My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 35

Clang! Clang!

One strike. Separation.

Every time the aura clashed with flames, sparks flew wildly in all directions.

Boom!

Dodge.

Urka’s sword sliced through the air. The rhythm of the dance faltered, and the trajectory of the sword became disordered.

From behind, Pasma swung her sword towards her neck.

Boom!

She barely ducked and avoided it. Once again, she faced Pasma.

It seemed she aimed for a counter, diving deep into Pasma’s space. But this time, her strike still did not reach my body.

Clang!

However, Pasma’s attacks were composed of blows that would undeniably deal fatal damage if Urka didn’t block them.

Boom!

Urka’s sword, swung in line with the trajectory, split the air once more. Meanwhile, Pasma’s blade accurately penetrated her side.

Clang!

But the speed was on the other side. She protected herself with agile movement.

“What kind of swordsmanship is this…!”

Complaining, Urka swung her sword, finding it rather bothersome.

As if twirling on her toes, she ground into Urka’s openings with the quick strikes of Phantom Dance.

“On the other hand, your swordsmanship is too easy to read.”

Pasma swung her sword, targeting Urka’s legs.

Clang!

Once again, Urka defended.

Despite Pasma’s words, I admired Urka’s movements.

Even while constantly misjudging the trajectory of Pasma’s attacks, Urka blocked every single one.

I had known how exceptional her agility and reflexes were, but feeling it firsthand only made it clear why she was S-Class.

Clang! Boom! Clang! Clang!

Countless strikes exchanged between the swords, yet neither landed a proper hit.

If this body were Pasma’s original, things would have resolved much easier by now.

“Ugh! Wall of Fire!”

Fire surged fiercely from the ground.

“High-Speed Movement.”

Completely catching her off guard, I stabbed at her from below.

Clang!

“……!”

In that instant, her hair transformed into flames, blocking the thrust. Urka shot me a sidelong glance.

“……Impressive. I’d only barely managed to follow that speed with my eyes. There’s no wonder you could be S-Class. But still, your power is lacking, isn’t it?”

I jumped back, distancing myself from Urka.

I had no retorts after being stabbed like that.

My breath was getting ragged.

Not a single part of my arms or shoulders felt unstrained. It felt like my muscles were about to burst. My hands trembled slightly.

As expected, in this prolonged fight, our stamina was the first to dwindle.

Despite Pasma’s excellent swordsmanship, I was working at maximum efficiency with a body that wasn’t trained, meaning the longer it dragged on, the worse off I would be.

“Don’t you see that wall has been broken?”

“Should’ve hit it, huh?”

“Then I would have died for sure.”

“……I can’t deny that.”

She readily admitted it. Though her shrugging demeanor was quite unsatisfying.

“I’ll acknowledge that you’re above me. However, when it comes to a duel, that’s a different story. No matter what, you didn’t hit me. I’m not about to make excuses for losing over that, right?”

“Of course not. I won’t stoop to such shabby behavior.”

Though I said that, honestly, if I’d managed to hit her with Phantom Storm, everything would’ve been quite resolved without needing to accumulate this fatigue on my body.

“Doesn’t it seem like you enjoyed this a bit too much? Pasma.”

“That woman just adapted well.”

That wasn’t incorrect.

I certainly felt I grasped what S-Class really was this time.

After the encounter with Inkuro, it had felt rather haphazard.

“Just one last exchange. My arms can’t take any more.”

“Right. Then I’ll have to break that woman’s flames.”

The Revenge Sword he held began to draw in mana. The density of the aura surged.

“……So this is your final strike?”

Seeing the deepening color of the aura, Urka took her stance.

Urka’s shoulders to her arms became engulfed in flames. It was Ignis’s partial manifestation.

The heat rising like it was piercing the sky caused a groan to escape from the audience. Even from a considerable distance, it felt as if the heat reached them.

Of course, I, being much closer, felt as though I was dying.

Not knowing how to manipulate mana, had it not been for “Frost’s Hobby,” my skin would have melted from the heat.

“I can’t block this.”

“I’m coming.”

Pasma and Urka charged at each other.

In less than a second, they met in the center, swinging their swords without hesitation.

*

At the moment their swords clashed, flames spiraled up into a tornado, shooting into the sky.

The tornado lasted for a few seconds, slowly weakening as time passed.

“Who won?!”

Dex’s shout from the stands.

No one could have guessed the result until they confirmed it with their own eyes.

A few seconds of silence ensued.

In the spot where the flames had scorched the sparring arena, Praus stood confidently.

Silently sheathing his sword, he looked down at the sprawled Urka, who lay bleeding on the ground.

A perfect strike engraved her body from her shoulder to her side.

“Praus wins!”

Tina cheered with joy,

“Indeed, Lord Praus!”

Iris raised her fist,

“How incredible…”

Maria quietly applauded.

“He defeated an S-Class. For real. This is valuable information!”

Dex fervently began scribbling notes on a paper from his pocket.

Delma said nothing, while Ariel observed the scene with keen interest.

‘Even with Pasma’s might, S-Class adventurers are on par with heroes. An ordinary human body could never defeat them. Perhaps, my potential to have triumphed was due to a seemingly limitless amount of mana. Including my weapon.’

Ariel analyzed Praus as he walked slowly towards the fallen Urka.

“He never fails to astonish me. Praus. That’s why he’s interesting.”

She chuckled, speaking softly to him.

