Shiki's eyes swept lazily over the open courtyard they'd chosen as the battlefield. The chatter of onlookers buzzed around him—knights, adventurers, guild staff, even random townsfolk who had no business being here except for the promise of drama. His gaze finally landed on a certain girl hiding timidly in the back.
Lyra Noctienne Maev.
The shy, soft-voiced mage who looked like she'd trip over her own robe if someone called her name too loudly.
And just like that… his lips curved into the kind of smirk Ai absolutely hated—the "he's up to something" smirk.
"Hey," Shiki called out casually, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Lyra Noctienne Maev. C'mere for a sec."
The crowd's heads turned toward her like a flock of gossip-hungry pigeons. Whispers started immediately.
"Is he… calling her?"
"What's he planning?"
"Oh no, poor girl."
Lyra froze mid-step, clutching her staff like a lifeline. She looked left, looked right, then pointed a trembling finger at herself as if to say me?
Shiki gave her a single, slow nod.
Her cheeks already pink, Lyra began the long, shy walk across the courtyard. She kept her head slightly down, steps small, almost hugging the staff to her chest. You could practically hear her thoughts screaming don't trip, don't trip, don't trip.
When she finally reached him, she glanced up nervously. "Um… y-yes?"
Shiki's smirk widened. "Do me a favor—turn around for a moment."
"H-huh? Oh… okay…" She nodded hesitantly, turning her back toward him in a slow, awkward half-circle.
Ai, standing a few feet away, narrowed her eyes in curiosity. What on earth was he up to now?
Shiki crouched down until he was eye-level with Lyra's hips. His fingers went to his chin like a man considering the most serious of matters. His gaze traveled deliberately, analytically…
Then—he started gesturing. Hands forming shapes in the air, tracing invisible outlines.
"Hmmm… the width… the slope…" he muttered, squinting. "Good symmetry, solid frame…"
Lyra peeked over her shoulder, already flustered. "…W-what are you doing?"
Shiki grinned like a wolf who'd just cornered its prey. "Yep. These hips? Absolutely perfect for bearing children."
The courtyard exploded—not magically, but socially.
"HUHHHHH?!" a dozen voices shouted in unison.
A few men burst out laughing like drunkards in a tavern.
Some people tried to keep a straight face and failed miserably.
Others just stared at the ground like I am not getting involved in this.
From the sidelines, Seraphina pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered under her breath, "Stupid pervy men…"
Lyra's entire face turned crimson, heat radiating off her like she'd been dunked in boiling water. Her mouth opened, but all that came out was a strangled high-pitched "A-ahhhhhhh!"
In her embarrassment, she skipped every rational step of thinking and went straight for nuke the problem.
A circle of glowing runes spiraled into existence above Shiki's head—layer after layer of intricate magic glyphs, each one humming with dangerous power.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Shiki muttered, his eye twitching.
Then—
BOOOOM!
The explosion that followed was obscene. Easily five times the force of a large-scale siege spell, a roaring wall of heat and wind tore across the courtyard. Tiles cracked, dust shot into the air, and Ai had to physically brace herself just to stay standing.
When the smoke billowed thick across the arena, the crowd fell silent. People squinted, trying to see through the haze.
"Is… is he dead?"
"No way he lived through that…"
"He was standing right there—"
The smoke thinned.
And there stood Shiki.
Completely unharmed. Not a scratch, not a hair out of place.
…But also completely naked.
Every piece of clothing had been neatly vaporized.
A long, awkward pause.
Half the girls in the audience squealed and slapped their hands over their eyes… but left enough of a gap between their fingers to peek. Lyra immediately spun around, burying her burning face in her hands. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't—oh no—"
Even Seraphina, who was famously unshakable, coughed and glanced away.
The men? They stared in an odd mix of respect and envy.
Eline, sitting in the front row, leaned forward, her voice low and sultry. "Delicious…" She licked her lips.
And yes—some women's eyes dropped lower. A few gasps. A whispered "it's huge" from somewhere in the crowd.
Then—
"You… you… you…"
Everyone's heads snapped toward Ai.
Shiki's smirk froze. "What, Ai?"
"YOU PERVERT!" she roared, her voice shaking with both fury and embarrassment.
Before he could move, Ai's fist smashed into his face with enough force to send him flying backwards. He skidded across the ground, slammed into the courtyard wall, and stuck there like a poster someone had slapped on too hard.
Seraphina blinked, genuinely impressed. "That punch was stronger than Lyra's spell…"
From the wall, Shiki groaned, blood trickling from his nose, his soul halfway out of his body.
Then gravity remembered he existed, and he flopped to the ground in a heap.
Ai stomped over, arms crossed, cheeks puffed.
"…That hit harder than it looked," Shiki mumbled, rubbing his jaw.
"Put something on, you idiot!" Ai barked.
"Alright, alright…" With a lazy wave of his hand, the exact same clothes he'd been wearing before reappeared on his body.
"Huh. He can use magic too…" Lyra whispered to herself.
A handful of women in the crowd groaned in disappointment.
Ai whipped her head toward them. "You wanna get punched too?"
They quickly shut up.
Shiki stood, dusting himself off, that same cocky grin plastered back on his face.
He looked at Seraphina. "We starting now?"
She blinked, clearly having been in her own little daze. "Y-yeah. Let's… start."
Lyra scampered back behind her commander, still red as a tomato, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
The atmosphere shifted—the joking paused, tension seeping into the air. The duel was finally about to begin.
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END OF CHAPTER : 18 : PUNCH, STRONGER THAN AN A-CLASS SPELL!
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