My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 41

Inkuro had made his way to a nearly deserted area.

Habito followed him without attacking.

Due to the mix of countless tribes among the demon kin, there existed a culture of respecting strength, regardless of pure bloodlines.

From his perspective, Inkuro was deemed a worthy individual deserving of such respect.

“But why is this woman yours? I got her from another guy.”

“Shut up. You got her from someone? The smell of blood is overwhelming.”

Inkuro had sensed he was dealing with a demon since the moment they met.

While it was his first time seeing this particular demon’s face, he could tell they were no mere monster level.

“Did you go to a noble house and kill someone or what?”

“I just sipped a bit of blood from a few knights blocking my way.”

Habito replied nonchalantly, showing no sign of guilt.

Inkuro, being no saint himself, didn’t bother to argue about morality.

What concerned him more was Habito’s power.

‘Even under Grand Anti-Demon Magic, that guy’s aura is calm. It’s hard to gauge the extent of his strength.’

“That girl was someone I wanted first.”

“Hah, but why is she with another noble? If you couldn’t get her, then she’s not yours, right?”

“Damn it! You keep scratching my pride! If it weren’t for the interruptions, she would have been mine!”

“Anyway, she’s not your slave. So why are you blocking my way? Can’t you just think of it as one less human?”

Inkuro glanced back at the one following him and then halted his steps.

The park on the outskirts of the capital.

At this time, it was a space neglected and unmaintained, as not many people passed through.

The overgrown weeds confirmed that there had been no living beings around for the past few months.

Thinking it was a perfect condition for a showdown, Inkuro let out a sigh.

“Shut it, punk. I take whatever I fancy.”

“Even if that girl’s already lost her purity?”

“I don’t care if she’s a virgin or not. If she’s not, I can be a bit rougher, right?”

“Hah, I’ve heard human lust is dirty, but hearing it directly is unsettling.”

“And you sucking human blood is just fine, huh?”

“A fool who just doesn’t understand—”

Bang!

As the Zweihander hit the ground, a crater formed, shaking the earth.

In a flash, Inkuro’s ambush closed the distance.

Yet, that attack didn’t touch Habito.

He twisted his body casually to dodge the sword.

“Just looking at your face makes me angry!”

“Attacking while talking? How rude.”

Inkuro swung his sword. It was a flurry of strikes.

Snap.

The moment Habito’s finger snapped, a pool of blood formed on the ground, and spikes shot up into the sky.

Noticing this, Inkuro kicked the ground and leaped up.

‘Is this magic? That casting speed is quite fast.’

“Not a bad reaction. But.”

With a flick of his finger, the blood-formed spikes extended and rushed at the airborne Inkuro.

“Is this all you’ve got?!”

Boom! Splat!

He swung his sword in time, but the spikes weren’t solid; they were liquid.

Only the tips scattered with his sword strike, but their momentum didn’t fade.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

His left arm, right shoulder, and right leg were pierced.

“Gah!”

It wasn’t a deadly wound, but it was a position he shouldn’t have taken during a fight.

“At the very least, you should have seen your opponent’s attacks and acted accordingly.”

Habito extended his hand toward Inkuro.

“The blood of the strong is delicious. ‘Blood Drain.’”

The spikes, infused with magical energy, penetrated his body. Habito’s skill wouldn’t stop until it drained all Inkuro’s blood.

But.

“Uraacha!”

With a shout, he swung the Zweihander infused with Ifrit’s flames.

The intense flames canceled out Habito’s magic. The spikes collapsed.

“Eh?”

Surprised by the unexpected outcome, Habito couldn’t help but be amazed. Inkuro shouted as he landed on the roof, nursing his wound.

“That hurts, you bastard!”

He cursed while drinking a potion he always carried.

“What did you just do?”

“What did I do? I just burned it.”

Ifrit was an elemental spirit strong enough to be wary of even generals. Combined with Inkuro’s magic, it was too much for Habito’s magic to withstand.

Of course, this result was only possible because of the underlying Grand Anti-Demon Magic.

“Yeah, I’ve heard there are some strong humans, but are you that S-Class Adventurer?”

“I have nothing to tell you!”

“Well… even if you don’t tell me, you will die here.”

He lifted his finger, extending it in the air.

A red cloud mysteriously formed in the sky.

Realizing that this was the blood cloud Habito had created, Inkuro bit his lower lip.

“What the hell is this…?”

The moment his pointing finger turned downward, a stream of red began to pour.

“‘Blood Rain.’”

Tat tat tat!

Raining streams of blood poured down on him from the sky. He kicked off the ground and attempted to move back, but the blood cloud pursued him relentlessly.

Kaboom!

Dilapidated shacks collapsed as blood rained down.

“Shit, what the hell?!”

“Death will chase you until you die.”

Despite being quite a distance away, Inkuro shivered at Habito’s voice whispering in his ear.

‘I’ve never seen someone wield such magic before.’

“Ugh!”

Caught by the rain he failed to evade, he let out a groan.

He felt the pain as if he was being butchered, his strength draining away.

‘My magic is being drained?’

As his sword met the red streams, the heat of Ifrit began to fade.

‘If this stuff touches me, it drains my magic…’

Realizing he couldn’t avoid the rain, Inkuro braced himself.

Small craters formed near his feet as debris shot up.

“‘Fire Slash.’”

His sword drew a circle from below to above.

At that moment, the fiery sword energy shot up toward the sky and split the blood cloud.

