Chương 75: Chapter 45:”Inea of Qi Sword Arts VS The Hero Clam Selenberg 1″

The man standing before me. Clam Selenberg. I have heard stories about him. He is the hero who instantly killed a Black Dragon that once attacked near Sacris. Speaking of Black Dragons, they are the largest and strongest species among the many dragons. Even for me, dealing with one would be a bone-breaking task. Killing it would be close to impossible. I cannot imagine an opponent that a human could defeat alone. Especially this man. As far as I can see from his Qi and stance, he is at best "upper-middle" tier.

He has certainly reached the level of a master overall. But if so, he completely lacks awareness of the opponent's Qi, something one would normally acquire. I get an impression of incongruity somehow. Anyway, judging from the current situation, Dreet or I are still more capable. What kind of true strength is he hiding? According to Yu and Argus, he uses a troublesome technique that allows him to move from his spot in an instant. It would be better to fight while keeping a distance.

Although it pains me that I cannot strike him with a Qi Sword unless I approach, gathering information is the first priority. As I took a stance showing not a single opening, he broke the silence.

"I'll tell you one thing before we fight. You cannot escape from here."

"We are certainly trapped. It means there is no way out." When I dared to say it as a recognition of fact, he floated a smile that looked ill-natured.

"No. That's not what I mean. I mean that I have sealed your Teleportation Magic."

"What?" He sealed that!? Is he saying he can do such a thing? I tried to feign calmness, but it seems he didn't miss that my heart wavered just a little.

"You were slightly shaken. You intended to escape with it after saving Yu anyway, didn't you? Too bad."

"Tch. So you saw right through me. How could you do such a thing?"

"What. My master is knowledgeable about Teleportation Magic. It is set so that it cannot be used in this underground." This is bad. If I can't get out by teleportation, there really is no escape route. Is this a desperate situation? No—not necessarily. Looking at it, the surrounding walls are quite ordinary. It is unlikely that Teleportation Magic is being disturbed by this. Then, I can infer that there is some kind of device in this underground that makes its use impossible.

If I find and destroy it, I might be able to manage somehow. However... I frowned. This man doesn't seem likely to allow that. From the inside of the jacket I was wearing, I took out one throwing knife. It's the same kind I gave to Yu. Assuming a fierce battle, I brought twenty, the limit I could carry. I put Qi into one of them and threw it aiming at the center of his chest. My Qi is considerably powerful. The knife is fast. You, who haven't even applied [Qi Reinforcement], cannot possibly dodge it.

Now, how about—!? —I see. This is troublesome. Although he didn't move at all, it seems the knife passed through as if slipping through before I knew it. I can tell by Qi that it is firmly stuck in the wall behind him. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"This time, I'll come from my side." Contrary to his provocative words, he held his sword and didn't move, as if staring intently for an opportunity. He and I are about ten meters apart. Whatever attack he launches, it is a distance I can generally deal with. Even if I stay silent, no opening will be created. Why doesn't he attack immediately? What on earth is he thinking? No way. Intuition rings an alarm bell. Is this distance within his "range"!? My body moved instantly. When I jumped back with all my might—.!?

When I realized, he was closing in right in front of my eyes in a split second. It was already on the verge of the attack hitting. His sword is thrust straight, aiming at my heart. If I hadn't believed my intuition, I would have died. Shifting to an attack from the posture of jumping back seems impossible after all. At best, dodging by turning my body is the best I can do. I dodged the thrust in the nick of time, and while adjusting my posture, I crossed him as if slipping through his side.

I cannot stand it if he uses that mysterious technique again. I immediately took a sufficient distance. This time, I stopped at a position about fifteen meters away from him. Yare-yare. It became even farther to strike with a Qi Sword. Looking back, he showed great admiration.

"Hoh. To think you dodged that."

"I haven't stepped on battlefields just for show."

"Fuffuffu. That's why fighting with a strong person is interesting. Usually, it ends easily and is boring."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the sensibility to enjoy fighting. Enjoy it alone as you please."

"I'll do so." Baring his teeth and laughing, he started running towards me. Probably not consciously. Perhaps acquired naturally through years of fighting as a swordsman, some [Qi Reinforcement] is applied when he moves from his side. It is a threatening speed from the perspective of ordinary swordsmen and mages, but if it's just speed, I am still two steps ahead. But I understood well that a simple difference in movement does not decide the outcome as it is.

It is too dangerous to approach and go to slash from my side. Because I haven't seen the true nature of his technique yet. As a restraint, I throw one more knife while moving away from him. At least twelve meters or more. If I don't keep a sufficient distance, there is a danger of instant death. I thought he would dodge with that technique again, but this time he avoided it normally. I see. Apparently, he cannot use it continuously.

Is it possible to think that the reason he didn't move immediately despite saying he would attack at first was that he was waiting for the technique to become usable again? Although hasty conclusions are dangerous. —It will be a gamble of life, but shall I lure him a little? I dare to turn my back on him and start running. I took out something from my pocket and sandwiched it in the valley of my chest so that it wouldn't be reflected in his eyes. Then, I maneuvered plausibly as if being cornered against the wall.

I position myself at eleven meters, barely within the "range". I gave the bait. What will happen—!? —I won the gamble. At this distance, he has no margin of choice but to go for a thrust from the front or slash. And as expected, he seems to have a cautious personality. Seeing something on my chest, he seemed to have stopped moving for a moment.

"What is that?" I threw the thing that was sandwiched right in front of his eyes.

"It's a special small bomb. Though it's not my principle." The explosion radius is about five meters. It activates in a split second, but with my speed, I can avoid it easily. But how about you?

"Chii!" Using his impatient voice as a side dish, I jump to the side instantly. Immediately after, an explosion occurred. From within the black smoke rising thickly, a figure jumping out is reflected. He also seems to have managed to escape by jumping back instantly. But he is definitely caught in the blast. There is no doubt that he didn't get away unscathed. He must be shaken to some extent. I won't miss that opening. I took out fifteen throwing knives at once and put Qi into all of them.

Furthermore, I float them with magic and arrange them to cover his surroundings thoroughly. Although I am not very good at it, I can do that much. Then, if I give a signal, fifteen knives will fly simultaneously at a speed impossible to avoid towards him in the center. I set it up like that. In addition, one more. I intentionally make this one slow and make it fly in a direction unrelated to him. There is a certain aim. Thinking normally, there is no escape.

Will I understand the true value of his technique with this? Go!!? When I became conscious, he was already standing outside the barrier of knives. Immediately, I confirm the position of the knife flown in an unrelated direction. From the moment my recognition flew, the knife had hardly moved. I figured it out. I doubt common sense, but I can only think of this. What a troublesome power. I felt unpleasant sweat gushing out from my whole body. It might be since I fought Will that I embraced such a sense of crisis.

From his movements so far, I finally calculated it. About 2. 1 seconds. This time seems short at a glance. But in a battle between masters, it is too great a disadvantage. It is enough to say it's desperate. I thrust the answer I finally obtained myself at him.

"You— you are manipulating time, aren't you?" He rounded his eyes slightly and showed surprise and admiration. Then, he hangs the corners of his mouth fearlessly.

"Hoh. You figured it out well."