Chapter 111 Four Girls One Guy (Illustration)
Chapter 111 Four Girls One Guy (Illustration)
“Ei!”
“Hayaa!”
“Shine!” Yumi screamed, her voice sharp as she shouted.
Grunts and cries of effort filled the air after several days of training.
“Come on, you can do better,” Iryoku taunted as he stepped back, dodging the furious barrage of strikes.
Yumi pressed forward, punching and kicking with all her might. Her small frame moved with surprising force, muscles tightening as each strike cut through the air. Iryoku slipped around her blows with ease, sometimes letting a hit connect just to test her growing strength in close combat.
Then, with a sudden burst, Yumi leapt high above him. Her body twisted midair before both legs shot down in a flying dropkick. Iryoku braced, crossing his arms to absorb the impact. The force pushed him back, his boots skidding across the dirt.
Yumi landed gracefully and, without missing a beat, dashed back in. She dropped low, launching an uppercut aimed at his chin. Iryoku shifted just slightly, letting the small fist connect, then caught her hand. With a sharp pull, he dragged her forward—only to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.
Flustered, Yumi immediately tried to strike again—
“Ahh!” A sharp cry cut through the spar.
Another kick slammed into Iryoku from behind. He twisted, catching sight of Reika as she landed smoothly, her leg snapping back from a sharp side kick. She feinted, dropped low, and drove a fist straight toward his liver.
At the same time, Yumi darted in, wrapping her arms tight around Iryoku’s torso. “Hehe!”
Just before the punch connected, Iryoku spun his whole body in a full 180. Reika’s fist missed its mark and instead smacked into Yumi’s rear with a solid thud.
“Ouch!” Yumi yelped.
“Heh.” Iryoku smirked.
But the girls didn’t slow down. Reika pressed forward with more punches, Yumi let go and dove back into the fray, and soon Agnes stumbled in as well. Her movements were clumsy, imitating what she’d just learned, but she kicked and swung with stubborn determination.
“Hey, open your eyes, dumbass!” Iryoku barked as one of Agnes’s wild swings nearly hit Reika. He caught her strike and redirected it before it could land.
Now three of them attacked from every angle. Iryoku weaved between their strikes, blocking with his hands, deflecting with his legs. His movements blurred, almost as if he’d sprouted extra limbs just to fend them off.
“Die!”
Another voice roared. Alessandra dropped from above, her heel crashing down in a brutal axe kick aimed at Iryoku’s head. He tilted his head just enough for the blow to miss, the strike cracking the ground where he’d stood. Without hesitation, she joined the fray—her strikes sharper and heavier than the others. Now Iryoku faced four opponents at once, blows raining in from every direction.
He matched each one’s rhythm, flowing seamlessly between their tempos—absorbing the lighter hits, turning aside the deadlier ones. Against Alessandra, he dared not take her strength head-on; instead, he slipped past, redirecting her momentum with precision, his body a blur of counter-motion.
Soon, faint auras flickered around the girls’ bodies. Alessandra shone brightest, her glow steady and controlled, while the others sparked unpredictably—sometimes flowing smoothly along their limbs, other times scattering wildly. Each strike grew faster, heavier, more destructive.
Reika’s palms crackled with sparks as she struck, each blow flicking arcs of lightning into Iryoku’s body, jolting his nerves and stunning him for an instant.
Iryoku no longer dared to block. He relied solely on dodges and redirections as sparks burst across his skin—some even leaping onto Alessandra, who shrugged them off like they were nothing.
Yumi mimed pulling an invisible bowstring, then snapped it forward—unleashing a spike of condensed leben that shot straight at him. Iryoku twisted aside just in time.
Agnes followed, leaping at him with knees aimed at his head, magic building dangerously at their tips.
But pressure mounted—and midair, one of Reika’s sparks struck Agnes, jolting her. She crashed down awkwardly in the middle of the group, stumbling forward just as another of Yumi’s leben spikes hurtled toward her face. Iryoku snatched her aside at the last instant, letting Agnes tumble into Reika, who was already panting from fatigue.
