Chapter 448. You Can Only Use This Rod
「Having easily made the decision to kill, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was about to strike when he recalled the "ultimate insult" Hikigaya Hachiman had spoken to the Archbishop of Lust, Capella.」
「He had no personal interest in "ultimate insults," but since it was something Hikigaya Hachiman had proposed, he was willing to try it... and since the conditions here were crude, he would simply have to modify it.」
「For example, hmmm...」
「After a brief thought, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka walked to the fireplace, casually picked up a wooden rod, and thrust it into the fire to heat it until it was red-hot and glowing, accompanied by sputtering sparks.」
「"What are you doing? What are you doing!? Stop, don't come over here, no, no, aaaaaaaagh! Please, please, no, waaaaaaaaagh! ——Don't use that rod! I'm willing to be your slave, I'm willing to use your rod, aaaaaagh!!"」
「Tearing away all the clothes of the defenseless Flare, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's expression remained indifferent, showing no reaction whatsoever to Flare's body. He extended the fire-rod in his hand and slowly thrust it into her body through her "cave."」
「Faced with Flare's hysterical, bottom-tier-shattering screams and her pleas for mercy—offering to switch to a different "rod"—Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained as cold as ever, turning a deaf ear with an expressionless face.」
「He didn't let go until Flare had completely "ascended" in this state of "pleasure."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt it was a pity; if he could have invited Hikigaya Hachiman to appreciate Flare's scene of ascension together, he might have felt a spark of interest himself. Playing alone like this was truly boring.」
「"A fake who got what she deserved. Yes, if it were him, that is likely what he would say."」
「Standing up without a ripple of emotion, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka pocketed some gold coins and leisurely departed, leaving the Royal Capital. It was only after the fire was extinguished that people belatedly discovered the First Princess had been murdered.」
「At that time, a crowd of male soldiers rushed into the room under the guise of being guards, only to see at a glance: lying on the floor, barely clothed, all four limbs missing, foaming at the mouth before death, her "cave" long since charred by a fire-rod—the First Princess, Flare.」
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of things being smashed rose one after another. Flare's lungs were nearly bursting with rage; she could hardly breathe. Now, as she glanced around at the surrounding maids and soldiers, she felt as though these commoners were secretly mocking her in their hearts.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka! Ayanokouji Kiyotaka! A-ya-no-kou-ji Ki-yo-ta-ka!!"
Screaming at the top of her lungs, Flare's eyes turned blood-red as fury surged to her heart. Panting like a bull, she grabbed her staff and unleashed her magic; amidst the terrified expressions of the surrounding soldiers, she slaughtered them all.
Her teeth ground together with an audible creak.
The whole world—including all commoners, all demons, and all demi-humans—had seen her hideous state and her naked body. It made her want to go insane.
And far away in a foreign land, the Second Princess Norn—who deeply craved and loved her sister—lost her composure even more, wishing she could tear this Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who had insulted and murdered her sister, into ten thousand pieces this very instant.
While the residents of the Kingdom, the "pure stream" city lords, and the Sword Saint all felt she was "well-killed," none dared to say it aloud, fearing that soldiers defending the royal family would report it as a political achievement.
The people on Earth, however, had no such concerns. It was as if they had won a five-million-dollar lottery; they cheered ecstatically, voicing their support for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Great! Well killed! Tsk, pity he killed her too fast. He should have used the fire-rod while healing her at the same time, letting her weigh her options in despair over and over!"
In Advanced Nurturing High School, Sudo was clapping and shouting loudly, but Ryuen—who had been watching the future Ayanokouji closely without missing a beat—furrowed his brows.
"The future you obtained skills for brainwashing and changing appearances... Why didn't you combine those two to transform Flare into a highly skilled, loyal servant?"
There was no reason Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wouldn't think of a convenient path that even he could see.
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, perhaps to display that "my wisdom is above yours," and took the initiative to answer on Ayanokouji's behalf: "Because he wanted something more convenient."
As Ryuen looked at him, Horikita Manabu continued: "Just as he suspected the King might see through Keyaru's talent, he also suspected that Flare might be marked with a tracking seal unique to the royal family."
"Then he could have ordered Flare to go to a designated location alone and see if the Kingdom could find her, confirming it that way? If there wasn't one, the profit would be immense."
"He could have, but it wasn't necessary. Furthermore, there was the risk of the 'fishing' failing and his trail being discovered by the King at a critical moment... Perhaps that King is capable of biding his time."
Horikita Manabu glanced at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, whose expression was as indifferent as ever. "Caution above all... This is the path he chose, and this action also proves that he believes having Flare as an assistant makes little difference to him."
That only further proved how terrifying and powerful Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was!
At this, Ryuen, Sakayanagi Arisu, Kouenji, and Horikita Manabu all showed smiles. The stronger Ayanokouji was, the less shameful it was to lose to him—though there was a bit of "gold-plating their own faces" in that sentiment.
"Uh..."
In the Shinomiya household, Shinomiya Kaguya swallowed hard. Even though she agreed that a stupid and wicked wretch like Flare deserved such a death, as a woman herself, seeing this "Burning Pillar" style execution gave her a subconscious phantom pain.
It was just like how a man shudders when he sees another man get kicked in the groin.
"Is this the legendary Masterpiece? Truly terrifying... But I didn't expect him to turn into a Hikigaya Hachiman 'fan'."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's level of obsession could almost rival Crusch, the mindless fan who spent all day muttering "Sir Hachiman can really do it," "Sir Hachiman is number one in the world," and "As expected of Sir Hachiman."
And his level of "distortion" was far greater than Priscilla's... though that isn't exactly a good thing.
Thinking of this, Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but pat her chest—which was flat enough to compete with Yukinoshita Yukino—feeling relieved that her President Shirogane hadn't crossed over.
Otherwise, even if President Shirogane couldn't compare to Hikigaya Hachiman, he might still have been targeted by such a distorted Ayanokouji, and that would be disastrous.
"Speaking of which..." In the Classic Literature Club, Chitanda Eru raised her hand. "He made this choice because Ayanokouji-kun forgot about the existence of the live video broadcast. If he hadn't forgotten, would he still have acted out those months of... um... 'un-un-ah-ah' behavior? I'm curious!"
Knowing he was being broadcast and that Hikigaya Hachiman was watching with his own eyes, would Ayanokouji Kiyotaka still have allowed himself to show such an ugly side?
This answer was destined to remain unknown to Chitanda Eru, as no one dared to ask Ayanokouji Kiyotaka himself.
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