My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 128

“Why didn’t we head straight to the south where Orient is, instead of coming to this ambiguous place?”

Ariel, who had just used Teleport, looked at me mischievously. The Phoenix, crossing her arms, clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with my decision.

“I’ve already told you. Our purpose isn’t to fight; we’re here to rescue Orient. If we engage in a full-on battle with Peremus, our odds of winning aren’t very high.”

Even though the Heroes have grown stronger, I had no intention of being complacent. Given our opponent’s strength, caution was paramount.

One punch from that monster could wipe out an entire city. If he infused it with Magic Beasts, he could obliterate the city itself.

He was that much of a monster. The fact that Pasma managed to injure Peremus alone was proof of how strong Pasma was, on par with the Heroes.

“If there’s a signal from Orient, it’s likely that they’ve already encountered Peremus. Even if they haven’t yet, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”

“If Orient gets injured or killed, you’re dead meat to me.”

“…It’s better for one Spirit King to die than for our party to be completely wiped out due to rash movements.”

“What?!”

As I casually refuted the Phoenix’s warning, she grabbed my collar tightly. I was nearly out of breath.

“Let’s be clear, even without a Spirit King, as long as a Hero is alive, this world can be protected. But if the Spirit King lives and the Hero dies, this world has no hope. You understand that, right?”

She gritted her teeth in frustration, her fierce expression unable to rebut my words. Eventually, she released my collar and asked me a question.

“…Do you have a plan to rescue Orient?”

“Do you know what kind of subordinate Magic Beast we’re dealing with, Ariel?”

“They say it wears a Pierrot mask.”

A Pierrot mask…

This was the worst case scenario. That psychopath Magic Beast was involved.

Cutting humans into pieces was just the beginning; it was a typical sadist who took pleasure in torturing their victims under the guise of magic.

It was quite shocking that such a being was the Deputy Commander of the First Legion led by Peremus.

Moreover, he was as strong as he was troublesome, having a highly complex battle pattern that made him a real headache.

Normally, we would deal with these individuals separately, but since they were together, it was wishful thinking to hope for that.

Thus, it would be best not to encounter them until we rescued Orient.

“Let’s prioritize rescuing Orient, but if we need to fight, the formation—”

Boom!

A tremendous sound echoed from afar, accompanied by the ominous tremors of the earth.

Something shot into the sky, and the clouds that had been peacefully drifting away vanished.

“…Let’s hurry. I’ll explain the plan as we go.”

I hastened my steps, trying hard to ignore the anxiety and tension etched on my companions’ faces.

“High-Speed Movement.”

*

“The flow of mana has changed.”

Peremus’s eyes darted back and forth before he focused on the ground. He clearly noticed that the mana swirling in the atmosphere had begun to stir.

“Interesting. So this reaction is because Peremus has arrived. It seems like the Spirit King has a grudge against you.”

“Hmph. I have no interest in those weaker than me.”

He clenched his fist again, a different kind of power coursing through it compared to the earlier light swings.

“Stop hiding and come out already!!”

Bang! Boom!!

His fist slammed into the ground, completely obliterating it. A crater spanning several kilometers formed as grass, trees, and everything else was sent soaring into the air. Even the castle walls on the distant border crumbled under the shockwave.

The forest area was devastated by two of his punches, resembling an earthquake.

Orient’s eyes widened in alarm as the splintered debris fell from the sky at lightning speed.

“I’ll bury you alive. ‘Rock Grave.’”

As he looked up at the falling meteoric pieces, Peremus snorted dismissively and clenched his fist. Magic energy began to swirl around his fist.

“Destruction Fist.”

All falling fragments disintegrated down to the molecular level. As the remnants of them faded into nothingness, Orient prepared another attack.

“Antlion.”

The earth split open, revealing a gaping maw resembling a beast’s face.

“Hmph!”

Bang!

With a powerful stomp, Peremus crushed the beast’s mouth rising from the ground to pieces.

“Are you planning to keep hiding and make petty attacks? You should know better than anyone that you can’t defeat me with such tricks!”

He interlocked his fingers and raised them high, a threatening aura radiating from him, prompting Orient to urgently erect a barrier in the ground.

“Be destroyed!”

Boom!!

