My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 246

“Ugh….”

Only death remained in the wake of the Phantom Dance.

The bodies that once held life had turned into mere chunks of flesh, and the blood splattered on the ground gave off a nauseating stench rather than vitality.

“Uwoah!!”

Despite having killed so many, I glared at the Demon Tribe members throwing themselves at me to take me down. Ah, there’s just so many of them.

“【All-Cutting Sword】.”

As the Glass Sword swung, once again the surrounding forest erupted. Painful screams echoed from all directions as flesh was ruthlessly scattered.

“Hah. Hah.”

Damn it. There’s no end to this.

I roughly wiped the sweat off my chin with the back of my hand and tried to catch my breath.

Just how many Demon Tribe members have I killed in these two minutes?

At some point, I had even forgotten to keep count. To be precise, there hadn’t been time to count as I was too busy responding to the ceaseless attacks coming at me.

If I didn’t focus all my energy on killing the Demon Tribe, I’d die. So I swung my sword like a madman.

“You damn monster…!”

“Hah… why are you saying what I should be saying?”

“Die!!”

Swish!

I took a deep breath.

“【Phantom Wave Slash】.”

With a quick thrust, I shoved my mana into the approaching Demon Tribe members, creating holes in their chests. More Demon Tribe members rushed in.

“Damn it…! Let’s take a breather!”

Whoosh!

A Demon Tribe member’s claw grazed my face.

I can’t let that happen. All it does is drain my stamina. I can only attack and evade.

Slash!

I took advantage of an opening and sliced through, separating their upper and lower halves.

“Hah, I’m going to die. Seriously.”

Until now, it had been a battle of strength and skill, but now it was purely a test of endurance.

Thanks to Tina’s strength and speed, I managed to hold on, but the situation was deteriorating.

Gradually, it was becoming clear that I was losing ground.

There were countless low-level Demon Tribe members, even weaker than the higher-ranked ones, but the numerical advantage felt incredibly threatening.

“Die!!”

“【Phantom Dance】.”

I swung my sword at the Demon Tribe members casting spells toward me.

The ones hit directly by my blade were slaughtered. However, I couldn’t stop the spell-casting of the Demon Tribe members just outside the range. I kicked the ground and dodged the magic.

The spell struck the city wall of the Demon King’s Castle but left no trace.

That was proof it was weak.

If it struck Tina, she could likely withstand that level of magic, but I had to think until the end of the aftereffect of the copycat.

To endure the recoil of the copycat’s penalty, it was crucial not to get hit as much as possible. The number of potions was limited, after all.

“You’re one relentless bastard. To think you’d kill thousands all by yourself.”

“…Just how many of you are there?”

Please, stop coming. Where do you keep appearing from…!

Is there any need to ask for bloodshed right before the end? This is seriously a terrible game.

Just dodging the Demon Tribe’s attacks to keep my life felt like my soul was eroding away.

“Not much time left now. Of course, it’s your time to die!”

“Shut up.”

I cleaved the charging Demon Tribe member from head to groin in a perfectly vertical slice. The backup squad flinched at the sight of the Demon Tribe member splitting apart without power.

“I won’t lose.”

[Activating skill: “Killing Intent.”]

If I die, I can’t protect the Purification Stone.

Right now, there are heroes facing the Demon King above. Compared to battling the Demon King, I’m certainly not going to die to these pathetic low-level Demon Tribe members.

“Come forth! Where you’re going isn’t the Demon King’s Castle; it’s Hell.”

There was still a minute left. I had three All-Cutting Sword uses remaining. With this much, I could at least kill a thousand of them.

As I thought that and raised my sword, Demon Tribe members with black wings flew from a massive tree, launching magic spells at me from the sky.

“…This is an aerial battle, huh.”

As I saw the magic pouring down on me, I sighed briefly and got into position.

“【All-Cutting Sword】.”

I swung the Glass Sword toward the sky and thought: If I ever meet the god who created these Demon Tribe, I’d definitely smack them once.

—

“Illusion Magic, 【Forget】.”

The Demon King rising from the throne unleashed magic to devour the heroes’ mana, but it was ineffective.

“Damn it.”

As Tina’s All-Cutting Sword swung, the outstretched forearm was split in half. Violet blood seeped from the gash, soaking the red carpet. The Demon King watching his arm was filled with doubt.

‘What the? Why isn’t the illusion working? Come to think of it, I feel like my magic is weaker. Could someone be possessing the Purification Stone?’

Blas observed the heroes, quickly realizing that none bore the Purification Stone.

‘Could it be… the damn Praus who hasn’t come up yet…?’

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but do you have time to space out in front of us?”

Maria’s coat turned a teal hue. A far denser aura than that emanating from Tina and Iris.

The teal mana began gathering in both hands, and the Demon King’s eyes widened in curiosity.

