In this crossover anime/manga series, my romantic choices in my head are a bit strange.

Hey, buddy.

He hadn't been gone long when Draig sent him a reminder:

That girl has been following you.

Lin Tian turned around, and sure enough, the pretty blonde figure followed him at a leisurely pace. Wherever he went, Ais followed.

Lin Tian quietly disappeared around a corner, then reappeared behind Ais, who was searching with a puzzled look.

Why are you following me?

She looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected Lin Tian to appear behind her, her gaze lingering on his feet.

"Fine... if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too." Why is Ais such a quiet person?

"But there's no need to sneak around like this, uh, it's like being aboveboard? No, I mean, if you want to shop with me, just tell me directly. Just tell me what you're thinking."

"Yes, thank you."

She stared at the long sword at Lin Tian's waist, her eyes still lingering in a daze, as if she hadn't quite snapped out of her reverie. Then, as if wanting to observe a little longer, she silently withdrew her gaze.

after that.

The two walked slowly side by side, strolling through Orario. They didn't look like a couple, but more like a master and apprentice. When Lin Tian entered the store, she silently followed behind him. When buying those cute accessories, she tilted her head in confusion. When Lin Tian was called crazy again, she stood in front of him, her eyes calmly watching the person who spoke rudely.

The Loki Family.

"Oh my god!!! Rivera, Rivera, something terrible has happened!!!"

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Contest with Ais

Loki rushed into Riveria's boudoir in a panic, only to be caught instinctively by the Nine Demon Princesses who had caught him!

"What's wrong, Loki? Why are you in such a panic? What happened..." Loki, buried in her chest, let out a joyful sigh. "Hehehe... Riveria's breasts, they feel so good—ah!!!"

"Never serious."

Rivera flung Loki away, her face darkening as she asked, "What happened?"

Loki was about to complain again, such as "Can't you show some respect to your supreme god? Is it wrong for a supreme god to touch his own child?" But when Riveria brought the matter to the point, her expression turned serious.

"Ais! Ais is gone!!!"

"My Ais! My sweet and soft Ais, the little Ais I'd only brought back a few years ago, and she's just vanished like that!!!"

"Oh, I know that."

"She's just wandering around Orario right now, nothing serious has happened."

"Strolling around? Ais?"

Loki's eyes flashed.

Loki, the god of cunning, deception, and sometimes called the god of wisdom, is quite intelligent. With her abilities, it is very easy for her to piece together the whole picture from subtle clues.

Especially Ais, whom she had been paying attention to for a long time. Although she was a goddess who liked women, she didn't just focus on the physical bodies of her clan members, but also cared about their mental health.

Ais Wallenstein is the most severely affected. Her homeland destroyed, she desperately needs revenge, and for this, she needs far more and far, sparing no expense to improve herself. According to Loki's deduction, Ais should currently be honing her swordsmanship in the city's training grounds, or sparring with members of her clan.

But she didn't see it at all! Loki panicked. It was impossible that she had been kidnapped. She could only think of one thing: Ais had secretly run into the dungeon!

Although Ais is already quite formidable, currently at the Iv4 level, her strength is unmatched in the upper levels except for the floor masters. Since the floor masters haven't refreshed and are currently on cooldown, there shouldn't be any cause for concern.

But Loki was wary of certain forces lurking in the shadows, fearing they might harm Ais.

The shadow of Orario was far from being dispelled, and was growing heavier—Loki realized this, and hurriedly prepared to call Riveria to forcibly bring Ainz back.

So you're saying she's just wandering around town? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Although he was very sorry to think that, Loki still believed: how could his Ais possibly have the time to do such trivial things!

She only cares about power! "...Is she a person?"

"No, she was traveling with someone. Loki, you must have heard about it last night, right?"

"Who did you hear about?"

"A lunatic knight."

Unbeknownst to her, Lin Tian's nickname had become like this! Riveria was right; Loki had indeed heard of this person—his peculiar armor, his face-less attire, and his bizarrely funny remarks—she had laughed about it for a long time last night.

“…But isn’t that a man?!” Loki’s face showed horror. “Mother Riveria! You actually let your daughter be alone with a man—no! This is definitely a date!!”

"What mother? Loki, you're still so exaggerated. And dating and stuff."

"Ais is still a child!"

Little Ais is still a little girl. Although Ais is developing quickly, she only barely reaches the Black Knight's chest when she's next to him. Even a beauty in the making needs time to become a real beauty.

