章 40: The Plucker

"Careful where you stand..." Merrick's words carried into the air. The scattering obsidian and dust robbed Jean's eyesight. A dangerous premonition rose in her mind.

At the last second of impact between [Endless Horizon] and [Obsidian Winter], Merrick teleported himself up and above. As Merrick freefalls from the air, he made his Special Ability cry.

The ruckus Jean's [Endless Horizon] caused created a storm of debris, thus cloaking Jean's presence in the aftermath.

However, Merrick already has a good grasp of where Jean is… so Merrick doesn't need to hold back.

TOWERING TORNADO!

Merrick channeled the heat created by the world's hottest volcano in a downward draft while simultaneously summoning the artic winds in an upward draft. Merrick is trying to summon a tornado. Nay, he is trying to reconstruct it. Warm humid air rises, while the cool air falls... then... a tornado.

'Shit.'

Yeah, shit indeed. Jean noticed it too late as the winds roared and made their presence known. The cloud of dust dispersed, as the tornado consumes them.

A towering tornado engulfed Jean. It was a deadly cage of wind. Jean cannot activate her Special Ability. Doing so is suicidal. She doesn't want the tornado to become sharper and stronger, thus left with no choice, she has to suck it up.

"FUUuuuuck!!" She cried.

Jean's sword isn't an ordinary Katana. It's made of legendary synthetic steel called Mythril. Using Jean's Special Ability, she was able to turn the Mythril into something else.

After 'refining' the Mythril in its purest state through Jean's 'sharpening' ability, it turned blue, thus Blue Mythril. The King of the Hills then personally reforged this sword to the Katana it is now.

Though Jean didn't use any of her organic flesh to forge this sword, she can feel the sword as if it were an extension of her own body. She activated her Special Ability in the sword.

FINAL FORM: SWORD INFINITY

Yes, it was the final form. It must be her final form. She can feel it, the power to cut the world. Her sword vibrated with an intense echo crying a beautiful melody. Its glow is that of a star so bright and captivating. Its mere presence shattered the tornado.

But it feels too heavy in Jean's hands. She is barely standing and breathing at the sight of this power. 'Is this power beyond me?' She asks herself doubtfully.

'How can I wield this power?' To think that a power that is her own, cannot be truly called hers is painful for Jean. "Move, sword! Damn it! MOVE!"

Merrick frowned at the sight. He was planning to disarm Jean by teleporting her sword away, but the sword's heavy presence is saying otherwise.

His Special Ability is limited by two things— his concentration and the target's weight. The only reason he can summon the ocean, winds, and lava is through the cumulative effort of pouring them manually just like carrying buckets over and over again. This allowed Merrick to disregard their weight, despite the technical skills involved being quite menacing.

This explains why Merrick easily tires in battle.

In other words, Merrick is an expert when it comes to carrying buckets. However, the dangerously vibrating sword that Jean is holding is far beyond him.

"I guess, this leaves me no choice. You are strong, but I pride myself on being undefeated."

Merrick is arrogant, ambitious, and an insatiable battle junkie. He is painfully competitive. No, he is a sore loser.

"SURGICAL EXTRACTION— !" Merrick mutter's his secret move's name flamboyantly.

Jean's sword suddenly died as she slumps to her knees. She felt her entirety being assailed by suffocation. She felt her limbs slowly dying.

"My Surgical Extraction demands a lot of concentration, so I cannot move when I am using it. If my opponent also moves at impressive speeds, I cannot also use it... But with you standing there like an idiot... Sigh..."

A look of shock, trepidation, and realization dawned on Jean. She saw Merrick holding a still-beating heart.

Then Jean fainted.

"... but I must admit, your strength impressed me..."

With Merrick's final words, he left using teleportation with Jean's body and heart in tow.

...

(Merrick went to find a doctor for his purposes)

"Academy doctor, I have a patient for you..." He called Celine unaware of the said Celine's crush on him. Today is not the day for romance, but Celine is feeling agitated lately.

