It wasn't just Noa Mizutani who was shocked.
Her two companions, Shogo Taguchi and Kyoya Tachibana, were equally stunned when they saw Ren Kuroda completely ignore Noa's command and remain standing where he was.
Why had the three Travelers dared to act with such unrestrained arrogance in this world?
Wasn't it simply because, after arriving here, they had discovered they possessed overwhelming power—abilities that no one else had?
Yet now, Noa Mizutani realized that the Unique Skill she had always taken pride in—False Speaker—had absolutely no effect on the man in front of her.
How could she not panic?
To be fair, the trio knew exactly how outrageous their behavior in this world was—but they didn't care.
This wasn't the world they had grown up in, and no one here could do anything to them.
But now, the very power they relied on wasn't producing the expected result.
Naturally, Noa was shaken.
"So your ability works by forming magical-energy waves through speech, controlling a person's movements and guiding their thoughts, huh?" Ren said calmly."It's a pretty good ability. But it doesn't work on me. With that pitiful amount of magical energy you have, you can't affect me at all."
In truth, when Noa activated False Speaker, Ren had felt a slight disturbance in his mind.
But once he understood the principle behind the ability, he simply released a matching wave of magical energy of his own—completely neutralizing Noa's power.
Put simply, no matter how strong an ability was, its ultimate effectiveness depended on the user.
There were no invincible abilities in this world—only invincible individuals.
Even the most broken power was meaningless without the strength to support it.
Take Noa Mizutani, for example.
False Speaker was undeniably absurd—calling it true word sorcery wouldn't have been an exaggeration.
Unfortunately, Noa herself was far too weak.
She might be able to control or influence people weaker than herself, or perhaps those on the same level—but if she tried using it on something like a Demon Lord, would it still work?
"Damn it! You're hurting me—let go already!"
Because of the pain in her wrist, the little girl Noa had been holding was now safely cradled in Ren's arms.
The one being lifted this time was Noa herself.
Her face twisted in agony as Ren's grip tightened, yet she continued screaming at him to release her.
"Now you know pain," Ren said coldly."But did you ever stop to think how much it would hurt if that slap landed on this child's face?"
Holding the sobbing girl in one arm, Ren flung Noa away with the other, his expression full of disgust—as if tossing aside a piece of oversized trash.
The clothes Noa had felt were "tainted" just from being tugged by a child were now utterly ruined.
Ren felt no need to go easy on her just because she was a woman.
The tremendous force sent Noa crashing into a nearby fruit stall.
Fruits burst apart in every direction, splattering her treasured outfit with a riot of colors until it was completely unrecognizable.
"Well, this is interesting," Shogo sneered."To think Noa's False Speaker didn't work. But who the hell do you think you are, sticking your nose into our business just because you're a little special?"
"So what if I ate without paying? And today, not only am I not paying—you, and this mother and daughter, won't be leaving this city alive. Believe it or not."
Almost the instant Noa was thrown aside, Shogo Taguchi moved.
Not because he cared deeply about Noa being humiliated.
But because Ren's words hadn't been aimed at Noa alone—they included all three of them.
Calling their intelligence worse than dogs?
Fine.
He'd show this guy just how terrifying a rabid dog could be.
Shogo's Unique Skill was Berserker—a power that dramatically enhanced physical capabilities.
Once activated, his body not only gained immense strength, but also acquired the traits of Weapon Destruction and Adamantine Body.
With Berserker active, Shogo merely stomped his right foot lightly—
And the ground instantly shattered into a spiderweb of cracks.
The powerful recoil launched his body forward like a cannonball, propelling him toward Ren at terrifying speed.
Seeing Ren still holding a small girl, Shogo showed not the slightest hesitation.
He threw a full-force punch straight at Ren—and the child in his arms.
Under normal circumstances, a punch from Berserker-enhanced Shogo was enough to pulverize two humans into bloody paste in a single blow.
A clean double kill.
Unfortunately for him—
This time, he had kicked not an iron plate… but solid steel.
As Shogo's fist came crashing toward him, Ren didn't even try to dodge.
He clenched his right hand and threw a punch of his own—activating Monstrous Strength mid-strike.
In Shogo's eyes, Ren's refusal to dodge could only mean one thing:
He was too slow.
But choosing to meet his punch head-on?
That was pure stupidity.
With Berserker active, Shogo's physical strength had long surpassed human limits.
The instant Ren's fist came forward, Shogo was already imagining Ren and the girl being reduced to gore.
BOOOOOOM—!
The collision sent a violent shockwave tearing through the air.
Nearby stalls were blown apart, and the terrifying aftermath shattered the stone street itself, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
But the standoff didn't last long.
Very quickly, a spiky-haired figure was hurled out of the dust cloud, his face frozen in disbelief.
Before Shogo could even process what had happened, he saw a figure appear in front of him—moving even faster than he had.
Ren, having blasted Shogo away with a single punch, was still holding the little girl in one arm.
Yet his speed was such that he reappeared instantly before Shogo, slamming one hand squarely over his face.
Shogo was still reeling in shock at Ren's monstrous strength when searing pain exploded across his skull.
He tried to break free—
But the strength he had always prided himself on was utterly useless.
Ren's grip was like a steel vise, crushing against his facial bones so hard Shogo could actually hear them screaming.
Ren was using only one hand.
Yet even with both of his arms, Shogo couldn't pry it loose.
Crushing Shogo's skull outright would have been easy for Ren.
But with a child still in his arms, Ren decided such a bloody scene wasn't appropriate.
Instead, while still airborne, he twisted his body and slammed Shogo down with full force.
BOOOOOOM—!
The ground shook violently.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, Shogo crashed into the street, carving out a massive crater in the stone.
Just as Ren was about to press his advantage, his instincts as a swordsman screamed a warning.
Clang—clang—clang—clang—clang!
A barrage of metallic impacts rang out as countless blades suddenly appeared in midair—only to be knocked aside by the Nichirin Blade Ren had drawn from his waist.
At the same time, a brilliant blue slash tore through the air, forcing the last would-be attacker to retreat.
The one who had tried to sneak attack was Kyoya Tachibana.
Kyoya's Unique Skill, Executioner, was arguably the strongest among the three Travelers.
It allowed him to manipulate spatial attributes and generate simulated blades.
If one had to compare it to a well-known anime ability, it was eerily similar to Unlimited Blade Works.
Of course, the blades Kyoya created lacked the destructive power of true Noble Phantasms—but the spatial properties attached to them compensated for that weakness.
On top of Executioner, Kyoya also possessed the special skill Heavenly Eye, which enhanced cutting power and granted Accelerated Thought.
Accelerated Thought meant that what others perceived as an instant was stretched into slow motion in his mind, giving him ample time to analyze attacks and formulate responses.
Frankly speaking, Kyoya Tachibana was a born swordsman.
Equally deadly at close range and long distance, with spatial manipulation, enhanced slashes, and thought acceleration—
He firmly occupied the top spot among the three Travelers.
Yet now, his ambush had failed, and Ren's counterattack had forced him back.
The two landed on opposite sides of the street.
Kyoya's expression was grim.
He had barely dodged the slash using Accelerated Thought—and yet, his clothes had still been cut.
That alone was unthinkable to him.
Though he usually wore the harmless mask of a smiling, squint-eyed gentleman, Kyoya was, at his core, the most arrogant and prideful of the three.
That persona was nothing more than a disguise.
He had always believed his abilities were absolute.
And yet just now—
His attack had produced none of the results he had expected.
And that realization filled him with seething anger.
..
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