Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 236

Funeral (1)

My opponent had become stronger.

Even without seeing him, my body was warning me.

It was telling me that he was dangerous, that I should either run away quickly or kill him in one shot. My instincts were screaming.

I nodded, agreeing with my instincts’ assessment.

But right now, neither option seemed viable.

Running away was impossible because he was faster than me. He was already fast, and I didn’t know how much faster “Rephar” [The name has been changed to avoid confusion with the original name, Rebellion, and to maintain consistency] had become.

Maybe his speed was the same as before, or maybe it had slowed down a little.

But I doubted it. Judging from the intense magical energy I felt emanating from him, his speed had probably increased.

It didn’t seem likely it would have slowed down.

‘Come to think of it, maybe it’s only natural.’

I took a stance, ready to react instantly.

I focused the surrounding heat, making it an extension of my senses, a kind of artificial early warning system. With this, even if “Rephar” moved too fast or unpredictably, I would be able to evade him.

I had a way to avoid his attacks.

The problem was that I didn’t have many ways to attack him.

I kept thinking, searching for his weakness.

‘The woman “Rephar” killed wasn’t human. She was a demon, and a very high-ranking one at that.’

Aristocrats. The leaders of the demons, divided into 5 ranks and 72 orders.

They are monsters among monsters who barely show their faces in the middle part and reveal their full power in the later part. Aristocrats who possess power and skill equal to or greater than rankers and high-rankers, the realm that players dream of.

The woman was definitely one of those aristocrats.

But.

She was brutally defeated right in front of my eyes.

By someone who was just a commoner among demons.

And she met her end after begging him to kill her.

‘Rephar… maybe his name has literal power. If so, how much has his power grown?’

There is power in a name, and he named himself “Rephar.”

That means his power could grow exponentially when he commits acts of rebellion, or when he actually achieves rebellion. Just like kings and nobles inherit names in this world where magic and mystery exist.

“Rephar” committed rebellion according to his name and at the same time confiscated the rank and name from the aristocrat. I calculated the gap in power.

The pressure, magical energy, and murderous intent I felt through my skin.

I analyzed everything and came to a conclusion.

“He’s just a monster.”

“…Those are harsh words.”

“Do you think you wouldn’t be harsh? Do you even know what it feels like to face someone who has become at least twice as strong, maybe even more, right in front of you?”

“Haha, I guess that’s understandable. I can understand that.”

Simple calculation: twice as strong.

This isn’t just about destructive power.

It meant that the pure increase in physical abilities such as strength, stamina, durability, and agility, as well as abilities including magical energy, was estimated to be twice as much. In that case, the destructive power would naturally be more than double. Depending on the case, it could easily exceed 10 times what we had been expending until now.

I really meet all sorts of weirdos on foreign trips.

“By the way, Mr. Suspicious Mask. Don’t you have any more questions?”

“Questions? Do I look like I’m enjoying talking to you right now?”

“But you must have questions you’re curious about. Especially about the rank and name of this corpse rolling on the floor? I think you’d be very curious.”

“…….”

I don’t feel good, but.

He’s right.

‘Without enough information, I have no choice but to extract information through conversation.’

And unless the other person is stupid.

He probably realized that a long time ago.

Personally, I wanted him to be a little stupid, but it seems he’s a little smarter than I wanted.

“If I ask, are you willing to answer honestly?”

“Why would you think I wouldn’t answer? Ah, are you worried that even if I answer, I might say the wrong name? You don’t have to worry about that. A name is a person’s identity and proof. How could I mix lies into something so important?”

“Rephar” smiled slyly as he spoke.

I think I finally know why he’s been so relaxed until now.

“I’ll bet my new name on it.”

Even if he was pushed back by me, he was just waiting for this moment.

His tremendous durability meant that I couldn’t break through unless I was prepared for the backlash and gave it my all. The moment the aristocrat approached, he devoured her blood and heart like emergency rations.

And so, at this very moment.

A new aristocrat was born right before my eyes.

He’s the same aristocrat as the demon who is still stored like a corpse in my ring space, but his power and instincts are fundamentally different. A true aristocrat was born.

“Her name is ‘Bephar.'”

A demon in the form of a mermaid.

One who controls the sea and the power to rot wounds.

“A demon of the 42nd order—”

“—Holds the title of Baron.”

“Oh my, you seem to know a lot about our physiology. Since the were all trapped on a remote deserted island 100 years ago due to the system’s trickery, all of this knowledge should have been buried.”
Huhu, you seem to like forbidden knowledge quite a bit, including that cursed flame.

He said with a kind smile.

It was very bizarre, but on the other hand, it suited him well.

It definitely wouldn’t have suited him until just now, but “Rephar’s” current feminine behavior was a perfect fit.

I guess.

‘Is it because his face and voice have changed?’

A horned female demon. Immediately after eating the heart and blood of the woman who asked him to help her near the airport, his appearance gradually began to change. He transformed into a mermaid-like figure.

Scales appeared on his body, and small membranes like fins formed between his fingers.

I couldn’t see gills, but his face and body gradually changed into a feminine appearance.

The change was short and dramatic.

The physical changes, including the change in gender along with the appearance, made me realize that “Rephar” had completely accepted his new ‘name’. A name is power.

He killed an aristocrat as a commoner, creating a rebellion.

And as a symbol of rebellion, he accepted the rank and name of the corpse rolling on the floor.

From now on, his name is no longer “Rephar.”

He had achieved rebellion.

