Chapter 491: Those Who Obstruct and Those Who Advance 2<ol><li><strong> Those Who Obstruct and Those Who Advance 2</strong></li></ol>


    * * *


    “““U-Uwaaaahーーー!?”””


    The nts that wrapped around the three brothers’ legs grew rapidly!


    In the blink of an eye, they grew to a towering height, and hung the three brothers upside down!


    “Be crushed, headfirst.”


    Shimegamamo, not caring about their screams, said that coldly, and then stomped on the ground again—DON!


    And then, the nts binding the three brothers rustled again.


    They started swinging their short but heavy bodies around effortlessly.


    She’s going to kill them, by mming them on the ground…!


    “Googydan! Googyden! Googydon!”


    Kmaruyu, realizing what was about to happen to hisrades, screamed, his face pale!


    …But!


    “【Barrier?sh】.”


    With those words—


    Around the three brothers.


    In the air, several dozen centimeters above the ground,


    A horizontal, faintly glowing, translucent, floor-like thing suddenly appeared.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It’s a barrier!


    That barrier cut through the base of the abnormally grown nts as it was deployed, and as a result, the three brothers were blown away, screaming dumbly, following the inertia from being swung around.


    “A-Ahh…”


    “I’m—I’m dizzy…”


    “I feel sick…”


    And theynded, groaning in nausea, trying to stand up, but falling,nding on their bottoms.


    “Don’t move on your own, you idiots.”


    Saint Ad, the one who rescued the three brothers with the barrier, put out her cigarette in her portable ashtray, and exhaled arge amount of smoke, stepping forward as if to protect Kmaruyu.


    And then, erasing her vulgar expression and putting on a business smile, she performed a beautiful curtsy!


    “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Ad Bahns, a first-ss, first-rank saint certified by the Holy Maiden Consortium!”


    And then, after saying her greetings, she grinned…


    “Let’s dance… to our heart’s content!!”


    She threw the fist-sized orbs of light she created in both hands—faintly glowing, just like the barrier from earlier—towards Shimegamamo with a sharp motion!


    “Hmm.”


    Shimegamamo, with her warrior’s intuition, knew that those orbs of light were ‘something she shouldn’t touch’, and dodged them with minimal movement.


    “That’s impossible. I’m already married, so I can’t dance with anyone but my husband. That’s my n’s rule.”


    And then she stomped on the ground twice—<em>DA, DON</em>!


    And then, the nts at Saint Ad’s feet rustled, and started growing abnormally, trying to wrap around her.


    And faster than when they attacked the triplets!


    “【Barrier?Aerial Floor】.”


    But Saint Ad was faster.


    She jumped high, just before the nts caught her, and deployed a horizontal barrier in the air.


    The nts, blocked by the barrier, are unable to catch Saint Ad, who is standing in the air!


    “Haa!!”


    Seeing that, Shimegamamo instantly pointed her left arm, with the vine wrapped around it, towards Saint Ad in the air!


    It’s a horizontal attack, the same one she used to kill the two guards in First Town!


    “【Barrier?Shield】.”


    Saint Ad easily blocked it by deploying a barrier that stood vertically in front of her.


    The vine that hit the barrier began to grow rapidly, taking root in the barrier and spreading, blocking Saint Ad’s vision…


    “!!”


    The next moment!


    Saint Ad, sensing danger, backstepped away, and at almost the same time, Shimegamamo cut through the barrier with her cleaver, andnded on the tform Saint Ad had created in the air!


    Shimegamamo used the power of the vine, rooted in the barrier, to pull herself forward, moving at high speed!


    “Haa! Haa! Haa!!”


    Shimegamamo, getting close to Saint Ad, unleashed a series of deadly attacks!


    Punching, kicking, swinging her cleaver wildly, unleashing her extraordinary strength, trying to knock Saint Ad down with a single blow!


