My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 131

Boom!

The clones summoned by Pero unleashed a barrage of multi-elemental spells toward Praus and his companions. Maria and Ariel, panting under the thick smoke while holding up a defensive barrier, felt the strain escalating.

Even if each clone’s power was just twenty percent, sustaining that barrage would inevitably lead to mana depletion.

“How much longer… huff, how much longer…?”

“Until that guy heals his wounds again.”

Praus couldn’t tell how long it would take. In the game there was a timer, but in reality, there was nothing of the sort.

“Then all the damage we’ve done will mean nothing—”

Boom! Bang!

The clones kept bombarding Maria’s defensive wall with spells. Each hit caused a groan to escape her lips, and her mana visibly dwindled.

“Huff… Huff… Seriously… playing defense isn’t my style…”

“It’s time to endure.”

“If the timing’s right, maybe Orient will arrive as the second phase starts.”

Boom! Crash!

Cracks began to form in the water barrier. Ariel hurriedly reinforced it, but the restrictions limited her power.

“Still… it’s a relief.”

“A relief?”

“I don’t know why, but your clones were slow and weak. If I’d had to deal with your real clones, I definitely wouldn’t have lasted. Of course, that insane killing intent sent chills down my spine.”

At Maria’s words, Praus broke into a cold sweat and glanced toward the corner.

Currently, Praus’s clones were tied up and stuck in the corner. They struggled, but the magic bindings made it impossible to move an inch.

In fact, it was only natural.

Praus had fought using artifacts until now, so everyone around believed he was strong, but his actual body was as weak as that of an average person.

And because he was weak, this situation became lenient.

However, Maria remained alert, constantly wary of Praus’s clones. She believed her master was incredibly strong.

“Master, it seems like my mana will run out soon…! Ariel’s clone attacks are just too powerful!”

Crash!

Whirling winds began to erode Maria’s wall.

“Ugh!!”

“Just hold on a little longer. If my guess is correct, it should be soon…”

Before Praus could finish his sentence, Pero spoke up.

“Hah, that was quite a fiery assault. But as a noble demon tribe, I can recover from this amount of damage easily.”

Having recovered, Pero rose back into the air, prompting Praus to prepare his next move.

“…Hmm. You’re holding up better than I expected. It seems the hero is indeed a hero. Then how about this?”

With a snap of his fingers, boxes began to appear at regular intervals within the barrier. There were four in total.

One by one, Praus’s clones were sucked into the black boxes marked with a white question mark. Then, the twelve clones on the field vanished without a trace.

“I’ll be starting a shell game.”

The shell game. A pattern where they had to find and smash the empty box, but if they attacked a box containing a clone, that would deal instant death-level damage.

If this pattern was broken, the barrier would shatter, and the real second phase would begin.

“We have to break the empty box. If we smash one containing a clone, it could kill us.”

Praus promptly informed Maria and Ariel of their strategy.

The four boxes began to rotate rapidly. Naturally, Praus’s reflexes couldn’t keep up with that speed. Even Pasma, who was possessed, clicked his tongue at the frantic pace. Ariel and Maria were watching the empty boxes too, but the tension made their faces twist further.

“Master, I lost track!”

‘This won’t do.’

It wasn’t like they could view it in a third-person perspective like in a game, and the speed felt much quicker in reality, so Praus quickly prepared an alternative plan.

The boxes halted, their lids opening to reveal numbers. They had ten seconds until the decision time.

“‘True Word’!”

It was Praus’s shout. Pero, upon hearing it, realized a mental attack was coming and tried to respond, but his question came even faster.

“What’s the location of the empty box?!”

“In front of the Spirit King—”

“Pasma!”

Before his own name could even be fully uttered, Pasma dashed out and sliced the empty box in front of Ariel.

The sliced box fell apart, and simultaneously, the remaining boxes released the clones, who stepped out calmly before vanishing away.

“Ugh! You cowardly bastard…!”

Pero’s rage coincided with the barrier lifting.

“This is why I hate humans. They resort to all sorts of tricks just to win.”

“You’re no different! The pot calling the kettle black!”

Crack.

At Praus’s words, Pero’s sense of reason snapped, and he shouted.

“You filthy bastards!!”

Pero roared, tearing off the Piero mask he wore.

A face unknown to anyone emerged. Yet, it was clear to everyone that this was not Pero’s true form, given the jarring difference in appearance.

And rightly so; his skin was of various colors, as if it had been drawn from different sculptures.

“Be grateful that I’m showing you my thousand faces!”

The thousand faces—a mask made from the skins of the thousand people Pero had killed. While wearing that mask, Pero could utilize the myriad abilities of those one thousand individuals.

“‘Plasma Impact’.”

Numerous black orbs appeared in the air. Sparks flew from the orbs.

“An unusual attack is coming. Keep your eyes wide open till the end.”

Praus informed Maria and Ariel and gripped his sword tightly.

“Die, humans!!”

“We have to keep watching!”

As the pouring orbs entered the range of his sword strikes, Pasma maneuvered Praus’s body to swing the sword.

However, his sword merely cut through the air and did not touch the orbs. They vanished before colliding with the blade. The disappearing orbs then reappeared in Praus’s blind spot, threatening his life.

This wasn’t just the case for Praus; Ariel and Maria faced similar dangers. Thankfully, they could erect barriers with magic, making defense easier.

“Oh no!”

