Humans are beings with thoughts and freedom.
Humans are not objects that can be exchanged like commodities.
When humans are treated as commodities, it degrades their dignity, treating them like slaves and destroying their self-worth!
Even parents cannot treat their children as items to be sold or used.
And Mitsurugi Kyouya has crossed this red line!
Yunyun and Eris are humans (or goddesses) with personalities, thoughts, and freedom. But what did Kyouya say? Using them as stakes if Ethan loses!?
There's no need to discuss who gave Kyouya the confidence that he could definitely defeat Ethan. The important thing is, treating Eris and Yunyun as stakes is the same as not treating them as humans, but as tradable goods!
"Fine, we agree!" The one who said this was, of course, not Ethan, but Eris, who had been accompanying Ethan in this world!
With full confidence, Eris uttered these words, shocking Ethan and leaving Kyouya stunned.
Yunyun also seemed to have been persuaded by Eris with some whispers, so she just stood by with a fearful yet supportive gaze toward Ethan. Her eyes, red like a wild beast's, were filled with trust in him!
"Ethan, please... do your best!" Yunyun blushed as she cheered him on, while Eris smiled softly, though Ethan could see a hint of mischief and playfulness behind her smile. This made the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
After spending so much time with Eris, Ethan had come to know this goddess very well. Although Eris was a kind and gentle goddess, she also had a mischievous side to her. If Eris was doing something like this, she must have a plan to make Kyouya, the show-off, understand why flowers are so red!
"Alright, I'll... accept your challenge!" Even though Ethan knew it was just Eris's mischief, he still couldn't suppress his disgust at the act of treating humans like commodities.
*BANG!*
As soon as Ethan's voice faded, his right foot, as if carrying the force of a thousand kilograms, slammed into the ground, creating a large crater. He himself shot forward like lightning toward Kyouya!
"What!?" Seeing his opponent suddenly attack, Kyouya was shocked, yet also impressed by the incredible speed. But...
"Just this speed, you can't defeat me!"
As soon as he spoke, Kyouya immediately drew his legendary weapon, 'Gram'!
Thanks to this legendary weapon, Kyouya, who was originally just an ordinary person, gained an extraordinary boost in physical abilities, allowing him to instantly become a powerful adventurer with the Swordmaster class!
But on the other hand, almost all of Kyouya's strength relied on this legendary weapon, 'Gram'!
One-Handed Sword!
It was the most common and efficient skill for the warrior class. Not only was it strong and fast, but it also required little energy and stamina. Even the skill points needed to learn it were minimal, so most warriors used this skill as an opening move or their main skill.
Kyouya was using this skill now!
A sword blade capable of splitting the air shot mercilessly toward his opponent!
The speed of the sword blade even surpassed Ethan's charging speed, and its power was enough to split the ground just from the air pressure it generated!
If Ethan didn't dodge, he might be split in two or at least severely injured.
Of course, that's if he was foolish enough to let himself be cut...
"Dark Light Slash—!"
A black light, no less powerful than Kyouya's sword strike, shot forward!
*BOOM!*
As the sword and the black light collided, the ground around them was lifted in layers!
The strong wind generated from the collision caused Ethan's and Kyouya's clothes and hair to flutter wildly!
"My attack couldn't defeat him!?" Kyouya's eyes widened as he stared into Ethan's deep, night-like eyes, filled with indifference as if looking at a corpse. This made his heart race!
"Surprised? This show-off Reincarnator has no style of a hero at all!" Ethan's merciless taunt hit Kyouya's ears, making his pale face turn red with shame and anger!
One-Handed Sword —! What!?
The angry Kyouya wanted to perform another sword draw to teach him a lesson, but suddenly he noticed something strange.
He... couldn't move!
"Surprised? This is one of Wiz's problematic magic items~, originally a piece of junk no one wanted to buy, but now it's brought down the show-off Reincarnator~!" Ethan's mocking voice was heard again, and this time he was holding an opened magic potion!
It was a paralysis potion from Wiz's magic shop, a problematic potion whose side effects were so strong that both the enemy and the user would be paralyzed.
But Ethan was completely unaffected, and he glanced at Eris, who was smiling softly but hiding mischief behind it.
The reason he had the strength to shatter the ground, the speed that shocked Kyouya, and the resistance to the paralysis potion was thanks to Eris's support magic, which had been secretly aiding him!
Was this cheating? Ethan argued, wasn't Kyouya also able to act so arrogantly because he carried the legendary weapon 'Gram'? Eris, as his cheat, in a sense held a similar position to the legendary weapon 'Gram'!
So, Eris's secret assistance didn't violate the fairness of this fight!
Now, the question is, if there's a show-off who keeps flaunting himself and wants to steal your family or friends, and he's paralyzed and can't move, what would you do?
Of course —
"AHHHH—!"
Grab a brick and smash his face!
The show-off, beaten with a brick! Where to hit? Of course, his face! Not dead? Hit again! Hit until he's crying and howling!
Kyouya was beaten repeatedly by Ethan using a black brick!