As his fingers slammed down to the earth, everything on the surface was uprooted. All the flora and fauna residing in the forest were unable to withstand the shock and perished.

It truly was a calamity.

With the complete devastation of the forest area, seawater began to rush in rapidly from the lowered terrain. It was the artificial loss of the Phisis continent.

As the crashing sound reached their ears, Peremus spoke.

“If you want to play hide-and-seek with me, you’ve chosen the wrong seeker. Pero, find out where the Spirit King’s mana is linked.”

“…Would it not be better for you to go in there directly? To stop Peremus, the Spirit King would have to exert full power, right? Then we could pinpoint their position. Even if they don’t come out, we can still eliminate the humans, making it more efficient.”

“You have a point. Then let’s head to the nearest city.”

Orient, who was eavesdropping through the birds still flying overhead, began to panic.

She had anticipated that indirect attacks while hiding wouldn’t deal significant damage to them. However, she never imagined it would be this one-sided.

She quivered at the thought of how much more loss of life could occur if she hesitated to make a full effort.

Unlike the other Spirit Kings, Orient had the role of connecting the roots of the World Tree to the Human World. She knew that if her position was discovered, one of the roots planted around the Phisis continent would be revealed, putting the Spirit Realm in jeopardy.

“I can’t handle these damn Magic Beasts alone. But I can’t let them enter human cities either…”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With the heavy footsteps of Peremus drawing closer, Orient shut her eyes for a moment before making her decision.

“For now, I have to buy some time. I can’t stop them myself right now. I’ve already sent a signal to the other Spirit Kings; if I’ve made a contract with the Heroes, they should definitely be able to handle them.”

Deciding to bet on the winning side, she absorbed some of the World Tree’s power that was sprinkled through the Human World. The concentration of mana spreading across the Phisis continent diminished.

“Then I’ll head out.”

“No need for that.”

As Peremus prepared to put strength into his legs, the ground split open, and Orient descended. With mana held tightly in both hands, Peremus’s jaw dropped. Orient felt a chill run down her spine seeing his grin, but she managed to maintain her composure.

“As you wish, I shall get serious. Damn Magic Beasts.”

“Ha, so you finally feel like cooperating?”

“The forces of nature are on my side. I’ll pour forth my full power.”

“Don’t disappoint me. If I acknowledge you, I might ask for your name before I kill you. Pero, you stay hidden in the corner. Interfere, and you die.”

Pero tipped his hat and slightly bowed. He had no interest in the Spirit King from the start. His only focus was on the Heroes who would come due to this incident.

Seeing Pero retreat, Peremus turned back to Orient.

“Now then, step forward. That guy won’t get involved.”

“Your arrogance will strangle you now.”

Mana gathered in Orient’s hands, exploding forth in radiance.

“Nature Creation.”

“…?”

In an instant, the previously devastated forest area began to regenerate.

Ninth-tier magic, Nature Creation.

The skill allowed the caster to change the environment within a specified radius according to their will. The newly altered environment becomes the caster’s domain, moving organically like a living creature.

As the land melted and grabbed hold of his feet, the surrounding grasses and trees slithered around to bind him.

“H… Ha ha! Yes! This is it! Fun! So fun! This is how a Spirit King should behave!”

Even as he realized all his magic was being drained away, he was filled with joy.

“But!”

Crack!

He seized a tree that was trying to bind him and crumpled it like paper. Finally, it broke apart, having expended its last breath.

“I can kill you even without my magic.”

He clenched his fist, his veins bulging as his muscles swelled with power. The grasping vines cried out in despair as they tore apart as they were ripped away.

“Foolishness. ‘Thorn Hell.’”

At her shout, spikes erupted from the earth, piercing Peremus’s body. With the dropping mana, the defenses that had once been strong as steel faltered, leaving gaps in his skin. Finally, a beast’s mouth made of soil engulfed him.

Boom!

Buried without a moment to resist, Peremus merely laughed.

“Not yet.”

With that phrase, as he swung his arm, the earth exploded. He emerged effortlessly from the ground, grinning maliciously.

“Guh…!”

Had he been an ordinary Magic Beast, he would have suffered significant damage at the point of losing his magic and would have lost his recovery ability, but Peremus was merely tearing the thorns embedded in his body with a look of merriment.

