Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Mort had just enough time to stare at his pickaxe passing right through Nessa's body with wide eyes before her fist hit him like a brick shot out of a cannon in the face. Even until the moment he lost consciousness, he couldn't understand the image his eyes had sent to his brain.

His pickaxe as supposed to pierce her armor and, if necessary, her torso. It was low enough that it wouldn't hit her heart and thus wouldn't be fatal.

Mort wasn't sparing her life out of pure mercy. It was self-preservation and respect toward a member of the younger generation and a worthy foe.

It was just a fight to determine whether they could be allowed access to the tunnel. It wasn't a fight to the death.

If that were the case, Mort would be the second to die. Nessa was this strong. She might not be the weakest of the bunch from Gjula, but she definitely wasn't the strongest. She was even a good matchup for Mort since most of her skills were ineffective against him.

But the bloody sight he expected wasn't what unfolded.

In contrast, but still technically true to his expectations, his pickaxe passed right through Nessa's torso. But not because it pierced it.

It was more like a stick being swung through dense fog, fog that immediately repaired itself. No, it was like it wasn't affected by his strike at all.

Even when he woke up a little while later with Yubo, Vera, Laro, and Nessa standing over him, Nessa now without armor, Mort was still thinking about it.

"Is he concussed?" Yubo, the Priest of Ochre Petals, asked with a frown. Nessa's hand had made a sickening sound when it crashed into Mort's head. He shuddered just thinking about it.

Although Mort had opened his eyes again, that wasn't proof he was alright.

"His head is filled with rocks. That hit probably just shook some of them loose," Laro, the Priest of Dark Rain, said with a frown that belied his worry.

Vera poked Mort with her toe like she was checking to see if a dead rat was still alive. Mort ignored his three fellow believers and looked at Nessa.

"What…was that?" He asked, his voice a mix of disbelief, confusion, and wonder.

Nessa grinned.

"My trick up my sleeve?" She said with a tilt of her head.

Mort looked at her for a second before sighing.

"Well fought," He said simply.

"Likewise." Nessa smiled. It was an enjoyable fight. It was a little shorter than she would have liked, but that was how it was when they were both giving it their all. High-intensity fights were shorter. That was just how it was. Unless they were perfectly equal in each and every way, sooner or later, their minor differences would tilt the battle in either direction.

Nessa reached out a hand and helped Mort to his feet. Mort accepted it.

He could tell now that he had fought Nessa.

These outsiders from another continent were dangerous, but they weren't evil. It was a shame that he lost the fight since it meant he couldn't go to the other continent and rack up followers or explore the minerals of a land different from the one he was used to.

But now that this group was on Kuros, he would have no time for boredom. Life would become exciting, whether he wanted it to or not, even if he couldn't discover and play with new minerals.

"..."

The other followers, though, weren't as satisfied as Mort.

Mort had fought for them and lost. He wasn't the only one who wouldn't be allowed to Gjula and the sea of non-believers ripe for the picking. That applied to all of them. Because he couldn't defeat one girl.

But they had seen the fight. None of them understood how Nessa had done what she did. They weren't confident they could win against her, especially if that were a trick she could use multiple times in a row.

Coincidentally enough, while Mort hadn't picked the weakest one, he had picked the one who faced the most disadvantages against him.

Nessa's armor didn't do much against his pickaxe. Her Dust of Dreams couldn't get past his beard. Her conjuring of darkness did nothing to impede Mort's senses and movements. The only thing that worked was the last trick.

The first three of her skills would have posed quite the hurdles against the others.

However, that wasn't the reason why Vera was satisfied.

She wanted to go to Gjula the same as the others. There was no doubt about that. But the intense fight she had just witnessed had made her heart beat faster.

While Yubo and Laro glared at Mort, but without saying anything, Vera turned to Zach and pointed at him with her hammer.

Zach was unbothered and stood with his hands behind his back. He met Vera's gesture with a polite smile.

"You've already lost."

"I know. We give up on the tunnel and the continent, though I can tell you right now that we won't be the last ones to try and cross over."

Zach nodded.

"We're aware. We're just doing damage control. We stop whoever we can. Whoever we can't stop…Well, they'll have to deal with the people with responsibilities and people to protect." He smiled, making Vera and the others frown.

'People with responsibilities and people to protect…' Parents? Or Emperors and principals?

The way Zach said it made them reconsider the allure of a new continent, one untouched by the grace of gods.

The ones in front of them were kids.

They were strong enough to stand on equal ground with apostles. Granted, Pester wasn't a powerful god, and he wasn't one known for his combat ability. Naturally, that included the reputation of his followers.

But if Zach and the others were as young as they looked…

Vera and the others could only imagine what the older people from Gjula were like.

Vera's frown deepened for a moment before she flicked her hammer lightly.

"I don't care. I want to fight you," She said, pointing at Zach.

Zach smiled.

"No thanks."