"Um, well! Let me fight! Okay? Okay? You don't have to fight Mei-nee, okay?"

"I'm begging you, too. If you're unhappy fighting Meredith, I'll be your opponent. So don't fight Mei'er."

Meredith and Natsu pleaded together, and Balfe seemed to think that although Mel was a magician of the Age of Gods, she was not good at fighting, so Meredith and the others were panicking.

Balf's naive misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that Lutilis was a typical rearguard in battle, and he had a fixed notion that the Sea People were incapable of land combat. Furthermore, when it came to Age of Gods magicians, he only knew of Roth, and Shim was capable of fighting against Roth...

But Balf didn't know that Rouse hadn't done his best to investigate, and that the Sea People before him were, in many ways, the most dangerous magicians of the Age of Gods. Balf approached with a proud smile on his face.

"Your Majesty! I will fight!"

In order to avoid an unhappy future, Meredith is still struggling.

"If there's any danger, I'll stop it. Balfe won't take her life, and vice versa, right?"

That's right! But they might take something more important than life! Meredith wanted to reply, but the Republic seemed to have already decided on Balfe, who was already standing in the center of the spacious throne room.

And Mei'er was already face to face with him, and both of them exuded a tense atmosphere that no one else could interfere with.

"Nai-chan~~!"

"There's nothing we can do. Let's just pray that our relationship with the Republic doesn't deteriorate."

"Isn't it too early to give up?!"

Natsu stared off into the distance, wishing Oscar were here. This was a way to escape reality. Incidentally, he rubbed his abdomen, seemingly suffering from stomach pain.

"Hey, hey, Chief. What's going on? Is it that bad? The report said she's very strong, right? And she has regeneration magic, so is that okay?"

Bart had been watching the development of things silently, but now he also felt confused and raised his questions.

"No! Mei'er-nee has a bad habit... Ah, no, it's starting! Mei'er-nee! Please respect yourself! Respect yourself! This is the agreement between you and Mi-chan, okay!?"

Meredith tried desperately to persuade her, while Sister Meier smiled a perfect smile and gave Meredith a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Xiao Mi, I'm half gentle, okay?"

"What's interesting is the remaining half... I believe in you!"

"Alright, I'm going to discipline this stupid dog who called Xiao Mi a 'little devil'—teach him some etiquette."

"Failed to hide it!?"

Thus began the Imperial Competition, a show of strength for the Liberator. The rules were simple: the competition would continue until either side was too exhausted to continue, or declared "surrender," acknowledging the other's victory.

Mel retrieved the accordion knife she had previously deposited, and Balfe also equipped himself with the iron claw gauntlets.

Meredi, who had been so majestic and acted like a leader until just now, suddenly changed so drastically. Although Shim was concerned, he still announced, "Both parties must be sure to avoid fatal injuries! Begin!"

At that moment, Balfe disappeared. No, it was because he started so fast that it looked like he disappeared. At the same time, his figure was behind Mel.

"Ha, it's not as bad as you said. It's over."

The iron claw gauntlet was already pressed against Mei'er's neck. At first glance, it looked like the outcome was decided.

Because the victory was too easy, Shim was hesitant and didn't know how to judge.

"Huh? I haven't heard of such a rule? Isn't it said that you have to fight until you are too exhausted to continue or declare defeat? That's why I'm letting you have one move, you know?"

"Ah? You refuse to admit defeat? The blade is at my vital point, the outcome is certain—"

"What an innocent child."

Mei'er chuckled softly and took a powerful step toward the three sharp claws. Of course, the blades penetrated her neck, and her snow-white, smooth neck was immediately stained with blood.

"What! Idiot!"

Balfe's unexpected action caused him to quickly withdraw his hand and jump back in surprise. However, the real surprise was yet to come.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

"Huh? Huh? ...You're not hurt?"

That's right, there were no injuries. Even the blood-stained neck was still clean.

"Oh my, what's wrong? You want to beat Onee-sama, right? I'll stand still, and you can attack as much as you want. Here's a piece of advice: You have to really kill and chop, otherwise it won't even be considered a fight, okay?"