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!!! Men are absolutely not allowed!"

"Absolutely not!!!" Loki cried out in anguish!

“I have to bring Ai back! Now, immediately, right now!!!” “Uh, okay.”

Riveria didn't take Loki's words to heart, but she agreed with his decision. After a day of fun and relaxation, it was time to go back. They packed their bags and immediately headed in the direction of Ais.

Where is Ais? As the sun sets and the sky turns a brilliant red, the two figures are cast long shadows.

"You really want to fight me?" "Yes. You are very powerful, and your abilities are unknown."

Ais nodded. This was Ais's request—after spending an afternoon with the little girl, she finally revealed her thoughts: she wanted to fight Lin Tian.

Think about it too.

They were standing on the city wall at the edge of Orario, far from the city center, so they didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting anyone.

The two of them stood facing each other, creating some distance between them, and struck poses on the city wall bathed in the crimson glow of the sunset.

Ais's posture was impeccable. She slowly drew her rapier from her waist, holding it level and steady against her cheek without the slightest tremor. Her legs were shoulder-width apart, and her gaze was fixed intently on her opponent. In contrast, Lin Tian was much more casual. He simply rested his greatsword on his shoulder, looking every bit like a bandit. ...The Sword of Despair. 'The blade was entirely silver-white, reflecting a watery sheen in the sunlight.' Ais's eyes, fixed on him, held no hostility, no killing intent, only a burning thirst for power and respect for her opponent, like a flame burning beneath clear water. In that instant when the setting sun slanted slightly—the gleaming light of the sword obscured all vision. Ais's face vanished in shadow for a fleeting moment!

"...I went for it."

call out!

Her figure was like a cheetah in flight, her light-colored clothes paled in comparison to the glow of the sunset, only her long golden hair shone with an almost tangible brilliance, and Ais rushed toward him like a golden streak of light!

Wow, so fast! But surprisingly, I was able to keep up...! Clang!

After only a brief exchange, Lin Tian was certain that his strength was almost on par with Ais's, which was the level of a top-tier B-rank hunter.

He had little practical combat experience, but Lin Tian possessed an advantage that Ais lacked. In that dungeon, he had witnessed Che Huiyi's fierce, sword-like strikes…!

Clang clang!

Ais moved faster and faster, her sword light enveloping Lin Tian like dancing stars. But whether she attacked head-on or drew an arc to the side, Lin Tian blocked all her attacks.

"Your sword is too fast!"

This is not an exaggeration. Ais Wallenstein possesses a skill called "Revenge Princess," and her thirst for power, amplified by this skill, has led to an unimaginable increase in her strength. While this mindset has undoubtedly boosted her physical abilities significantly, certain aspects requiring focused study haven't improved, such as—can her swordsmanship keep pace with her speed?

Clang.

Lin Tian deflected Ais's sword once again. The girl's sword had become messy and disorganized, and she was just swinging it out of habit.

Orario is much stronger than her, but there aren't many masters who are of a higher rank and more familiar with swordsmanship, so naturally not many people understand these things.

Che Huiyi is different. Due to the unique nature of the Hunter world, their abilities are basically not improved, so they can only find other ways to enhance their strength. For dancers, swordsmanship is one such method.

Perhaps it was the gene reward from that prize pool that greatly enhanced Lin Tian's comprehension, allowing him to easily break down the various techniques used in that fight.

It seems we won't need Lord Draig?

[Haha! You need me to intervene when you bully a girl? You're so shameful!]

"That's true. It's time to end this!"

Lin Tian seized Ais's opening, and swung his heavy greatsword upwards from a position she was completely unaware of.

Chapter Sixty: Deceiving Children

Snapped.

It wasn't until the greatsword touched her neck, the icy sensation traveling from her skin to her brain, that Ais snapped out of her rage.

--anger!

At first, she was just trying to learn from him, but his swordsmanship became increasingly inconsistent, and Lin Tian only defended and never launched an attack, which made her realize that he was holding back (actually, he was better at defense).

The Black Knight's figure was like a bird gliding across the water, each attack barely brushing past hers, dodging her slashes with minimal effort. If she tried to sidestep and pursue, Lin Tian would calmly turn and raise his greatsword, letting the horizontal slash pass right in front of him, while simultaneously slightly rotating his wrist, the back of the sword directly blocking her forward thrust.

...powerless.

The more perfect Lin Tian's defense was, the more powerless she felt. Even though the difference in strength between her and her opponent wasn't that great, she just couldn't do it!

