My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 134

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

The clash between Tina and Iris.

Every time their swords met, the atmosphere erupted, and the ground trembled. The ground they stepped on cracked, and dust along with debris flew up.

“Ha-ha! Just as I thought, Iris! I see no openings at all!”

“What about you, Tina?! What’s with that strength and speed?!”

Pakang!

Their movements were on a different level compared to a year ago.

Previously, their moves were something my eyes couldn’t follow, but now there weren’t even any afterimages. Only in fleeting moments when their swords collided did the two of them become visible.

“This one’s going to be quite heavy! ‘Phantom Wave Slash’!”

Kakakakakang!

Without using any absolute defense skills, Iris dashed toward Tina, blocking everything with minimal movements.

“I’m still not worse than that guy!”

“Tch! Do you really have to compare with that guy?!”

“When we meet again, I’ll definitely kill him!”

“Of course!”

Pakang!

The two immediately assumed stances and charged at each other while channeling their auras. They unleashed aura swords that were at least three meters long toward each other.

Kakakak! Kang!

The All-Cutting Sword and the Guardian of the Sanctuary clashed, pushing each other back.

Was it because their strengths were similar?

A decisive conclusion between the two didn’t seem to be forthcoming.

In terms of speed, Tina held an advantage, but Iris was parrying and blocking it all with minimal movements. Conversely, Tina’s defenses were weak, pushing back Iris’s attacks with her own offensive strikes.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash’!”

“‘Absolute Domain.’”

Absolute Domain.

At this moment, Tina’s speed became useless. Iris gracefully dodged Tina’s Phantom Wave Slash and appeared behind her.

“‘Falling Shadow’!”

Kang!

The moment Iris attempted to thrust down her sword, Tina spun around and deflected it.

Within the Absolute Domain, speed was meaningless.

The spellcaster felt time slow down at least three times. Nevertheless, Tina achieved it.

The reason was simply that Tina had ‘predicted’ Iris’s position. Of course, this was only possible due to her exceptional agility and reflexes. It wasn’t a trick anyone could pull off.

“Just as I thought, Tina! You’re formidable! But!”

Iris swiftly reversed her grip on the sword and aimed its tip at Tina’s face.

Kwang!

Iris’s descending sword lodged itself into the ground right beside Tina’s face.

“That’s enough!”

At my shout, Tina and Iris completely halted their movements and looked at each other, panting. Soon, Tina began to stomp her feet.

“Eek! I lost!!”

Tina sprawled out dramatically, kicking up a cloud of dust. Who do you think is going to wash your clothes?

“I have no idea how to strategize against that.”

There was only one way to strategize against the Absolute Domain.

To have agility and reflexes that allowed you to act even after entering it, then dealing damage to the spellcaster. If this were done, the Absolute Domain would be forcibly released.

In this case, it would be possible if Tina reached completion stage.

For now, only the Demon King, Peremus, and the summoned Demon Tribe ranking at 4th could manage that.

To those who lacked top-tier combat power, it would be termed a ‘cheat item,’ but being a final weapon meant that such specifications were expected. If they didn’t possess that much power, even confronting the Demon King wouldn’t be an easy task.

“It’s because I didn’t use the All-Cutting Sword skill, fearing I might get hurt.”

Still, I could feel the real heroes reaching their peak.

They were showing a performance on a different dimension compared to a year ago, which left me astounded.

But how long is she going to flail around?

“Enough already, get up, Tina.”

“Ah, ow!”

I approached Tina and gave her a flick to the forehead. She pouted, almost in tears. As I tried to help her up, inserting my hand under her wet armpit, she thrashed around intensely.

As someone weak like me struggled to hold on, Tina plowed her head into the ground.

“Eek! That hurt!”

“What’s going on here?”

“Teacher! I’m, I’m dirty from sweat! D-Don’t put your hand there…”

Ah, is she at that sensitive age during puberty?

I was clearly being too oblivious. Had I any experience raising a daughter, I wouldn’t have made such a blunder.

But, wait, I’ve never been married either?

“…I’m sorry.”

I genuinely apologized.

Thinking about it, the growth pace of children wasn’t limited to just combat and magic.

Tina and Iris had already grown to my chin. Maria was still at my chest level, but I expected her to catch up soon.

Moreover, their busts and hips were significantly pronounced, reiterating the fact that these kids were girls.

Did I underestimate their youth? But at fourteen, they were still kids. Here, in this world, one is considered an adult only at twenty.

“Give me your hand.”

“Okay.”

Tina grabbed my hand and rose. Iris sheathed her sword and brushed off her knees as she stood up.

“Teacher, I won.”

I lightly bumped fists with Iris and nodded.

“Alright. As promised, I’ll grant what you want within reason.”

To bolster the enthusiasm for sparring, I had agreed to fulfill the wishes of the winner before the duel began.

There would be two rounds, and whoever lost would spar with the last person, granting two wishes.

“Tina, since you lost, take a short break and spar with Maria. If you can defeat her, your wish will be granted.”

“Ugh… I could have won…”

I pretended not to hear Tina’s whimpering as I looked at Iris. Iris was wiggling her fingers and wagging her tail excitedly.

“Anything goes?”

“It can be anything.”

“Then… Um, well…”

Iris peered into my face and slowly spread her ten fingers wide.