Even as he bled blue blood from various parts of his body, he did not cease his movements.

Seeing him stand unwavering, even without magic sealed, filled Orient with dread. She instinctively took a step back, her psychological state fraying as she took deep breaths to shake off her fear.

“I will surely kill you!”

Gathering an immense amount of mana, she placed her hands on the ground. The mana absorbed into the earth and connected to those standing on it.

“Land of Death.”

As she chanted the skill, mana infiltrated Peremus’s body, twisting his blood vessels and wreaking chaos in his organs.

“Guh!”

He spat out blood. Blue blood gushed from his mouth, staining the ground.

“To bend the mana flow of those standing on the land… Quite refreshing.”

Peremus nonchalantly commented on the attack, wiping his mouth with a shaky hand.

“Die already!!”

Orient intended to fill Peremus’s body with her mana, excluding magic, thus causing his physical body to collapse.

However.

“It seems that the Spirit King can unleash some degree of power.”

Peremus shoved his finger into his own arm.

“Mana Absorption.”

In an instant, he absorbed the mana and began concentrating it on his fingertip. Orient froze, her mouth agape in shock.

“It was fresh, but not significant enough to matter.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not over yet!”

Seeing Orient trying to gather mana, Peremus shook his head.

“I can convert mana into magic. If you wanted to fight me, you should have opted for physical attacks instead of magical ones. The moment your power becomes mine, the outcome of this battle is set.”

The immense mana originally used to kill Peremus was gradually consumed by magic.

Even as Nature Creation tried to engulf the magic, the scale of mana that Peremus possessed was greater, preventing it from keeping pace.

“Let’s end this.”

At the moment he tightened his fist, the magic clung to his cupped hand.

“Collapse!”

Peremus hurled his fist toward Orient. Reacting too late, she built a barrier, only to intuitively realize.

She couldn’t stop this.

“Sorry, Ariel.”

With eyes tightly shut, Orient felt the magical energy descend alongside the punch.

“Absolute Defense!”

Bang!

Just before Peremus’s fist made direct contact with Orient, a white fox girl slipped between them.

“Fortunately, you’re not too late.”

Iris, in her Beastform, growled lowly, baring her fangs.

“Who are you…?”

“Did you just block my full-powered punch…?! Who the hell are you?”

Both Peremus and Orient were taken aback by Iris’s unyielding defense against the punch wielded with full force. Iris taunted, smirking smugly.

“None of your business. You’re going to die by my hands.”

“No, I’m the one who’s going to kill her.”

Just above Iris and Peremus,

Tina, grasping the All-Cutting Sword in the air, drew its arc as she prepared to strike.

“Targeting the head.”

“All-Cutting Sword!”

The invisible blade shot toward Peremus’s head. He sensed it instinctively; if he didn’t evade, he could die.

He quickly pushed off the ground, breaking free of its trajectory. Yet, the blade that was supposed to hit his head grazed his toes, severing them.

‘Did it just slice off my toe in one go?’

Peremus stared blankly at the bleeding toe. Memories of a past man who had scarred his body began to surface.

‘It’s true that I’m weakened due to lacking magic, but to be cut that easily…?’

“Iris, you know, right? We need to kill this blue pig so we don’t owe our master anything.”

Landing on the tree, Tina looked down at Iris.

“Of course I know.”

“Honestly, I want to be praised solo, but this time I’m telling you to work together, okay?”

“I’m fine alone!”

“I can do it alone too! I’m just doing this because my master told me to! So he’ll praise me and think I’m amazing—so just do what I say!”

While Tina and Iris were bickering, Peremus glanced back and forth between the two girls.

“Who are you two?”

“I told you it’s none of your business.”

Iris directed her finger toward Peremus, fueled by past glories.

“That’s harsh, Iris. So, who are we? Uhm…”

Tina hesitated, wanting to describe herself with a more impressive term.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Tina snapped her fingers and said,

“We’re the reapers who were born to send you to hell.”

“To send me to hell…?”

Peremus trembled as Tina’s ridiculous remark was taken as a provocation. Smirking down at him, Tina continued.

“See, I told you he wasn’t an easy opponent.”

Iris shook her head in disapproval, tightening her grip on the sword.

“Your opponent is right here. Come on!”