A black-haired young man in casual clothes clapped and approached with a smile.
"What a wonderful performance! Beastmen and lolis, what a great combination!"
When Natsuki Minamiya saw his face, she immediately recognized him as the lolicon pervert who'd publicly harassed her not long ago!
Hadn't this potential criminal been arrested by the police yet?
*No, now wasn't the time to think about that!*
Normally, a "regular tourist" would never show up here.
Besides, she'd used Spatial Control Magic, teleporting multiple times in a row to reach the outskirts of Rome.
"Why are you here?"
Thinking this, Natsuki Minamiya's voice turned cold, but she didn't act immediately.
All the beastmen in this world had very distinctive characteristics, and based on their brief previous interaction, Natsuki Minamiya was very clear that the black-haired young man in front of her was a genuine human, not a beastman.
"If I said I followed the scent of a loli here, would you believe me?"
Natsuki Minamiya was speechless once again.
She unconsciously took a few steps back.
To openly declare his liking for the scent of lolis, this person truly was...
"A pervert..."
This thought crossed her mind, but her vigilance never wavered.
Then she pulled a certificate from her pocket.
It wasn't her Itogami Island teacher qualification certificate, but an official government-sealed Anti-Magic Master certificate.
In this world full of demons and monsters, the existence of demons gave rise to professions like hers, the "Anti-Magic Master."
Aside from rogue Anti-Magic Masters, also known as charlatans, the rest were professional and certified National Anti-Magic Officers.
This was no secret; even common residents knew about it.
"I was on official business just now, and what happened here shouldn't be mentioned... Also, never mind. If there's nothing else, you should leave quickly; it's very dangerous here."
Natsuki Minamiya had originally intended to stop him for questioning, but after thinking twice, she let him go.
After all, there were important matters at hand, and no need to deal with a pervert.
"Cute young lady, are you looking for a beastman named 'Death Emperor Brother'?"
Natsuki Minamiya, who was about to leave, immediately turned around, her deep blue eyes fixed on Kaido. Only she and the Snake Charmer knew about her pursuit of the Death Emperor Brother; not even her good friend on Itogami Island knew where she'd gone.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Why so serious? I'm suddenly a bit tired. I'll go back to sleep first."
Kaido yawned and prepared to leave.
However, Natsuki Minamiya, who had previously been eager for him to leave, was now unwilling.
Her hands glowed with magic, and with a metallic clang, four chains bound his hands and feet.
"I've changed my mind. Explain yourself before you leave."
The black-haired witch moved in front of Kaido, looking at him with a cold expression.
"How did you know I..."
However, before she could finish speaking, something happened that stunned Natsuki Minamiya.
"Do you think these chains can bind me?"
Without even needing Authority, the Chains of Discipline, forged by the gods, gradually emitted sounds and signs of breaking under Kaido's slow exertion of force.
*Crack!*
The Chains of Discipline, against which even beastmen renowned for their strength felt helpless, shattered into a dozen pieces and fell limply to the ground.
"It... broke?"
Her usually infallible technique had actually been broken by a human.
"Weapons that haven't reached the divine level ultimately can't harm a Godslayer."
Having freed himself from the Chains of Discipline, Kaido slowly closed the distance between himself and Natsuki Minamiya.
"However, as a witch, you're also one of the highest-level existences. Not even La Folia, that little girl, compares to your talent. How about you obey my orders and docilely accept my protection?"
The slightly arrogant command reached Natsuki Minamiya's ears. As she prepared to use Spatial Control Magic, she noticed her knees bending unnaturally.
*What was happening?*
Her body was separating from her brain's control, and the next thing would likely be kneeling before the man.
*Did he actually activate a secret control art without me noticing?*
The sudden attack greatly startled Natsuki Minamiya, but her consciousness and mind were unaffected.
The Witch's years of hardened will temporarily resisted her knees bending, and then, while the opponent wasn't paying attention, a magic circle appeared from the void and rapidly pressed towards Kaido.
Spatial Control Magic could not only be used for instant teleportation but also for defense and attack.
When two spaces were isolated, even the toughest flesh would be severed.
The deep blue magic circle shimmered with a cold light, contracting towards Kaido's arm.
Kaido sighed inwardly. If an ordinary person heard his Spirit Word, they'd probably kneel and become his servant before their consciousness could even react.
But Natsuki Minamiya resisted the effect of the Spirit Word and counterattacked at the same time.
However, even at this moment, Natsuki Minamiya still harbored no murderous intent towards him.
The Hollow Witch, who'd traversed demon battlefields for many years, had undoubtedly caused more demons to die or be arrested than he could imagine.
