Chapter 70

"Aah! That's great! Let's punch each other more!"

"Gross!"

Builds and Roa were punching each other head-on.

To an outsider, it might look like just a fight, but if anyone else were to step in, they would likely end up as a pile of flesh.

"Your fists are really wonderful! But... they're a bit lacking, you know."

"!"

"Powerful Arms Body"

Builds' arm roared as it lunged at Roa.

Until now, she had either deflected or blocked his attacks, but this time she dodged to the side, barely avoiding it.

"You're quick to catch on."

As he swung his fist, the ground in front of him exploded.

The force was a shockwave from his punch.

Until now, Builds' arm had not been powerful enough to attack without making contact.

If Roa had taken the hit head-on like before, she would have been seriously injured.

"I have good instincts!"

Somehow managing to dodge, Roa mercilessly kicked Builds' exposed torso.

"Steel Body"

However, the one who took damage was Roa.

"Itt... "

"My magic is 'Constitution Magic.' As you can see, it allows me to freely change my body's functions and constitution!"

"...Unique, huh?"

Builds' torso had hardened like steel.

Even Roa, who had confidence in her strength, couldn't make it budge.

"And I can do this too!"

"Shit... "

"Super Strength Body!"

Roa's leg was grabbed by his arm.

Builds' arm muscles bulged, and she was thrown away.

"No way..."

The sheer force left Roa in shock.

She flew at high speed and crashed into a nearby forest, breaking several trees and slamming into a slightly thicker one before finally stopping.

"Kah... It... hurts..."

The air was forced out of her lungs, and Roa gasped for breath.

By the time she had recovered, Builds was already standing in front of her.

"Wow, to not be injured after taking that is impressive. You might be more capable than I thought?"

In fact, Builds was surprised.

First, that she was still alive after taking that throw.

Second, that despite taking damage, she had no noticeable injuries, which was a rare experience for him.

"It's obvious... I'm the daughter of the Beast King... but I guess I'll stop. I'm done, done!"

Suddenly, Roa scratched her head and shouted.

"Being calm is too much trouble. I was told to act like a cat, but I'm done with it. No one's watching, so I can act like before, right?"

As she said this, Roa roughly ran her fingers through her hair.

Her eyes seemed sharper, and her innocent expression was replaced with a more violent one.

"You suddenly got rough. What? Are you angry?"

"Shut up, muscle man, I'll crush your balls."

"...Who... called me a man!?"

Using "Powerful Arms Body" again, Builds threw a punch.

Roa calmly assessed the punch coming straight for her face and caught his massive arm with her slender one.

"Ora!"

She twisted his arm downward and kicked him in the chest.

The kick hit his elbow, breaking the bone in his arm.

"Ugh!?"

"Fall down!"

With a simple, straightforward kick, she jumped up and delivered an uppercut to his head.

The kick cleanly broke his neck.

"Feels... no, it's the foot that feels it, idiot."

The neck bone is a crucial part of the human body.

If it's broken, even the strongest body will die without immediate treatment.

"Aah... That was a very numbing kick."

"...What the hell?"

Roa landed and cursed.

Despite his broken neck, Builds moved and started speaking.

"I never thought I'd have my neck broken... I'm really surprised... *Huff*!"

He placed his hand on his head and moved it, forcing his neck back into place.

With a crack, his neck began to move as if it had never been broken.

"Ha, you're a monster."

"Hey! That's rude! To me, you're the monster for dying from a broken neck. Just put it back in place, and it'll heal right away."

As he said this, Builds manipulated the position of the bone in his elbow.

With another crack, his arm began to move as it had before.

"...But, no matter how you look at it, we... I mean, we are the monsters. Extra organs, more bones... I can heal from broken bones in an instant. It's kind of a pain."

While opening and closing his hand, Builds said this with a slightly sad expression.

"Who cares, big guy. No matter what your situation is, you're still trying to hurt Desus and Setsu."

With that, Roa kicked off the ground and lunged forward.

"Hehe... That's fine. I never wanted your sympathy!"

Builds also got ready to face her.

"Flaming Body!"

His body suddenly burst into flames.

The temperature around him rose sharply, and the puddles at his feet began to evaporate.

"Me, covered in flames! Can you even get close!?"

The flames were intense; getting close would cause burns, and touching them could be fatal.