Seizing the opening, Iryoku smacked both their asses in quick succession. Smack! Smack!
“Eeeh?!” the two yelped, toppling to the ground—just as Alessandra’s jab came whipping in behind him.
Yumi and Alessandra lunged at him together. Iryoku vanished in a burst of speed, and another smack rang out as Yumi was flipped aside, her butt jiggling as she landed sprawled across Agnes and Reika.
“Hey!” Yumi squeaked, flustered.
But Alessandra wasn’t so easy. She twisted midair, her kick cutting through the air in a vicious arc. Iryoku dropped flat, dodging by a hair’s breadth. The strike ripped through the air, leaving a vacuum trail that tugged at everything nearby. Alessandra landed with a stomp that cracked the earth, then surged forward again in a relentless flurry.
She spun on her axis, unleashing another fierce kick. Iryoku vaulted in close, leaping over the strike—only to realize it was a feint. Alessandra’s right arm, blazing with leben, rocketed forward in a punch that tore the air apart. Her foot slammed into the ground for leverage, leaving a crater as her strike accelerated like a cannonball.
At the last second, Iryoku redirected her power aside. Alessandra stumbled, off-balance, but still kicked down with brutal force, carving another crater exactly where Iryoku had been.
His feet skimmed the ground as if weightless, carrying him past the impact zone. In the same motion, he darted behind her and delivered a soft kick to her bum, sending her toppling forward.
“Ahhh!” Alessandra cried as she crashed into the pile of already fallen girls. The heap squished together with a chorus of startled squeaks and groans.
“Me next!” Iryoku shouted with a wicked grin, diving onto the pile and burying himself in the mountain of soft flesh.
“Hey! Now you’re just groping indiscriminately!” someone protested from the heap.
Iryoku only laughed, completely unrepentant, his face buried between two soft chests. His muffled voice came out between breaths: “Of course I am! When else am I gonna get all of you stacked on me like this? It’s heaven.”
“Ugh… uff…” the girls groaned as they pried themselves apart, finally sitting up with exasperated glances.
“I’m tired,” Agnes muttered first. “Seriously—making a mage fight hand-to-hand and even forcing us to use leben… it should be impractical, almost impossible. But…” Her eyes flicked toward Iryoku. “Since you took my first, I’ve been gaining more and more strength. I’ve been breaking past the walls that held me back. Somehow… I’ve gotten stronger.”
Iryoku, lounging on his side with his head propped on one hand, smirked. “You mean making love makes you stronger.”
Agnes flushed, hugging her knees tightly. “It’s just a theory…”
“That’s interesting. That means you now have the same rapid growth in power as us,” Reika cut in quickly, then sighed. “Damn it, I couldn’t land a single hit.” She fanned her flushed face with one hand, glancing at Iryoku. He winked at her.
Yumi, still sprawled on the ground, groaned. “You punched my butt, Reika.” She rubbed the sore spot with a pout. Then she turned toward Iryoku. “And you smacked me in the exact same spot!” She muttered under her breath, “Isn’t that theory a little too convenient for Iryoku…” Then she stuck her tongue out at him.
Alessandra smiled faintly, almost laughing, though her thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Only me… he kicked my butt instead of slapping it.
Her lips curved downward for just a moment. She puffed her cheeks but stayed silent.
“That opens great possibilities. I think it’s the power of my milk—full of energy and nutrients. One more reason not to skip it, girls,” Iryoku teased, his grin widening.
He softened after a beat. “Either way, you’re all getting stronger. You’ve improved. With your speed, you’ll be able to hold your own in battle if an enemy pushes into close range. Though…” He glanced at the three ranged girls. “I still advise you to keep your distance and leave close combat to Alessandra and me.”
“Hey, Iryoku…” Yumi asked, tilting her head curiously as she scooted to his side. “How are you so knowledgeable about fighting? Were you really self-taught from watching, like you said at the tournament—or did you have a martial arts teacher?”
The girls all turned to him, expectant.