Kaido could clearly feel that the Spatial Control magic circle was contracting quite "slowly," giving him enough time to leave his original position.
*She shows no mercy to villains, but is she kind to others?*
Even his earlier rude behavior didn't make her hold a grudge.
*What a good woman!*
In that case, I'll be kinder too.
Thinking this, Kaido stopped the activation, avoiding the consequence of Natsuki Minamiya's spiritual body suffering a shin fracture, and then, without caring, continued to smile and walk towards the Witch.
"?"
Natsuki Minamiya only felt a sudden lightness in her body.
Had the physical suppression disappeared?
Before she could even be happy, she saw that Kaido was still not retreating, with a frivolous smile still on his face.
*If you keep being stubborn, I'll have to give you a few wounds.*
Natsuki Minamiya, almost insulted, thought angrily, dispelling the suspended magic circle, then released several small, rapid attacks.
"If you don't know what's good for you, I'll have to make you lose some chunks of flesh."
Although the magic circle became small, its power didn't decrease. The magic circle, originally designed to amputate Kaido's right arm, transformed into a sharp blade capable of cutting steel and breaking iron.
Tearing human flesh was even simpler.
*Puff! Puff!*
A sound like stones dropping into the sea, without moving a single ripple.
Under Kaido's playful gaze and before Natsuki Minamiya's disbelieving eyes, the Spatial Control Magic, upon contact with his body, vanished like a bubble.
"Even my magic... is useless?"
Natsuki Minamiya, who had made a name for herself based on Spatial Control Magic, was stunned for a moment.
The Witch who played with space; even the True Ancestors had to weigh her surprise attacks. After all, the True Ancestors' strength lay in their infinite longevity, immense magical power, and contracted familiars. Their physical bodies could regenerate, but they weren't resistant.
"What exactly is this..."
For the first time, Natsuki Minamiya questioned and hesitated in her own capabilities. Was there another possibility for resisting spatial isolation with just a physical body, besides gods and powerful familiars?
And the young man who was flirting with her seemed to be only around twenty, roughly the same age as her.
Neither a god nor a familiar was possible.
Could he be... a descendant of the Heaven Division?
Those demigod races who had existed since before recorded history, who, along with the three True Ancestors, jointly created the "Fourth True Ancestor," and were known as "ancient superhumans."
It was said that a group of Heaven División descendants left their isolated island and came to live on the mainland.
"Don't be surprised. Didn't I say it before? Attacks that don't reach divine power can't harm me." Kaido said with a smile.
"Being able to withstand my Spirit Word for so long is already quite rare."
Hearing this, Natsuki Minamiya actually felt a secret surge of delight in her heart.
But she reacted quickly, secretly annoyed with herself. What was wrong with her? She wasn't a child anymore.
"Although I don't know who you are, can you at least tell me what you intend to do?"
Natsuki Minamiya lowered her voice while secretly preparing herself. As a witch who had made a contract with a demon, she could also summon a powerful demon called a "Guardian" to fight.
"As you can see, I'm just a passing traveler. Isn't it normal to want to pursue beautiful things when you see them?" Kaido said, feigning confusion.
Natsuki Minamiya tried to regain her composure and then said, "Is your supposed goal to harass girls and then fight? I'll tell you upfront, I strongly dislike that kind of behavior."
"Your dislike is your dislike; what does that have to do with what I do? A supposed Demon King must act as he pleases, do what he wants, and not do what he doesn't want. Even if I declare a harem to the whole world, that's my freedom, isn't it?"
"Too arrogant..."
Even Natsuki Minamiya, whose actions were quite self-centered, made that judgment.
"All my actions are based on strength. If I were a helpless commoner, I'd undoubtedly hide as far away as possible." Kaido shrugged.
"Alright, I know you can still summon demons to fight me, but I advise you to stop resisting. If that thing comes out, I'll make it disappear immediately."
"Tsk..."
Natsuki Minamiya, having been seen through, suppressed the shock in her heart and sighed helplessly as she looked at his extraordinary face.
She had never felt so stifled in her life.
However, judging by the current situation, it was probably better not to resist.
The other party knew all her abilities, but she knew nothing about him.
Ultimately, she could only take it step by step.
But what did he mean by Godslayer earlier?
And he also mentioned La Folia, the name of the Silver Princess.
Could this matter be related to the royal family of Altegea?
Natsuki Minamiya was a very cautious person.
If one possessed power but was excessively arrogant, they would eventually pay the price for their words and actions.
However, the black-haired young man who had delivered that speech earlier couldn't be described as "arrogant."
She fully agreed with the phrase "freedom is built on strength."
---
What do you think Natsuki Minamiya's next move will be given this unexpected turn of events?