I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

133 – First Kiss

“This older sister will make sure you can’t even see that little brat.”

The battle began with a kiss blown by Olivia to Rohan.

The moment she pulled her hand away from her red-glossed lips, sending the kiss into the air.

The surging pink mana coalesced into a heart shape the size of a baseball.

A heart floating, drifting.

The sight of it hovering there, far from being laughable, instilled a sense of unease.

A certainty that being hit by that compact little heart of concentrated mana would spell disaster.

“Ichinose. Watch out for that.”

“You too, Rohan.”

Rohan and Ichinose adjusted their weapons.

Olivia’s lips curved into a smile at their resolute expressions.

“Hehe, don’t make such scary faces. The pain will only be for a moment.”

It comes.

Olivia’s whip, with its immense destructive power and range, has a distinct tell.

The trajectory changes chaotically the instant it’s thrown, but the motion of pulling her arm back to swing the still whip is clearly visible.

The starting point of the attack is undeniably recognizable.

That beginning, without a doubt, was the opening.

The weakness of such a long whip, almost dragging on the ground, was closing the distance.

With weapons like that, one step could decide between heaven and hell.

‘Close the gap.’

I wouldn’t simply wait for the lash to fall.

The moment Rohan caught Olivia drawing her arm back, he pushed off the ground.

Ichinose must have thought the same, for he was moving in tandem.

“So impatient, the both of you.”

Olivia moved according to the combat techniques ingrained in her by long years of experience.

She surrounded her sharp high heels with mana, halting Ichinose’s advance.

And knocked away Rohan’s burning blade with the solid handle of her whip.

Having completed that single exchange, Olivia quickly created distance.

And finally, she swung the whip.

The lash wasn’t aimed at them, but struck the heart hovering in the air.

*Crack!*

The whipped heart flew towards the far wall.

Although the heart was now further away, the succubus’s actions must have a reason.

As Rohan and Ichinose, wary, tried to close the distance again…

*Poof!*

The heart, having flown towards the mirror on the opposite side, reappeared from the mirror closest to Rohan.

“!”

Rohan narrowly avoided the suddenly appearing heart.

Instinctively, he unleashed Radiance.

The shattered allure instantly repaired itself and began to fly again.

“To tear apart my sister’s love like that. If you keep putting up your defenses, I’ll be sad~”

A face that, despite her words, showed not a trace of sadness.

Olivia already wore a triumphant expression, as if she had gained the upper hand.

“You know what happens if you get hit by one of those, right? A future drenched in pleasure awaits.”

Olivia gripped the whip with both hands, snapping it. *Crack! Crack!*

The expressions of Rohan and Ichinose, now understanding the situation, grew serious.

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[One Sword – Flame Sever]

*Clang!* Sparks flew and metal screeched as the whip was struck.

He dodges the allure that comes flying in immediately after blocking.

‘A whip, after all, cannot be cut.’

If it were possible, Ichinose would have done it already.

Its material is sturdy, and it’s imbued with Olivia’s magic; constantly trying to cut it would likely result in being caught instead.

“I like that your spirit hasn’t broken. There’s a certain charm to youth, after all.”

Having evaded Ichinose’s slash, Olivia lashes Hart with her whip once more.

When Hart buries itself in a mirror, it reappears suddenly from another.

The mirrors that vomit forth the swallowed allure lack uniformity; Olivia seems to choose the points of exit.

Compounding the problem is the speed.

Hart, struck by the whip, accelerates to a terrifying velocity.

This mass, a single hit from which could spell disaster, flies in from outside one’s field of vision with unnerving frequency, making evasion a struggle.

Olivia, living up to her reputation as the dungeon’s boss, still possesses ample magical power, and her physical abilities are exceptional.

Adding to the difficulty beyond reason are the caution and prudence she unexpectedly exhibits.

While attempting to seize victory with the whip, she also acts defensively, trying to land a direct hit with her allure.

She knows that a direct hit with the allure guarantees her victory.

“Hyat!”

Kwa-gua-gua-gua──!!!

The whip thrashes wildly, as if possessed of its own will.