    “Ah, ahahaha! How rude! I love that kind of thiiiing!”


    Saint Ad blocked or deflected all of them, deploying several small barriers, while retreating.


    Shimegamamo, continuing her barrage, attacking relentlessly.


    Saint Ad, perfectly handling all of them.


    A state of equilibrium was created.


    But it didn’tst long.


    Equilibrium in battle can be easily broken, by a single trigger.


    And the one who created that trigger, in this case, was Saint Ad.


    Because they’re fighting on the barrier created by Saint Ad, and it’s Saint Ad who controls this space!


    Saint Ad, while handling Shimegamamo’s fierce attacks, smiled ferociously, despite sweating.


    “…!!”


    Shimegamamo, sensing her danger from that expression, put strength into her legs, trying to jump back and reposition herself.


    But that judgment… was a few moments toote!


    Saint Ad, at that moment, erased the barrier that Shimegamamo was standing on!


    “G-Nuu!?”


    Shimegamamo, losing her footing and falling, but her body was immediately caught in mid-air by another barrier.


    It seems that Shimegamamo can manipte nts, through some special ability.


    Saint Ad had no intention of returning her to the surface of the grasnd, which is full of nts.


    “【Barrier?Great Mallet】.”


    Saint Ad created a giant hammer with a faintly glowing barrier, above the head of Shimegamamo, who was off-bnce, staggering… and swung it straight down!


    “Haa!!”


    Shimegamamo hurriedly regained her bnce, and jumped backwards with all her might!


    She narrowly escaped the range of the hammer!


    But…!


    “Gah!?”


    The next moment, Shimegamamo felt a strong impact on her back, and stopped moving, her body suspended in mid-air!


    She hurriedly moved her head, looking around, trying to figure out what had happened, but she couldn’t understand.


    She was restrained by ‘something’… in the ‘empty’ air!


    “Ahahaha! You thought all my barriers glow!? That’s a misdirectionーーー!!”


    Saint Ad, watching Shimegamamo,ughed loudly, and snapped her fingers!


    And then, behind Shimegamamo, a giant barrier, towering like a wall, appeared with a sh of light!


    Her hands and feet were tied by string-like barriers extending from that wall, and she could no longer move!


    “【Sealing Orb】.”


    Saint Ad then created a faintly glowing orb of light in her right hand.


    It’s the same one she threw at Shimegamamo in the beginning.


    Shimegamamo’s warrior’s intuition screamed!


    That’s bad!


    She can’t let it hit her!


    “I… I won’t lose! I’ll follow my n’s rules! And you…!”


    Shimegamamo desperately struggled, but Saint Ad’s barrier didn’t break.


    It creaked, but the restraints on her hands and feet wouldn’te off…!


    “Ahahaha! n… rules?”


    Saint Ad stoppedughing, and rotated her shoulders, while holding the orb of light.


    “Rules… customs…”


    She red at Shimegamamo.


    “I hate that kind of stuff… that kind of unreasonable, traditional crap that distorts people’s lives!”


    She reared back, and—


    “I HATE ITーーーー!!!”


    …Threw the orb of light with all her might!


    “Guwaaaaaahーーー!?”


    The orb of light hit Shimegamamo’s abdomen!


    And then, its glow suddenly intensified… and string-like things started to extend from it!


    “Aaaah, a… Ah…”


    Those strings quickly wrapped around Shimegamamo’s body, forming a white, cocoon-like thing.


    “Sealingplete.”


    Saint Ad, seeing that, snapped her fingers, and the cocoon, floating in the air because of the barrier’s power, fell to the ground with a thud.


    The cocoon was still writhing, as if Shimegamamo was still struggling inside, but it doesn’t look like it would break from the inside.


    Seeing that, Saint Ad nodded in satisfaction, and smiled broadly.


    “The ones who win in the end… are always those who break the old ways and move forward!”


    She dered that loudly, and took out a cigarette from her pocket!