My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 154

“I’m going to finish this.”

Her punch draws the pressure toward it.

This is dangerous.

It feels as though my dull body is screaming at me to flee with all its might from her. However, since I’ve already initiated my preparation, a complete evasion is impossible. Moreover, Iris is injured.

There was no way to evade this perfectly.

Then there was only one option.

That option was to make myself the target of her attack.

I pushed my strength into my legs.

“‘High-Speed Movement.’”

In an instant, I closed the distance with Stella.

“‘Destruction Fist!’”

I positioned the Glass Sword precisely in the path of her swinging fist.

Kaaang!

Her fist did not shatter the Glass Sword. Instead, it absorbed the tremendous force.

Two more times.

I had to finish this before Stella, who had become Peremus, could use her two skills.

“As expected, Praus, you’re getting in the way of my plan.”

Another fist descends towards my face. But I kicked off the ground and twisted my body, dodging it fluidly. I didn’t stop there and aimed for Stella’s neck.

Kang!

This time, Stella deflected our attack with her fist. For a brief moment, I felt weightless as my body was lifted off the ground, nearly dropping the sword from my hands.

“I can’t let the distance increase!”

“I know!”

If a gap appeared, Stella would use Destruction Fist. I could only take two of her punches before I could no longer handle them. I couldn’t allow her to use Peremus’s skills again.

As soon as I landed, I charged at her.

“Nice reflexes. But you can’t beat me with just that.”

Swish!

I ducked under her Peremus punch and sliced through her forearm with my sword. While defending was tough, my attacks landed.

However, she quickly regrew her forearm. It seemed battling her was challenging without restraining the magic.

More punches poured down upon me.

If this were really Peremus, he would have unleashed his skills in a split second, but what resided within was Stella. Perhaps her body was still unaccustomed to it.

Of course, becoming Peremus was still a threat in itself.

Boom!

I narrowly dodged her fist, but every time she swung, the earth erupted along with the air.

So even if Peremus’s punches don’t hit, they’re still lethal, huh?

“‘Phantom Wave Slash!’”

As Pasma attempted a thrust, I read it perfectly and dodged to the side. While pushing off the ground, I closed the distance again.

Boom!

I bent my knees to evade a punch slicing through the air. I continued to dodge successive punches.

“Huff! Huff!”

Damn. This won’t do.

Due to the limits of movement for an ordinary human, I was out of breath, and my vision was getting hazy. Every muscle in my body started to scream.

But I had to endure. If I didn’t, I would certainly die.

I glanced at Iris. I saw her applying potions to her wrists with Ariel’s help.

“Iris! Stick the sword into the ground—!”

“Where are you looking?!”

“!”

Kang!

What power…!

Even though it was just a simple punch, taking it head-on was beyond what my body could withstand.

I couldn’t endure the pressure of the punch and was lifted into the air.

“Gah!”

When my body crashed into a tree, blood gushed from my mouth. I felt pain as if my organs were being churned, and I could sense my bones shattering.

I even felt a sharp sensation in my wrist. It seems I might have cracked it. It was only this manageable because Pasma had held back his attack.

“Praus!”

“Guh…”

Damn this body.

I really can’t compete. There exists a gap in this world that can’t be narrowed by mere exercise.

But pondering that now served no purpose. Right now, I had to think of a way to kill her.

“Pasma.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to release the manifestation.”

“What?! Without possessing me, isn’t the chance of winning against Peremus slim?!”

“There’s still a chance.”

Though it would only be brief, eliminating Stella, now Peremus, wouldn’t be difficult.

“Are you sure?”

“When have I ever not been sure?”

I wiped the blood off my mouth with the back of my hand.

Thud. Thud.

I was merely walking calmly, yet the heavens rumbled, and the earth screamed. The ground trembled beneath my steps.

“If only my physicality were stronger, I could have fought the Demon King.”

“Is that so?”

I infused my desire for revenge and released my manifestation.

“You truly cannot defeat our demon tribe.”

“Our demon tribe, huh…”

I muttered as I looked up at Stella, who was clenching her fists before me.

“‘Mimic.’”

[Please reflect the target in the mirror.]

“I’m done—”

“Iris!!”

I called out to Iris, raising my voice. She turned to look just as she was about to plunge the Guardian of the Sanctuary into the ground. I reached out to the mirror hanging from my ring and reflected Iris.

[Target ‘Iris’ recognized.]
[I will mimic the power and techniques possessed by ‘Iris.’]

The moment a hologram appeared before my eyes, I felt my strength surge.

“Do you have a plan? But—!”

Stella twisted her waist and extended her fist towards Iris.

“‘Destruction—Intercept.’”

It was a long-range technique that conveyed impact to the target by thrusting a fist into the air.

Boom!

The moment her attack struck the ground, the area was utterly demolished. Dozens of homes where people lived exploded. But it didn’t kill Iris.

Just before the shockwave reached Iris, I propelled her away from the impact.

“S-Sensei?”

I looked down at Iris, who I had cradled like a princess. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be injured.

