The night enveloped the forest, the moon hung high in the sky.
Swoosh!
Elsa's figure instantly vanished from her spot.
"Left!"
Natsuki Subaru's pupils suddenly contracted, his entire body tensing in an instant. The enhanced acute perception from the system made his body react before his mind, the black dagger instinctively sweeping left.
"Clang—!"
A deafening clash of metal tore through the night sky. The two blades struck fiercely in the darkness, the splashing sparks illuminating their faces, now only inches apart.
Elsa's Kukri knife was precisely intercepted, the cold blade a mere inch from Natsuki Subaru's throat. He could even feel the chilling coldness emanating from the edge.
"Wonderful, little brother～" Elsa's red lips curved into a dangerous arc, her voice sweet enough to make one's hair stand on end. "Compared to dying quietly, I prefer prey that struggles like you..."
"Then I might have to disappoint you." Natsuki Subaru gripped the black blade, the dagger drawing a defensive arc of light under the moon. "This time, I plan to make you quiet forever."
"Such bold words..." Elsa elegantly raised her Kukri knife, the dark blade glinting with a cold light.
"Then let me see..."
Her figure suddenly blurred—
"Is your blade faster..."
The sweet voice came from behind Natsuki Subaru!
"Or is mine sharper?"
—Clang!
"Sneak attacks are not a good habit."
Natsuki Subaru narrowly dodged to the side, backhanding his knife towards his rear. The blade grazed Elsa's snow-white neck, leaving a thin line of blood.
"But for an assassin..." Elsa chuckled, elegantly flipping backward, her long fingers lightly brushing the bloodstain on her neck. Her scarlet tongue slowly licked the blood from her fingertips, her black eyes narrowing slightly with excitement.
"This is the highest virtue, oh～"
"You crazy woman!"
Natsuki Subaru also took the opportunity to leap back, creating distance, his chest heaving slightly.
Facing such a troublesome enemy as Elsa, he had to quickly come up with a countermeasure.
.........
Clang clang clang clang!!!
Dense sounds of metal clashing exploded like a sudden downpour.
Two figures moved at high speed through the moonlit forest, the glint of their blades weaving a net of death.
Shockingly, a black-haired young man was actually able to fight the legendary Bowel Hunter to a standstill!
"This is no accident."
In a lull during the fierce clash, a calmed Natsuki Subaru clearly realized.
Since obtaining the system, what kind of transformative changes had he undergone. The emergency quest completed on the brink of life and death, the limits broken through in despair, all had become battle instincts at this moment.
But it wasn't enough!
Merely being able to hold his own was far from enough!
His greatest advantage lay in the information asymmetry. Thanks to his memories from his previous life, he knew Elsa's fighting style and killing techniques like the back of his hand, while she knew nothing about his sudden surge in strength.
Being able to hold on until now, apart from his enhanced physical attributes, relied more on the Advanced Dagger Arts granted by the system, that almost instinctive combat intuition.
Thinking this, hope ignited in Natsuki Subaru's heart. The once unbeatable Bowel Hunter was no longer so out of reach.
"Clang—!"
After a fierce collision of blades, the two tacitly retreated simultaneously, finally facing each other five meters apart.
"Not bad."
Elsa elegantly swung her curved blade, a dangerous smile identical to before appearing on her face, but a rare seriousness flashed in those dark eyes.
These simple three words, in the Bowel Hunter Elsa's dictionary, were already a rare acknowledgment. It meant she now officially regarded Natsuki Subaru as an opponent worthy of serious treatment.
"......"
Natsuki Subaru stared intently at Elsa, rapidly analyzing the battle situation in his mind.
Indeed, the current him was a far cry from his former self.
His muscle strength, four to five times that of an ordinary person, filled his every movement with explosive power. His enhanced dynamic vision could capture the most subtle attack trajectories, coupled with the exquisite, almost artistic, moves of Advanced Dagger Arts.
Although he wouldn't dare say he could completely defeat Elsa, he at least had the capital to contend with her. This wasn't blind confidence, but a precise assessment based on his past life's memories and his current understanding of their respective strengths.
"Although it's a bit different from what I expected... it's not bad."
Natsuki Subaru slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The current him was no longer the ordinary person he was when he first arrived in this other world.
"Oh my——little brother, you've really given me an unexpected surprise～"
Elsa pointed her knife tip flirtatiously at Natsuki Subaru, her scarlet tongue slowly licking her moist lips. In those deep black eyes, a chillingly complex emotion was surging.
It was the excitement of the hunt, the joy of battle, and a certain, almost pathological, desire.
"This perverted woman..."
Being stared at by Elsa's fiery gaze, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but feel a shiver.
He was being targeted by her.
More accurately, his intestines were being targeted by her.
This is quite troublesome!
He had to deal with Elsa as soon as possible; Rem and Petra were still waiting for treatment.
But the problem was—Elsa was almost unkillable.
You know, Elsa possessed the blessing of the Cursed Doll, which was essentially a curse. The cursed person would lose their self-awareness, becoming a walking corpse that only knew how to kill, and would die themselves after killing the target. But Elsa could maintain her sanity while gaining near-immortality. Even if fatally injured, she could quickly regenerate damaged tissue, even regrow severed limbs.
In the original story, Elsa could be reborn even after being completely crystallized and shattered by Beatrice, and after directly taking a blow from Reinhard. People unfamiliar with the details would think she was a tireless, immortal monster.
But in reality, Elsa's regeneration ability had a limit. As long as fatal injuries were continuously inflicted, exhausting Elsa's regenerative energy, she could truly be killed.
However, for the current Natsuki Subaru, let alone killing Elsa, even defeating her was very difficult; he could only barely maintain a stalemate.
"However, I don't necessarily have to kill Elsa... As long as I can stall until Emilia and the others arrive."
Natsuki Subaru gripped the black dagger, secretly calculating in his mind.
That's right, wait for Emilia and the others to come.
Come to think of it, Rem and I went out to buy ingredients, and we haven't returned even though it's dark. This will definitely alert Ram and the others, and they will surely come out to look for Rem and me.
At that time, with Emilia and Ram's strength, they could surely repel Elsa if they joined forces.
So, what I need to do now is to hold on until reinforcements arrive.
Natsuki Subaru's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a piercing cold glint!
"Shua—"
Elsa's figure suddenly transformed into a black afterimage, crossing the five-meter distance in an instant. The Kukri knife in her hand drew a graceful arc of death, its sharp edge glinting chillingly under the moonlight, aiming straight for Natsuki Subaru's vital throat.
______
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