𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
The battle between Jabberwock and Queen of Hearts, both in Total Assimilation mode, begins.
Albero enlarges his right arm, while Queen enlarges her left.
In the Total Assimilation state, both scale and power are different.
Albero channels the “End of the World” into his five fingers and spreads them out.
If touched by these five fingers, all Summoned beasts will lose their 『abilities』.
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“Let’s gooooooooooo!!”
“Fufu.”
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With every step, cracks form in the ground.
Albero, transformed into Jabberwock, approaches Shin with a speed incomparable to his human form.
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“Take this! 『End of the World』!!”
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The five fingers close in on Shin. However, Shin deftly dodges the hand.
Then, with her left hand, she punches Jabberwock’s belly.
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“Wha━?!”
“Relying too much on big moves. Full of openings. Your belly is wide open.”
“But. . . . . .ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
“Oops.”
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Albero launches a flurry of punches from the left and right.
But Shin avoids and deflects all the attacks.
It’s not due to any power. He’s purely dodging through 『technique』.
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“With just brute force, you can’t beat me!”
“Wh━━?!”
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Smoothly, with a natural motion, she slips into close quarters.
Then, with a speed several times faster than Albero’s, she unleashes a rapid punch combo.
Every fist lands squarely in Albero’s belly.
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“Ughhhh?! What the━━?!”
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Albero, spitting blood, is sent flying.
Shin approaches slowly. From her appearance, she looked like a masked lady in a white dress, but she’s a formidable hand-to-hand combatant.
Not using any abilities. Just showing pure strength.
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“One of the 『Capricious Queen』’s abilities, 『The Queen Knows』. . . . . .Albero, I can predict all your moves. This power lets me foresee your movements. So, it’s pointless. Even in Total Assimilation mode, you can’t match me, your equal.”
“But, but. . . . . .”
“You understand, right? The power of the Queen of Hearts, the difference in Total Assimilation mode, the sheer physical difference. . . . . .Albero, you can’t win. You just can’t.”
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Shin kneels and strokes Albero’s head.
It’s as if she’s teaching him the difference in their ranks, gently, with love.
But Albero pushes her hand away.
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“It’s not over. . . . . .I haven’t lost yet.”
“But you can’t win.”
“What?!”
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The Queen crushes Albero’s head under her foot.
Cracks form in the ground, and blood spurts from Jabberwock’s head.
Yet, Albero refuses to give in.
He grabs the Queen’s leg with his right hand.
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“『Hardening』 and 『End of the World』 won’t work on me. A king’s abilities don’t affect a queen.”
“. . . . . .”
“So, why not stop? Albero. . . . . .Just let go.”
“No. . . . . .Never!”
“. . . . . .”
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Shin sighs.
Truly, Albero hasn’t given up.
If the roles were reversed, Shin would probably have given up by now.
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“It’s okay. Albero, why not come with me? I’ll do anything for you. I’ll love you so much. I’ll even let you keep what’s important to you.”
“. . . . . .What’s important. . . . . .”
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Albero tightened his grip on Shin’s leg even more.
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“Everyone has something precious. . . . . .Shin, you don’t have the right to trample on that!!”
“. . . . . .”
“That’s why, I will fight. . . . . .for what’s truly important, for this world. . . . . .for the world of humans!!”
“━━!”
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A crack appears on Shin’s leg.
Shin kicks Albero away, creating distance between them.
Albero stands up and. . . . . .extends his right hand.
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“The power of Jabberwock beyond 『Hardening』… the 『Poem of the King』!”
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His right hand enlarges and begins to transform.
The right hand that hardens everything. Time, space, events, infinity, life, everything in this world. And beyond hardening lies, stopping. The current Albero could control this 『stop』.
Jabberwock’s right hand stops everything in its path. And it can interfere with what it has stopped. Whatever is stopped can be easily controlled by Jabberwock’s right hand.
Using this, Albero completely stops both the 『soul of Shin』 and the 『soul of the Queen of Hearts』 inside Shin and then tries to separate only the soul of the Queen. He then tries to move it again.
Now, Albero can also move things he has stopped.
Once he stops Shin, he separates the soul and then moves it again.
He can surely do it. Surely.
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“Shin!! I’ll. . . . . .finish this now!!”
“Wh. . . . . .what is this?”
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Shin felt an unprecedented pressure from Albero’s right hand.
But, it was already too late.
Albero’s right hand had already been unleashed.
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“『Twilight World』!!”
“━━?!”
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The released fist struck Shin, stopping her movement.
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