Caught off guard by an unexpected attack, he altered the sword’s direction. However, a single orb cascaded down behind him.

‘Too late—!’

Boom!

Thick smoke billowed up, and Praus looked up at the newly risen ground before him.

‘The Ground Barrier… no way!’

“Did I arrive at a good time?”

Turning toward the voice, relief washed over Praus. Before his eyes stood Orient, donned in a brown fairy robe.

“Are you Praus?”

Praus couldn’t respond to Orient’s question as another attack came flying toward him. He swung his sword, only for the orb to disappear and reappear out of his blind spot again.

Boom!

Once more, the wall of earth erupted, shielding his blind spot.

“Orient!”

“Oh… A, Ariel… I’m so glad to see you!”

Orient timidly approached Ariel, looking genuinely happy yet noticeably awkward.

“Orient, we don’t have the luxury of chatting right now. You heard from Iris, right? Hand me the sword now.”

“What? You’re not even a hero. The features that the fox girl mentioned seem somewhat accurate, but… you don’t seem that exceptionally handsome!”

‘What the heck is she talking about?’

Observing Orient talking to herself, Praus extended his hand to urge her to hand over the sword quickly.

“I’m in a hurry, and yet it’s still okay.”

Boom! Crash!

“I’ll block everything for you.”

Orient manipulated the ground with ease, stopping the downpour of orbs from every direction. Then, she leisurely rested her forehead on the sword and said, “Please have mercy on my rash actions, World Tree.”

“Is it all done?”

While handing the sword over to Praus, she cast him a skeptical glance.

“I don’t know what you plan to do with that sword, but I’ll be reclaiming it later. So treat it with care, as if it were your own life. After this duel ends, I’ll have a word with that fox girl.”

Receiving the sword from Orient, Praus looked at her nonsensical remarks with disdain before turning to gaze at the hologram.

[Equipped the ‘Guardian of the Sanctuary’.]

[You can use the skill ‘Absolute Domain’ for one minute.]

[There is no durability. It’s an indestructible item.]

“Just as I expected.”

Realizing he knew both the name and the skill bestowed upon him, Praus calmed his breaths.

“Pasma, from now on, you should feel something different. Activate the skill and adapt within ten seconds.”

“What are you saying…?”

From this point forward, time was of the essence.

Praus planned to kill Pero within one minute.

“Maria, Ariel, don’t interfere and be careful.”

Knowing that assistance would only hinder him while using Absolute Domain, Praus made his judgment.

“I’m going, Pasma.”

At Praus’s command, Pasma thrust his feet into the ground.

“I don’t know what you’ll attempt, but magic possesses the power to twist nature itself! You insignificant humans!”

Pero snapped his fingers.

“‘Tempest’.”

Swish—!

Water poured from the heavens as if a hole had opened in the sky. In an instant, Praus’s clothes were soaked, and water filled his shoes. Lightning began to strike as well.

‘The fact that he can manipulate nature means he might have the face of a ninth-tier water mage as well?’

Praus had faced several different second-phase patterns that had given him trouble over time.

‘It’s better to deal with him now. If I face him again, he’ll pose a significant threat.’

As he bore the rain, Praus noticed another white sword in his grasp.

“‘Absolute Domain’.”

Thud—!

An overwhelming sense filled him, and the world felt oddly distorted.

Time seemed to slow.

The rain pouring above and the lightning felt manageable within the Absolute Domain, making even Praus feel slow enough to dodge.

“Are you adapted?”

“What’s this feeling, as if I’m detached from the world?”

“There’s no time to explain. Draw Pero into the domain and kill him.”

As the real second phase began, Praus knew he would be at a disadvantage, and he aimed to end this battle as quickly as possible.

Pasma didn’t press for more answers; he moved as Praus commanded.

“‘High-Speed Movement’.”

He charged at Pero.

“You filthy human, where do you think you’re crawling to?!”

Praus focused on the numerous attacks aimed at him. Knowing a single hit would mean instant death, he plunged into the onslaught without hesitation.

Clash! Slice! Bang! Wham!

He cut down, deflected, and shattered every incoming attack.

As he spun around, he dodged every attack as it flew back.

“How is this possible?! How can a human like you dodge all my attacks! Are you really the ‘Hero’?!”

Enraged, Pero unleashed his skills even more violently. But before he could realize, Praus had already reached him.

“Die, Pero!”

A perfect strike aimed at his neck.

Just as Praus’s sword was about to touch Pero’s neck, a black spear protruded from Pero’s clothing.

‘Wait, he just pierced his own body…!’

Momentarily, Praus made a quick judgment.

If he dodged this attack, Pero would likely dodge his strike too.

With a firm grip on his sword, Praus steeled himself, and Pasma seemed to agree as he showed no hesitation either.

Thus, while Praus’s sword beheaded Pero, a spear pierced through Praus’s abdomen.

*

“Damn heroes…”

Pero’s right arm was sliced in two with the All-Cutting Sword skill. Yet, the severed part quickly reattached, restoring its original form.

“You’re indeed strong. I’ll acknowledge that. But did you think I would lose without my magic? I’m about to show you my true—”

Right at the moment he seemed poised to charge, Pero halted, his gaze shifting toward the Demon World.

“Pero, this prick isn’t… dead, is he?”

For the first time, the confident expression that Pero had worn evaporated, revealing genuine surprise on his face.