If the rebellion ended in success, it was time for the vested interests to change.

From now on, his name is.

“Bephar.”

“Yes, did you call?”

“I was talking about the name of that corpse rolling on the floor?”

“That was three minutes ago. From now on, I am ‘Bephar.'”

“Then what should we call that corpse?”

“Shouldn’t we just call it a corpse? Ah, that might be an insult to the deceased. Well, I guess we need a name to write on the tombstone.”

Then roughly.

“How about naming it ‘Rephar’? Anyway, it’s a name without an owner now, so it’s useless, but let’s just write it on her tombstone instead of a name. After all, we can’t bury her in the ground as an unidentified person without a name, huhu.”

─……Contractor, I’ve been watching quietly since a while ago, but that woman, or whatever she is, seems to be completely insane.

‘I know without you telling me.’

Tamamo said with a look that she was dumbfounded by “Bephar’s” talkativeness. That was the fact that I, who had been talking to him since a while ago, felt most keenly.

Why is he talking so much to the person he’s fighting?

Even though he doesn’t need to get information through conversation like me, his talkativeness, which goes beyond answering the questions he’s asked, was truly in the realm of madness.

A differently crazy bastard.

That was my judgment of him, and it was “Bephar’s” weakness.

‘I’ll aim for the gap in the conversation.’

The momentary gap that occurs while speaking.

I prepared to inflict an unexpected blow in the moment when he unknowingly exhales and inhales. I created magical power in the atmosphere secretly so that it could not be seen with the naked eye or felt with the skin or senses.

Woo-oong─!

So a warm breeze with subtle warmth blew. [Woo-oong is an onomatopoeia]

The warm breeze blew so naturally. “Bephar” was still wasting time in front of the enemy, saying this and that.

That short time was more than enough for me to secretly create a magic spell.

And it was more than enough to pour everything I had into it.

“Pyrokinesis”

My magic that I created for the first time.

Wearing the mask, I can’t reveal my tail right now. I couldn’t use the powers engraved on my tail to my heart’s content.

I can’t even utter the incantation to preserve the secrecy of the magic.

In that situation.

I turned all my magical power outward.

The blue mist that spread thickly in the atmosphere.

The mist, which I didn’t know when it spread, gradually engulfed the area, and soon “Bephar” realized that it was the magical power I had released.

“─That’s how I became who I am today. Huh? But what is this mist? Ah, could it be.”

쿵! [쿵! is an onomatopoeia]

The blue mist scatters around “Bephar” as he stretches out his leg and steps on the ground.

But the mist doesn’t disappear or become neutralized when you get close to it. He should have kicked off the ground and ran away like a bullet as soon as he saw the mist.

Because this mist is a kind of volatile substance under my control.

It’s several times more dangerous than ordinary gas.

I hid the magic spell in small pieces through such mist.

And at this moment, I lit the fuse.

콰가가가강───!!!! [콰가가가강 is an onomatopoeia]

The magic formulas hidden in the mist became one, along with the sound of something collapsing. The united magic emitted light and flames along with a strange sound.

Even I couldn’t be safe from the range of the magic.

But I decided to be prepared for the backlash.

‘I’ll burn him to death before he gets any stronger.’

I would have hesitated if he was an ordinary demon.

If he’s a Baron-class demon, I could give him an eyeball or two in exchange for killing him. If things go wrong, I can gladly give him an arm or a leg.

With that mindset, I caused a large-scale explosion.

쾅─! [쾅 is an onomatopoeia]

Immediately after causing the explosion, my body collided with something.

There was no time to react.

When I came to my senses, my body was embedded in the wall of a building.

My bones were broken or injured all over my body due to the aftermath, but rather, thanks to hitting the wall, I was no longer pushed back by the impact of the explosion.

How strong was the explosion?

I couldn’t gauge the power of the explosion because my eyes and ears were temporarily blinded by the intense flash. I was just estimating the power from the huge hole and the black smoke rising after I came to my senses.

“At, this rate… I must have at least made him half crippled….”

“That’s right. Thanks to you, I’m half crippled.”

Is my hearing still not normal?

I heard a strange sound.

In fact, my ears were injured by the aftermath of the explosion, and my hearing was not in a normal state. But the voice I just heard.

It was an unusually clear tone.

It was a sound that I couldn’t hear with my injured hearing.

“!!!!”

I, who was in shock for a moment, witnessed him in the shaking vision.

A mermaid slowly walking out of the huge pit where black smoke was coming out.

All his clothes were burned. His skin was all scorched or blackened.

But there were only scratches on his scales and gills all over his body.

Sniff sniff. In the smell of smoke felt from all directions, I faintly smelled grilled fish and fried fish.

A smell that would be perfect with tartar sauce.

“Bephar” was at the center of that smell.

“If I hadn’t killed her earlier… I would have been in danger. I’m glad my decision was faster than yours.”

His appearance soaked in blood.

At the same time, “Bephar’s” power came to mind.

Those who inherited that name had always controlled the sea.

More precisely, he controlled the water and pressure of the sea to lead all naval battles in a direction favorable to him. He also had the same power.

However, according to his obsession with blood.

The power to control the sea seemed to have been slightly altered into the power to control blood.

No, maybe he can control both the sea and blood.

Whatever the case.

“This is a big problem.”

I instinctively sensed it.

From now on, I really have to risk my life.

It’s not that I don’t have any means left.

I should have killed him quickly. I regretted trying to get information through conversation.