But...

"Shut up!"

Roa charged forward and punched Builds' flaming stomach.

The punch sent him flying backward, and for a moment, he couldn't understand what had happened.

"Flames like that don't scare me."

...She wasn't unscathed.

She had light burns all over her body, especially on her right hand, which was badly burned.

But Roa didn't flinch.

"I'm the daughter of the Beast King. A few scratches like this won't scare me."

"Hmm... You're not bad."

Builds stood up and extinguished the flames around him.

"Then how about this? Poison Body."

He took a deep breath and exhaled a purple smoke.

The trees it touched withered and died.

"This poison is 100% lethal! Touch it, and you're done! What will you do!?"

Even as the poison approached, Roa remained calm.

She relaxed her body, took a deep breath, and then stepped forward.

"Huff"

Just before the poison touched her, it was suddenly blown away and disappeared.

"...Huh?"

"Do you know about 'King's Pressure'?"

Roa relaxed her stance and asked.

"It's a power passed down in our lion clan. It's a mysterious force different from magic. Since only lion clan members can use it, research hasn't progressed much, and we only understand the basic principles."

It is said to be an extension of intimidation.

It is said to be a force that can be channeled into objects like magic.

"I don't fully understand it myself, so I can't use it in complex ways. But, in simple terms... it's a form of pressure with mass."

Roa placed her hands together and directed them at Builds.

"King's Impact"

"!"

Builds' body was suddenly blown away by an invisible force.

He managed to regain his balance in mid-air, but his head was a bit confused.

(This attack... if it's used repeatedly, it's going to be a problem.)

The only thing that remained was a strong sense of danger. Builds immediately took off as soon as his feet touched the ground.

Even for him, dodging an invisible attack was difficult.

"High Speed Body!"

Builds moved at several times his normal speed and instantly got behind Roa.

He immediately activated "Powerful Arms Body" and threw a punch at her.

"I can read you! King's Wave!"

"What!?"

Just before the punch hit, Builds was blown away by a force that felt like walls pressing against his entire body.

This time, he completely lost his balance and tumbled awkwardly on the ground.

"King's Pressure works in all directions. No matter where the attack comes from, I have no blind spots."

"...Troublesome."

Builds stood up.

The walls-like force had left his entire body in pain.

The wounds healed quickly, and the pain subsided, but a cold sweat trickled down his cheek.

Despite being modified to specialize in regeneration, he had no effective way to attack her.

He didn't know if this unknown power had any limits, but if things continued like this, he might be on the defensive.

(Complete defense and invisible attacks... this is unfair. I need to buy some time to think... )

"Looks like you're thinking of something, but I won't let you. This next hit will end you."

Roa was focusing her mind on her fist.

Looking at her hand, Builds thought—this is bad.

"! Limit Break"

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Builds activated his ultimate move in a panic.

"Body of Death! I don't know what you're planning, but I'm invincible now! Touch me, and it's over!"

His body turned black.

This magic might be the simplest to explain among his techniques.

Simply put, anything that touches this body dies.

It's the most brutal technique in his black robe arsenal.

Anything that touches him dies instantly, whether it's magic or a weapon.

The moment something touches Builds, it vanishes on the spot.

(Probably can't avoid it. I'll take the hit with my body to nullify the attack, then take advantage of the opening to touch her! That's the only way to end this... come on!)

"...I don't really understand, but it looks like you're not going to avoid it."

Roa pulled back her fist.

Due to "Body of Death," Builds' movement was impaired, and he had no intention of dodging from the start.

...That was the turning point.

"――――――King's Fist"

The fist, faster than sound, was released.

The punch, imbued with "King's Pressure," reached Builds despite the distance.

It opened a large hole in his chest.

"...Huh?"

Blood gushed from Builds' mouth.

A large hole was clearly visible in the center of his blackened body.

Spewing a massive amount of blood, he fell to the ground.

His heart and lungs were obliterated, and he died instantly.

Even his regeneration ability couldn't heal such critical damage.

"...Sorry, 'King's Pressure' isn't magic, and it's unknown. You were trying to do something, but dealing with something you don't know is impossible for anyone."

Builds couldn't hear her anymore.

Still, Roa had something she wanted to say.

"If you had just dodged... you might have won."

Roa, holding her bleeding arm, whispered these words.