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Chapter 38 – part 16

Certainly, Koharu had been buying time for Lute’s sake.

When facing an extraordinary opponent, it was necessary to bring out something extraordinary as well.
She had done so with that thought in mind.

However, Koharu couldn’t help but think that this time, the opponent was just too much.
With such a sentiment, Koharu cast a concerned gaze at Lute’s back.

「Now…」

I, Lute MacLean, began cracking my knuckles.
Then I directed my gaze from the shota boy from his feet to his head.

「Judging from what I can see, you don’t even have a weapon, and your armor is light. Yet, you managed to deal some damage to me with your kicks… Well, it seems you’re a bare-handed combat type, as obvious as it gets.」

Apparently, this kid had some misunderstanding.
Well, that was fine.
I had sensed most of his strength with that kick, but confirmation was still necessary.

「For now, let’s have a little bout, shall we?」

I said and, at the same time, raised my fist and charged at the Demon God.
No feints, no tricks.
I just swung my fist as hard as I could and unleashed a right straight punch.

In response, the Demon God, grinning with delight, countered my fist with a headbutt.

—Bang!

My fist and his skull collided head-on.
The air trembled, and a shockwave emanated from the impact.

Both of us were sent flying backward, landing while mitigating the force by sliding our feet on the ground.

「That exchange just now was a complete draw. This is going to be enjoyable. Despite my appearance as a young boy, I’m still a demon, you see. I’m actually a power type, strong in hand-to-hand combat.」

「A headbutt matched my full-power punch. I see.」

As I finished speaking, the Demon God rushed at me this time.
He broke the sound barrier, and the sound of the wind cutting through the air lagged behind its right straight punch.

This time, I took the Demon God’s right straight punch with a headbutt.
In mid-air, my fist and its headbutt clashed once again.

While we had both been sent flying during the previous exchange, this time, we both lowered our centers of gravity and firmly landed on the ground.

There, the Demon God and I both wore broad smiles.

「It feels like I can engage in a serious brawl for the first time in my life, and I’m delighted.」

「Sounds good. I’m up for it… an unprecedented and unparalleled slugfest.」

The Demon God raised its arm high, preparing for a mighty swing.
To be honest, it was full of openings, but I didn’t make any stupid moves to disrupt its attack during the motion.

No, I didn’t even attempt to dodge.
That was because, most likely, without any feints or tricks, the Demon God would probably unleash an absolutely straightforward right straight punch after raising its arm high.

And as if it were predestined, a full-force strike pierced my nasal bridge.

「――――That’s intense! Oi!」

I channeled strength into my lower body, managing to hold my ground.
A dull pain spread across my nose.
A single streak of blood flowed from my nose, and the taste of iron filled my mouth.

「Is it my turn now?」

The Demon God nodded obediently at my words and assumed a defensive stance.
In a motion so slow that one might call it sluggish, I squatted down right there.

I stored energy in my lower body, down, down, down… and then released it upward.

It was like a frog jump uppercut.
With the acceleration of the jump and the additional acceleration from the muscles in my upper body, my fist hit the Demon God’s jaw.

「――――Guh!」

The Demon God was sent flying several meters upward and began spinning in mid-air.
It seemed to land gracefully with a cool expression—except he almost fell to his knees right then and there.

「Your knees seem to be trembling, but are you okay?」

「You’re the one with blood all over your face, so it’s not very dignified for you to say that, is it?」

Once again, the Demon God and I wore delighted smiles and continued to advance, fists crackling, as we walked toward each other.

The Demon God threw a body blow, which I received, and then I countered with a right high kick.
In return, the Demon God unleashed a left low kick, and I locked onto the Demon God’s torso, executing a solid backdrop.

It was a direct brawl, exchanging full-force blows without any guarding.

「Wow, these attacks are heavy… really heavy.」

Having received my well-aimed straight punch to the chest, the Demon God grimaced.

「It’s an honor to receive your praise.」

In return, the Demon God delivered an iron claw to my head.
With a casual swing, it slammed my head toward the ground.

A crater several meters in diameter was formed, but within the dust and falling debris, I slowly stood up.

「And you’re tough… I mean, really tough. You’ve endured my full-force strikes continuously, and you’ve only suffered minimal damage, just a nosebleed.」

The Demon God started clapping.

「Applause? What’s gotten into you?」

「I’m showing my admiration. You’re a remarkable existence, Lute McLane. The pinnacle of humanity’s martial artists. I offer my admiration for your talent and effort in the martial arts.」

This guy was still misunderstanding something, but oh well.

「But who are you exactly? I’ve never heard of a human with this kind of power existing in this area.」

「…I’m just a passing Villager, I suppose.」

With a self-deprecating tone in my words, the Demon God lightly snorted.

「So, what’s your take on it?」

「What do you mean?」

「Both of us are power-type fighters, and both of us have high defense. If we continue brawling like this, a double knockout is the most likely outcome. However…」

「However?」

At that moment, the Demon God looked genuinely delighted and directed a mocking gaze at me.

「Setting aside the high-level regeneration ability that a high-ranking demon possesses, there’s no way you can win against me at this point.」

Well, to be honest, I was aware of that fact, and I still engaged in this brawl.

However, truth be told, I was surprised.
In a full-on brawl, I never expected someone in the human world to be able to hold their own against me like an equal.

「Well, I have to admit, your resilience is impressive.」

「Didn’t you hear me? It’s not just about resilience. My regenerative ability is far beyond what an Ogre Emperor can achieve. In other words, you have no chance of winning.」

「You won’t know until you try, right?」

The Demon God chuckled.
It seemed like my comment, “you won’t know until you try,” was taken as a joke.

「Oh right, it’s been a while since I had a full-power brawl… Well, I have the advantage of having a healing ability, but I still enjoyed it to some extent. That’s why I have a proposition for you.」

「A proposition?」

「You made me bleed. I appreciate that. Your genetics are outstanding. They would be quite suitable for creating offspring between demons and humans.」

I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying.

「…?」

Facing my silence, the Demon God spoke with a smirk.

「How about creating a harem in the demon’s nest?」

A shiver ran down my spine.

When I turned around, there was a group of Ogres.
They were a mix of males and females, or at least they looked like it, but they appeared completely monstrous.

They were humanoid, which was a relief, but having children with those monstrous beings?
This guy was suggesting something quite unreasonable.

「Sorry, but I’ll have to decline that offer.」

The Demon God then shrugged his shoulders in genuine disappointment.

「It was just a suggestion, considering it would be challenging to take you back without a scratch. But if worst comes to worst, I suppose we have no choice but to kill you… It goes without saying, but since you didn’t accept the proposal, you won’t be treated as a guest, will you?」

「Wait, were you planning to treat me like a guest?」

To my surprise, the Demon God nodded in all seriousness.

「With genetics as exceptional as yours, I really wanted you. It would be an honor for the demon race… and a unique glory of my generation alone. I wanted to secure the next Joker Card while I’m still alive.」

「This situation is on the scale of a sudden mutation of a high disaster-class individual. I can’t understand what you’re saying.」

「Well, that’s why I was considering special treatment for you. However, you’ve decided to give up your good fortune. In the end, you’ll be treated like a captive, less than livestock, just like those two lying there.」