Chapter 48: Full Power Strike
[Instinct great success!]
[You sense the atmosphere of the party — it seems that only a few minutes remain before you can witness Roland's final outcome.]
[If you can just hold out until then...]
"!"
Eikou's eyes immediately turned serious.
What? Roland's side is about to end already?
"If only a few minutes remain, that must mean Roland's about to be bluntly rejected by Da Vinci..."
Even so, whether Roland was rejected or not, Eikou wanted to give his all until the end.
At the very least, he had to personally witness Roland's conclusion.
"In that case, all I need to do is hold off Scathach-sensei for a few more minutes..."
Eikou clenched his fists in determination.
Charlemagne had defensive and survival skills — he might be able to endure a few rounds against Scathach.
As for Eikou — he was the final line of defense protecting Roland's love, while also protecting his own chastity.
"As long as I can endure until then without being drunk under the table, we'll win."
Just as Eikou thought that, Medb suddenly smiled sweetly and reached out her hand.
"This taking-turns thing is getting boring,"
she said,
"Why don't we try doubles?"
"Doubles?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Medb's honey-colored eyes were locked on Eikou without wavering.
"That's right. You guys only have two people left who can still fight — so let's wrap this up sooner. Scathach and I will be on one team, and you and Charlemagne on the other. How does that sound?"
Eikou thought to himself: Wait a minute, doesn't that mean I'll have to go in right now?
Could it be that Medb — the mastermind behind this party — had also realized Roland's side was nearing its end?
So she wanted to quickly get him drunk before it was over!?
"This…"
At first, Eikou intended to refuse, but then suddenly changed his mind.
Medb's move like this — didn't that also mean she just revealed her own health bar?
[You have activated Fairy Eyes.]
[Through Fairy Eyes, you can see Medb's personal attributes — her Endurance is the lowest rank, E.]
[As long as you can make her drink Water of Life once, there's a very high chance Medb will get drunk beyond recovery.]
Suddenly, two paths appeared before Eikou.
One was to stall for time, praying that Charlemagne could hold out for a few more minutes until Roland's side finished.
The other path was to bet everything, accepting Medb's doubles challenge.
If he could just make them lose once — just once — he might be able to get Medb drunk and knock her out!
With only Murasaki Shikibu left, she wouldn't be a threat by herself — being shy, introverted, and lacking in social flexibility — she wouldn't be able to lure Eikou away.
And once Medb — the mastermind behind this entire setup — was gone, the siege around him would collapse naturally.
It was a gamble with an incredibly slim chance of victory, but still one that could turn the tables.
Should he risk everything on this bet?!
Eikou asked himself.
"Are you scared?" — Medb asked with a seductive smile.
He took a deep breath and said, "Nah. I accept your challenge!"
...
[You have accepted Medb's doubles challenge.]
[You and Charlemagne form a team, Scathach and Medb form the other. The four of you begin the doubles ping-pong match.]
[Victory condition: Make Medb drunk, or hold out until Roland's side finishes!]
[Your team serves first.]
"... Can we even win this?"
Eikou and Charlemagne held their paddles, looking tensely at their opponents — two older women.
Their opponents were Medb and Scathach.
Leaving Medb aside, Charlemagne had already witnessed Scathach's terrifying strength firsthand.
Even the two previous Knights of the Round Table could barely withstand a single strike from her, let alone force her into a mistake — that was almost impossible.
"But this isn't about whether we can win or not — it's about fighting! If we run away, who else will raise the flag to protect Roland's love (and my chastity)!"
Eikou declared, eyes blazing with resolve.
He had no way out now, and was betting everything on this match.
"... Then let's begin."
Eikou gripped his paddle tightly and tossed the ping-pong ball high.
"It's our serve now!"
The moment he threw the ball up, Eikou activated every skill he could use.
Pop!
The paddle struck the ball with explosive force, sending an orange arc streaking through the air at incredible speed.
His Magecraft Circuits flared to life, surging mana channeling into the paddle in his hand.
Whoosh——
Like a comet streaking across the night sky, the ball left behind an afterimage that was nearly impossible to follow.
Eikou could hear the sounds of dice rolling one after another — the results of his skill checks.
God Slayer, Human Anatomy Research, Martial Force of the Hegemon-King, Mana Burst, Determination of Steel...
Activating so many skills at once, he instantly pushed his advantage to the absolute limit!
If he wanted victory, he had no choice but to unleash everything — a decisive, overwhelming strike!
With the synergy of his own skill set and the numerous support buffs from his teammates earlier, Eikou's pressure was strong enough that even Scathach couldn't keep up.
However, this still wasn't his true full power — because his skill Disaster With Women, a female special attack, he deliberately refrained from using, to avoid future trouble with women!
Whoosh!
In that fleeting instant, Queen Medb couldn't react in time, and Scathach could only barely track the trajectory of the flying ball.
Her crimson eyes widened slightly — in that moment, she truly couldn't keep up with the speed of the strike, and her defensive skill Wisdom of Dún Scáith was mercilessly pierced through.
Scathach swiftly twisted her wrist, attempting to catch the fierce return.
But her movement lagged by half a beat — she couldn't reach the ball flying past.
Pop!
The ping-pong ball shot out like a wild horse breaking free from its stable, slamming hard into the wall behind them. The ball was flattened by the impact in an instant — proof of how terrifyingly powerful that strike had been.
Scathach was defeated!
"Good. That means you two lost."
Looking at the two older women standing before him in stunned silence, Eikou couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corner of his lips.
He had gone all in on one strike — and it paid off!
Not only Scathach and Medb, but even his teammate Charlemagne was staring wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Unbelievable… Eikou, you actually did it."
"Umu, but even if I give it my all, I can only pull that off once. You could say that was my one and only miracle."
Eikou pulled out two bottles of Water of Life and slammed them onto the ping-pong table, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he looked at the two of them.
"...Ladies, please! A loss is a loss — time to face the penalty!"
He had thought Scathach's prideful nature would make her furious, but instead, she only smiled — a gentle yet resigned smile — and said:
"...Well done. You deserve praise."
With that, the Queen of the Land of Shadows lifted her bottle and downed it all in one go without hesitation.
[Lancer Scathach performs an Endurance check.]
[Check successful.]
[Though the liquor burned like fire and its alcohol content was so strong it could destroy a person's reason in an instant, she maintained her composure through sheer willpower.]
[She has entered a state of mild intoxication — part of her ability is reduced.]
[The next time she drinks Water of Life, the difficulty of the check will increase.]
Eikou had never expected to take Scathach down with a single bottle of Water of Life.
After all, her Endurance was A-rank — bringing her down in one shot was practically impossible.
Queen Medb, with her E-rank Endurance, was his real target!
"Your turn, Queen Medb."
The smug smile that had been on Medb's face vanished — only to appear on his instead.
"You… you really want me to drink this..."
Medb looked at the bottle of Water of Life filled to the brim, a flicker of fear showing on her beautiful face.
But under the expectant gazes of everyone around, she summoned her courage and tilted her head back, finishing the bottle in one go.
[Rider Queen Medb performs an Endurance check.]
A die rolled across the table.
When Eikou saw the result, his eyes went wide.
It was an E — matching Medb's Endurance rank.
And moreover——
[Check great success!]
[Perhaps due to her frequent attendance at drinking parties, Queen Medb showed no signs of discomfort after finishing the bottle.]
"???"
Why?! Why did she roll a great success right now — this is absolutely unacceptable!