“Stick the sword into the ground.”

“Yes, right!”

As soon as I let her go, she plunged the Guardian of the Sanctuary into the ground. Immediately, the air felt clearer, making it easier to breathe.

As soon as that happened, Stella staggered. However, she didn’t drop her manifestation. She certainly continued to absorb mana to maintain that state.

Stella was born human. Unlike demons, she wouldn’t have any resistance to accepting mana.

Yet, the process of converting mana into magic was likely more tedious than expected. Continuing to convert it while concentrating on the fight wasn’t easy.

When I had faced Peremus before, two heroes who were still developing had managed to hold him down. Thus, sealing magic would indeed incur a significant penalty for any demon.

“What a pity. You probably tried to weaken my manifestation by eliminating my magic, but I can freely take in mana.”

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t need it to be released.”

I seized the past glory that Iris was holding onto.

“S-Sensei. Without that, I can’t help you.”

“It’s fine. Just watch closely.”

The effect of Mimic.

Simply put, I could mimic the power, movements, and techniques of the reflected target in the mirror. In essence, that meant becoming the reflected target itself.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash.’”

Thud!

As my sword sliced through the air, Peremus’s right forearm fell to the ground.

“!”

The effect of Phantom Wave Slash applied perfectly without being possessed by Pasma. My body was currently under the ‘illusion’ of being Iris, who possessed mana.

Next, it was time to examine the state of my body.

“‘High-Speed Movement.’”

A speed even Stella couldn’t react to.

I approached her without giving her a chance to use her skills. However, it seemed she had no intention of allowing me to attack as she launched a punch toward me.

“‘Absolute Defense.’”

Kang!

“I won’t budge…?”

I overcame the physical differences. But Stella’s punch was still far too heavy for the current Iris. My wrist throbbed from receiving her punch.

If I hadn’t endured it with my uncracked arm, I would have surely shed tears from the pain.

Before long, her right forearm regrew and began gathering magic.

A clearly visible violet energy surrounding the sword.

So this was the magic that the strong had seen up until now.

It looked incredibly ominous. Just looking at it made my skin crawl and my expression sour.

“‘Destruction Fist!’”

I still couldn’t take Peremus’s techniques with this body.

She thrust her fist toward me. I quickly blocked her fist with the Glass Sword.

Kang!

Her magic seeped into the Glass Sword.

“Again… this strange sword!”

“It’s the second time.”

Swish!

I sliced off the regrown arm. It seemed that when I blocked her magic, her recovery ability couldn’t keep up. It was obvious since she was using mana on strength instead of recovery.

“Damn you!”

She pulled her body back. I reacted immediately. I chased after her as she desperately tried to create distance.

“Let’s not drag this out.”

As I swung my sword, her arm grew back again. It had an annoyingly tenacious vitality. But this time, I was faster. I aimed for her neck with my sword.

“Die!”

Kang!

A kick sent past glory soaring. The sword danced through the air. In that brief moment, I focused more on offense rather than recovery and gathered magic in my fist.

“‘Destruction Fist!’”

Kang!

I still had another sword in my hand.

“Third.”

Now, I could kill her.

No matter how much Stella had become Peremus, without magic, she couldn’t withstand the power of my third Destruction Fist.

“Let’s end this.”

I gripped the Glass Sword tightly.

“Don’t!”

She twisted her arm back and attempted to strike me once more. But my sword had already swung forward.

“‘Destruction Slash.’”

The sword energy shot down toward the ground, cleaving her body in half as it plunged into the earth.

Boom!

With a power far greater than when I first took the Destruction Fist, it detonated within the city, leaving part of it in ruins. Though I had aimed to strike the ground to cause less damage, I couldn’t protect the city.

The ground shook wildly, and collapsing buildings were visible, with screams ringing out from all around.

But right now, I couldn’t concern myself with that.

I still hadn’t confirmed whether Stella was dead or not. I picked up the shattered Glass Sword and swung the past glory with all my might to clear the dust swirling in the air.

Lying on the collapsed ground, Stella had returned to her original form. Separated from her upper and lower body.

She reached out, pouring out crimson blood.

“Don’t… I can’t die like this…”

Had she been a full-fledged Peremus capable of using various techniques, it would have been much more difficult to face her.

Had she attempted to use a rapid-fire technique, I would certainly have been the one to lose.

“I’m sorry, Stella.”

[Temporarily deactivating the skill ‘Expression Management.’]

Now, I had no hesitation about killing her. But the guilt lodged in my chest twisted my face.

“If I ever get a chance to play this game again, I’ll save you then.”

Just as I was about to swing my sword toward her neck…

“‘Blood Rain.’”

With the voice that echoed from somewhere, her blood thickened and shot towards me like spikes.

I swiftly retreated.

The droplets of crimson blood that had splattered into the air began to coalesce into one spot. Gradually, it shifted into a human form, revealing a man with pale skin.

“Habito?”

“Pretty impressive for a human bug, huh?”

It was the emergence of the Fourth Legion, the Legion Commander.