Meanwhile, the knights across from them stood speechless at the sight of the battle.

“Is this what happens when S-Classes clash…?”

One knight exclaimed in awe. Gradually others who were dazed began to speak up.

“Urka’s one thing, but who in the world is that? I’ve never seen him before!”

“I’m curious too. To go toe-to-toe with the remarkable Urka, how can he not be outmatched in mana?”

“But how did he break the arena wall? There’s supposed to be a special protective magic cast over it, making it challenging even for a Sword Master to cut through it.”

One knight pointed at the wall that had crumbled due to Phantom Storm.

“Eh, I guess it wasn’t that remarkable.”

“Right?”

“Even so… Is there anyone who can break it?”

“……Probably not. No one has done so till now.”

“Oh, does anyone know who that person is?”

“I heard his name hasn’t even been revealed yet? He’s neither an adventurer nor a knight.”

“What? Even with that immense power, his name’s still unknown? Does that even make sense?”

“But at this level… doesn’t it seem like he’s stronger than any S-Class?”

“Then what rank does that make him? SS-Class?”

“Who knows….”

“Are we starting to categorize the ranks of S-Class adventurers now? Whoa. I definitely want to see this again!”

The knights fell into a brief silence as if they were feeling the echoes of the battle.

And the comments and admiration of the knights would later become the catalyst for Praus’s rising fame.

*

“Are you okay?”

Cough!

Urka spat out blood. Gasping heavily, her blurry eyes rolled to look at me.

“C-Could I be… alright?”

“Urka!!”

Duke Tori rushed onto the sparring arena, clutching a top-tier potion in his hand.

He cradled her, spilling the potion into her mouth immediately.

“Drink. Quickly. You’ll die at this rate.”

She gulped it down eagerly. Just when about a third remained, he began to rip her clothes.

He needed to apply the potion to her wounds.

As he gazed at the massive gash etched into her body, he bit his lower lip and looked at me.

“I can’t believe it got to this—”

“To this degree, she was strong.”

I interrupted, speaking firmly.

In the first place, the task of defeating an S-Class should’ve been taken by heroes, not me.

Such beings weren’t something a clumsy human like me could confront. Yet, due to the timing being forced, I had no choice but to step in.

In the game, it was the year 996 of the Empire’s reign, and only before Urka unilaterally broke ties with Aus and set off to kill the Emperor did the request begin.

However, I had resolved it six years early.

Perhaps the cause of this lay not just in me being called a Sword Master.

Duke Tori certainly wouldn’t have remained silent upon hearing the title of the Sixth Sword Master.

In the game, regardless of power, the rumors never spread, and everything unfolded as predetermined. But in reality, every cause had its variables.

That’s why I had tried to keep my name under wraps as much as possible.

Now that I had defeated the S-Class Urka, such hopes were no longer attainable.

“Hand over the potion.”

“Here it is.”

Duke Tori rummaged through his pockets, presenting me with a potion identical to the one he had used on her.

He poured the potion slowly onto Urka’s wounds.

Being a top-tier potion, it would leave no scars.

I too gulped the potion, alleviating the pain coursing through my body from the burn. It felt like my muscle soreness diffused as well.

“Phew…”

Having already regained her vigor, Urka got back on her feet.

She rose from Duke Tori’s embrace and sat on the sparring arena floor, looking up at me.

“Are you alright, Urka?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

She spoke without even glancing at Duke Tori. She simply stared at me, piercingly.

It felt burdening.

“Got something to say?”

“You still have mana left, don’t you?”

I tilted my head at her words.

Is that so? I should be able to feel mana.

“Is that so? You… were toying with me from the very beginning.”

…Huh? Why does it feel like that’s her interpretation?

I… No, Pasma used everything she had!

“If you had infused more mana into your sword, my blade would have definitely crumbled. You wouldn’t have even been able to respond to that swordsmanship that resembled seeing a phantom.”

Is that so? Isn’t it the case I didn’t use most of my mana?

“I was completely defeated. Hahaha, at this rate… I’ll never achieve my lifelong goal.”

She squatted down in front of me, analyzing and judging the duel by herself.

A duel is just a duel; breaking her will is something else entirely.

“Isn’t it only natural? Did you think being an S-Class adventurer made you anything special?”

“……What? What did you just say?”

“Stop wasting your life on such nonsensical thoughts.”

Duke Tori gasped at my words.

He hadn’t explained why I should overpower Urka. Yet, I couldn’t help but surprise him by knowing the reason.

“If it were something you could bear alone, no one would suffer. The ambition you think you have is utterly useless. Let it go.”

“Only then could you respond when the four commanders raid.”

“Yes, how would you know about that?!”

“Someday, all other races will be liberated from slavery, living as equals with humans.”

“!”

“……You’ve done well.”

I rose from my seat. As I stood, she hurriedly grabbed my arm.

“W-Wait a moment! Praus… just who the hell are you…?”

“What is it?”

“……Nothing.”

She shook her head vigorously.

“More importantly, Praus, you’ve earned the right to command me. From now on, I will follow your word. Whatever it may be.”

“Then stay in Aus Territory and protect this city. Make sure your home is not ravaged by the Demon Tribe.”

“I’ve been doing that just fine.”

“Then that’s settled.”

She’s doing well so what could she possibly complain about?

I withdrew Urka’s hand off my arm and turned my body.

It’s time to rest.