Meanwhile, Haruto completely dissolved the conceptual frost, releasing the frozen flow of time.
"Kill me," Esdeath said calmly, her voice entirely devoid of panic.
She had accepted her defeat on every conceivable level—outmatched in swordsmanship, completely nullified in raw ice manipulation, and rendered utterly helpless against his ultimate technique.
There was no lingering adrenaline or thrill of combat left, only the cold resignation of a predator who had encountered a true monster.
This had never been a balanced fight; it had been a masterclass in absolute dominion.
Haruto looked down at her, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Why are you asking for death so readily?"
"Because I can tell... this battle didn't even amuse you," Esdeath replied, her expression ice-cold yet steady. "To a warrior, being beneath someone's notice is the ultimate disgrace. Just end it."
"..."
Haruto let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "You aren't going to die today."
Ding!
[Ding! The trade has been successfully completed!]
[Ding! You have received all trade conditions: 'Body usage rights for one time' and 'Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract'!]
"See? The system transaction is complete, and now it's time for me to collect my prize," Haruto said, his fingers reaching out to gently tilt her chin upward.
"Don't forget, we had a formal wager—and you lost."
"The victor takes everything. I am not one to break a promise," Esdeath acknowledged, her blue eyes locking onto his without flinching.
A corner of her lip curved upward. "So, what are your demands?"
"I certainly appreciate someone who respects an agreement." Haruto let his gaze trace briefly over her pale, flawless skin before a playful glint entered his eyes.
"How about we make a second, supplementary bet?"
"Hmm?" Esdeath narrowed her eyes, a dangerous curiosity flashing in her gaze. "What kind of bet?"
"According to our prior terms, I'm entitled to your body usage rights," Haruto murmured, his voice dropping an octave.
Though Esdeath was entirely a stranger to romance and intimacy, she wasn't foolish—she understood the explicit weight of his words, especially as Haruto's hand slowly trailed down from her chin to trace lightly along her collarbone.
"Consider this a completely different kind of battlefield," Haruto continued smoothly.
"If you lose this match, you'll belong to me, body and soul, and obey me unconditionally. But if by some chance I lose... I will submit to you just the same. How does that sound? Do you dare to accept the challenge?"
"..."
A battle, huh?
Esdeath found this man endlessly fascinating, reframing the most intimate of conquests as an extension of war. "You're treating me like your prey, aren't you?"
Haruto offered a casual shrug. "Was I really that obvious?"
His intense, unwavering gaze left zero room for misinterpretation.
It was the absolute, possessive look of a seasoned hunter staring down a rare beast—an expression Esdeath knew intimately, because it was the exact same look she wore when hunting Danger Beasts across the frozen frontiers.
For the first time in her life, she found herself trapped on the receiving end of that look, and to her utter surprise, she found it thrilling.
A low, throaty laugh escaped her lips. "Heh. Just be careful that your prey doesn't turn around and rip your throat out first."
"If that ever happens, it'll just mean my hunting skills were a bit rusty," Haruto replied with a confident grin. "So, do we have a deal?"
"If we're talking about a battlefield, then this war shouldn't be settled out in the open," Esdeath whispered, her eyes burning with newfound desire.
Just as Haruto started to withdraw his hand, Esdeath suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist in a firm, unyielding grip, her tongue sliding slowly across her lips.
"No more talking. Let's start the real battle!"
Crack—!
A violent surge of sub-zero energy erupted around them, flash-freezing the shattered earth.
Towering walls of thick, iridescent blue ice violently spiked upward, rapidly closing in and sealing the two of them inside a massive, isolated dome of solid frost.
Haruto raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "You really do love escalating things, don't you?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Esdeath—fully reclaiming her role as the apex predator—lunged forward, tackling him directly as the real war began.
"???"
Back in her apartment, Mai froze dead in her tracks, staring in sheer disbelief at the floating projection.
What on earth had just happened?! They hadn't even bothered to waste a single second of preamble!
"Whoa! Haruto really doesn't mess around, does he?"
Leone let out a low whistle, equal parts shocked and deeply impressed by the sheer audacity of the spectacle.
Mine slowly turned her stiff, creaking neck toward Akame, her face drained of all color as she stuttered, "D-Did he seriously forget to turn off the live stream?!"
Akame glanced up at the pulsing broadcast icon and gave a slow, stoic shake of her head.
"I am not certain. He did broadcast a somewhat similar situation once before, though..."
"Uuugh...!"
Mine let out a strangled groan, completely collapsing sideways onto the floorboards and curling into a miserable, mortified puddle of pure embarrassment.
"This chat group... is completely unhinged!"
"I... I think I'll head back to my room now,"
Sheele murmured, her entire face glowing a brilliant, atomic shade of crimson as she nervously tucked a strand of lavender hair behind her ear, utterly overwhelmed by the second-hand embarrassment.
Najenda exchanged a knowing, weary glance with Leone and wordlessly hoisted the limp, groaning Mine up by her collar to drag her away.
Within moments, the room cleared out, leaving only Akame and her captive sister, Kurome, sitting in heavy, surreal silence.
Kurome blinked her large, innocent eyes, tilting her head. "Nesan... is that how you were violated?"
Her distant memories of Akame's previous encounter with Haruto were vastly different—Akame had been quiet, overwhelmed, and entirely submissive, unlike the feral, aggressive energy Esdeath was currently unleashing.
"Ugh..." Even the unflappable Akame felt a hot flush creep up her neck.
She pulled her knees to her chest, ducking her head as she mumbled defensively,
"That... that was a formal trade, not a violation."
"A trade, huh..."
Kurome squinted suspiciously, her deadpan expression betraying a profound lack of understanding regarding the nuances of inter-dimensional bargaining.
Meanwhile, back in the chat group interface, the absolute most flustered newcomer was Sui.
Sui: "Wait! What in the world just happened?! Is this normal?!"
Panicking, she furiously smashed the exit button to shut down the live stream, feeling like her innocent young mind had just been permanently seared.
She scrambled away from her campfire, burying her burning face in her hands as she tried to process the chaos.
Stella: "Another public live stream?! This group is completely out of control!"
Frieren: "Fascinating. It appears that human females can be remarkably proactive and dominant when pushed."
Megumi Kato: "..."
Ayame Yomogawa: "Um..."
Ayame's face was practically radiating heat, flashing a violent shade of red as Esdeath's fierce, commanding dominance triggered vivid, intimate flashbacks of her own life.
The only difference was that unlike the ice general, Ayame had been thoroughly pinned and conquered under Haruto's absolute control.
Shizue: "This... Haruto-kun is extraordinarily bold."
Having lived a sheltered, tragic life, Shizue had literally never witnessed anything remotely resembling this level of public audacity.
Her mind was racing, entirely unsure how to process the overwhelming sensory overload of the broadcast.
*****
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