"You, you dare to look down on me!"

Balfe, believing he must have seen it wrong, took another step forward. This time, he didn't just touch her with his weapon, but struck her to a point where it wouldn't cause a fatal wound, forcing Mel to surrender.

With this thought in mind, Balfe approached again at a speed that ordinary people could not catch up with.

(! This guy! Is he really not going to dodge?!)

Balfe passed by Mel and slashed at her arm. But...

“What! Still no wound!? I did cut it!?”

"Hehehe."

The enchanting laughter was remarkably loud. Those watching the competition were all shocked, but Balfe didn't bother to pay attention to the reactions of those around him. He launched a wave of continuous attacks.

“Uoooohhhhh!”

Wounds were left on his shoulders, arms, flanks, and thighs. While not fatal, they were deep enough to require immediate treatment. He could feel the tangible sensation of flesh being cut open on his hands, but the outcome was predictable.

"I told you, didn't I? You have to really kill and chop. Simply causing fatal injuries isn't enough."

"You must be kidding..."

There were no wounds, not even a trace of blood.

The reason is very simple and clear, because the wound regenerates at the moment of being cut, so it can be said to be a strange phenomenon in the eyes of others, as if no matter how hard you cut, you will not be injured.

The throne room was as silent as if it were frozen.

Merle deliberately took the attack to let Balfe know that the attack was meaningless and was intended to cause psychological damage. When Meredy and others noticed this, they couldn't help but feel a headache.

Mel took a step forward with a smile on her face, while Balfe unconsciously took a step back.

"Come on, Big Onee's heart is here, attack with all your might."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. I haven't tried it, but I think it would be fine even if my head was chopped off. So you can chop off my head, right?"

Mei'er opened her hands, ready to be attacked, like an ocean embracing all life, yet also very terrifying.

Because she smiled and asked people to pierce her heart and chop off her head, which means that she would never die unless she was destroyed in an instant.

That's no longer a human being... Coupled with the disparity in the image of a tolerant older sister, the woman in front of him began to look like the incarnation of the devil in Balfe's eyes.

"Aren't you going?"

At this moment, Mel finally drew her scimitar, facing the hesitant Balfe. With a clang, a clear sound rang out. Although it was a beautiful sound, it startled everyone.

"If you don't get up...I'm going to chop you off."

Mei'er's pupils suddenly contracted.

“Ugh, Ughhhhhh!”

"Oops! Balfe! Stop it!"

When he regained consciousness, Balfe was already charging forward like a warrior battling an evil god. Seeing Balfe's expression, Sim panicked, worried about Mel, but in many ways, it was too late. A dull sound echoed, and the iron claws had already pierced Mel's chest, piercing through it no matter how you looked at it.

Balfe cried out "Ah" in a daze, thinking that he had done something irreversible, and his face turned pale immediately.

"Okay, it's almost onee-sama's turn, right?"

Balfe's hand was grasped. Despite being fatally wounded, Mel's voice was eerily carefree. Balfe could only watch, dumbfounded, as the iron claw gauntlet was slowly removed, the wound healed with a faint glow of dawn.

“What should I do…”

"You know that without me telling you, right?"

Balfe staggered back, and Mel clanged her serpentine knife, saying this to Balfe.

"There's nothing you can do."

That's right, these are the Age of God Magicians, an absurd existence that only has seven of them in the world. They are beings above the clouds, and no matter how skilled a warrior, ordinary people are powerless to resist them.

Balfe let out a deep, visceral laugh. So, this guy and I were on a different level. I was the one who was so arrogant.

That said, Balfe had his own reservations. He considered himself the Republic's strongest fighter, and defeat without resistance would damage the nation's prestige.

(That's also a kind of magic, so once her magic power runs out, she can't use it anymore!!)

Balf's fighting spirit erupted. He had to at least fight back! His calm smile transformed into one of shock and anxiety!

"Then let's get started."

“Eh? —Ahh!?”