“When, when I want… Teacher, a big hug, ten times! Is, is that possible?”

“…It’s possible.”

It was a request much easier than I had anticipated. Honestly, hugging wasn’t hard at all.

However, seeing her request such a thing worried me a bit, as it hinted she might have feelings beyond just being a student. While it was nice that she no longer felt awkward around me, it left me pondering.

“Then can I use one now…?”

“…Iris doesn’t seem to mind the smell of sweat.”

“Ah… do you, Teacher?”

That caught her off guard. Iris’s face flushed bright red as she got embarrassed. I slightly bent my knees to meet Iris’s eye level.

“I’m fine. I was just asking since I thought you might be like Tina, who is.”

“It’s, it’s alright. Rather, the smell signifies that it’s mine…”

I felt like I misheard something there.

I had a strange urge to deny it with all my might right then. As I tried to pull away, Iris moved first.

“Then, e-excuse me.”

Rising on her tiptoes, she tightly hugged me, taking a whiff around my neck. The sound of her sniffing was oddly chilling.

I tried to act nonchalant as I gently patted Iris’s back.

Were we standing there for several seconds? Slowly, Iris withdrew.

“…I-it’s done! Were you uncomfortable at all?”

“No, it was fine…”

“I’m glad. Hehe.”

Alright then, if it makes you happy, that’s good.

I concluded the amusing incident by patting Iris’s head one last time as she shone with excitement.

“Something feels a bit off. Can I join the sparring too?”

Uurka’s voice, observing the duel, was filled with mischief.

“No.”

“Why not?!”

In response to my firm attitude, Uurka began to pout. I sighed.

Even if she were to join this spar, the chances of Uurka defeating the heroes were slim.

She had undoubtedly awakened, and it was undeniable that she had grown stronger. However, in the past year, the heroes had become much stronger. Thanks to Peremus’s example, they had significantly increased their training time.

“Anyway, no.”

“You’re playing favorites with your students!”

“Even if you point fingers, it’s still not going to work.”

“Humph! Alright, I’ll just hug you a lot when we sleep!”

How annoying…

Shaking my head at Uurka’s stubbornness, I happened to glance at Seri nearby.

Seri, quietly watching the sparring, had an eerie smile on her face. Any feeling of terror must surely be an illusion. No, it absolutely had to be a mistake.

*

“Engage in the sparring with all seriousness, but don’t kill each other. Make sure you understand this point.”

“Don’t worry.”

“And you too, Maria.”

Currently, Maria had reached the 8th tier. She had successfully contracted with the Orient, her mana quality significantly improved compared to before.

Now, she possessed enough power to warp nature itself. If she leveled up one more time, she would have the power to twist causality itself, nearing complete growth.

“Yes. I’ll control it.”

As Maria put her hands together and then separated them, blue particles appeared in the air.

It was a condensation of mana.

That was simply the first step to ensure that whatever form of magic it morphed into wouldn’t be an issue.

“Then, let’s start!”

“This time, I won’t hold back!”

“‘High-Speed Movement.’”

At my shout, the two figures vanished.

Kwang!

Each time they clashed, a bright light erupted.

If anyone experienced the most change among the heroes, it would undoubtedly be Maria.

She no longer fought as any ordinary magician casting spells from the back. Depending on the situation, she actively approached the enemy to cast her magic.

She had improved her casting speed so significantly that she could match the speed of her opponents.

Puh-ong! Kwang!

Flame erupted, and ice shattered.

Tina didn’t falter against the overwhelming spells either. With astonishing mobility, she kept pace with Maria’s movements.

“‘Lightning Strike!’”

The lightning descended rapidly towards Tina.

Without hesitation, Tina changed her posture and thrust her sword towards the sky.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash!’”

The lightning shattered in her sword’s wake.

“‘Tsunami!’”

Next, another spell activated.

Water surged beneath Tina, swirling into a torrent. Without missing a beat, she leaped, channeling her aura into her sword.

Creating an enormous aura sword that surpassed four meters, Tina slashed downwards.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash!’”

Tina’s swing halved Maria’s Tsunami. Immediately looking for Maria, Tina raised her gaze. However, Maria was no longer there.

She had maneuvered behind her using High-Speed Movement.

“‘Meteor!’”

The object wasn’t of the size that would ordinarily be termed a meteor. Maria had adjusted the size, mindful that it could potentially kill Tina.

Seeing the meteors raining down towards her, Tina prepared herself.

“‘All-Cutting Sword!’”

With a single swing, the meteor and the condensed mana burst apart.

“Did you think I’d fall for that easily?”

“Just as I expected, Tina…!”

They re-evaluated their attacks while looking at each other.

At that moment, while I was deeply engrossed in watching the duel, Seri quietly approached and tugged at my clothes.

“Tomorrow, right? The noble meeting?”

“Yeah. How’s your condition?”

“I think it’d be great if Praus went with me.”

“Is that so? Don’t worry. I’ll accompany you.”

Even if I didn’t want to, I had my own business to attend to. With the duke from the East.

“That’s quite reassuring. Hehe.”

Covering her mouth, Seri smiled gracefully as she leaned closer to me.

“And while I can understand this right now, it becomes quite troublesome if you continue to act this way after we establish a deeper relationship, okay?”

What’s troublesome…?

Seri only smiled. I swallowed hard and turned my gaze away from her.