Black Iron Magician

Chapter 360 The Sleeping Fist

What did Haru say? Drunken fist? Is she talking about the martial art that’s used in a drunken state?

「As the name implies, the sleeping fist is a Chinese martial art that’s performed while in a sleeping state. However, due to its ridiculousness, it’s only treated as fiction. To think that it appeared in front of me, I’m so impressed…!」

「H-Haruna!?」

Haru is so impressed that she’s about to shed tears. Haru never shows emotions during battle, so it’s the first time I’m seeing her like that. I-Is the sleeping fist that amazing…!?

「I know that it’s amazing because Haruna is so excited, but what kind of martial art is that sleeping fist!?」

「Basically, all of the techniques are performed unconsciously, so it’s hard to read. Maybe it’s similar to a drunken fist. She will make unthinkable movements, so you need to be careful. But――」

「――That’s just the information you learned from fiction. It means that she might do something more than that, right?」

「Yes, something like that!」

Haru and the others were shouting to share information while closing the distance. They probably realized that attacking from a distance wouldn’t get them anywhere. While being prepared for the danger, they are going to finish Lily off with a direct attack.

「I see, I’m beginning to understand.」

「Do you mean about Lily’s ability?」

「Yeah, actually…」

「「「……… *Glance*」」」

「…… Nell, lend me your ear.」

Alezel and the others were trying to eavesdrop, so I moved on to whispering. The Damaya dialect and loud laughter disappeared as soon as I was about to talk about it, so it was very easy to understand.

「*Whisper* (As you know, Lily has a Unique Skill called 『Morpheus』. It’s the ability to enter the dream of a sleeping person and tamper with its contents as she wishes. The memory of the dream remains vague even after the person wakes up, making it hard to tell whether it actually happened.)」

「*Whisper* (I know, of course. Deris has been using her power to pull the strings behind the scene, right? I’m on the public, and Deris is behind the scene, something like that. Thanks to that, we were able to participate in the graduation festival, right?)」

「*Whisper* (Yes, it’s a perfect power for that…. Actually, it’s not just the memory that can be affected.)」

「*Whisper* (What do you mean?)」

「*Whisper* (If you’re a sensitive person, what happens in your dreams can affect your actual body. If you get hit in the arm, your bones will creak in reality, and if you get cut with a knife, you will get a scar. At worst, if Lily kills you in your dream, you will die in real life as well.)」

「*Whisper* (Ara, that’s quite a disturbing story, huh? Then, I have to properly repel her in my dream.)」

「*Whisper* (No, in the first place, she can’t get into your dream with your mental power…. Wait, that’s not what I’m talking about now. Lily, who’s in the useless maid state, uses that characteristic and reproduces the martial art that’s impossible even for Haru while sleeping. In other words, Lily went into her own dream and she’s manipulating her actual body from there.)」

If she’s in a dream, she won’t get tired no matter how hard she moves. Since it’s a dream, she can reproduce any movements she can imagine. It’s a trump card for Lily, a useless maid who hates getting tired, to get the best fighting power while having an easy time.

「Zex-han, Zeta-han, it’s amusing if you replace the whispering with flirting.」

「Flirting count, it’s 47 now.」

「Pfft…! E-Excuse me.」

Hey, you over there, shut up. It’s hard to have a secret talk.

「Well, something like that, yeah.」

「Ara, no more whispering, huh?」

「I’ve talked about the important point, so it’s fine. Still, if Haru and the others take too much time, they will be at a disadvantage in this battle. You see, the wounds Lily received during the perfect mode are gradually healing.」

So far, Lily’s body has suffered considerable damage. However, Lily’s wounds are gradually closing as Haru and the others are being vigilant. It’s probable the effect of 『Pleasant Sleep』 that’s activated while she’s sleeping. By becoming a useless maid, Lily not only healed her mental stress, but also her body. At this rate, Lily will be completely healed, both physically and mentally.

「Let’s go!」

Haru must have realized that too. With her Doggan Staff in her hand, she ran toward Lily. With that as the signal, the other three also began to move.

「Hmm!」

Hund-kun changed to the terrifying final form that he once showed in the battle with Haru and others. With bone armor all over his body, he changed his figure from a humanoid to that of a beast.

「Touko, we have to settle it in a short-term battle before Lily-san recovers! I’m not sure if it’ll be effective against her in that state, but I will spit out all my frustrations!」

「Okay! Jeez, that useless maid Shishō, if she can do something like that, she should do it on a regular basis!」

There’s no change in Lily even when the four are approaching from all sides. She’s just standing while drooling.

「Hah!」

「Fueh~」

「Gah!?」

However, when the first attacker, Haru, attacked Lily with her Doggan Staff, she dodged it with a speed that was unthinkable from her idiotic face, and she even gave a counterattack to Haru with her elbow. If Haru could recognize it, her endurance would be increased with her 『Little Peerless』 and she would be able to endure it, but seeing her pained expression, it seems that she couldn’t recognize Lily’s counterattack coming into the reach of her Unique Skill. Rather than too fast, it seems that it was coming from her blind spot. The movement was similar to a drunken fist that it was hard to predict. Hmm…. If Haru can’t react to it, it’s going to be a tough fight.

「Hah!」

「Fai~」

「Doryah!」

「Kukyu~」

「Take this!」

「Fuhehe~」

The others who followed Haru attacked without pause, but against Lily’s splendid movement, they couldn’t hit her at all. Every time they attacked, they received a counterattack and were blown away. It was like a scene from a kung fu movie, and Lily was the center of the commotion.

「By the way, Deris――」

They returned to the battle, attacked, and received a counterattack. Then, I began to worry about something.

「――they are going to lose, don’t you think?」

Nell’s question came out of nowhere. I felt a tremendous sense of déjà vu, but unlike before, I couldn’t talk back this time.

「Fuu…!」

After all, the four collapsed figures were already at Lily’s feet. Chinatsu’s katana and Hund-kun’s bones were crushed. Haru’s Doggan Staff is safe, of course, but everyone shows no sign of getting up anymore. It’s only natural, since Lily applied sleep magic on her fists, Haru and the others are sleeping soundly now and they can’t wake up. Lily was using the same technique that Haru has always used.

As for Lily, even though she was sleeping, she took a deep breath and shook her body as if to show the end of the match.

「Yawn~…. Ah, good morning. Let’s see~… yep! It’s my win, Goshujin-sama ♪」

…… Crap, they lost!?