I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 223

Chapter 76: Irritation

In this last moment teetering on the edge of death, Nia didn’t even have time to feel fear; her mind went blank, with only the image of that black-haired boy flashing through her thoughts.

What a shame.

To die on her first adventure like this would surely leave him with some unpleasant memories—

But just as the dagger was about to fall, the swordsman in the purple-black robe deeply imprinted himself in her emerald green eyes.

Moving slowly yet deliberately, he swung his sword, which seemed like it had been honed through countless battles, perfectly aimed at Andy’s figure.

Realizing the terror of this strike, the leader of the thieves’ gaze darkened, and he immediately sprang back, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Even so, the sword’s wind brushed against his face, leaving a trail of blood.

Andy touched the blood on his face and stared at the suspicious swordsman across from him, his expression shifting between dark and stormy.

Where did this guy come from? Why hadn’t he felt the other’s presence until now?!

Roy, however, ignored his opponent, his gaze fixated on Nia first.

Noticing the girl’s pale face and the noticeable red on her lips, the boy’s expression darkened even more than the shadows on his face.

Thank goodness he had rushed over after taking care of those thieves; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Nia was both frightened and astonished by the other’s overwhelming aura, a hint of awe creeping into her voice as she instinctively said, “Are you… Lord Sword Demon?”

Roy gave a slight nod, “You did well enough, leave the rest to me.”

But at that moment, Nia grabbed the hem of his robe.

“Lord Sword Demon! Have you seen Roy? He’s my friend, with black hair…”

This foolish girl, nearly losing her life, was still thinking about someone else first. Roy felt a mix of warmth and further heartbreak.

“He’s fine.”

“First, take care of yourself.”

Upon hearing that Roy was safe, Nia finally breathed a sigh of relief, barely managing to retreat to the side.

Both the thieves and the adventurers hid in the periphery, the battlefield’s focus now resting between Roy and Andy.

“Boss! Kill him!” “A mere adventurer, just take him out!”

Behind Andy, the thieves shouted excitedly, brimming with confidence. After all, this wasn’t their first time seeing Andy in action; an A-Rank adventurer was merely another soul to fall under his blade.

In contrast, the adventurers all wore serious expressions, remaining silent, their faces marked by unease.

It was rumored the Sword Demon was indeed A-Rank, and likely possessed the strength of Sequence 7.

But there were still differences among the same rank, those previous campfire stories were nothing more than drunken boasts; no one had actually witnessed the Sword Demon in combat, leaving them understandably anxious.

Andy stared fixedly at Roy, more alert than ever.

He couldn’t sense any extraordinary fluctuations from his opponent.

Either that guy was a master at concealing his presence, or his attire held some deeper secret.

In battles between extraordinary beings, having prior knowledge about your opponent could provide a massive advantage.

For example, when facing a mage-type extraordinary being, Andy would surely seek to suppress them at the quickest speed. But if he were up against an explosive type of extraordinary being, like a “Lionheart” who could casually conjure fireballs, Andy wouldn’t dare approach recklessly.

The Sword Demon, by name, seemed like a swordsman, but beyond that, Andy knew nothing about his opponent, so he naturally couldn’t be as casual as he was with Reid and Nia.

“You’ve finally shown up. I suppose you’re also after the Blood Clan’s treasure, huh?”

“You mean this.”

Roy slowly pulled a bloodstone from his pocket, its crimson glow radiating a thick aura of blood, ominous, eerie, and beautiful.

“If you want it, come and take it.”

To the thieves and adventurers, it was likely some ancient treasure.

But Andy knew more.

That was the crystallization of the last Blood Clan, a priceless artifact that could send a whole nation into madness! Within it lay power that countless extraordinary beings had spent their entire lives chasing!

That was demigod power!

It took Andy quite a bit of effort to suppress his inner desire, refraining from attacking at that moment.

This surprised Roy somewhat.

Though his heart was filled with rage, the boy understood that carelessness against such a powerful foe would be disastrous.

Roy specialized in defense, luring his opponent into making the first move before counterattacking for greater advantage.

You could say the leader of a faction had some self-control, right?

So Roy pocketed the bloodstone and prepared to set the real bait.

He threw a bloody head toward Andy.

This time, Andy’s gaze finally wavered.

“Angus!!!”

Roy actually had a strong aversion to killing, even a bit of fear; however, just like when he heard Angus’s filthy insults, upon seeing Nia’s injured appearance, he was filled with a cold fury that left no room for mercy in his heart.

Some people didn’t deserve mercy.

The loss of his only family consumed Andy in rage, his eyes growing darker.

“That’s my brother! Do you even know what you’ve done?!”

“The Sword Demon, huh? If just snatching a treasure wasn’t enough, daring to kill my brother means you’re dead today!”

Shadows surged like wildfire as Andy, with ever-changing movement, flashed directly in front of Roy!

He drew a new dagger, blades crossing each other, murderous intent blazing, and struck at Roy with speed that surpassed lightning.

Roy drew his sword to meet the attack, but his strike fell short.

Even in the heat of anger, Andy did not forget the rules of combat for thieves; his first strike was a feint. As he dodged Roy’s long sword, he displayed his true killing intent, striking toward Roy’s arm.

To his surprise, this slash could not penetrate, rather it felt like hitting a steel plate, letting out a hoarse wail from the dagger, and Andy too felt a jarring pain in his wrist.

This guy was a melee specialist among extraordinary beings, and extraordinarily tough!

Seeing Roy’s sword coming again, a simple strike felt incredibly concentrated, its edge glinting.

Andy felt as if the sword’s light stabbed painfully into his eyes.

Getting hit would mean disaster.

He sidestepped, barely avoiding it, a hint of mockery flashing across his face.

“Too slow!”

Even among Sequence 7 fighters, that would count as slow, perhaps even slower than that little girl from earlier!

His opponent’s sword technique and strength were impressive, but what good was an attack if it couldn’t hit?!

Confirming his opponent’s strength, Andy no longer held back.

He launched a fierce assault powered by his speed, twin blades striking like a storm, slashing at Roy again and again, nearly engulfing him whole.

Extraordinary beings each had their strengths, and when facing different opponents, one naturally had to adopt different combat strategies.

Against a speed type foe, the most common tactic was to inflict light injuries first to drain the opponent’s stamina and then land the decisive blow.

Even with Roy activating the Protection of the Dragon King, raising his abilities to Sequence 7 levels, he was still vastly outpaced.

Roy’s swordplay was fierce, yet it frequently missed, making even the most refined movements appear clumsy as a child. In stark contrast, Andy’s twin blades continuously struck him like a slow, torturous execution.

“Go! Boss!”

“Take that guy down!”

The thieves cheered enthusiastically, roaring the name of “Black Claw,” while the adventurers looked grim, hope fading from their eyes.