Rohan and Ichinose evade the savagely swinging lines and continue their counterattacks.

Ting! Chaeng! Kagagak···!

Swing. Block.

Roll and dodge. Thrust.

A chaotic free-for-all where rough sounds overlap and blend.

The state of the battle appears to remain unchanged, with no apparent advantage or progress.

But as the exchanges continue, the balance is tilting ever so slightly in Olivia’s favor.

Ichinose is still delivering his sword strikes at a consistent pace.

But Rohan’s vigorous movements have reopened the wounds made by the Freiza stone, causing heavier bleeding.

And so, he can’t help but remember.

‘Complete recovery is granted upon quest completion.’

His trump card.

It meant there was a chance to make a gamble, just once.

As long as you don’t die, anything is possible. To break the equilibrium, bolder action than now is needed.

‘Avoid the allure, but endure the whip except for vital spots.’

A sense of elevation might be suppressing the pain, but the whip will hurt like hell.

Even so, he was confident he could withstand it just once. He couldn’t guarantee he could resist the allure.

“Ichinose.”

“Haa, speak.”

Rohan impressed upon the girl, who was sheathing her sword and composing her breathing.

“I will create an opening, so don’t miss it.”

“…What are you planning to do?”

There was no time to explain everything.

Because the whip, having touched the mirror, was already flying again.

Thwack!

Rohan didn’t move to the side or the back, but lunged forward.

His muscular frame throws itself into the chaotic waves of the swinging whip.

“Oh my?”

Olivia’s eyes widened at Rohan’s audacity.

Was he trying to commit suicide?

She intended to kill the woman, but had no intention of killing the man. And in the first place, she mustn’t kill him.

The action only appeared as if he couldn’t stand the stagnant situation and was rushing in.

“To be so impatient and hot-tempered… truly, what a troublesome man.”

Olivia moved her hand, aiming the whip that had been heading for his head towards Rohan’s legs.

As if he had anticipated it, Rohan slammed Gwanghui! into the ground.

Using the sword like a pole vault, he launched himself into the air.

Thunk!

Olivia smiled at the sight of Rohan landing right in front of her face.

Looking at the man’s fierce face, she was aroused by the desire to pin him down and drain his essence.

“Heeung… You’re taking advantage of the fact that I don’t want to kill you? How daring.”

Rohan’s gamble succeeded, giving him the close distance a second time.

Still, it was not a problem.

Olivia knew she could push him away like before.

But Rohan, gauging the distance as too awkward to draw his sword, decisively let go of Radiance.

He blocked Olivia’s turning kick with his forearm.

Thwack! Crackle! Snap!

Fists and kicks traded blows.

As if determined not to relinquish the secured space, Rohan desperately held his ground, refusing to yield.

“How can he be so skilled at fighting? Amusing.”

Olivia’s blood quickened.

This man had changed. He was already adapting and responding to her movements.

His attacks held a system, yet remained feral.

If their mana levels and physical abilities were equal, she would have been subdued by this man.

If these whelps had come when they were a little more grown, what would have become of her?

A chill ran down her spine, yet she reveled in the fortune that had graced the current situation.

As she faced Rohan, struggling and resisting, Olivia glanced towards the girl with her eyes closed.

‘That little one is preparing something.’

She wasn’t joining the fray, but holding a stance.

Olivia sensed her compressing an unusual amount of mana in a sheathed position.

“Hag. Where do you think you’re looking?”

Distracted for a moment, Rohan, at the cost of an injury, managed to seize Olivia’s arm to his side.

He gripped tight and unleashed his mana.

[Imbuing target with a vulnerability to physical attributes]

“!!!”

The alien mana wiped the smile from Olivia’s face.

The monster’s survival instincts screamed.

Olivia desperately tried to shove Rohan away, recklessly unleashing the mana she had been hoarding.

“──!”

The shockwave Olivia created tore Rohan’s existing wounds wider.

Blood poured from Rohan’s entire body. But he didn’t release her arm.

Ichinose pushed off from the floor.

A chance she didn’t need to be told.

