After coaxing Luna for around ten minutes, she finally stopped sobbing. But she still didn't even glance at him. Well, she was sulking again.
But he had a method. He simply gave her some glitter powder. As a result, she smiled brightly again.
Only then did he have time to notice the bloodstone bin. He took it into his color slot and explained a bit about it to the princess.
Just as he thought, she was very surprised by the bloodstone.
"Are you ready, princess? Let's act together." Hector smirked.
Luna blushed and replied,
"As long as you don't hit my butt."
Hector nodded.
"Certainly."
Luna hesitated for a moment before adding,
"And… Don't call me princess. Just Luna."
…
"Sure, little princess."
Just like that, Hector disguised himself as a demon worshipper, while Luna acted like Hector's spoil.
Before long, they left the demon cult's mine without facing any trouble. However, Hector scowled, because this was impossible for him.
Either way, the Nameless God had cursed him.
[Blasphemer's Burden]
He was a troublemaker wherever he went.
The more peace he felt, the more worried he became.
"Let me out! …We're already quite far from them!"
Luna groaned while trying to escape Hector's hold. Indeed, she felt embarrassed as the physical contact continued.
But for Hector, it was nothing. Luna was nothing more than a brat to him.
"Be quiet, little princess—if not, I'll hit your butt again."
Hector sprinted forward, carrying Luna over his shoulder. From time to time, he glanced back, searching for any sign of an enemy.
"You have to take responsibility then," Luna pouted, sulking.
At some point, a voice rang out.
"Well, well, well. Let's see what we have here."
Hector frowned and came to a stop.
From the front, a shadowy figure slowly emerged.
Hector clicked his tongue in annoyance and set Luna down.
"As I thought. There's no way we could leave the mine that easily."
Jack chuckled as he gazed at Hector.
"I can't believe I get to take my revenge so soon. Little rat."
Then he turned his attention to Luna, smirking.
"So it's you… the princess of the Hayden Kingdom. Tch. Quite unlucky—I just remembered you a few minutes ago. Otherwise, I would've killed both of you in the mine."
"My memory is pretty bad,"
He muttered.
"But there's no helping it. It's the price for power."
Hector giggled.
"Why are you so confident? You think you can take my head? …No."
He glanced at Luna and said,
"Show him your power. Summon your hideous monster and kill him."
Luna nodded.
…
About twenty seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Nearby, Jack simply shrugged his shoulders. Meanwhile, Hector's face twitched in confusion.
"Maybe… I need a little more time to summon it," Luna said sadly.
Hector shook his head and sighed.
His eyes gleamed sharply and brutally as he drew his sword and took a stance.
5 green mana cores versus 3 green mana cores.
"Luna, stay behind. I'll handle him."
Jack just laughed, his voice full of mockery.
"Are you crazy? Just a few weeks ago, you couldn't even stand after one of my punches. And now you think you can fight me?"
"Wishful thinking."
Jack lingered for a moment before speaking again, but this time, his voice was filled with perversion.
"I think punishing you like this isn't enough… I'll cut off your limbs, then make you watch while I play with your little girlfriend, unable to do anything."
He said as glancing at Luna.
"It'll be the best art of the year for me."
Hector's face darkened as he lunged at Jack.
Clang!
Clang!
Soon, the place was filled with the echo of swords crashing against each other.
Hector tightened his grip, swinging his sword downward, then backward, finishing with a rapid series of strikes at Jack.
However, Jack only grinned, easily deflecting most of Hector's blows. But in a brief lapse of caution, Hector's slash tore across Jack's chest, leaving a long cut.
"Surprised?" Hector chuckled.
Jack clenched his jaw and increased his intensity, attacking Hector relentlessly. Then he scowled as he realized something.
Hector was deflecting most of his attacks with ease, even when Jack's strikes were filled with mana and destructive power.
"I–Impossible?"
It felt as if he were slashing at a feather in midair. His sword was sharp enough, strong enough—yet it couldn't cut through.
He couldn't explain this bizarre situation.
With a powerful kick, Hector struck Jack square in the face, then twisted in midair. He landed safely and sneered.
"So, what do you think now, jerk?"
Jack spat out a mouthful of blood and said—
"I see… your swordsmanship has already grown at a ridiculous speed. I'll give you that, little rat."
"You're already on par with the child of the War God in terms of swordsmanship… no, maybe even better."
Jack's smile deepened.
"But do you know why I still overpower her?"
In the blink of an eye, Jack suddenly appeared in front of Hector and drove a brutal punch into him, sending him skidding across the ground before smashing into a nearby tree.
"We have the power of demons."
"In front of absolute power, all techniques and tricks are just trash."
Hector struggled to stand up from the shattered tree. He staggered, his vision blurred.
He couldn't even breathe properly.
"Damn it… looks like some ribs are broken."
Hector looked up and scowled as he saw the color of Jack's mana turn pitch-black.
"So this is the power of a demon?"
He wiped the blood trail from his face, his thoughts racing. That punch had been boosted exponentially compared to before.
Before he could react, Jack was already beside him.
"I wonder what kind of blessing you have," Jack said. "To be this ridiculously strong now, you must have a God's blessing."
"If that's the case, I'll need your heart."
Bang!
Jack kicked Hector again, sending him flying even farther, slamming at a rock.
"Ah… holy shit." Hector struggled to get up, his face pale as death. He limped and leaned against a nearby rock.
He glanced tiredly at his sword, now mostly cracked after blocking Jack's kick.
"So, what will you do now?" Luna asked in a playful tone.
Hector smirked, tossed the ruined sword aside, and slumped down in exhaustion.
"Of course, I'll watch your performance, Princess."
Luna pouted and walked over to Hector. She helped him up, her eyes filled with guilt as she looked at his battered body.
She shouldn't have postponed summoning her monster just to watch that man torment Hector.
"Sorry… I should've summoned the monster from the start."
Hector smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, little princess. If you're a bit less angry about what I did to you, that's enough for me."
Luna grumbled.
"Call me Luna."
Hector nodded, glancing at the hideous monster still fighting Jack. He clicked his tongue as he witnessed the monster's power.
A one-sided fight. Luna's summon completely overwhelmed Jack.
"Luna, you're pretty naughty, lying to me about needing time to summon."