With a whoosh, the accordion blade flipped, its blade smacking Balf's cheek. It was clearly just a casual swing, but the swiftness of the blade sent Balf flying.

The accordion blade then twisted like a snake, extending incredibly long and wrapping around Balf's body. Balf couldn't even land and was immediately thrown back. He slammed against the wall, wailing as he struggled to his feet. The next moment, he couldn't help but let out a "Yi!" scream and trembled in fear.

"You called my beloved Xiao Mi a 'little devil', and I want you to pay the price."

“Eh, ah, no, that’s—”

Before Balfe could finish his words, he was interrupted by Sister Mel's beautiful smile and sharp words.

"Come on...let me hear you squeal like a pig."

Needless to say, what happened next is well known.

Balfe initially screamed and fought with all his might, but he was met head-on by Mer's sadistic grin, which read, "It's always Big Sister's turn♪." All his attacks were thwarted. He was then lashed with the Serpent Blade and countless Water Whips, even suffering the recurrence of old wounds. Finally, his screams faded into mournful wails mingled with sorrowful sighs...

Because of the dome-shaped water wall, the sound of "surrender" could not be heard, and there was no immediate way to stop it from outside...

Eventually it evolved into...

"Xiao Mi is a beautiful girl, right?"

"Yes, she is a beautiful girl!"

"Isn't that right? Did I give you permission to speak human language, you stupid dog?"

“Woof♪──Ah!? What am I doing!?”

Balfe's eyes were dead, realizing his own utter disgrace. Sim, regaining consciousness, begged, "Please! Please stop!" Meredith cried, "Sister Mei, you've gone too far!" and unleashed gravity magic, finally ending the contest.

Balfe stared off into the distance. It felt as if his reserve, his dignity, anything more important than life, had been stripped away. He felt utterly fragile, as if he were about to turn into sand and be blown away by the wind.

"...Hey, Natsu, what's going on?"

"The 'Pirate Empress Training Technique' transforms countless vicious pirates into obedient subordinates. Normally, they'd be given candy afterward, and eventually become a close family."

“…Even though we’re both magicians of the Age of Gods, it’s a relief that you took her in as your companion.”

"Go tell Meredith."

Bart's face was timid, as if he had witnessed a tragic event. It was no wonder that Natsu and the others must have had the same expression when they first saw him.

Putting that aside for now, the beastmen's reaction was terrifying...

"Hey, Tsui! Go challenge me! This is about the prestige of the nation!"

"Ah!? I don't want to! Tsui doesn't want to die yet!"

"Your invisibility should be useful!"

"No! I just erased my presence and presence, but that sister kept staring at Cui! And the older brother over there had noticed me from the very beginning!"

A quiet conversation could be heard from the corner of the throne room. Apparently, as a precaution, the Secret Warriors' captain, Cui, had disappeared without a trace, waiting for orders.

In addition, the two were able to sense Cui's presence. Mei used the shaking of moisture in the air, while Nizu relied on his spatial control ability to make judgments.

Mei'er smiled at Cui, who uttered a mournful cry of "Ah!" and immediately fled like a rabbit, leaving behind the important Majesty and her companions.

Shim and the others sighed deeply, and although they had very complicated expressions on their faces, they still admitted that Mei'er had won.

Admittedly, Mel had gone a bit too far, but she hadn't broken any rules, and it was they who had requested the competition. But most importantly, they feared that if they expressed their opinions about Mel, their formidable compatriot (?), they might end up repeating Balfe's mistakes.

Therefore, the goal was basically achieved.

The strength of the Liberator was clearly demonstrated.

That being said, should we allow such a terrifying person to join? Wouldn't that be disastrous? This is certainly the atmosphere we're in now. While we've proven our strength, this time, we're hesitant about accepting the Liberator in a different sense.

In the extremely tense atmosphere, Meredith trembled and asked Lutilis.

"Um, um, Your Majesty. I'm sorry, Mei-san seems to have gone too far. But she was thinking about me, which means she was thinking about her companions, so I hope you can forgive her—"

"I agree."

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