This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

Chapter 154 29.8 Utility?

RED

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Red relied heavily on his [Manifest] to keep his calm as he eyed the beautiful woman in front of her. He already knew at first glance that she was no ordinary Somatic, but the revelation of her identity had revealed just how special she was to the very fabric of the political status quo of the Deep.

A princess... The Imperial Princess, no less... He had no idea as to why someone as important as the sole heiress to the Empire was sailing in a [Rig] far from the safety of the Kattleynan capital, but the fact that she was here right in front of him meant that Vestyge had the golden opportunity of capturing the one person in the Empire that could force the massive nation to the negotiating table.

Truly, his luck had been throwing him into one interesting situation. However...

"How could I know that what you're saying is the truth?" he coolly asked. "Perhaps you're a mere impostor posing as the Imperial Princess?"

The chances of it happening were slim to none, of course. Kattleyna was known for being honorable on a select number of topics. One of them was on the very concept of being in person when doing dealings with someone of equal stature. Kattleynan messengers were usually composed of high-ranking nobility within the Kattleynan courts, apparently as a way of showing sincerity in their offers depending on how powerful the messenger was on the Imperial hierarchy.

Knowing that, however, was that the reason why the Princess was out in the Deep? Was she supposed to start some sort of dialogue with someone that the Empire deemed equal to the Crown Princess herself?

As if considering his question, the princess visibly looked for something on her person to prove her identity. He knew that he should attack her right then and there, but with her eyes still glowing black and green with her [Manifest]'s power, there was no way that he could guarantee his safety while doing so.

Eventually, she settled on pointing to her flowing green hair. "Is this proof enough?"

Red blinked at her hair. It was true that no other lineage in the Deep held such a deep emerald hue of hair other than the Kattleynan Royal Family. Even Vestygian records showed as such.

"Fair enough," he nodded. "With your identity confirmed, I shall now take you into custody."

"Wha-"

Dashing forward, logic dictated that catching the princess off guard would guarantee that she would be unable to dodge her. Her earlier speed was a problem, but closing in would be-

"[HEAT ACTION]!"

A [Move]?!

Halting mid-charge, Red raised his halberd to block as the princess's fist made contact with his weapon. The force of the [Move] almost made him fly off, but the weight of his halberd and cool thinking on his part allowed him to reestablish his composure and put up his guard.

Clearly, the princess was trained.

"You're not even going to debate me?! Seriously?!"

Red simply aimed his halberd at the princess as he responded. "The time for talks has finished. Your status as the Crown Princess has made it imperative that I capture you for the betterment of the Republic."

It was simply the most logical option. His [Befehl]'s calming waves had given him the logic to ignore the burning curiosity within him, and entertaining the princess's clear desire for answers would be the key to his victory.

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SHIZU

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[*HISS!*]

Shizu hadn't recovered from her earlier move when the man's halberd shot itself forward once more, its sharp edge almost following her as she jumped away from the attack. Clearly, her decision to reveal her name had been a mistake...

Then again, she wasn't really the best when it came to politics.

"That's just rude!"

Shedding her regal mask, Shizu let her old self return as she inwardly went through her options. Her opponent clearly had the advantage in terms of range and utility, and the way his halberd somehow withstood her [Move] showed that he was just as durable. Looking at that, her advantage then came down to power and agility, something that she had in spades as she dashed across the bridge looking for an opening.

[*HISS! HISS!*]

Her eyes trained on her opponent, her feet spun on a dime with each attempt that his halberd did to skewer her like a pig. While the bridge itself had some sort of cover she could use, they proved to be ineffective as the halberd simply pierced through them.

"Hold still."

Hearing the man, she let out a scoff as she quickly set a path for herself.

[*HISS!*]

Waiting just after his halberd shot for her, Shizu jumped on top of the weapon before bouncing off the nearest kiosk. Lunging straight at the man, she wound her punch back as her [Code Watcher] told her that he was utterly defenseless-

"Big mistake, Princess."

Wha-

[*FWOOSH!*]

Flames?!

Bracing herself, Shizu closed her eyes as the wall of fire obscured her enemy just enough that she couldn't connect the hit. She then felt a fist swatting her away, her back hitting the nearest kiosk before she slid across the blood-soaked floor.

"W-What was that?" she found herself asking, forcing herself back up as she looked at the strange weapon. "What the... black fuel?"

Her [Code Watcher] filtered the ones and zeroes from the weapon, showing her the halberd's true form as its outline became clear for her to see. To her surprise, the flames were coming from the halberd's shaft as it spewed out black fuel, the substance quickly igniting into flames by virtue of a small spark being emitted right by the mouth of the black fuel's outlet.

"Ahh, I'm surprised you even noticed that," the man complimented. "And from that, I now know that your [Manifest] simply gives you supernatural eyesight."

She blinked at his words. She almost wanted to say more, but she knew to keep her mouth shut as she instead braced herself for yet another exchange of blows.

"This is the gift of Vestygian ingenuity," he continued, the flames dissipating as he twirled the weapon around. "While the other nations shunned black fuel, the Republic embraced it, allowing us to craft more powerful tools and weapons for our disposal."

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