Su Daji had never expected Roy to resist her charm, remain unaffected by the poison, or even dare to strike her. But what truly shocked her was the sheer force behind his punch—its power left her utterly horrified.
Roy unleashed the vast, ocean-like magical power hidden within his body, activating his authority. This punch was the 'Saintess Subdues the Dragon' technique from the [Hand of Jacob], a force mighty enough to vanquish even a dragon. Combined with the 'Ox' authority usurped from Verethragna, Roy's strength surged exponentially. The combined might of these two powers was enough to shatter mountains.
Had Daji still been in her nine-tailed fox form, she would have easily withstood this blow. But now, she was merely a single tail split from her true self. Though she still possessed strength rivaling that of a Servant and could wreak havoc freely in the mortal realm, she was no match for Roy—a Campione who could slaughter Heretic Gods with ease.
Roy's fist slammed mercilessly into Daji's soft abdomen, nearly pulverizing all her internal organs. Had anyone peered inside her body at that moment, they would have seen her insides churned into chaos.
The overwhelming force of the punch tore straight through Daji's body, shattering her spine and leaving her form limp and boneless. Roy then retracted his fist, transforming it into a piercing finger strike—'Sacrifice the Child to the Gods'—directly penetrating her skull. Finally, Roy maximized the 'foot' aspect of the [Hand of Jacob], delivering a devastating whip kick that nearly cleaved Daji in half. Her body shot away like an arrow loosed from a bow.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—
A series of thunderous crashes echoed as ancient cypress trees toppled in the grove. Daji's body carved a deep trench into the earth, hurtling hundreds of meters before finally embedding itself into the ground, the momentum of Roy's kick at last spent.
When Roy withdrew his leg and stood there casually once more, Yu Meiren beside him finally snapped out of her daze. Her mouth hung open, her sharp little fangs glinting coldly, as she stood frozen in place, her bewildered expression utterly adorable. It took her a long while to process what had just happened, her mind still foggy.
'D-Did His Majesty just cripple that fox?'
Though Roy had used a few moves against Su Daji, those strikes had been executed in the blink of an eye—less than a second from start to finish.
Yu Ji knew exactly how formidable that fox was. Even though she was no longer in her nine-tailed form, the power she retained was still far beyond what any human could withstand. By future standards, she would rank among the highest-tier Servants. Yet, in front of Roy, she had been no different from an ordinary fox, utterly defenseless.
This… His Majesty was this strong, and yet she had once thought about protecting him.
At this realization, Yu Ji closed her mouth, retracting her cute little fangs, and felt a pang of melancholy. Suddenly, she felt completely useless.
"Yu Meiren, what's with the dazed look? Are you upset I never mentioned my strength?"
Roy blinked at her teasingly. "...But you never asked, so you can't blame me."
His words reminded Yu Ji—Roy had such overwhelming power, yet he had deliberately kept it hidden, letting her fret and nearly cry in front of him. He was… he was just too mean!
She wanted to curse him with harsher words, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to. Normally, if anyone dared toy with her like this, her temper would have flared, and she'd have drawn her sword without hesitation. But if it was His Majesty… well, she could forgive him!
"As long as Your Majesty is unharmed, that's all that matters. This concubine was truly frightened just now."
Yu Ji patted her chest, exhaling in relief.
That's right. Even if she had been played by His Majesty, as long as he was safe, nothing else mattered. Besides, he hadn't lied to her—she had simply underestimated him out of her own assumptions.
"Honestly, I thought you'd have realized by now. When we first met, I knocked you out with a single punch, didn't I?"
Roy brought up the embarrassing incident again.
Her cheeks flushed, and she fidgeted awkwardly, overcome with embarrassment. Back then, Yu Ji had assumed she'd been weakened from chasing him for a full day and night, which was why Roy had managed to knock her out so easily.
But now, looking back, she realized Roy had been incredibly gentle with her—merely rendering her unconscious instead of killing her outright, let alone brutalizing her the way he had Su Daji.
Though Yu Ji possessed an immortal body, she disliked the pain of death and could never grow accustomed to it.
"Say, if I had really been poisoned and captured by that fox, what would you have done?"
"This concubine… this concubine would have knelt before that fox if necessary."
Yu Ji lowered her head as she spoke.
"You… don't always demean yourself like this."
Roy sighed, his gaze softening as he looked at her, deeply moved.
That she would cast aside her dignity for his sake—what had he done to deserve the affection of such a woman?
"But what's going on with this fox? I've pulverized her internal organs, shattered her spine into multiple segments, turned her brain into mush, and even severed her body—yet she still hasn't died? Moreover, her aura is growing increasingly vigorous."
Roy frowned as he gazed toward the distant chasm where he had slain Daji. He could sense the pure malice and resentment toward humans in her heart, so he had struck without holding back, aiming to kill her outright. Just as he expected, his Authority had directly slain Daji on the spot. Yet shortly after her death, she revived once more.
Roy channeled magical energy into his eyes, using the clairvoyance magecraft to peer into the distance. Within the massive crater, Daji's mangled body was rapidly regenerating.
"Yu Meiren, does this Daji also possess immortality? But she doesn't seem like a spirit."
Roy turned to Yu Ji, his expression puzzled.
"This... I wouldn't know. When she was in her nine-tailed form, almost no one could match her. I wasn't particularly close to her, nor have I ever seen her die, so I can't say whether she has an immortal body."
Yu Ji shook her head apologetically.
"Never mind. Whether she's immortal or not, I'll just kill her again. I still have plenty of methods to try on her, one by one."
Roy flexed his right hand, which was tucked into the pocket woven from the Shroud of Turin, preparing to summon the Sword of Judgment.
After slaying Susanoo, this blade had gained the ability of a Steel Hero to sever the immortality of Earth Mothers. Given Daji's identity, she would likely be classified as an Earth Mother in the world of Campione, so the Sword of Judgment's "immortality-slaying" effect should work on her.
Just as Roy was about to step forward into the crater to kill the fox once more, another female voice echoed through the cypress forest.
"It's useless. She can't be killed. If she could, I would have done it long ago, nya~!"
The voice resembled Daji's, but it sounded younger—if Daji's voice was that of a mature older sister, this one belonged to a lively, youthful girl. The only similarity was the same innate allure, though Daji's was overt and piercing, while the girl's was subtle, hidden deep within, influencing others imperceptibly like a gentle, unnoticed rain.