energy.
His goal had been to cut Vlov in half at the waist!
'I released too much sword energy.
With my current strength, I can't fully control it against such a quick-reacting, experienced opponent…' Ryougi Raku thought to himself, looking at Vlov, who had already landed back on the ground.
If he could perfectly control the endless sword energy, making each one obey his will, then Vlov would have no chance to dodge and could only block head-on.
At that point, a huge opening would appear, and he could easily take advantage of it.
'My strength is still too far off…' The dust gradually cleared, and Vlov's figure became completely clear.
Two sword wounds were clearly visible on his left shoulder and right thigh.
Blood slowly flowed, but the wounds had already begun to heal.
But besides these two wounds, Vlov was not in any other disarray.
Even his clothes were barely ruffled.
"Hmph, Vlov, you were really careless!" Strout said coldly, but with concern for his comrade.
The smile that had always been on Vlov's face disappeared, and the corners of his mouth twisted, not from anger, but from pain… "Brat, what exactly did you use?
It really hurt me… Demon-Slaying Sword, huh?
Ha, I was actually cut down as a demon!" He gasped a few times, easing the pain, and Vlov slowly said.
Ryougi Raku was even more speechless.
Did the Demon-Slaying Sword, which was invincible against monsters, only make him feel a little pain?
"I underestimated you before!
You won't be so lucky this time!" Flicking the longsword in his hand, Vlov no longer showed any contempt.
The inherent disdain of long-lived species for short-lived ones, etched into his bones, was buried deep… Ryougi Raku knew that the real battle was about to begin…