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Chapter 48 Part 7 – A memory from the previous「108 times」. For the sake of the people we love. And for our friends.

Arnold felt a chill run down his spine as Alisa laughed triumphantly.

「Ahahaha, or do you prefer to be tossed around!? Okay then, I’ll toy with you, since that’s also part of a woman’s work!!」

「…… What a monster!! Hey!! Are you really going to leave him here!! Bradd is going to get killed!!」

The difference in power is obvious. No matter how he looked at it, he can only see the future of Bradd getting beaten to death.

「…… That’s exactly why we’re retreating ……!! The fact that Bradd is at his limit has been very・obvious・since・the・beginning. Bradd’s damage is not just physical injuries. He is literally putting his life on the line for the Queen. He’s a great man. We must never waste his feelings ……!!」

Seraphy bit his lips and put his strength into the hands carrying the Queen.

In that short time, Bradd had been cut up all over his body.
The scarcely remaining blood danced like a red whirlwind.
Alisa was just repeating a loop of attacking and retreating.
She did not use 「Frenzy」 or Sky Dance.
She is convinced that if she stepped in deep enough with her current condition of having her left hand immobilized, Bradd will surely take advantage of that opportunity.

And yet, the attacks were ever-changing and extremely troublesome. This was due to the skillful interweaving of the 「Setsuna」 stepping technique.

The power of Alisa’s fist was extraordinary. It was so heavy and fast that it resonated in the core of Bradd’s body and almost blew his consciousness out of his body. The momentum of the 「Setsuna」 was carried by the fist. The wavering movement that had been there until then was instantaneously accelerated. The next moment, when he felt he had trouble breathing, Alisa would have already retreated with 「Setsuna」. The difference between slow and fast is too great, making it even more difficult to catch her.

Bradd’s physical strength was being drained unilaterally without being able to move or react to her.

Taking advantage of the slightest gap, Bradd counterattacked with a kick, but it went through her body.

「…… Evasive technique,「 Subtle Beauty」 …… I thought that the current you would be able to keep up with me …… I’m disappointed.」

Unlike Bradd, who was exerting all his strength, Alisa had energy to spare. She was not out of breath. She could continue to fight as long as she wanted. She was completely different from the breathless Bradd.
And not only that.
His blood loss was so great that the 「Blood Atonement」, which uses blood as the source of power, was reaching its limits. The red color of Bradd’s eyes was fading.

「…… I’m so disappointed. Did you think you could somehow hold out if you just kept on sealing off the 「Frenzy」 and the Sky Dance? That won’t reach my heart. …… The starting point of martial arts is basic techniques. If you break, disrupt, seize the initiative, and strike the opponent’s vital points, then even a single fist can be a fatal blow. It can be said that both 「Frenzy」 and Sky Dance are just shortening or enhancing this process. The essence is the same. You can’t keep on enduring the attacks forever. A battle with an end in sight is a downer ……」

Once she had put some distance between them, Alisa stopped and sighed in disappointment.
If the 「Blood Atonement」 that enhances his body is gone, then Bradd’s chances of winning are zero.

「…… I’ve gotten tired of tormenting your body. Women are fickle. How dare you disappoint me. From now on, I’m going to torment your heart.」

The figure of Alisa with a frightening smile on her face disappeared in the swirling blood cherry blossoms.

「…… If you can’t burn up your life with me as your opponent, I’ll change my appearance into your lover, the person you’re deeply in love with. Ahaha, but this humiliation …… is going to cost you a lot …… You can tear off your chest with regret.」

With a sneering laughter, the vortex of blood cherry blossoms contracted.
The first thing to appear was Alisa whose appearance has transformed into Scarlet.
She radiated the air of a tyrant who has no qualms about trampling everything in the world.
Her face was a stark contrast to the dead face of the real Scarlet, who reminded him of a lonely little girl.
Arnold groaned as the memory of the execution site came back to him.
Bradd’s face contorted in anger and sorrow.

「…… Fufu, that’s good, I wanted to see that expression. You said you liked her smile. It’s such a coincidence. I do too. But I like to monopolize my treasures. Only I should know about Scarlet’s cute smile …… I’ll thoroughly smash up that smile in your memories ……」

Alisa sneered with Scarlet’s face as her red hair fluttered and showed it off to Bradd.
The smile was the very meaning of the nickname 「Ruthless Queen of Hydrangea」, it was incomparably evil.

「…… The village of the〈Lawless Crew〉, your hometown, has been burned to the ground and wiped out. …… By the rampaging of the Queen’s army. …… Without sparing a single woman or child. Ahh, so pitiful. …… Fufu, the military commander was actually trying his best to find a way to make peace. He had been in love with Scarlet ever since she saved his life when he was a boy and longed to be helpful to her. He was determined never to say a word about it, though. A devoted love that is satisfied even if the other person doesn’t notice it …… although some people praise such love as true love …… Fufu, it doesn’t suit my sense of beauty, I loathe it. So I changed my appearance to Scarlet and snuck into his bedroom. Then I asked him to burn the village to the ground. If it were true love, he wouldn’t have mistaken between the real and the fake, don’t you think so?」

「…… You pretended to be Scarlet and burned down my village …… You tarnished her name and my friends were ……!!」

Bradd gnashed his teeth and glared at Alisa.

「…… Ahahaha, it’s the military commander’s fault for being deceived. He didn’t realize it was a fake and took the fake Scarlet into his arms. Fufufu, it wasn’t true love …… And yet, he cried and said things like, I have always loved you. I would gladly die for you. It was ridiculous and hilarious. But when I first invited him while naked, he desperately resisted his desire and tried to refuse. He told me that I am a goddess for him and that he can’t touch me. …… His innocent heart tickled my woman’s heart …… and so」

Alisa didn’t care about Bradd’s reactions and continued to gleefully tell the cruel truth with Scarlet’s appearance.
It was reminiscent of an actress’s one-woman show.

「…… Do you not want to hold me because I have a body that has been disgraced by the〈Lawless Crew〉? Is it because I have been tarnished that you would not touch my hand? I told him so while crying. He turned ghastly pale and started trembling. Then he embraced me, while crying and telling me that I am the most beautiful woman in the world …… and then …… Fufu, it seems like you don’t understand what I’m saying. …… Sometime before this happened, Scarlet had gone to the village to negotiate directly with the〈Lawless Crew〉with only a small group of people. He was the escort at that time. But they refused to negotiate and wouldn’t even let them in. The〈Lawless Crew〉deceived them, Scarlet was the only one to get lost and she returned at dawn covered in mud. …… The nobles love the nectar of misfortune. They gossiped amusingly about how the Queen had been kidnapped by the woman-hungry〈Lawless Crew〉and raped all night long.」

「…… Don’t screw with me ……!! In our village, it’s said that you’re a full-fledged man only if you can protect a woman. There is not a single man in the village that would forcefully rape a woman ……!!」

Alisa sneered at Bradd as he snarled in anger.

「…… Ahahaha, you idiot, rumors are not about whether they are true or not, but about whether people believe them or not. In fact, nothing happened to Scarlet. The〈Lawless Crew〉are also an old knightly family and a surprisingly polite group. …… But people believe what they want to believe. Truth is powerless in the face of it. Those wicked rumors followed Scarlet throughout her reign. He has always regretted it. People are terribly fragile when they collapse from their weakness. Moreover, the woman he loves is asking him to embrace her, there’s no way he could resist that.」

Remembering the excitement of the affair, Alisa licked her lips obscenely.
She was like a demonic serpent ruminating on the taste of her prey.