10x Rewards: Conquering Women and Taming Beauties-Chapter 40: A Temple II

Some time passed.

Gradually, the crowd settled. Vale and I, along with the two succubi, picked a particularly isolated corner to stand in, away from both monsters and humans.

Jason would never allow us to stand together with the humans. And as for the cursed monsters...

After that display of ruthlessness, there was no way in hell I would stand together with them. It would be far too easy for a fight to break out.

Coming to that decision, we chose to form a faction among ourselves.

"We have to find a way to defeat the armored soldier, or we’ll lose our lives," Vale said, her eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"Can you use your eyes to distract her while we fight?" I asked.

Vale shook her head. "Using my eyes won’t work. I tried it while she was fighting the soldier, and it didn’t work. It seems that although she possesses the body of a human, in the end she’s still just a puppet."

"A puppet?" I raised a brow, hearing the term for the first time.

"Yes." Vale paused, then explained, "A puppet is just like a wooden figure. Depending on the craftsmanship, some may look extremely lifelike."

I rubbed my chin in thought, internally amazed at just how versatile cursed energy could be in this twisted world.

"I have a vague suspicion, however... I have no way to confirm it for now," Vale suddenly said, her voice laced with uncertainty.

"You have a way to defeat it?" I was briefly startled.

"Not yet." Vale shook her head, her expression serious. "We need to wait for them to battle a few more times before I can confirm my theory."

"Okay." I nodded, and the two of us fell silent.

All this while, the two succubi remained by our side, not intervening in the slightest in our discussion, though they clearly agreed with our words.

Time gradually dragged on, and as it passed, the tension that had settled began to rise once more.

Slowly, everyone could feel the pulsing nervousness brewing in their hearts.

Night had arrived, and that could only mean one thing.

Just as everyone anticipated, the armored soldier twitched, then moved.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings before she took off her glove once more and tossed it toward the ground below the stage.

Instantly, everyone’s heart dropped.

It was time for another fight.

Or... as everyone thought, another death.

"What do you think, humans? The last two times we’ve given up our cursed monsters to do battle. This time, you should be willing to sacrifice one of your own."

The cursed monster leader, Gruth, said with a growl, staring at Jason and the other three who stood at the front.

It was a group of two men and two women, each with similar strength. However, despite sacrificing two cursed monsters, their side didn’t seem any weaker.

Frowning slightly, Jason glanced toward the cursed monsters and snorted.

"Who are you to make demands? We’re not like you beasts who lack human emotions. There’s no way we can sacrifice one of our own and still have a conscience."

The humans behind him nodded, showing their agreement. Murmurs spread across their side almost instantly.

Suddenly, Gruth snorted, his stage 2 aura spreading outward like a rising tide.

It crashed heavily onto the weaker humans, causing their faces to turn pale instantly, their auras faltering as they struggled to remain standing.

"Now’s not the time to show off your meager strength," Jason said, waving his hand as he released his own aura.

Although it wasn’t as dense as Gruth’s, it was enough to significantly lessen the pressure on the humans.

"Hmph." Snorting once more, Gruth folded his arms and said nothing further.

If that was the case, then he wouldn’t waste any more cursed monsters. He would simply wait.

Time dragged on, and seeing that neither side was sending anyone out to battle, I couldn’t help but grow more nervous by the second.

It was too risky. What if I got chosen? Or even Vale?

My heart pounded in my chest.

Then, suddenly, the glove began to twitch.

In the next instant, it vanished and shot toward Jason.

Before he could dodge, he caught it in his hand. The speed was so great it was almost like an attack, nearly injuring him.

A grim expression appeared on his face as he stared at the glove in his hand.

"Hehe..." Gruth laughed, shaking his head, a hint of pity in his eyes. "A shame. I would have loved to kill you with my own hands."

Noticing his expression, a few humans cast sympathetic looks toward Jason, while the monsters wore gloating smiles.

I, on the other hand, stared at Jason, unsure what to feel. At first, I was glad he was about to lose his life. But at the same time, I felt a faint hint of dissatisfaction.

I had wanted to kill him myself.

’Still, this isn’t too bad...’ I muttered, a trace of interest appearing in my eyes.

Beside me, Vale’s eyes glinted as she watched closely, clearly trying to confirm her suspicion.

Jason gripped his sword tightly.

Then, finally, he gritted his teeth and leapt onto the stage, a cold look settling on his face.

Swoosh!

The moment he appeared, the armored soldier attacked.

Clang!

The sound of steel colliding rang out, and both of them were forced two steps back.

"They’re even!" someone in the crowd muttered, excitement creeping into his voice.

Several others began to show faint hope, their eyes lighting up as they watched.

"They are even..." Vale whispered, her eyes glowing with a faint pink hue as she observed the fight.

She was close. Very close to the truth.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two clashed repeatedly, exchanging blows as streaks of silver and red flashed through the air.

Neither side held the advantage.

But one was a puppet, moving without cursed energy.

The other was human.

The outcome was already decided. It was only a matter of time.

Channeling his cursed energy, Jason launched himself into the air. But the soldier gave him no chance to breathe, instantly closing the distance between them.

Bang!

Her strike slammed into his sword, sending him crashing back toward the arena floor.

From above, the soldier swung her blade again, aiming straight for Jason as he struggled to stand.

Bang!

A sharp arc of sword light shot toward his head.

Luckily, he managed to dodge in time.

Regaining his footing, Jason retreated rapidly, pushing himself back with a powerful burst.

Noticing something strange, I couldn’t help but murmur, "The soldier can also... fly?"

Frowning slightly, I continued watching.

However, my words seemed to trigger something in Vale.

Her expression turned pale instantly.

’That’s it...’ she muttered inwardly, finally grasping the truth behind the armored soldier.

The battle raged on.

Though Jason occasionally lost his balance, he managed to keep up, barely maintaining an even pace.

Minutes passed.

Seven minutes.

Jason was badly injured now, his body covered in deep sword wounds.

Just as he felt like giving up...

Something strange finally happened.

Author’s Note: Lemons incoming. Please support the novel with golden tickets if you’re enjoying the story so far. Also, if you have any complaints, leave them below.