My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 227

What the heck? Why’s there a crack in my sword?

I swear I just checked and repaired it yesterday!

Could it be that the blacksmith did a sloppy job?

In an instant, a million thoughts flooded my mind, but Peremus’s attacks continued unabated.

“‘Destruction Fist’!”

I twisted my body to dodge the punch hurtling toward my face.

Bang!

Even before his fist landed, the ground was shattered, and the surrounding area was obliterated. One of the defensive lines crumbled completely.

This is definitely not something I can keep dodging.

Each of Peremus’s blows was so powerful that if I kept evading, our defenses would collapse first.

But facing him head-on was out of the question with my sword in such a terrible condition.

With a crack in it, even a slight impact would shatter it to pieces.

“Pasma, the sword…!”

I called out, leaning against the debris rising around me.

“I know. If it breaks, your possession will be released. If the sword shatters, use an instant clone to escape with Ariel.”

“If it breaks, I might not be able to come back. Pasma.”

I couldn’t be certain about that either.

I barely used the revenge sword skill in the later stages of the game, so I had no experience with it shattering. Not a single time.

This would be the first instance.

Even if I restored it, I had no idea if Pasma’s spirit could be reintegrated into the sword.

“I’m just grateful that I could see Ariel again while being with you until now. No matter what happens, I’ll take that bastard down.”

Pasma landed back on the ground, speaking.

“Don’t set up flags.”

“Flags? Not sure what you mean, but if I disappear, please take good care of Ariel.”

“But—”

“He’s coming!”

“‘Destruction Interception’!”

Peremus’s guided long-range skill was coming for me. There was no dodging this; my only options were to block or take the hit.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash’!”

I swung my sword precisely against the oncoming pressure, releasing a wave of sword energy.

Bang!

While directly confronting was too tough, fighting using sword energy was manageable. After all, receiving Peremus’s attacks directly was impossible from the get-go.

“Just a pitiful level, huh?”

“I’ll finish this swiftly.”

My body surged toward Peremus.

“‘Phantom Dance’!”

“‘Destruction—Rupture’!”

A frantic exchange began between the two of us.

Despite exchanging dozens of blows in a split second, not a sound could be heard. We were dodging each other’s attacks and counterattacking in a loop.

As Pasma narrowly avoided a punch, Peremus deftly evaded my blade. Even as a giant, he exhibited fierceness on par with Lichen.

“Why not land a hit like last time!!”

“!”

I hurriedly ducked as his punch changed trajectory suddenly.

Whoosh!

It merely grazed me, yet cut my cheek and drew blood.

“You can’t kill me with that speed!”

Slice!

This time, I severed Peremus’s wrist and elbow, but they quickly regenerated.

“It doesn’t even itch!”

Provoked by his taunt, Pasma swung the sword toward his side.

“‘Hardening’.”

Clang!

“!”

Just moments ago, Peremus’s skin had been cut, but now it had hardened. Seeing my sword bounce off startled both Pasma and me. The crack in the sword deepened.

“You’re hesitating!”

Once more, I swung my sword, barely avoiding the strikes, but he had wrapped his magic around his skin so tightly that it was difficult to even cut through.

I could feel the limits of my sword were drawing near.

Realizing this, Pasma stepped back, putting distance between us and Peremus.

“I’ll have to stake everything on one blow.”

Fueled by revenge, a crystal-clear and intense aura surged within me. It felt like I was drawing every bit of mana from my body, leaving me a bit dizzy.

“The wound I carved back then! I’ll carve it again!”

Pasma and Peremus raced toward each other simultaneously. As they entered each other’s attack range, they struck in their own ways.

“‘Phantom Wave Slash’!”

“‘Destruction—Annihilation’!”

The moment the sword and fist collided, a tremendous shockwave erupted, blowing away the surroundings around the two.

But both of them knew it wasn’t over yet and rushed toward each other once more, trying to kill their opponent.

“Die, Peremus!!”

“You’re the one who’s dying!”

Clang!

Peremus read the trajectory of my sword and perfectly struck it with his fist. And.

—Boom!