Well, who won't? Especially if the man you are pining for is having a rendezvous with another girl?

"Okay— eh? WH— WHAAAT!?" Celine was shocked senseless.

"Can you do something about this?" Carrying Jean in this princess-carry manner invoked a kind of shame in Celine. It's annoying to see your own fantasies being fulfilled by another. Princess Carry? Sleeping Beauty? Handsome Knight?

Merrick unaware of the thoughts running in Celine's mind, rested the pale Jean on the clinic bed. He then sat in a corner and took out the still beating heart. He stared at it in wonder, with genuine interest.

Celine is suddenly speechless. Then the thought finally registered to her.

"Is that a heart?"

"It is warm but it will get colder soon, I think... The anatomy of Special Ability wielders is intriguing..."

"…"

"Do you want the heart?"

FUCK!! WHAT IS THIS PSYCHO THINKING? ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAKE ME A MURDER ACCESSORY? FUCK THAT! THOUGH I LIKE YOU, I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR WOMANIZING— AH, N.NO, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT— I MEAN, THIS BEAUTIFUL PALE LADY IS DYING, ALRIGHT??

"Let me get that! And the body too, it's cooling too fast! Get me some slime powder, troll essence, and blood berries. Faster! She'll die at this rate!"

"Here!!" As expected of Merrick, he is fast. Boxes of monster materials filled the clinic. It's too much. Celine didn't mind, Merrick is exactly just like that-- an overcompensating dense bastard that takes things to the next level.

"Why did you even come here?" Celine complained.

"Because you are the best Doctor I know."

Celine started blushing, but no, there is no time for that. She rubbed her nose, trying to get her mind straight. She observed the young lady in the bed, there are no open wounds…'ugh… it's that move again…' She directed a stink eye to Merrick who guiltily looked away.

"What are you doing extracting people's hearts anyway?" She complained, this time, with a heavier tone.

"Are you angry? I am sorry..."

"N-no... You can extract their heart all you want... (Just take mine already! heeeee~)" Celine's mood swings... are real.

"Won't that be a problem? I might not look like it, but I am a licensed hero." And Merrick's stoic attitude is just as ridiculous.

"Huh? Yeah, says the man who had a dozen of heart-plucking issues in the past year. And come on!! I am a licensed hero too, do you want me to send you to the authorities? How about the principal huh?"

Merrick started sweating in nervousness.

"U-umm… Well, because it's effective and efficient. They like, instantly die if you remove the heart. And it's my killing move, it's like my identity." Merrick explained in futility.

"Huuuuh? I am a doctor, I know that people die if their hearts are extracted. But really? You are the Master Magician… Is there something I am not catching up to…? Your hero name doesn't really rhyme with heart-plucking."

Celine reprimanded Merrick severely, while she skillfully fix Jean. The stoic and immovable Master Magician would only appear like this in front of the mighty Celine.

"Is it done?" Merrick warily asked, not keen on receiving another bout of nagging.

"Yeah. Thanks to my Special Ability that is... My powers allow me to stitch organs perfectly after all, but if it were none other than me, she would have died..."

"Thank you. I mean it..."

Merrick sincerely thanked Celine. Celine thought that this is her chance!!

"Okay. Ha-h-how about this, you t-t-t-treat me to a meal... Ummm..."

"Sure, that's all I can offer after this trouble I caused. What do you say about dinner? I know a good place."

"Ssssssssssss-sure!"

MERRICK: (Leaves the infirmary...)

CELINE: (waiting...)

MERRICK: (no longer here)

CELINE: "WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YAY!"

Some might wonder, 'Is Celine even a real person? Wasn't her reactions too out of place? Maybe, she's an alien? Or just a weirdly moody woman in love?

Pierre and Cain seriously contemplated on this matter.

The duo didn't mean to eavesdrop, but as patients, they had no choice but to remain in the academy clinic's bed as per the principal's request. They barely enjoyed the after-party, and now they have to see this!?

It's outrageous!!