Reincarnated as a Mob in an Otome Game, but the Characters Were Worse Than I Expected, So I Crushed Them All and Destroyed the Story - Chapter 38: Mob Settles the Fight

Chapter 38: Mob Settles the Fight

“So, in the end, it’s you standing before me again. Well, I suppose that’s for the best. Watching that pink-haired one win wouldn’t have been entertaining anyway.”

“I’m honored, but that’s far more praise than I deserve.”

“Oh? I don’t think so. After all, you’re the only one who can fight me at full strength.”

I’d really prefer if she didn’t, though.

If I took a direct hit from Charlotte at full power, I’d be on a one-way express ticket straight to the afterlife.

I’d be dead before I even realized what happened.

“This is the first time we’ve gone all out since our duel. I’m glad I got another chance to fight you.”

“Haaah… This wasn’t supposed to happen, you know.”

I let out a sigh and raised my sword.

The moment I did, a surge of energy flowed into me.

Lana had always been wary of Gilbert, but when it came down to an actual fight, she didn’t hold back.

That was just who she was—Lana, the battle-hungry berserker.

“From the very start, we’re going all out, Gilbert. Give me everything you’ve got.”

[Watch your tone. I am the unparalleled spirit, Gilbert. My master had better not embarrass me by losing to the same opponent twice.]

“Fufu, that’s more like it. Normally, going all out is just exhausting… but this time, anything less would be meaningless.”

Charlotte flashed an innocent smile—

A smile so uncharacteristically sweet and childlike that, for just a moment, I let my guard down.

And in that very instant, a chill ran down my spine.

She had already taken a low stance, her sword poised and ready, eyes locked onto me like a predator eyeing its prey.

(—Damn it! Lana! She’s coming!)

[Eh—?]

A bolt of black lightning shot past me.

An unbearable numbness spread through my body as blood trickled from several fresh cuts.

Before I could even process what happened, my legs gave out, and I dropped to one knee.

“Black Thunderclap… As expected, you’re incredible.”

“…Gah…!”

It hurt like hell. My whole body was still buzzing from the shock.

It was like getting zapped by static electricity—except a hundred times stronger.

No, more like a thousand.

And it was ridiculously fast.

I had barely managed to react in time, and even then, this was the result.

“You actually blocked it on your first try? You really are fascinating. Even though you got injured, you still avoided a fatal hit.”

“That was pure luck… I had no idea you were hiding something like that.”

This technique—Black Thunderclap—was something Charlotte never used in the game.

If I had been relying solely on game knowledge without raising my own stats, the moment that attack grazed me would have been the end.

Both its speed and power were far beyond what any student should be capable of.

And the fact that she had mastered a move like this in such a short amount of time—

Honestly, I almost wished this was all just a bad dream.

(Alright… So my already strong opponent has returned even stronger. The level of refinement in her skills is insane… she’s practically perfected herself as a warrior.)

[Exciting, isn’t it, Master?]

(I fail to see what’s so exciting about this, but sure, I’ll humor you. What exactly are you looking forward to?)

[Isn’t it obvious? The stronger the enemy, the greater the satisfaction when you take them down! This version of Charlotte is definitely the strongest she’s ever been.]

So, in other words… 

The Charlotte standing before me now was the strongest opponent I had faced in my entire second life.

And yet, she still wasn’t fighting at full power.

She really was an absolute monster.

[But honestly, Master—you look like you’re having fun too.]

(Fun? Me?)

[Check your face.]

At Lana’s words, I raised my left hand and touched the corners of my mouth.

…They were curved upward.

Even when I consciously tried to press my lips into a firm line, the moment I relaxed, they curled right back up.

(I see… So I was enjoying this after all.)

[That’s what I thought. Well, I’ll be here as long as you need me. So go ahead—fight to your heart’s content.]

Lana really was an exceptional spirit.

Though, to be fair, her own battle junkie nature probably played a big role in this.

But in moments like these—when I needed it most—she never hesitated to push me forward.

“You’re smiling even in a situation like this. Just how much strength are you still hiding?”

“Hiding? I don’t have that kind of luxury. I’m always fighting at full power.”

“Oh? Then how should I interpret that grin of yours?”

“I’m just enjoying the fight.”

“Fufu… I see. Well—I’ll still be the one who wins.”

Charlotte vanished again.

Reaction speed wasn’t explicitly listed as a stat, but it was closely tied to agility.

Most likely, the faster someone moved, the more their vision adapted to keep up.

And yet—even with my agility stat far exceeding Charlotte’s—I could barely keep track of her movements.

She wasn’t just fast.

She was using her innate reaction speed, enhanced by the power of lightning, to push her speed beyond what should be possible.

(That said… I have no intention of going down easily.)

I sharpened my senses, focusing on every direction at once.

Lana, sensing the shift, began channeling energy into the blade—tiny shards of ice floating around the sword in preparation for the next strike.

“There.”

I spun around and swung my sword.

A sharp clang rang through the air.

I hadn’t fully caught her yet.

But even grazing her was enough.

That one small success—proof that I could keep up—was all I needed to push myself even higher.

“Too slow.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“…!?”

Without even turning around, I blocked Charlotte’s blade as she struck from behind.

In the same instant, jagged ice blades erupted from the ground, lunging toward her.

She cut through every last one of them, not taking a single scratch—but this was still a decisive moment.

I had found a way to counter Black Thunderclap.

“I didn’t think you’d be able to read my movements after just one attack…”

“For a gamer, memorizing an opponent’s attack patterns is second nature.”

“A… gamer? I have no idea what that means, but this is still unbelievable.”

Charlotte wasn’t the only one who learned from our first battle.

I had already picked up on some of her habits back then.

She might be a genius, but I had my own way of catching up—through relentless practice and experience.

(Lana, let’s finish this.)

[Roger that~]

I swung Lana in a wide arc, and the air instantly grew colder.

Frost began spreading along the blade—then up my right arm.

“…! You’re not seriously…!”

“This is my resolve. My conviction to end this with a single strike. You’ll take it head-on, won’t you?”

“…Fufu, of course. If this takes me down, then I’ll have no choice but to admit you’re stronger than me.”

Sparks crackled from her sword once more—

She had taken the same stance as she did at the climax of our first battle.

The technique she had chosen—

Was Black Thunder Slash.

“Here we go.”

“Come at me whenever you like.”

At the exact same moment, we both kicked off the ground.

And then—our strongest attacks clashed head-on.

“Frozen King’s Flash.”

That was the name of our technique—an all-consuming blizzard that froze and shattered everything in its path.

Even my own arm was caught in the frost, but I didn’t care.

The sheer force of the attack was enough to freeze even Charlotte’s magic, cutting right through it.

“Im…possible…”

Charlotte dropped to her knees.

But I wasn’t unscathed either.

Blood gushed freely from a deep wound in my right shoulder, staining the ground beneath me.

“…I lost.”

Finally.

At long last, she had acknowledged me.

Even as pain shot through my shoulder, I exhaled in relief.

It had been a long road to get here.

But now—Charlotte had admitted defeat of her own will.

All that was left was to convince her to join me—

“hah… hah… Now that I’ve lost… I wonder what will happen to me…? Will I be humiliated in front of the entire student body…? Will I be paraded around in disgrace…? hah… hah…”

…And here I thought we had finally gotten past this.

Guess not.

[Didn’t you say earlier that you were going to “retrain” her properly?]

Lana sounded half-exasperated, half-amused.

I had no words.

At the same time—

Everything went black, and my strength faded from my body.