“My sword…!”

The sword broke. More than half the blade shattered and drifted in the air.

With Pasma’s spirit slipping away from my body, a massive fist came crashing down in front of me. Since I couldn’t conjure an instant clone in time, there was no way to dodge.

In that moment, my life flashed before my eyes.

Every moment spent in this world for the past five years vividly replayed.

[The skill ‘Expression Management’ is temporarily released.]

Is this where I die…?

“Die, Praus!!”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

———Bang!

“Thank you for your hard work, Teacher.”

The silver-haired fox beastman was blocking Peremus’s fist with ‘one hand’ while looking at me.

*

At the same time Praus faced Peremus, things weren’t much different elsewhere.

The Second Legion was in Rexton Territory.

The Third Legion had arrived in Todiah Territory.

The Fourth Legion was in Aioum Kingdom.

They had begun to arrive at their assigned areas.

Screams of people dying echoed persistently across the Empire and Kingdom, causing chaos.

“Is this about it?”

As the knights observed a youthful girl emerging from the forest, they were puzzled, just as the magicians shouted first.

“Ecabel has made her appearance!!”

“Wow~ Are you all cheering for me? Then I should respond, right?”

Ecabel laughed and clapped, her voice audible even from a distance.

“‘Polymorph’.”

Torrential amounts of purple magic erupted from her, engulfing the surroundings.

Suddenly, a massive silhouette emerged from within the magic. Those stationed at the barrier gazed, entranced, at the sight.

It was a whale-like figure hovering over Todiah Territory.

Leviathan.

Seeing Ecabel’s true form, Logia muttered in disbelief.

“What in the world is that?”

“According to Praus, it’s the commander Ecabel, who obliterated the Beastmen’s Forest in one blow. They say if you cut off all the tentacles on her face, she’ll be temporarily immobilized.”

“Cut off all the tentacles attached to that monster…?”

“They’ve limited her abilities in that form. Besides breath attack, there’s not much else we need to worry about. However, she’s incredibly tough, so they advised avoiding using mana when attacking and to play defensively until things are clearer. If that fails, they suggested retreating.”

“Basically, they’re saying we should buy time.”

Logia observed Ecabel drawing closer with a sour expression.

As the massive figure came into view, those in the Todiah Territory’s defense began to lose their fighting spirit.

“I hate to say this, but we can’t stand against that.”

“I heard with Grand Anti-Demon Magic, if you set up a barrier with all your strength, you might be able to withstand the breath.”

“This isn’t something you can just endure! The Empire can’t defeat that without a hero from legends.”

“A hero…”

Ella recalled what Praus had said in the noble meeting.

“The heroes are not me, but my disciples. Just hold on until they arrive. They will save the Empire.”

“Soon, the heroes will come.”

“Are you really putting your faith in Praus?”

“Yes. I do. His demeanor may be indifferent and sometimes rude, but he’s never lied. He always showed it through his actions.”

“I hope that’s true.”

By the time Ella and Logia finished their conversation, Ecabel’s mouth opened wide.

“Come forth! My children!”

From Leviathan’s mouth, countless black objects rained down to the ground. Realizing what they were, Logia and Ella bit down on their lower lips.

“Will we be able to hold on until the heroes arrive?”

“I really don’t know…”

Faced with the raining demons, everyone felt despair and fear. It felt as though even before the fight began, their spirits were already crushed.

“Logia! That giant is about to use its breath! I see magic gathering at its mouth!”

“All magicians! We’re casting a joint barrier! Send mana to me with all your strength!”

Responding to the magician’s report, Logia issued a command immediately.

“Yes!”

Logia lifted both arms high. A barrier unfolded around the defensive line where he stood. The magicians absorbed the magic from the atmosphere and directed it to Logia.

Before long, a massive wave of air pressure along with breaths came gushing from Ecabel’s mouth.

With enough power to completely annihilate the area, everything outside the barrier began to crumble like cookie crumbs.

Kaboom!

Amidst the overwhelming force being unleashed, Logia shouted frantically.

“How long is that thing going to breathe out…!”