Seeing the split clouds, Habito couldn’t help but mutter in admiration.

“Ha ha, you’re quite a vigorous human.”

However, this admiration was in vain, as the rain didn’t stop. The clouds merely became more troublesome.

“But even so, you’re just a human. Did you really think a human could defeat a noble demon?”

‘Tch. Under Grand Anti-Demon Magic and still this strong. This guy is stronger than any demon I’ve ever killed.’

“If it were that guy… what would I do?”

Suddenly, Inkuro recalled Praus.

Wondering what would have happened if that unbeatable man who had shown overwhelming disparity had been present.

Then, remembering how he had been beaten, Inkuro shouted in frustration.

“What the hell! Next time I meet him, I’ll definitely kill that bastard too!”

“…What are you saying?”

“Ugh!”

Inkuro grasped his sword tightly, thinking he had to unleash his full power.

“Come on, Ifrit!”

As he unleashed his stored magic, a dragon-like shape formed behind him.

The formidable Ifrit emerged, radiating intense might, then absorbed into his body. Suddenly, his entire being was engulfed in flames.

“Oh… so you were a contract holder with the high spirit Ifrit. Well, well, seems like a nice little gift for the Demon King.”

With a malicious smile, Inkuro raised his middle finger.

“Shut up, punk. Just hand over the slave and get lost.”

The fierce flames evaporated the blood rain in the air.

“Hmm. Quite a powerful flame. But since it drains my magic, you still have your limits as a human.”

Habito murmured as he placed his palms together and then pulled them apart.

Countless red threads appeared in between his hands.

“I’ll finish this now.”

Watching this, Inkuro continued to grumble.

“It hurts. I’m dying. Damn bastard. Piece of shit.”

[Inkuro, that demon is strong.]

At Ifrit’s words, Inkuro irritably replied.

“I know that! That’s why I’m going all out. I don’t want to die embarrassed like last time!”

The flames surged higher, no longer able to be hidden from battle as they soared into the sky.

Those witnessing it sensed something was amiss, at the same moment the Royal Knight Order started to move.

“I’ll end you with just one shot. Damn bastard.”

Instead of answering, Habito slammed his palm onto the ground. At that moment, countless threads intersected around him, rushing forth.

“‘Blood Prison.’”

‘No matter how strong the fire, it can’t break through.’

“You think I’m just going to let you slide?”

However, contrary to Habito’s expectations, Inkuro swiftly swung his Zweihander, cutting all the threads. The severed threads burned away and vanished.

“…This is surprising. You have this level of fortitude, huh?”

Seeing Inkuro blocking his attack, Habito genuinely admired him.

‘He’s not a hero who could kill a Demon King, but he’s threatening. I’ll kill him right here.’

“Die! You bastard!”

Inkuro kicked off the ground and rapidly closed the distance of dozens of meters. In response, Habito gathered blood in his palm.

“Pierce through, ‘Blood Spear!’”

“‘Fire Slash!’”

The moment the two moved their weapons, a massive explosion occurred, devastating the area.

Compared to the strike he had thrown at Praus, this was utterly annihilated.

A thick cloud of smoke rose as many people fled from the sudden explosion.

Chaos spread through the previously peaceful capital.

As the dust began to settle, someone coughed up blood.

“Cough!”

“That was fun. Fighting someone as strong as you.”

Habito’s Blood Spear pierced Inkuro’s abdomen, but Inkuro’s Zweihander was stopped in Habito’s hand.

Thanks to the protective blood shield formed before the attack could hit, Inkuro’s strike was nullified.

“Damn….”

“Then I’ll absorb your magic. Blood Dra—”

Pfft!

Suddenly, Habito’s arm, holding the blood spear, burst apart. Inkuro dropped to his knees and smashed his face against the ground.

“Ugh.”

“…?”

In shock at the inexplicable phenomenon, Habito stared down at his severed arm.

“Ha… was it you who brought these trash here?”

A short-haired woman with dark circles under her eyes and signs of fatigue swept her hair aside.

“Who… are you?”

Habito frowned at the sight of the woman with ash-colored hair stepping on his minions.

“So, you’re an S-Class Adventurer who retired? Ella Todiah? You must be forgotten if I don’t know you. Oh, right, you were about to die from being addicted to magic. That makes sense.”

She scratched her head while speaking.

“Well, anyway, you brought these trash here, didn’t you?”

She asked, stepping on one of Habito’s lackeys sprawled on the ground.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“What did you do to my arm?”

“Oh, that? It’s called ‘Spirit Wind.’”

“Spirit Wind?”

“Hey, I answered, now you answer. You brought these trash here, didn’t you? I saw you trying to break the Purification Stone that I barely obtained from the black market.”

Ella Todiah cracked her knuckles as she asked.

“You little worthless girl! How dare you interfere in a duel!”

“Hah, you’re trash too.”

She shook her head and walked away. Cracking her neck and rolling her wrists.

“Now, just try to die by a worthless girl.”

*

“Oh, by the way… there might be another S-Class Adventurer.”

I murmured, recalling the Purification Stone I had sold in the black market.

“Surely, the person contracted with that spirit Silphy was one of the retired S-Class Adventurers last year. Since it’s been a while since the Purification Stone was sold, they might be staying in the capital for treatment.”

I looked at Tina and Iris, who were diligently training. I stretched and lay down as I watched the two practice their physical training and Phantom Sword Technique.

“Maybe it’s worth taking a shot at the legion commander?”