“Of course, most of it comes from the reflexes and speed I got in this world. But a lot of it? Trial and error. Getting pummeled. Getting beaten. Having my ass kicked more times than I can count back when I was a kid. Just repeating patterns, trying to react differently, trying not to get hit—which was pretty much impossible back on Earth.” His hand reached for Yumi’s sore butt, rubbing it gently to ease her pain. “Hush, hush. Pain, go away.” He smirked faintly. “So I hit first, hit harder after, used dirty tactics, and always looked for weaknesses.” His expression darkened a little. “And… I did learn a little from a soldier back in juvie.”
The girls fell quiet, thoughtful. A flicker of pity crossed their faces—though Agnes looked half-lost in thought.
Alessandra lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable. For a long moment, she said nothing. Her hand drifted to her chest, pressing as if to still something inside. Finally, she lifted her eyes to him.
“I think… you are very strong… and you’d be invincible if you could use leben,” she said earnestly.
Iryoku smiled faintly and dropped onto his back, staring at the clear sky. “Doesn’t matter how much I try… I really can’t. Not without the harpoon.”
His hand rose. He focused, trying to summon magic—but nothing came.
Then he felt movement around him. Reika’s hand closed over his, and it began to glow. Iryoku stared at the light, fiddling with it, trying to understand.
“For me, it’s just imagination,” she explained softly. “You have to will it.”
On his other side, Yumi slipped her arm around his, pressing her face into his shoulder and kissing it gently. She glanced at his glowing hand, determination shining in her eyes.
“I know you can do it,” she whispered.
Agnes, hesitant, scooted closer from above his head. She laid her hand over the same one Reika held, channeling her magic as well.
“Like this. Feel the magic circulating inside your body—imagine releasing it, like a stream of water shooting outward,” she instructed.
Only Alessandra lingered apart, knees hugged to her chest, hovering just centimeters away, uncertain.
Iryoku smiled faintly at the warmth surrounding him and closed his eyes.
Yumi glanced toward Alessandra, silently urging her with her eyes. Reluctantly, Alessandra leaned in until she hovered just above his head, her gaze fixed on his hair and face. Her hand lifted, trembling, as if she meant to reach out—her magic almost sparking at her fingertips—but she stopped. With a soft sigh, she looked away, raising her eyes to the sky as her thoughts drifted far from the moment.
Agnes and Reika finally drew their hands back.
“Now—maintain it,” Agnes instructed.
Reika leaned forward, watching as faint light lingered on Iryoku’s palm. He willed it, shaping it, and the glow bent to his command. Energy clung to his skin until he managed to coat his hand fully, flexing his fist as sparks shimmered around it.
“Ohhh…” Yumi gasped in awe.
Alessandra finally lowered her gaze again, her voice trembling slightly.
“If you can dominate it… I… I’ll do whatever you want… just once…”
Her face flushed faintly as she lifted a single finger to her cheek, as if to emphasize the “only once.”
Iryoku blinked at her, surprised.
The light on his hand flickered, then went out. He focused again, but nothing appeared. “Damn it.”
Alessandra actually smiled faintly and shook her head. Boldly, she reached out and clasped his hand, pouring her own energy into him. A soft glow sparked to life.
“At least… continue wielding this one,” she murmured.
Iryoku smirked, then stood to his feet. The girls watched as he drew the glow across his fist, striking forward with a quick jab at unimaginable speed. The light flared, sharp and fleeting. Then, with an open-handed slash, he carved a brief arc of radiance through the air before it vanished again.
He turned back to them with a chuckle. “Well, at least it’s an option for the time being.”
Then, more seriously, he addressed them all. “Either way, the same goes for you girls. If you want something from me, just say the word. Doesn’t matter what it is.”
The four girls thought for a moment, and each of them made a face that showed they had something in mind—even Agnes, who fiddled with her fingers while sneaking glances at Iryoku.
She edged closer, about to whisper something in his ear—when suddenly her expression changed to worry. Closing her eyes, her eyelids glowed faintly.
“Something is getting close,” she muttered.
The group immediately got to their feet and armed themselves, snatching their weapons from the ground a few meters away.
End of Volume 5