A Tale of One Deviant (Book 2) (Technically Hiatus, but kind of not)

Chapter 211: Party Crasher

     "You gave him your blessing, Master."

     "Oh, that's right...and then I was sick afterwards-"

     "Your blessing?" Keir narrowed his eyes and looked closer at Brownie's Status. "Well there it is...I didn't think you could give mortals access to the system with just that."

     "What? Are you taking notes now?"

     "No, I don't need to. There aren't many mortals I have my eyes on...though...that human woman there-"

     "No."

     "What's her name? Thérèse? That's a nice name. I once killed a saintess with that name..."

     "Keir! Don't touch my mortals!"

     "Yours? Just because you grew up with them doesn't make them yours, Princess-"

     "Did you declare war on heaven to protect them?" I glared, turning my face to look at him while finally cleaning it of blood. "No, no you didn't. I did. They are mine."

     "Ah, the thousand-fold thing. You know, Ethan was just wondering about that-"

     "Please, spare me the thoughts of the God of Death. I have my revenge, and that's all I need."

     "You didn't even properly finish off your feud with him. He gave you his arm only because it would get Lior's aid, nothing more."

     "So? It's mine now. He ate my arm, I have his. Fair and square."

     "That's right...you fight dirty, don't you? But, well, I'm not worried if it's you."

     "...really? You're not afraid?"

     "I have been watching you fight this entire year, Princess. I'm not blind - just because you're strong enough that I can't see your Status anymore, doesn't mean you're strong enough to beat me."

     "Hohhh..."

     Lightning was sparking over my kimono again.

     "Those are fighting words, lolicon..."

     "Ah," he held up a finger, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "Not yet. I didn't even share the news, don't you want to hear?"

     "If it's about the I-Line, I already saw-"

     "No, no, not about that. It's about what you did in Newone."

     "...what about it?"

     A flash of that alien monolith came to mind as the battle started, the kid announcer finally stopping his long monologue to let the fight begin. I snapped my fingers and reinforced the barrier, just in case. It wasn't built for them to be duking it out, but the much weaker ones.

     "My money's on the human woman."

     "Ah! What! No!"

     "You should be faithful and bet on your own servant. Don't you have faith in him?"

     "Obviously not! He's not even been training that long with his new Status, and Kiki barely taught him enough to manipulate it himself! He's so weak-!"

     Brownie brought out the sword I gave him, coating it in aura and swinging it straight down. The landscape for them - since it wasn't just a flat field for them to run around on, but an actual obstacle course of trees, rocks, etc., that changed with every fight - was a field of ice floes and icy water waiting beneath. It was frigid inside of that space...and that kid announcer, he really must've been having fun changing up all of the landscapes I preset up in that box. He just went ahead and chose the hardest one.