“What is that…?”

“Too late to react now! 【Compressed Barrier】.”

A teal orb trapped Blas. He observed the dense mana encapsulating him with calmness despite the situation tightening around him. He remained unfazed.

“Die in there!”

“Right. This is what it was like. I remember being threatened with my life by this technique. Back then, I was startled by the unfamiliar technique, but now I have experience. I even know how the heroes overcame their skills.’

Contrary to Praus’s expectations, Blas hadn’t grown stronger in sheer power.

He knew all the strong techniques that the heroes had used against him through the memories of his previous life.

An already strong opponent who knew all the heroes’ trump cards. If Praus had known this fact, he would have panicked and cried out that it was a terrible game.

“Breaking the Compressed Barrier is simple. As long as you emit stronger magic than any one side of the barrier, it’ll shatter.”

Restoring his severed arm, Blas placed his hand on the teal wall. As he unleashed his magic like an explosive, the barrier shattered without resistance.

“What…!”

Contrary to Maria’s shock, Blas remained calm as he repeated clenching and unclenching his fist.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

While Blas gauged Maria’s capabilities, Tina and Iris approached the Demon King, swinging their swords in a cross.

“【Phantom Sword】.”

“…Pathetic.”

Despite the sword’s trajectory changing once, Blas accurately read it and dodged, extending his palm towards the abdomen of Tina and Iris.

However, both quickly reacted, blocking his outstretching palm with their swords.

“【Destruction Palm】.”

By the time mana burst forth from his palm, the two heroes were already slammed against the wall. Feeling intense pain radiating from their backs, Tina and Iris coughed up blood.

“To block that moment… you’re something else.”

“Ugh… I’m dying here. Why does this necklace only resist magic?”

Tina grumbled as she stood up.

However, despite Tina’s complaints, the effect was working perfectly.

At a glance, the Destruction Palm seemed like a physical shock, but in reality, it was a technique that exploded mana and ruptured the opponent’s body.

In other words, the impact from the Destruction Palm that transferred onto the sword was only half of what Iris took.

If the Naiad’s handmade necklace hadn’t been on Tina, she might have fainted.

Dusting herself off, Iris looked at the wall she had crashed into and said,

“Hey~ Iris, you still alive?”

“…It hurts.”

Iris was standing, albeit grimacing and rubbing her back.

‘Damn… the gap in activation was late.’

“Hoho. So this is what it means to be a hero.”

‘Since the Purification Stone is nearby the Demon King’s Castle, curse-based magic should be sealed. But it doesn’t matter. Crush with brute force.’

Just as the Demon King was about to prepare his next spell, Tina turned her shoulder and said,

“Demon King, I know you’re strong. But we don’t have time right now.”

“…How arrogant.”

Tina’s tone furrowed Blas’s brow.

“So, from now on, we’re going all out.”

As Tina’s All-Cutting Sword erupted in flames, the tips of her hair glowed red. Behind her, a woman in red fairy attire revealed herself: the Phoenix.

“Let’s see if you can block it, if you can.”

Beginning her earnest assault with the manifestation of the Spirit King.

“Phoenix, I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry. That guy is someone I want to take down too.”

On the other side, Iris had manifested Naiad while activating Absolute Domain. Half of her white hair turned blue as ripples emerged beneath her feet as if she were standing on water.

In her hand was the All-Cutting Sword, transformed into a weapon of past glory.

“We’re going all out here too.”

Following the two heroes, Maria summoned the Orient, amassing mana like never before.

“There’s nothing wrong with pouring every drop of magic. Right now, Maria’s mana is even more impressive than mine.”

“Yes, Lady Orient.”

“Spirit Kings, huh… It’s good that you’re unleashing your power, but I’m not so merciful as to just watch you act freely.”

‘First, let’s take down that bothersome magician.’

Blas snapped his fingers and said:

“Since you’ve stolen my mana, I’ll return the favor and steal yours.”

“What—!”

“【Mana Drain】.”

As he whispered the skill, the heroes staggered.

Suddenly drained of mana, they felt dizzy. The heroes barely managed to keep their bodies steady.

Mana Drain wasn’t an efficient skill. Instead of completely obliterating the opponent’s mana, they lost a portion of their own.

Yet, it was no issue for the Demon King, who possessed an overwhelmingly superior mana reserve compared to the heroes.

“Let’s regenerate our mana from the start. Of course, if you survive until then.”

With Blas’s provocation, Tina and Iris charged simultaneously. Even with no mana, their physical capabilities made it possible for them to act.

But before the two could swing their swords, Blas’s mouth opened first.

“【Black Field】.”

As he snapped his fingers for the second time.

Before the sound of the snap could fade, the world was engulfed in darkness.

“Now, I’ll show you my power.”