Ch.326Breaking the Seal (2)

“Shota! But we’re strong, aren’t we! Do we really need to split up?”

Tina asked.

“That’s right. Pushing forward with group tactics would be…”

Sayaka also timidly offered her opinion.

“No. That old man’s swordsmanship is dangerous.”

However, I had the intuition of a swordsman. His swordsmanship was specialized for fighting multiple opponents.

Even though Kana and I had immediately formed an encirclement, he had cut through our defenses as smoothly as flowing water and retired Tina as if nothing had happened. His movements were dangerous. If we fought him as a group, I could envision us being toyed with and defeated one by one.

“Let’s all split up. And… if you feel you’re in danger, shout loudly. Then I’ll come running.”

That’s what I said.

“But… even if we shout loudly in this huge hotel…”

Kirtan said.

“I can read your presence anyway. Don’t worry.”

That’s what I told them. Thanks to the First Flash breathing technique, I could read human presence almost like radar. I could rush to help immediately. Even I could see that my specs were becoming increasingly inhuman.

Besides… I had devised a way to move quickly within the hotel.

‘Let’s ask Violet.’

We had someone with the Lucky Door-Door Fruit ability who could create dimensional doors anywhere. If things went south, I planned to call Violet right away.

“Okay! Then let’s scatter!!”

Kana immediately ran up the stairs with her sword in hand. She seemed to be looking for a wide space suitable for wielding a longsword.

Thumbs-up Man and Sasits also moved on their own.

That meant… it was time for me to move too.

But the others all remained still.

“Aren’t you guys going to move?”

I said to the members of the Fleur family.

“Hmph. Why bother?”

One of them laughed.

“You’ll lose in a matter of tens of minutes anyway. It would be a waste of energy.”

Another one said with a smile. They were so full of themselves.

“You’ll regret it.”

I grinned, then immediately dashed off.

“What…?!!”

While the old man was bewildered, I immediately arrived at a certain location.

“W-what are you doing!! Dad!! Get this person out of here!”

Taking advantage of Fiora’s fiancé shouting loudly, I immediately threw an uppercut at him.

“Kuhuk!!”

He immediately collapsed.

“Sh-Shota?!! What are you doing?!”

Fiora, who was standing nearby, shouted.

I took him hostage.

“You’re swordsmen too, so you know, right? Even a practice wooden sword can be lethal.”

I menacingly raised my wooden sword.

“This guy!! He’s taken a hostage!!”

The others all shouted in unison.

“Hehehehe. He seems to be quite an important person from a wealthy family… if he gets injured, your family is finished, right?”

I said with a smile.

“Despicable…!!”

The old man clicked his tongue.

“Our precious son!! You lot! Do something!! Otherwise, the engagement is off!!”

A man who was clearly the father shouted loudly. I roughly understood the power dynamics. The Fleur family was in a position where they had to bow to the other side.

“W-what do you want?”

Finally, the Fleur family disciples all backed down.

“Why so serious? I have my principles too. My demand is simple. Exchange one of your Umaibons for this guy.”

That’s what I said. This was a death match after all. Neutralizing one opponent would give us a big advantage.

I could have broken the Umaibon of the old man who was clearly the strongest, but I didn’t want to. I had an instinct that made me want to fight strong opponents.

‘Besides… if I win, I might be able to convert it into the memory of a strong person.’

That was actually my aim.

“Ah, fine! You vicious bastard…!”

They all discussed among themselves.

“Hey!! Camus!! You’re the weakest among our ‘Wings’! You break yours!!”

“Y-you’re too harsh!!”

“Shut up! Weakling!!”

Under everyone’s judgment, one person who became the sacrificial lamb stepped forward.

“Ugh…!”

He took out an Umaibon snack from his pocket, then snapped it in half.

With that, one person was eliminated.

“Good. Then I’m off!!”

Having achieved my goal, I immediately ran out of the banquet hall and went up the stairs.

With this… one person was immediately retired. So what? Using whatever means necessary to win was my creed.

“And… it seems the others don’t intend to play fair either.”

I stopped while running down the corridor on the second floor.

“Stop!!”

“You’ll die here!!”

Other disciples who weren’t participants all blocked my way with swords in hand. Normally, since they weren’t participants, they shouldn’t be interfering with me. But they were directly intervening with force.

“It’s not exactly against the rules. We were just coincidentally training here looking for sparring partners, and it happened to be you.”

One of them sneered.

“Ah. Then I accept.”

I smiled and raised my sword.

“I’ll be your sparring partner!! Because I’m nice!!”

Right after that, I charged toward them with the Stance of Conflagration loaded in my legs.

Fwoooooosh-!!

Immediately after, I swung my sword widely in a horizontal arc.

KWAAAAAANG-!!

With a sensation as if time briefly slowed down, the others were all sent flying and rolling on the ground.

“Kuhurk!!”

“Khaaa…aak…so strong…!”

With that, they all collapsed. All of them were neutralized. Even those who weren’t directly hit by my sword strike were taken down by the wind pressure created by my swing.

“I’ve definitely gotten stronger….”

Even I had trouble controlling my power. Thanks to absorbing the stats of my past life, Doppli, I had become incredibly strong. With my stats increasing by triple digits, I could feel the difference whether I liked it or not.

