Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 73

73. The Top Warrior (3)

“……What are you?”

Hirei sent a cold glare my way. The dismissive tone was gone, replaced by extreme wariness.

“My identity… I wonder.”

I took another step towards him.

“Perhaps a friend of Ego’s?”

Hirei frowned, flexing his arm muscles.

“What! What nonsense are you spouting?”

He reached out again.

“You! You’re a human who ate an elixir to slow aging!”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, there’s no way a human your age could withstand my attacks. I thought you were awfully bold for a young human.”

Hirei jumped to conclusions, not giving me a chance to speak.

“It’s no use! No matter how skilled a magician you are, you can’t stand against us at this distance!”

He immediately shot ki blasts [energy blasts] from both arms. An energy twice as strong as before was about to sweep past my hair.

Whoosh!

The waterfall once again blocked my path. The suddenly rising streams of water effortlessly blocked Hirei’s attack this time as well.

“You!”

Eventually, Hirei lost his temper and began firing ki blasts indiscriminately.

Splash! Splash!

They were absorbed by the water streams without fail.

“What trickery is this, you damn human!”

Hirei shouted, unable to control his anger.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“This damned human! Do you have an artifact or something?”

“Nope?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! How else could you deploy a Water Shield so quickly?”

“I’m telling you, that’s not it.”

I took another step towards the agitated Hirei.

“I’m not an old man who ate an elixir like you said, and even if my abilities are outstanding, I can’t compete with you.”

“……What kind of riddle is that? Don’t try to mock me.”

“It’s as I said. I’m just an ordinary kid.”

Of course, I’m a reincarnated Sword Emperor, but… Either way, to him, I’m just an ordinary young human, so it’s not wrong.

“Nonsense! I won’t be fooled twice.”

This time, Hirei tensed his legs. He was trying to use his combo again.

“It’s no use even if you do that.”

Kuuuuuuu!

A ki blast containing even stronger energy than when facing Grantel’s tree roots.

Whoosh!

But this time as well, it was blocked by the water stream without fail.

Although it rippled much more than the ki blast shot from his arms, the water stream was also several times thicker.

He kicked dozens of times in an instant, but the result was the same.

“I, insane! A human can’t block this! What are you!”

In the end, shock was etched on his face. He seemed even more shocked than when his first attack was blocked.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t block it.”

Only then did Hirei listen to me.

“……What does that mean?”

“I didn’t do it. How could I block your attack?”

“What…? Then who blocked it?”

“You said you’d become the king of Ego, right? Then let’s see if you have what it takes.”

“What is…”

Hirei was about to speak again, but there was no need for further explanation.

Kuuuuuuu…

A huge silhouette was appearing beyond the waterfall.

“No, way!”

Along with Hirei’s short, flustered voice, the falling water of the waterfall began to split to the left and right.

“……King of Ego, you say.”

A low voice was heard from the gap.

“What a reckless young man.”

What emerged through the waterfall was a head of enormous size. A streamlined head covered in thick scales.

The head was serpentine in shape, but its size was unrealistically large, creating a sense of incongruity.

[It looks like an Imoogi.]

‘Imoogi? What’s that?’

[They exist. They’re like monsters from other places.]

An appearance that even Oberon would be startled by. Just by looking at its appearance, it was clear that even ordinary monsters would tuck their tails and run away. It was so huge that the entire body, other than the head, wasn’t even visible.

“S, Sea King Race?”

Even the ferocious Hirei instinctively took a step back. It was a Sea King Race, against whom no one could win in the water.

‘How is it? You dumb bastard.’

The Sea King Race, whom even the Ho clan had to yield to in the water. Receiving their help was my strategy.

If the Sea King Race lent their strength, even the Ho clan’s top warrior could be stopped. That was why the Gui Clan allowed this operation.

[It was a good thing you saved that Sea King Race girl at the auction back then.]

‘That’s why people should be kind, right?’

[Whatever you say.]

It was no exaggeration to say that I was able to carry out this operation thanks to the token I received from the Sea King Race girl.

I gave the Sea King Race’s token to a member of the Leaf Clan, and they brought a Sea King Race warrior.

“What the hell is this crazy human doing to Ego!”

In the end, Hirei’s arrow was aimed at me.

“I have some backing.”

It was only right to answer. It was natural for Hirei’s expression to twist at my nonchalant attitude.

“To involve even the Sea King Race!”

He seemed quite flustered by the appearance of the Sea King Race. Before I could even speak to him.

“You’re the Ho clan’s top warrior, I hear. I hear you’ve been making Ego noisy lately?”

A delicate voice echoed through the space instead. It was the voice coming from above the Sea King Race’s head.

Along with Hirei, our gazes shifted towards that side.

“Iaan! Long time no see!”

A familiar-looking girl was riding there. The girl waved her small, webbed hand. It was Karis, the Sea King Race girl I had saved at Anti’s auction.

[Oh, that child came herself.]

‘Huh? She came too?’

The girl quickly ran over and bowed her head.

“I wanted to see you again!”

