It has been more than two hours since I started fighting with Millonia. I am now lying on my back, contemplating about how beautiful this world's sky is.
"It's a good day to have a picnic," I muse as I gaze at the clear sky. "To think this fucked up world has this beautiful sky ... Oh, right. This world is not fucked up—the people are."
"Rather than lying there like a wimp, why don't you stand on your feet?"
At the annoyingly condescending voice, I heave an exasperated sigh. I lift my hands, then look at the daggers I am strongly holding in each of my hand.
I grit my teeth as I recall what the voice has just said, and I can't hold my anger from bubbling up. Millonia, the owner of the voice, hasn't only just ridiculed me, but also made a joke about my feet, which she has just cut off a few seconds ago!
My vision darkens the angrier I become, but I managed to calm myself down in the end. I have been bullied for too long—I know that the more we show our pain and angef, the more excited the bully becomes.
"Thanks to you, I can only sit on my butt now."
"Want a quick death?"
"Nah, it'll regrow in a few minutes."
"Well, I'll give you the opportunity to do your thing."
Even though I can't see Millonia, I am pretty sure she has just shrugged her shoulders—it is apparent from her nonchalant tone. Anyway, I have just recently found out that I don't have to Reset to get my injuries healed.
Just a few hours ago, the moment when I managed to hurt Millonia for the first time, I received a present from her. She promised to never kill me—to not make me Reset—for today.
I initially thought she was giving me the opportunity to not get hurt for today, but I was soon proven to be wrong the moment she cut open my abdomen.
I keeled over in pain, but true to her words, she didn't kill me. Of course, it wasn't something to rejoice about since I had to endure the pain of having my innards exposed to the outside world.
Much to my surprise however, the pain didn't last more than a minute, and my opened abdomen was closed in just three minutes.
I was bewildered at first, but soon figured out the reason behind the Magical phenomenal—the Demon King's Mark on my hand. It was shining brightly while pumping something inside my body through my vein.
That way, I found that the Demon King's Mark does not only define my status as a Demon King Candidate, but also acts as my Magical medical kit. I should have expected this actually, since Valeria has said that its existence makes it hard for me to die.
The other fact I found about the Demon King's Mark is, it heals my injuries faster when I am "dead." Dead, in this case, is when I receive a normally deathly injury for a normal human, other than getting my head chopped off—I'll be gone for real if it was the case.
The moment I am considered dead, the Demon King's Mark will be activated, and I will Reset. I don't understand what it actually does to my body, but the substance it is pumping through my vein must be the cause of the change my body undergoes in each Reset.
Basically, I am immortal as long as I don't get my head chopped off—that's the only part of my body that won't grow after if it is cut. Also something that needs to be remembered, I won't die as long as I have the Demon King's Mark.
One might be wondering how I can lose the Demon King's Mark, but it is a really simple matter. Apparently, the Demon King's Mark is only carved on my hand, so if I somehow got my hand chopped off, the mark wouldn't work any longer.
In other words, the day I lose my right hand, where the Demon King's Mark is carved on, is the day where I can officially say goodbye to my pathetic life.
"Oops... That will never happen, right, me?" I sit myself up and find that my feet have already regrown. I turn my eyes to Millonia, then shout, "Did you keep my cut off feet?"
"I wish I could." Millonia shakes her head in mock bitterness. "Unfortunately, they immediately turned to dust after a few minutes."
"Well, it's unfortunate that you can't fulfill your sick desire, isn't it?" I smirk before standing up.
I have already realized that there is something wrong with my mind since yesterday, but I still can't bring myself to think normally any longer. I find the fact that Millonia can't toy with my cut off body parts satisfying.
Grabbing the two daggers tighter, I observe Millonia's stance carefully. I am actually still a clueless young man, who has no idea of what a good fighting technique is, but I still do that instinctively.
Hours of fighting with her has allowed me to grasp some of her habits, so I can somehow see the gaps in her defense that I can exploit.
I am aware she is showing all of those gaps intentionally, but I am sure that she is telling me to actually use them to my advantage—it's a part of training.
"Well, you look readier in each passing hour, so I guess you can give me another injury this time?"
"You can only expect."
She has many reasons to show those gaps: mainly, because I haven't been able to give her a scratch for the past few hours. I lack the speed, power, and experience; she has always put me in situations that I don't know how to react to.
The way she inflicts injuries upon me and the way she attacks me in my most vulnerable spot, however, has allowed me to better myself. I still have many things to learn, but fighting her makes me learn all of those things faster.
'I don't know how good my actual performance is though...' Snickering to myself, I put strength to my feet before kicking the ground to dash at Millonia. She is ready as usual, but she doesn't have any intention to be on defense this time.
Clank!
"How you like that?"
"I don't like that!"
Millonia has decided to go on offense as she enthusiastically brandishes her sword at me. She is smiling beautifully the entire time, but I know the meaning behind the smile has nothing to do with beauty.
I didn't know how to fight using a dagger nor had I ever tried to use a dagger on Earth, but I could immediately use the daggers Valeria gave me the moment I touched them.
The way I handle them is getting better each time, so in result, I can take Millonia's sword head on.
'Fuck! My hands have gone numb!'
Needless to say, being able to take her sword head on doesn't mean that I can actually match her. I am always overwhelmed whenever I am parrying her sword, but my fear of getting cut has always brought me far in the game.
"Is this the best you can do? You can't even injure me?! What a joke!"
"Too loud, bitch. Are you seriously comparing a beginner to a veteran? Laughable!"
"Your mouth is sharper than your techniques, isn't it?"
"Who knows?"
I grin before thrusting my right foot to Millonia's abdomen. She, of course, managed to dodge it, but I don't mind in the slightest; that is what I have been aiming.
I quickly jump backwards now that there is already a gap between me and her, but her monstrous physical prowess allows her to perform something impossible for a normal human.
She immediately dashes at me less than a second after she stepped back, then swings her sword at me.
Clank!
Her swing is even stronger than her previous ones, as the impact throws me quite far to the back. Though my hands hurt blocking her sword, I managed to distance myself from her ... Or that's what I thought.
"Surprise, wimp!"
"Motherfu—"
Bam!
Millonia is already in front of me, then kicks me hard in the middle of my abdomen. My body bends due to how powerful her kick is, but instead of just letting myself get beaten up, I quickly wrap my hands around her leg before slashing it with the daggers.
"Shit!"
Millonia doesn't seem to expect I would do that from the way she reacts. She immediately swings her leg strongly in the air, throwing me off her leg to the ground a few feet away from her.
It hurts when I land on the ground, but I am grinning from ear to ear. I have just injured Millonia for the second time today, and I am starting to find fighting with her exciting.
"Oi, oi, what's with that look?" Millonia quirks her eyebrow. "You are no different than me, aren't you?"
"We're different, unfortunately. You're a bitch, I am not."
Millonia doesn't say a thing, but I can see the lunatic grin slowly creeping up her face. It doesn't fit her beautiful face at all, but seeing it really excites me for some reason.
'How good will it feel when I managed to wipe that smile off her face?' With a thought that I didn't know I would ever think of, I dash at Millonia once again.