“W-what kind of guy is he….!!”

“There he is!!”

Other guys came running one after another. They were all rushing toward me. Is this what they call ace targeting?

But reducing their numbers here would help the others too.

“Alright!! Come at me!!!”

I immediately charged toward them.

“Uoooh!! Block him!!”

“Stop him at all costs!! It’s Master Hol’s order!!”

They all took their stances and blocked my way.

“Just think you got hit by a truck while crossing the road!!!! What can you do!!”

I immediately swung my sword with great force.

Fwoooooosh-!!!

As the sword strike swept through, they were all blown away like mosquitoes in front of a fan.

———–

At that time, Thumbs-up Man was facing someone.

“Hey, you there. The compromised baldy.”

A large, bald man blocked Thumbs-up Man’s path.

“What are you talking about? Compromised baldy?”

Thumbs-up Man looked at the fellow bald man.

“From the looks of it, you just shaved because you were going bald. As someone who shaved simply because I like being bald despite having lush hair… it seems a bit unmanly, don’t you think?”

The bald man started showing a strange bald pride.

“I’m also bald by choice though?”

Thumbs-up Man said, getting irritated.

“Hmm? You don’t look like it.”

The man said as he raised his sword.

“Stop talking nonsense and come at me. I’ll split that bald head of yours in two.”

Thumbs-up Man just composed himself and raised his sword.

“Hehehe. Let’s see you try.”

The man took a strange stance. It was similar to a Triceratops or something. He took a stance as if he was going to charge with his head raised for a headbutt.

‘A fighting style centered around his baldness? Is swordsmanship secondary?’

Thumbs-up Man was slightly taken aback by this. However, showing hesitation here would mean being on the back foot continuously.

“Here I come!!!”

Thumbs-up Man took the stance of the Thousand Thoughts, One Heart style, then charged toward the bald man.

Whoooosh-!!

Thumbs-up Man’s sword strike flew straight toward the crown of the bald man’s head.

“………!!!”

At that moment, Thumbs-up Man was unprecedentedly surprised.

Shiiiiing-!!

As if the area around the bald head had different physical laws, Thumbs-up Man’s sword lightly grazed the side of the bald head and passed by.

Ting-!!

Thumbs-up Man’s sword helplessly cut through empty air.

“What….!!”

Thumbs-up Man had to admit that he had held a preconception. The man hadn’t presented his bald head for a headbutt. It was… a defensive equipment designed to deflect all sword strikes.

“This is… zero friction. I became bald for strength. This smooth surface can deflect all sword strikes.”

The bald man then threw off his clothes.

Fwap-!

The bald man, now in his underwear, emphasized his physique.

Smooth-!!

His entire body was smooth. Thumbs-up Man could tell that all the hair on his body had been shaved off. The oil applied all over his body was an added touch.

And he had an Umaibon tucked in the back of his underwear. He had secured the Umaibon firmly with his buttock muscles.

“He’s constantly clenching his buttock muscles even while fighting?!”

Thumbs-up Man realized the gap between them.

“Ufufu. Of course. I shaved off all my hair to make friction as close to zero as possible. I also apply baby oil every day. This is… who I am.”

The bald man finally took a combat stance.

“I declare. Your sword strikes will not reach me.”

The bald man immediately closed the distance toward Thumbs-up Man as smoothly as flowing water.

Claaaang-!!

At that moment, the sword strikes of Thumbs-up Man and the bald man crossed in mid-air. Thumbs-up Man immediately realized that he was not an easy opponent.

———

At that time, Sasits.

Sasits was holding his head in his hands in the indoor garden near the 5th floor of the hotel.

“H-how did it end up like this…?”

Sasits was bewildered by the scene before him.

Regular disciples had also attacked Sasits.

But… their attacks didn’t reach Sasits at all.

They charged toward Sasits with tremendous momentum. However, one of them tripped on a vine in the middle and fell, and the others all rolled on the ground following the one who fell in front. As if by chance, the place where they fell stimulated their vital points, and they were all immediately retired.

By this point, Sasits was becoming afraid of his own luck.

At that moment, someone approached Sasits.

“Hmph. I thought you were just a nobody… but there are some capable people too. To immediately grasp the surrounding terrain and set a trap.”

A man wearing glasses walked toward Sasits.

“It was a coincidence! A coincidence!!!!”

Sasits protested.

“Hmph. No need to be so modest. However, you’re not the only one who has set the stage. This fight is my checkmate.”

The glasses guy pushed up his glasses, then charged toward Sasits with his sword.

However, Sasits’s protagonist buff was still in effect.

Crash-!!!

“Ukeeeek!!!”

On that day, a monkey that had coincidentally escaped from a nearby zoo invaded through the hotel window.

Thwack-!!

And the monkey cleanly delivered a drop kick toward the glasses guy.

“Kuhurk!!!”

The glasses guy collapsed from the unexpected attack.

“Kik! Kik!!”

The monkey calmly searched the glasses guy’s body and took out the Umaibon.

Crunch-! Munch-!

And the monkey immediately unwrapped and ate the Umaibon.

“Kik!! Kik!!”

The monkey gave Sasits a thumbs-up, then immediately headed somewhere.

Anyway… with that, the number of retired personnel from the Fleur family side became two.