The barrier began to waver slightly. Even with Grand Anti-Demon Magic applied, the power wasn’t enough to withstand it due to lack of mana.

Logia clicked his tongue and injected more mana into the barrier, but the intensity of the breath only grew stronger.

“It’s not going to work! I’ll have to narrow the range! If this continues, we’ll all die!”

“If you do that, those further back will die!”

“Isn’t it better than being wiped out completely!”

Logia hurriedly reduced the range of the barrier. The previously shaken sections began to solidify, making it vastly more manageable to endure.

However, those who barely fitted within the barrier exposed themselves to mana and began to scream as the breath’s pressure bore down on them, rupturing their insides.

“Graaah!!”

“Help me!!”

In an instant, dozens of bodies burst open, blood and organs splattering into the air.

“Logia!!”

Ella screamed in despair, but Logia raised his voice even more.

“Shut up! I can’t concentrate!”

“People are dying!”

“It can’t be helped! From the start, it was absurd for us to confront a monstrosity like that! Damn it!”

Three minutes had already passed.

Logia bit his teeth against the extraordinary pressure being exerted by the breath.

Then, it happened.

Cough!

Logia spat blood.

The barrier began to loosen increasingly. A phenomenon caused by the mana of Logia and the magicians hitting rock bottom.

“Fall back to the third defensive line. First…!”

Logia spoke urgently.

“But…! We haven’t even done anything yet!”

“As long as that thing is spewing out breaths, all we can do is endure! Don’t be obstinate, quickly move back! You too, teleport the people away! Conserve our strength!”

“What about you, Master Logia?!”

“I’m done! Move quickly! It’s a retreat! Teleport now!!”

At Logia’s shout, the faces of those trembling in the defensive line lit up with a glimmer of hope. They felt relief in being alive.

Watching this from a distance, Ecabel reacted with distaste.

“Not bad, holding your ground.”

As she amassed even more immense magic, Ecabel converted the mana floating in the atmosphere into magic.

“But Logia!”

“You must go, Princess Ella!”

“Acker, you too!”

“…I’ve grown stronger, but it feels like I can’t do anything.”

Magicians began to move one by one. Seeing the mass of people fall back to the third defensive line, Logia, who was holding the barrier, crumbled.

As the barrier collapsed, Ecabel’s breath poured down toward him.

‘Praus… I’ll leave the rest to you.’

The barrier shattered, and breath engulfed his body. In that moment, a new turquoise barrier generated and enveloped him.

“Old man, you did well. Alone.”

“You…?”

“Just leave the next steps to me. I may harbor resentment against the Empire, but I will protect it.”

Logia’s vision began to darken. Just before he closed his eyes, the last sight he saw was the white coat becoming tainted in turquoise.

*

In Rexton Territory.

Knight Commander Conver, witnessing the advance of the Second Legion, spoke.

“Can we really fend off those demon knights on our own?”

The assembled were from the Royal Knight Order, the noble’s personal knights, and adventurers—mostly A-Class.

“I’m not sure.”

The knights exchanged hushed murmurs as they observed the legion approaching with a clatter. Each warrior was equal to, if not superior to, themselves.

“That black fellow at the front is Lichen, right? Do you think we stand a chance against him?”

“Probably not. I heard Praus managed to hold him off for a few minutes, but ultimately retreated.”

“If Praus backed down, we’ll be no match at all.”

“But we’re better than the other legions, right? Those legionaries are monstrous devils, whereas we face knights.”

“That’s hardly comforting.”

Knight Commander Conver and Vice Commander Benos exchanged wry smiles.

“But we have no choice.”

The two drew their swords.

“I never expected to face such an immense wall right after becoming a Sword Master.”

“The next Knight Commander can’t get hurt here.”

“I’ve already pledged my life to the Empire.”

“Then stay alive and serve His Majesty the Emperor with loyalty.”

“No one will recognize a knight who flees from battle as their commander.”

“You’re really stubborn.”

“Just understand.”

The two weren’t typically chatty. They mostly discussed matters of duty, rarely engaging in personal talk.