“Why are you here…?”

Grantel’s expression twisted strangely at the sight.

“You… you have a connection with the Sea King Race Chief’s daughter?”

“……The Sea King Race Chief’s daughter, you say?”

“Hmph! The girl in front of you.”

The girl was smiling brightly. Her wounds from back then had already healed, and her skin looked even more transparent.

“You… you were the Sea King Race Chief’s kin?”

“Hehe. He’s my father.”

It was a fact that even I didn’t know. I had only intended to get some help with the Sea King Race’s token.

“Then perhaps this person is…?”

The giant Sea King Race who appeared with the girl.

“Ah, he’s not my father. He’s the Sea King Race’s top warrior, Sharc.”

He was the Sea King Race’s top warrior. Other races had very diverse appearances, but the Sea King Race had even more diverse forms.

A form that combined fish and humans. All the merfolk were collectively called the Sea King Race.

[Is this guy an eel, then?]

‘Looks like it. He’s huge.’

A serpentine aquatic creature. What came to my mind was similar to Oberon.

[If the Sea King Race’s top warrior is in the water… even you in your prime would have a hard time, right?]

‘Hmm. I didn’t expect this much support.’

Either way, the situation was even more firmly in our favor. I was grateful to Karis for running over like this for her benefactor.

“I’m a little late. Chief Grantel, thank you for buying time.”

Karis briefly turned her head to look at Grantel.

“Please leave the rest to our Sea King Race.”

“Ahem. I’m counting on you.”

“It’s nothing. Our Sea King Race are also residents of Ego.”

She politely bowed her head, and her gaze then turned to Hirei.

“You’re the Ho clan’s top warrior, I hear? Let’s see if you have the power to become the king of Ego.”

“Wh, what?”

“You have to easily defeat Sharc to keep our Sea King Race under you, right?”

With Karis’s words, Sharc opened his huge maw. Hirei hurriedly tensed his limbs at the sight.

“These crazy fish bastards!”

At the same time, a huge stream of water was shot towards him. The vast amount of water spewed from Sharc’s mouth swept towards the Ho clan.

“Krrrk!”

Hirei kicked off the ground, tensing his leg muscles. He dove under Sharc’s stream of water and charged straight ahead.

‘What is he trying to do?’

[He won’t stand a chance.]

If the Sea King Race were on land, the Ho clan might be able to compete, but they were currently submerged in the waterfall.

The Sea King Race in the water, especially the top warrior, was someone Hirei could never defeat.

‘Could he be thinking of fighting?’

Just as that fleeting thought crossed my mind.

Fwoooosh!

The guy released ki from his legs, which had swollen and burst. He was already accelerating, so he charged much faster.

It was a touch-and-go situation. Just as everyone’s eyes were on that place.

‘Huh?’

The guy’s body wasn’t headed for Sharc.

[He’s running away?]

Hirei was trying to escape out of the waterfall, diving under Sharc’s chin. He was trying to run away, regardless of whether the remaining Ho clan members were swept away or not.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Kuuuuuu!

As if he had expected it, Sharc slammed his chin down. The space behind the waterfall shook as if it were collapsing.

An incredible reaction speed that didn’t match his size. Those with huge bodies usually had slow speed as a weakness, but that didn’t seem to apply to Sharc.

“Sharc didn’t become the top warrior for nothing.”

Karis shrugged her shoulders.

‘He’s a scary race after all.’

I was just glad that we could be on the same side.

“I’ll hold the rest of the Ho clan members, so you guys deal with Hirei!”

Grantel also rolled up his sleeves and snatched the Ho clan members who were struggling in the water.

“Kuaaang!”

“Let go of me!”

It was a humiliating end with the guys dangling from the tree trunks. There was nothing more to see.

‘All that’s left is Hirei.’

We just had to focus on Hirei, who had tried to abandon his subordinates and run away, and was pinned under Sharc’s chin.

“Kuaaaaa!”

His resentment, filled with anger, burst out from under Sharc’s chin.

Fwoooosh!

Followed by an explosion. It was clear that the ki blast he had fired had struck Sharc’s chin.

“Don’t worry.”

Even so, Karis looked relaxed.

“Sharc’s scales are harder than steel.”

She seemed to have a lot of faith in his abilities.

“Well, that’s why he went hand-to-hand with the Ho clan.”

As Karis said, Sharc’s huge face only twitched a little, and his expression didn’t change.

Sharc indifferently raised his chin again.

“Wh, what are you doing!”

He just slammed it down again towards the flustered Hirei.

Kyaaak!

Hirei’s short scream.

Where Sharc raised his chin again, there was Hirei, half-buried in the ground. His limbs were twisted as if they were fractured.

Spitting out blood, Hirei muttered softly.

“……You eel bastard. Fine. If that’s your wish, I’ll kill you all.”

But he didn’t have the ability to do so now, so everyone just snorted.

Until Grantel’s flustered voice was heard.

“N, no way!”

Hirei’s eyes, lying on the ground, were flashing red.