Of course, while such an ability could not be defended against, Shalltear had still made the most correct decision she could under those circumstances—namely, to kill the item's user at the very moment she herself was being affected by the World-Class Item.
Unfortunately, someone had gotten in her way back then. As a result, she had only managed to severely injure the wielder instead of killing them outright… which was why she had ended up reduced to a neutral, wandering monster.
Now—
Watching Ren Kuroda casually drinking as though he were an entirely different person, completely ignoring their actions, the leader of the Black Scripture couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
Yes, the man was powerful.
But his arrogance was simply too much.
And that… would be his downfall.
The dragon-shaped white light descended from the sky and struck Ren Kuroda directly as he stood there, unmoving.
Albedo had intended to step forward and block the attack for him—
—but at some point, golden chains had suddenly wrapped around her body, binding her in place and delaying her by a crucial moment.
The one who had cast the restraining magic was none other than the Black Scripture's leader.
Though he might not be able to defeat Albedo in a direct confrontation, holding her back for a few seconds was well within his capabilities.
After all, only by controlling Ren Kuroda with Alluring Nation could they hope to survive—or even turn the situation around.
There was no way he would allow Albedo to interfere.
And so—
The members of the Black Scripture watched with bated breath as the white light engulfed Ren Kuroda completely.
Yet what they saw next…
…was nothing.
No change.
No reaction.
No sign whatsoever that he had been affected.
Then, a moment later—
The dragon-shaped light let out a faint, mournful cry before shattering midair like glass, scattering into fragments.
"…So this is the World-Class Item that once controlled Shalltear—Alluring Nation, huh?" Ren Kuroda lowered the gourd from his lips, casually wiping the corner of his mouth as he looked at them with an amused expression. "Honestly, it's not all that impressive."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"If Shalltear hadn't been in a berserk state from Blood Frenzy back then, something of this level probably wouldn't have worked on her in the first place."
"…Impossible!" one of them blurted out. "This is the greatest relic left behind by the Six Gods! A supreme magic item capable of charming anyone—how could it have no effect at all?!"
Their voices trembled with disbelief.
"Unless… you're one of the Dragon Lords who can wield Wild Magic?!"
After all, Alluring Nation had never failed before.
The only exception had been the Dragon Lords who possessed Wild Magic—and even that, according to the Theocracy's theories, was because the item's materials themselves were somehow tied to the power of those very Dragon Lords.
"There's nothing impossible about it," Ren Kuroda replied calmly. "World-Class Items may be called tools that can disrupt the balance of the game, but that doesn't mean they're invincible."
He took another step forward, his presence pressing down on them like a mountain.
"That charm effect just now was indeed powerful. But anyone with a sufficiently strong will wouldn't be so easily influenced."
His voice dropped, cold and absolute.
"And for someone like me—whose mind, skill, and body have all been honed to their limits… someone who possesses Mind's Eye—it's even less effective."
Alluring Nation wasn't a consumable World-Class Item, but its cooldown was extremely long. Activating the Wild Magic embedded within the qipao also required a considerable amount of mana.
That was precisely why it was always worn by a magic caster.
The members of the Black Scripture were still reeling from the shock of its failure—
…completely unaware that Ren Kuroda had already vanished from where he stood.
In the blink of an eye—
He reappeared right in the middle of their formation.
And before anyone could react—
His hand shot out, seizing the throat of Sacred Hymn and lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
She was the Fourth Seat of the Black Scripture—a blonde woman with a mature, alluring figure.
In terms of strength, she was no weakling. Anyone who could hold the Fourth Seat had to be at least level forty or higher—more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Pleiades battle maids.
Yet now—
This so-called elite was dangling in the air like nothing more than a helpless insect, held aloft in Ren Kuroda's grip.
She struggled desperately, trying to pry his hand away—
…but as a magic caster, there was no way she could break free from his grasp.
Compared to the previous wielder of Alluring Nation—an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties whose appearance had been… less than fitting for an item of such a name—
Sacred Hymn was an entirely different story.
Her curvaceous figure, combined with the white, dragon-patterned qipao, accentuated her body to perfection.
Holding her up with one hand, Ren Kuroda extended his other hand toward her collar—
"Lord Ren Kuroda… what exactly are you planning to do?"
A soft cough sounded from behind him.
Albedo's voice followed, calm but unmistakably pointed.
"Forgive my impertinence, but even if she is an enemy, behaving like this in the middle of battle… would tarnish your dignity as one of the Supreme Beings."
It was an ironic statement.
As a succubus, one would expect Albedo to be the most open about such matters—yet in truth, she was practically the opposite, still completely inexperienced.
None of that mattered right now, however.
Because the moment Ren Kuroda heard her words—
The composed expression he had been maintaining instantly cracked, his lips twitching uncontrollably.
"H-Hold on, it's not like that!" he blurted out, immediately trying to explain himself. "She's wearing a World-Class Item, okay? I'm just trying to retrieve it—what's wrong with that?!"
"…Even so," Albedo replied without missing a beat, "stripping a female opponent during combat is still rather… unbecoming."
That line hit him like a critical strike.
Realizing how questionable it might look, Ren Kuroda hesitated for a moment—
Then, with a resigned sigh, he delivered a sharp chop to the back of Sacred Hymn's neck, knocking her unconscious.
Better to deal with it later.
After all…
If he stripped the clothes off a corpse instead, that would be way more disturbing.
With that thought in mind, he tossed the unconscious woman toward Albedo for safekeeping, then turned his attention back to the remaining members of the Black Scripture.
But as he did—
He noticed something had changed.
The way they looked at him now…
It wasn't just fear anymore.
Mixed in with it were traces of anger—and unmistakable disgust.
In a single careless moment, thanks to Albedo's remark, the composed and awe-inspiring image he had built for himself had completely shattered.
…Well.
Everyone except one.
Zesshi still stared at him with the same unwavering intensity as before—
because, to her, the only thing that mattered was Ren Kuroda's body.
As for whether he was a pervert or not?
She couldn't have cared less.