But here, they had no choice.

It was unbearable to remain silent; they needed to talk to ease the tension.

As the legion closed in, it stopped abruptly. A peculiar silence fell between the knights at the barrier and the legion.

“Get out of my way! Humans!!”

Lichen’s voice thundered with rage. A formidable killing intent surged upwards, accompanied by an immense amount of magic.

“If you intend to block my path, be prepared to pay with your lives!”

“It’s been a while since I wagered my life. Damn demon!”

A brave adventurer shouted.

“Is that so? Then—die!”

As he pointed his sword, Miles, at the barrier, the demon tribe surged forth. Naturally, Lichen wasn’t going to stay still.

“Everyone, get ready!”

“Seems like you’re the commander here!”

In the blink of an eye, Lichen reached Vice Commander Benos and swung at Miles.

Clang!

Benos was ready, catching his sword in response. Even with a light swing, Benos staggered.

“Your reflexes are quite impressive! But!”

As Lichen attempted an unpredictable slash, Conver aimed for the back of his neck.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Lichen twisted his body and swung his sword upward.

“Evil Spirit Sword Technique, Tier 2 ‘Evil Storm Blade’!”

Clang!

‘The sword was repelled…?’

Conver stared vacantly at the sword that slipped from his grip. His strength wasn’t the problem; it was Milles’s special ability, ‘Equipment Removal.’

During Praus’s time, his exceeded mana in the weapon made it possible to offset Milles’s effect. But for others, it was a different tale.

“Compared to Praus, you’re nothing. Your strength, your movement, none of it compares!”

Lichen lunged towards Conver’s neck with his sword. Conver sensed he couldn’t evade.

At that moment.

“‘Iceberg’.”

Bangbangbang!

Hundreds of meters of iceberg materialized from Benos’s swing. Lichen narrowly escaped, surprised.

“Hmm? You were contracted with an ice spirit? But it’s a bit too late.”

Cough!

Benos’s chest broke out in a torrent of blood.

“I can also ‘transform my weapon.’”

Milles elongated, spreading out more than when first seen.

Conver fell to one knee.

“Damn… Blood’s pooling in my lungs… Cough! Cough!”

“Knight Commander Conver!”

Benos rushed to support him, but it was a futile gesture. With that magic piercing through his heart, reviving him was impossible.

“B-Benos…”

“Don’t worry. You shall go alongside the knights falling here!”

Lichen dashed toward Benos, laughing at the dying screams echoing around him.

“Evil Spirit Sword Technique, Tier 3 ‘Evil Decapitation’!”

“Freeze! ‘All-Freezing Technique’!”

As the ice magic enveloped his blade, Milles clashed, inducing friction. Milles groaned, “Kyek!” in response.

“I’ll make sure to kill you!”

“You think you can kill me? How amusing!”

Lichen unleashed his magic, unfreezing Milles. Benos imbued his sword with aura, upgraded from when he sparred with Tina.

Both individuals charged off the ground, clashing their swords.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The intensity of their fight was incomparable to the skirmishes of plain knights from the royal order against the demon knights.

“How amusing! I never expected to find someone like you outside of Praus!”

“Shut up!”

“Not even close! Evil Spirit Sword Technique, Tier 4 ‘Twisted Blade Strike’.”

Whoosh!

Benos’s shoulder, side, and thigh were deeply sliced. Although he wore high-quality armor, it felt like tissue paper against the commander’s power.

“If only I were a little serious, you’d be rendered powerless. Now die like all the other knights!”

As Benos’s body crumbled, Lichen aimed for his throat.

“That won’t happen.”

Clang!

“!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected blow, Lichen staggered. Milles slipped from his grip, soared through the air, and embedded into the ground.

“Who are you…?”

A young girl with black hair let out a haughty snort.

“Is this what you call a death cry?”

She pointed a thumb sideways.

Lichen finally showed astonishment as he glanced at the side. There lay the severed bodies of the demon knights who had charged toward the barrier.

“Or not.”

An ancient-looking sword glowed, ignited with blue aura.

“I want to see my Teacher, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”