Unconsciously.

She recalled her painful past, and this helplessness and struggle seemed to be telling her: You are exactly the same as before, nothing has changed!

You can't do anything!

Ais was enraged. Her swordsmanship completely lost its control, becoming nothing more than wild, haphazard swings born of fury. She even forgot to use her magic; if the first half of her swordplay flowed like a gentle stream, the second half was as fiery and unrestrained as a raging fire. But in either form, she couldn't touch Lin Tian, ​​like a stone thrown into a pool, producing only tiny ripples. Emotions could accomplish nothing, and so, unsurprisingly, she lost. "I lost."

Ais acknowledged her defeat, her slightly lowered eyelashes fluttering gently, her golden eyes filled with confusion and loss. Because of her previous anger, this defeat had dealt her a significant blow.

Her chest heaved as she tried to calm the burning heat from the battle. "...Next time, I won't lose."

But she was a strong person. Before Lin Tian could comfort the dejected little girl, Ais had already cheered herself up. The breeze ruffled her golden hair, and her posture became even more upright than before.

Can you tell me your name?

"My name is Lin Tian, ​​and I haven't been in Orario for long." "Where did you learn your swordsmanship? Can you teach me?"

"Uh, I don't know any swordsmanship. I just swung around randomly... Didn't you notice I barely even drew my sword?"

"Parrying counts as swordsmanship." "That's just instinct, it's..."

Lin Tian hesitated for a moment, and Ais also realized her rudeness. She had asked for other people's names without giving her own.

"Ais Wallenstein. A member of the Loki Familia. You can call me Ais."

"Yes, Ais, your sword is too powerful; my body moved instinctively."

"So you can dodge even if you can't see my sword?" "Uh, not really, you can't see it..."

The two, who had sparred before, had no animosity whatsoever. As Lin Tian sat down first, Ais followed suit and sat beside him, trying her best to exchange powerful insights with him. From swordsmanship and adaptability to past experiences and the influence of ideals and obsessions, she did her best to ask Lin Tian for advice in the shortest amount of time.

Time flies, and twinkling stars light up the sky. The forest becomes quiet and peaceful, like a beautiful painting, simple and lovely.

After asking her last question, Ais prepared to return to her clan to rest. "Which clan do you belong to? If you don't mind, may I come to your clan to learn from you?"

"Uh, actually I haven't joined a clan yet... If you want to learn from me, you can find me at the inn in the west of the city, right next to the fighting arena built by Takemikazuchi."

"I know... huh?"

She blinked, a hint of confusion on her face. Not joining the clan? She took that as a reasonable explanation.

"You left the clan? Why? Even someone as capable as you is being looked down upon?"

"What do you mean by leaving the clan?" Lin Tian was speechless. He explained to Ais again, "It's not that I left the clan, I didn't join, I didn't join! Didn't I just say before that I only recently came to Orario!"

"...That's impossible."

The mere thought of this possibility prompted Ais's immediate denial. "Without accepting divine favor, one cannot reach this level; this is common knowledge in Orario—"

"Common sense? Who told you this common sense? The gods?"

"If your deity truly cared about you, she would never have said these things—these 'common sense' statements were told to you by your fellow members of your clan; your deity has never truly confirmed them."

Ais thought he was being sophistical, and even wondered if he was truly a mad knight. But upon closer reflection, she realized Loki hadn't said anything like, "Only by accepting favors can one gain the power of revenge."

...Is it really that difficult?

Besides receiving divine favor, are there other ways to increase one's strength?

"If you have any, please tell me...!"

Looking at the serious Ais in front of him, Lin Tian's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Hey! System, system, come out here!

"Such a classic scene! And you didn't make any strange requests?!"

Lin Tian called out in his mind for a while, but the options didn't respond. Only the cards of Zhu Xi and the others were still emitting a faint golden light as they gathered towards the prize pool.

Only world hunters can be selected? That doesn't make sense. Lin Tian suddenly remembered the previous hint: the system's prize pool contained upgrade potions, which were used to increase the system's level. Could it be that its capacity had reached its limit, preventing it from interfering with other worlds? Lin Tian believed that was the reason.

Tsk, but even if you withdraw from the prize pool now, you might not be able to draw it. Looking at Ais who was serious in front of him, Lin Tian's heart was filled with excitement again.

What a sense of conquest it would be to conquer this swordswoman, to make her obsessed with him and unable to think of him while she's still around, constantly thinking about her precious one!