Chapter 213

Chapter 110: Makoto’s Counterattack

“Why, Ash! Why did you suddenly want to play such a cruel game!”

Ash pulled Makoto up by her collar, gazing at her saddened expression as he continued to kick her ribcage without showing any emotion. With each impact, the sound grew increasingly muffled, followed by the少女’s gasps. Finally, he threw her aside.

“Because I’m bored.”

“Although I enjoy playing around with you all, once we have nothing to do, we get bored. And because of that boredom, I want to play more exciting games.”

This was a lie.

The truth was not solely about that. Now, when he looked at these Pretty Cures, especially sensing their energy that was opposite to the malevolence, he felt a desire he couldn’t explain.

It was out of that desire that he chose to harm others, and that was the selfishness the girls wanted to defeat.

When did this start? It seemed to be when he was hit by that harmless light.

“How can you play games that take pleasure in others’ pain!”

“I can do whatever I want until my time runs out.”

Unlike the villains whose motives were clear and the heroes who fought for justice, I don’t feel obligated to force myself.

Huh, thinking like this, all those selfless actions I did before, even though they didn’t benefit me, were quite foolish.

Ignoring Makoto’s furious voice, Ash raised her hand holding the Heart Bow and Arrow, tapping her wrist lightly while taunting her.

“See how powerful this is, isn’t it wasteful if you don’t use it?”

“This is nonsense!”

Angry, Makoto spun around and attempted to sweep-kick Ash, but the foot hit something坚硬.

“Dark Summon—Part!”

“[Kamen Rider↘Blade↗]”

With his hand reversed, he slashed the sword across her waist. The power was so strong she fell down. Ash patted the awakened sword boastfully, producing a sharp ringing sound.

“Whether your world’s strength or mine, I can handle them both. Impressive, isn’t it?”

“If someone has this kind of power but doesn’t use it fully, wouldn’t it be boring?”

Slash!

The sharp blade split across the girl’s chest, bursting into a shower of sparks!

Slash!

With one hand gripping the awakened sword, he swung it gracefully, dazzling moves blocking her counterattack fist aside. Her second desperate block barely held off the follow-up slash.

Pierce!

Facing Makoto’s high-leaping flip over his head, Ash wasn’t going to hold back this time. The awakened sword in his hand twisted half a turn, thrusting upwards with purple wings plummeting from the sky.

“Your battle name is Cure Sword, but you haven’t used sword-type weapons. Truly unworthy of the name.”

“Pretty Cures’ affairs should not concern you!”

Under the constraint of the Mirror Shield and thus having her skills sealed, even with her newly enhanced strength after standing up again, Makoto was still being toyed with by Ash’s extensive experience.

Ash pulled out three cards from the slot on the awakened sword, swiping sideways.

“[Kick](Kick ♠5), [Thunder](Thunder ♠6), Mach(♂9)”

[LighiningSonic]

After spending 3800 AP and three giant awakening card energy projections dissolving, Ash absorbed them. He raised the awakened sword, driving it into the ground. The variant dragon ran rapidly with pale blue light flowing across its body and a fresh red dragon jaw visible. With Mach speed, the rush forced Makoto back, then jumped into the air, thunder crashing in accompaniment.

On impact with the hands-defended Makoto, lightning illuminated everything around him momentarily.

Body repeatedly pushed back by the powerful attack, electricity winding around Makoto, she nearly collapsed against a tree for support.

“You can’t go on, I hoped you could withstand more… Oh, are you crying?”

As Ash approached, he saw tears welling in Makoto’s eyes and two trails left a clear trail on her cheek.

“No matter if you cry, I won’t hold back. If you don’t want to be hurt, surrender.”

Ash was no longer the one who would wipe away tears for a girl.

Realizing this further depressed Makoto.

“Makoto…”

Darby’s worried voice rang from Makoto’s side. Struggling to shake off the shock lingering from the electric attack, Makoto shook her head defiantly. Prioritizing more important things than physical damage.

“I am sad; I am sad for someone we know!”

Hearing Makoto’s words, Ash became interested. Leaning on his sword, he looked at Makoto, curious to hear what she would say next.

“Prior to now, Mr. Ash treated me poorly too, yet our relationship improved and I even began to believe in him.”

But after that unexpected attack from the Selfish King, Ash changed. As someone who confronted the Selfish King directly, Makoto understood better the true power of that monster. She didn’t think Ash had emerged completely unscathed.

“But, the Ash we knew is gone. So I…”

I wish to beat this current, hateful version of Ash and awaken the real you.

“Your next sentence will be, ‘I wish to return your true form.'”

“I wish to return your true form… Eh?”

Makoto froze, startled by the statement.

“Most humans are just interacting with their own minds, shaped by comparisons to others. When people find themselves deviating from that image, they complain, ‘I never expected you to act this way,’ or ‘I misjudged you.’ ” Yawning boredly, Ash stepped towards Makoto, letting the sword strike her shoulder rhythmically.

“That image isn’t the person themselves, is it? It’s not their fault, is it?”

“Do you think I am not the real me now, that I betrayed you?”

“Are you sure I’m not showing my true face? Perhaps the behavior I exhibited before was just a game.”

Ash’s words cut deeply into everyone’s hearts.

“Pretty Cure Sparkle Sword!!!”

Aiming at the approaching Ash, Makoto tightly closed her eyes and almost screamed as she pulled the pull rod of the Heart Bow and Arrow.

“It’s useless!”

Unflinching, the variant dragon’s jagged face, filled with black spades, showed no change. The mirror shield’s identical arrows covered Makoto entirely.

“Cure Sword, indeed an ugly sight.”

Hearing the falling sound amidst smoke, Ash shook his head, ready to continue mocking her, but stopped abruptly.

No, the weight of the landing sounded wrong!

The mutated dragon’s head cleared the smoke; only a Heart Bow and Arrow lay on the ground!

“If you’re insistent on it!”

A sudden lateral assault knocked Ash down. Scuffling, Makoto tackled him, barely making it look like a mess but managing to get close enough to catch him off guard by discarding her weapon.

“But before this, the smiles you had with Regina, Pretty Cures, and even me were genuine!”

Automatic retaliation from Ash’s body aimed right at Makoto, hitting the mark perfectly. The nimble girl practically rotated past his arm, catching his snapping jaws within her hands. Her long, pale legs wrapped around like a snake, firmly binding Ash’s arm. Her pointed feet, ensconced in purple boots, steadily pushed the grid visor of the variant dragon in the opposite direction.

Struggling to rise, Ash found himself forced back to the ground by Makoto’s leap.

“Pretty Cure Cross Submission, completed!”

“In this case, could you say what you are doing now is your true heart?”

“As much as yourself, you must have someone you love, someone for whom you feel affection!”