Chapter 54: She Grows Stronger Every Time

“Aiki!!!”

Joey looked at Aiki, who was still trying to offend him.

His heart was in complete disarray, so he whispered:

“Don’t push your luck with me…”

“Hmm? What is Young Master Joey saying? I don’t understand at all…”

As Aiki spoke, she reached her hand into Joey’s collar.

“I’m just… acting according to your request…”

“Haa!”

Joey couldn’t help but let out a groan. Gritting his teeth, he said:

“Acting… haa… acting what… you’re clearly… hmph! Settling a personal grudge under the guise of work!!!”

The Protagonist knew that Aiki was taking out her anger on him for ignoring her a while ago.

But… why did it have to be now?!

“I’m not… Also… please cry out a bit more provocatively, Young Master. That way, it’ll attract Seia’s attention even more.”

Aiki pressed her lips against Joey’s collarbone…

“Ughhh!!!”

“Mhm… just like that…”

Aiki narrowed her playful eyes.

“Young Master hasn’t been paying attention to Aiki lately… Aiki is very lonely…”

“Haa… I… I haven’t…”

“Yes, you have…”

Aiki’s gaze was resentful, yet she didn’t stop her movements.

“I… I know I was wrong… You… haa, stop doing this…”

Joey said while struggling:

“It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to you…”

“It’s… it’s just…”

“Ever since that night… whenever I’m close to you…”

“My heart beats very… very fast…”

Eh?

Aiki raised her head and looked into Joey’s eyes, which seemed like they were about to melt.

“Ha… ha… That’s why… I subconsciously didn’t dare to get close to you…”

So the Young Master… liked me without even realizing it?

My little Chef Boy Young Master…

I really love you to death…

Aiki looked at the Protagonist’s face. Just as she was about to kiss him deeply again…

“Aiki!!!”

Seia raised that Giant Sword and charged forward again.

“Boom!!!”

Aiki hurriedly picked up Joey and leapt up once more.

This time, Aiki manifested bat wings and flew into the air.

“Huff… huff…”

Joey asked from Aiki’s arms, looking at her newly regrown limb.

“I still have something to ask you…”

“Why did you push me away when Seia attacked earlier… even if I took her hit, it would only be a minor injury…”

“…”

Aiki remained silent for a moment.

Looking at Seia, who had leapt from the ground with blood-red eyes, she threw out two Water Blades.

Taking advantage of Seia dodging, Aiki responded coldly: “Letting my Master get hurt in front of me…”

“Is a disgrace for a Subordinate…”

Huh?

Joey looked at Aiki’s evasive gaze…

Stare…

Joey looked at Aiki’s face to the left…

But Aiki turned her face to the right…

So Joey looked at her face from the right…

And Aiki turned her face back to the left.

“Eh? You…”

Joey narrowed his eyes at Aiki…

“So you…”

“Weren’t trying to usurp my position…”

“Could it be that you like me?”

“Young Master, Seia is about to attack…”

Aiki dodged Joey’s question and hurriedly tossed the Protagonist aside.

Then, she raised her Rain Umbrella and met Seia’s Giant Sword.

“Bang!!!!”

A powerful Magic Wave exploded as their weapons collided.

“Ai… ki…”

Seia gritted her teeth, her pupils flashing crimson…

“Give my Joey… back to me!!!!!”

Seia’s violent eyes glared at Aiki…

Aiki frowned…

This girl…

Is her strength greater than before?

Before Aiki could think further, Seia exerted all her strength with both hands, unexpectedly sending the Cadre level Aiki flying.

“Screech!!!!!”

Aiki stabbed her Rain Umbrella into the ground to steady herself…

How strange…

Aiki looked at Seia, whose body was emitting a faint red aura…

Seia before…

Should have only been Bronze Grade…

When Seia first entered the Maze, Aiki could sense that she was only Platinum Grade.

If a Demon Executive were converted to Human levels…

It would be around Grandmaster Level 5…

A Grandmaster fighting a Platinum Grade should be able to suppress them easily…

But ever since she pierced Seia’s throat just now…

This girl’s strength seemed to have grown.

Aiki frowned. Before she could ponder further, Seia charged over, dragging the Giant Sword.

There were no flashy moves or skills…

She was simply swinging it with the most basic Warrior Giant Sword techniques…

Aiki watched Seia cleave down at her and directly raised her Rain Umbrella to block…

“Bang!!!!”

Aiki felt as if a thousand-pound weight had smashed into her, making her hands tremble slightly…

Seia’s…

Strength had grown again…

Just a moment ago, they were evenly matched, but now…

She could actually suppress her in the fight…

However…

Aiki knew that during this time, Seia had only been fighting Lesser Demon Beasts and had no experience fighting intelligent beings…

No matter how powerful a Lesser Demon Beast was, it had no brain…

Seeing that her strength couldn’t hold out, Aiki channeled Magic into the Rain Umbrella…

The Rain Umbrella instantly transformed into a black bat.

The tip of the umbrella became the bat’s snout, letting out a loud shriek at Seia.

However, while the bat opened its mouth, it made no audible sound.

While Seia was confused…

“Pop!!!!”

Her ears suddenly rang, followed by streams of heat flowing out.

It was Blood…

Seia looked at the blood on her hands and then at the umbrella that had turned into a bat…

It was high-frequency Ultrasound…

Previously, as a bookworm, Seia had read many encyclopedias.

The Blood Clan, who shared origins with bats, possessed such abilities, using Ultrasound to expand their battlefield advantage.

It was only temporary deafness…

Seia used her Giant Sword to bat the umbrella aside.

Just as she was about to attack Aiki behind the umbrella…

A circular Magic Array appeared at Aiki’s fingertips, and the white-haired beauty Aiki was muttering something…

Seia couldn’t hear…

But she saw Aiki’s mouth movements…

Ab…

solute…

Freeze…

“Wring!!!”

Suddenly!

Fast and powerful cold winds surged from the Magic Array in Aiki’s hand.

The unexpected Magic release left Seia no time to dodge; she could only block with the Bone Greatsword held in front of her.

However, this was merely stalling for time…

The powerful cold wind froze Seia into a block of ice in an instant.

“Phew…”

Aiki blew away the last snowflake on her finger, then looked at Seia frozen in the ice.

“Young Master…”

“The current Seia has become quite troublesome.”

“Undying and Indestructible—she becomes stronger every time she’s injured.”

“It seems Zixuan has created a monster…”

Joey frowned as he looked at the frozen Seia…

“If she gets stronger every time she’s injured…”

“Then why would she be trapped by a simple freezing spell…”

“!!!”

Joey suddenly saw Seia’s eyes blink inside the ice block…

“Aiki!! Get out of the way!!!!”

Just as Joey was about to channel Magic to attack the ice…

“Bang!!!”

Before Aiki could react, her chest was pierced by a blood-covered arm…

“Crack…”

“Pfft!!!”

Aiki’s eyes widened, and she coughed up a mouthful of Blood…

“Aren’t you being a bit…”

“…Too overconfident…”

Seia shattered the ice in an instant, staring at the Vampire Queen with eyes full of violence…

Seia said with a cold face as she looked at the two of them:

“The grudge I have with you and Joey… I will start settling it slowly, starting now…”