Chapter 42: Ambush and Exploitation
"I never expected Satoru to be quite popular. But even if you want to show off in front of your women, you should still be mindful of the occasion~"
"You can rest assured about that. Dealing with you doesn't require anyone else's help."
"It seems I'm really being looked down upon~"
In response to Satoru's taunts, Sawa smiled faintly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she revealed an even more interested expression, looking exactly like Kurumi.
However, this wasn't actually her imitating Kurumi—one might say it was somewhat the opposite.
This was originally her personality, while it was Kurumi who had been imitating her, adopting her friend's traits to ensure she would never forget.
The original Kurumi, though also an elegant young lady, was actually more lively and energetic inside, with a slight touch of chuunibyou.
"Brother..."
Hearing Satoru's words, Mukuro couldn't help but call out to him, and the surrounding girls also showed nervous expressions, wanting to persuade him.
In such a dangerous situation, was he still thinking about showing off alone and dealing with Sawa?!
"Say no more. You would only get in the way if you intervened."
After saying this, Satoru directly raised Michael in his hand, then instantly flashed before Sawa, beginning to clash with her head-on!
Everyone, including Mukuro, seeing his demeanor, found it difficult to say anything more.
The tone of his previous words carried a very serious feeling, almost like a command—Satoru had never spoken to them in such a manner before.
It seemed he truly wanted to fight alone.
But with his current combat ability, could he really handle Sawa...?
Huh?
But when they thought this far, they suddenly found themselves dumbfounded.
Because the battle situation was much better than they had imagined.
They had thought there would be a significant gap between the two sides when they fought, given Sawa's formidable combat strength.
Yet in reality, she was being forced to not even dare make contact, continuously pushed back by Satoru's relentless assault!
...Oh, right! As long as Michael made contact with her body, it could directly reverse her!
Thinking of this, everyone's faces finally showed expressions of relief and excitement.
Sawa's ability, like Kurumi's, required accumulating a certain amount of time before it could be activated.
But Satoru was currently maintaining continuous fierce attacks, giving her almost no time to use her ability, and she absolutely didn't dare let Michael pierce her body.
So the current battle situation appeared surprisingly favorable for Satoru!
If this continued, he should be able to win soon...
But obviously, the opponent wouldn't completely follow his plan.
If he were alone, Sawa felt she might really have to admit defeat.
But now, since he had actively delivered so many people to her doorstep, she would gladly accept them~!
"Zafkiel!"
Sawa suddenly extended her long sword toward the girls below, then drew a cross in the air.
Following this, a spatial rift suddenly appeared before her, and she immediately jumped into it!
Satoru's pupils instantly contracted at the sight, and he immediately aimed the Michael in his right hand toward the group of girls...
"Michael—Lataib... Now!"
After whispering a single word, he shouted loudly and stepped through the portal to the alternate dimension.
The two arrived beside the group almost simultaneously, but Sawa had entered slightly earlier, giving her more time to act.
When she swung her saber toward Mukuro, the inexperienced Mukuro hadn't even managed to react...
But in that instant, a figure flashed beside Mukuro, embracing her and twisting aside, barely dodging the attack!
...Unfortunately, this came at a cost.
A sharp blade instantly severed an arm, which fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
"Huh?! Satoru!"
"Your hand!!"
Witnessing this brutal reality, the girls present couldn't help but let out horrified screams and cries of disbelief.
"Brother! Your hand!"
The embraced Mukuro also stared in terror at Satoru's pale face and tightly bitten lips as he held her.
This was all to protect her! Because of her, Brother had suffered like this!
"My, my~ I originally intended to disable Miss Mukuro first before dealing with the rest of you one by one. I never expected Satoru to step in like that. Well, this works out perfectly—I suppose the game is over now~"
Sawa chuckled lightly while looking at the barely-standing Satoru, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.
The other girls present felt furious seeing her like this, yet remained powerless to intervene.
From beginning to end, they hadn't been able to contribute meaningfully—instead, they'd only been holding Satoru back!
"...Yes, indeed. The game is over. You should rest now, Sawa."
Though pale and trembling, Satoru managed to curve his lips into a faint smile as he spoke.
"What are you talking about, Satoru? I don't understa... Ugh!"
Just as Sawa expressed her confusion, her eyes widened abruptly as she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood!
With an incredulous expression, she dumbfoundedly looked behind her... at the metal staff embedded in her back, and the severed arm holding it!
How was this possible?!
Hadn't the arm been cut off already?!
How could it...
Huh?!
Soon, Sawa noticed it too.
Behind the severed arm, several crimson "threads" remained connected, stretching all the way to... Satoru's severed limb!
...I see now~
He deliberately severed the blood vessels and nerves in his arm, then manipulated the blood to launch a sneak attack~
So even my ambush tactic was turned against me in the end?
This time, I've truly lost completely~
As her consciousness began to fade into whiteness, Sawa's shocked expression gradually softened into a gentle smile.
This game was rather interesting~
As her memories froze at this moment, Sawa's entire body began to glow, and her hair slowly returned to its natural black color...
...and she was left utterly naked, her body returned to its original form.