[Dream Shadow Rend – Celestial Fleeting Night]

The girl’s capture centered on Olivia’s neck.

Ichinose’s illusion consumed Olivia.

Olivia’s vision momentarily blackened.

But the senses and instincts of a monster.

Even as she lost her sight, like a blind woman, Olivia reflexively resisted.

The result of her desperate struggle.

She protected her neck. However, Olivia’s arm, held by Rohan, was cleanly severed.

A deep wound that threatened to spill her entrails also appeared on her abdomen.

“Ugh…”

She grimaced at the pain, yet the corners of her lips subtly rose.

Olivia retreated, manipulating the mirror.

*Poong!*

The charm struck Rohan, whose wounds were severe, directly.

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“Haa, still, this older sister wins, no?”

Perhaps the inky blackness concealing the succubus’s vital parts wasn’t merely decoration.

They clung to her split abdomen and severed arm, stopping the bleeding.

“…I won’t let you get away. I’ll kill you.”

Ichinose, a murderous edge in her voice, assumed a stance.

Those wounds are definitely not shallow.

Olivia wiped the cold sweat from her brow with her remaining hand.

Then pointed at Rohan, frozen by the charm.

“Little one’s thinking is shallow. Planning to come in?”

Pink magic bubbled and surged from Rohan’s body.

Olivia maintained her distance, continuing her attempts to control the charm and bend Rohan to her will.

“My, what strong mental fortitude. He’s not succumbing immediately.”

Rohan grimaced, clearly in agony.

Resisting the charm.

Ichinose watched Rohan, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

She righted her sword, returning it to a ready stance, and quickly closed the distance to Olivia.

*Whish!* *Zing!*

With each swing of Ichinose’s blade, fresh wounds bloomed on Olivia’s body.

She couldn’t evade them perfectly.

The problem was, Ichinose had also used powerful techniques, leaving her with little mana.

“You know, if that man becomes a Pleasure Stone, you and I both die, right? Are you still going to kill me?”

“…!”

“I wonder what will happen first? Will he succumb to my charm? Or will the little girl kill me? I suppose I’ll have to keep running!”

Olivia, despite her grievous injuries, feigned composure.

Based on her accumulated experience and her succubus nature, she attempted to erode the girl’s spirit.

“If you surrender now, I’ll only drain some of his vital energy. Afterward, we can part ways peacefully.”

“Produce the contract…”

“I don’t have enough mana for that right now, darling. A verbal agreement should suffice, shouldn’t it?”

That was undoubtedly a lie.

Nevertheless, a multitude of scenarios flashed through Ichinose’s mind.

Rohan, standing right beside her, ground his teeth in agony, barely holding on.

‘Should I hit Rohan to wake him up?’

A strong blow to his current wounds could very well kill him.

A gentle nudge would be useless, and it was questionable whether a physical approach would even work against such potent enthrallment.

‘A way… there has to be a way…’

Theories raced through Ichinose’s mind.

Holy water, herbs, dispelling enchantment skills.

Various options flew by as futile.

Finally, one possibility, however slim, emerged.

‘Mental shock…’

A temptation or mental shock stronger than the succubus’s charm.

A purely abstract breakthrough.

Yet, she had read of many instances where people had escaped powerful enthrallment.

Those situations and experiences, Ichinose thought, belonged more in romance novels.

Though it failed at the box office, it was a true story, made into a film.

The girl, recalling that record,

made her decision.

One attempt, and if it fails, she’d trust Rohan’s resilience and go straight to killing the succubus at top speed.

“Just give up the kid and we can all go our separate ways happy. You’re not going to do something foolish, are you?”

Ichinose, ignoring the provocative succubus, grabbed Rohan by the scruff of his neck.

She wouldn’t watch the man she loved corrupted into the succubus’s pleasure doll.

She wanted to save him, by any means.

“I-if this doesn’t wake you up, I swear I’m really going to slice you into pieces!”

It wasn’t the romantic scenario Ichinose had dreamed of.

But it was the person she desired.

The girl tugged the hand that held him,

and pressed her lips to Rohan’s.