Chapter 564

Seventy-Sixth: Who is Unnecessary?

Lowering the arm that was blocking his view, Ash slightly narrowed his eyes.

Although he had the sensation of being hit, there was no sense of injury, which meant this was a different kind of “attack,” didn’t it?

This time, things had really taken a turn for the worse.

Suspicious, Ash’s heart hung heavy, knowing from past experience that an unseen and intangible influence was even more troublesome than actual damage. Especially in a situation that seemed to be rule-related, if mismanaged, he himself could—

“Well then, good afternoon to Mr. Wangjian and everyone from the Pretty Cures.”

Just as he was speaking, a voice overly sweet but with a raspy undertone came up once again.

“Did you come back to life?”

Gazing at the clown who emerged from behind the Clown Monster, Ash had no pleasant reception ready for him. “You’re indeed too stubborn. If you lost, why not go to your peaceful death instead of constantly being knocked down by justice’s heroes?”

“I must respectfully decline that offer until I can adequately repay you for your warm hospitality,” Joker said, lifting the mask slightly to show horrific burns on his face. “I cannot simply bow out like this.”

Ash crossed his arms, waiting to hear what nonsense would come out of his mouth.

Without hiding his malicious intent, Joker scanned the girls, stepping back slightly as though inviting Ash to move closer.

“Mr. Wangjian, back when you rejected my invitation, I never imagined you would truly become friends with the Pretty Cures. And now, to be doing something like being an…eh, nanny? Doesn’t that seem beneath you?”

Unfazed, Ash drew his Dark Sword Gekkō.

“You’re taunting me with my old ways?”

“Not at all. I’m just stating some facts,” Joker waved his hands exaggeratedly, as if genuinely intimidated by Ash. “Rather than feeling restrained when with them now, I prefer when you used to threaten me, the more evil you were.”

What?

Ash, who had only listened to Joker’s words with amusement, felt a surge of hidden emotions when he heard the last sentence.

Facts, huh? Right… When did I start restraining myself like this?

“Mr. Wangjian, do you really enjoy being around the Pretty Cures?” Joker, sensitive to dark energies, didn’t miss the chance to unsettle Ash further. “Is playing with the Pretty Cures really so joyful or….?”

The corner of Ash’s mouth twisted to an extreme degree. “Do you think a born wicked person like yourself can remain friends with them forever?”

“Whether it’s snakes shedding skins or dragons, even if knocked their teeth out and stripped of scales, even if they choose to live among sheep, they won’t happily frolic with kittens, lambs, or puppies!”

“Shriek!”

Dokkuro, a sharp sword, sliced through where Joker’s neck used to be. The clown bent backwards to an absurd angle, shooting several magic bullets between his legs at the man. Ash, prepared, swung the Dark Sword downward in a crescent shape to slice through space, tearing apart the attack filled with tragic energy, causing a violent explosion that blasted both of them apart.

“It seems we’ve gotten quite familiar with each other’s moves,” Ash commented, noticing how the opponent seemed to understand the trajectory of his attacks as well.

He narrowed his eyes toward Joker’s face, which seemed incredibly annoying.

For nothing else, the mocking smile that amused itself at the expense of others reminded Ash of his own past, making him even more irritated.

“Thought you had some profound speech, but it was just this.” Ash scoffed, placing the holy sword over his shoulder. “Sorry, that topic is over.”

“As for whether it was effective or not, Mr. Wangjian knows better than I do,” Joker’s face also displayed confidence equal to Ash’s. “But now, rather than worrying about me, you might be more bothered by her situation, pretending to be their friend?”

Seeing the arrow-headed Clown Monster fleeing the battle directly against the Pretty Cures, Ash became even more convinced of his negative suspicions.

“Hmm, when the arrow points elsewhere, the Clown Monster’s emotions flip,” Joker explained his plan with the same empathy any proper villain would have. “Heaven turns to hell, love turns to hate. Isn’t that beautiful?”

Being the only one who can’t transform among the Pretty Cures, such a weakness must be exploited to truly make her a ‘tragedy.’

“How interesting this will be; watching the tragedy unfold in front of you as a false partner is bound to cause you pain, right!?”

Without giving Ash a chance to say “Wait!” Joker left with the Clown Monster.

“Joking around, huh?” Ash felt angrier than ever with Joker putting on airs in front of him. “Thought you had me figured out!”

The man’s grip on the sword handle tightened with increasing force.

Former friends distanced themselves from the still frozen Chie, who remained stiff from shock when she finally snapped out of it, surrounded by others forming a vacuum bubble around her.

Chie couldn’t understand it; it was as if chaos had erupted.

“What’s going on here?”

Ignoring the Clown Monster’s threat, Chie’s desperation grew more frantic as she called out their names, but no one responded.

“Akane… Akane?!”

“What? Don’t think we’re on a first-name basis yet,” Akane, usually welcoming, turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with Chie.

“Hang on, Akane, we’ve always been rivals… the best of opponents, haven’t we? How can you say that?”

“You keep losing to me… lately too, can that count?” Akane, with her arms crossed, dismissed the trembling green girl as a defeated foe. “Not interested in befriending a loser.”

“Miyabi… Miyabi?”

Panicking, Chie turned to the gentle Miyabi, seeking a comforting reply, but instead saw Miyabi trembling, holding her picture book in front of her face.

“Mmph, do not look at me!”

“Why, what’s wrong, Miyabi? We’ve always been friends, haven’t we?”

“No! Please stay away from me!”

Frustrated, Chie looked at the yellow-haired girl crying and yelling before her, a terrible feeling rising from her chest.

Was it because of the Clown Monster? But what’s wrong with everyone? Aren’t we friends… or am I really… no longer needed?