Ch.46Episode 9. Parent-Teacher Conference (6)

As Yeonhwaryong swiftly swung his sword, a massive red energy blade surged toward me.

“Ah, seriously…!”

Crackle!

I channeled electricity through my blade and swung.

BOOM!

The moment the electricity touched the energy blade, it exploded, creating a shockwave that left a fine crack in the boundary wall between the training grounds.

While I was staggered by the shockwave, Yeonhwaryong approached aggressively and swung his sword.

CLANG—!

Just blocking his strike sent the full force of the impact through my entire body. Knowing little about swordsmanship, I had no room to consider efficiency.

I could only block the sword strikes coming at my body as best as my reflexes allowed.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A fierce combination of strikes.

Though it was merely an increase in power compared to when I faced Yeonmuhui, the pressure was considerable. If I relaxed my strength even slightly, my sword would break.

“I’ll accelerate further.”

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

“Kuh! W-wait, listen to me!”

“If you want to talk, first, give it your all!”

Damn it. No time to breathe.

I was maintaining a pattern of injecting power into the sword when it made contact and releasing it when there was an opening, which made it impossible to focus on the duel.

“Your swordsmanship is worthless! Too amateurish!”

CLANG—!

“Ugh!”

The powerful strike lifted me slightly off the ground. As he watched me being pushed back, he assumed a drawing stance.

Now that the distance has widened, he’s going to use a skill right away…!

“Hmmph!”

With a forceful sound, he drew his sword.

Watching the trajectory of his blade, I saw red energy blades split into multiple streams and pour down on me.

This technique…!

Crackle!

I hastily released electricity to neutralize the energy blades, but it was impossible to block them completely.

“Urk!”

Though I avoided vital spots, I suffered lacerations on both arms and ankles.

No matter how much I tried to get used to it, the sensation of being sliced was never easy.

“Huff.”

The name of this skill was “Sword Flower Style – Scattered Blade.”

It was a technique that released energy blades in various angles with a single swing.

This is what makes Yeonhwaryong so troublesome.

While he could basically perform various forms, when using drawing techniques, his stance was always the same, so you could only respond by watching the movement of the energy blade.

But how many people could actually react to energy blades approaching at such high speed?

If your reaction is late, you can’t block it, and if you try to predict, you’re likely to respond incorrectly.

It was nothing short of annoying.

“Not bad. You neutralized most of the energy blades I sent. Most people can’t even react to them.”

“…Do you realize I would have died if I hadn’t blocked that attack?”

“Among the strong, just one exchange is enough to gauge how much the other can withstand.”

In other words, he intended to continue.

“Sigh…”

If I continued this duel, the situation would only become more complicated.

People had gathered to see the S-class hero, and although the chancellor had eliminated villains who had infiltrated the academy, there might still be some who remained undiscovered.

Moreover, I was the cause of this duel.

Winning would be meaningless. Rather, I’d be criticized for enticing a parent into a duel.

In other words, the longer the duel continued, the more disadvantageous my position became, regardless of the outcome.

It would be best to calm him down somehow, but given Yeonhwaryong’s personality, he wouldn’t stop until there was a clear winner.

That left only one option.

I had to defeat him with all my strength. But before that…

“I’d like to see more.”

“That won’t happen.”

Clang.

I dropped my sword to the ground. His brow furrowed at my action.

“…What are you doing?”

“The sword just doesn’t suit me.”

Not only did I have zero understanding of swordsmanship, but my hands would go numb with each block, draining my strength. This was counterproductive.

I was much more comfortable with my fists.

The distance created by weapons could be overcome with speed.

“I’ll ask one last time. Are you willing to end this duel and talk? I’m here for a parent ‘consultation,’ after all.”

“Consultation…”

He lowered his sword and clicked his tongue with displeasure. He didn’t seem to like conversation interrupting the excitement of the duel.

“I’m quite excited right now. It’s been a while since I’ve met someone strong. I don’t want to ruin this feeling. If you want to talk to me, defeat me first.”

“Haa. If that’s how it’s going to be, I have no choice.”

I clapped my palm with my fist. Sparks flew from my grip.

“Fine. But let’s set one condition.”

“Condition?”

“If I win, please stop interfering with Yeonmuhui completely from now on.”

“…What?”

His expression twisted harshly. Despite seeing this, I continued confidently.

“Yeonmuhui is desperately training to defeat you.”

More precisely, it was to deny Yeonhwaryong’s educational philosophy.

Yeonmuhui was walking a thorny path to show him that one-sided coercion was simply violence.

She had determined that words couldn’t persuade Yeonhwaryong.

Knowing this, I needed to restrict his interference in the future to support her.

“I’ve been watching her. Of course, it’s only been about two months, which isn’t a long time. However—”

“Don’t cross the line.”

His cold voice cut off my words.

Yeonhwaryong’s face was expressionless now, but he couldn’t hide the emotions coming from within.

I stepped back cautiously, preparing for the battle that could resume at any moment.

“She is my daughter. For a mere instructor to overstep like this crosses a line.”

“…So you intend to take Yeonmuhui away?”

“After thoroughly educating her until she realizes this was just a futile struggle, I’ll take her back. Then she’ll submit her withdrawal form of her own accord.”

“Isn’t that too extreme?”

You were so forceful with your wife, that’s why that generous person abandoned you and your daughter.

“Should I just watch as she wastes the immense talent she inherited from me, behaving like trash rolling in the gutter?”

“Forcing something on someone who rejects it is violence.”

“It’s because she doesn’t listen the first time that I have no choice but to use force. If she had listened when I first told her, we would still be getting along without any conflict.”

“That’s just rationalization. She’s not a villain. She’s your daughter.”

“You… talk too much.”

“Have you ever properly listened to Yeonmuhui’s thoughts even once?”

“…If she wants to deny my educational philosophy, she should prove it with skill.”

He quickly executed a drawing technique, releasing a massive energy blade toward me. Looking at the approaching red energy blade, I muttered.

“Prove it… you say.”

“Break.”

I swung my arm as if to strike away the incoming energy blade. Seeing the energy blade shatter, he showed signs of agitation for the first time.

“…What did you just do?”

“I know you haven’t been fighting me with your full strength. I haven’t been using my full power either. That’s… all there is to it.”

“What…?”

“…Just now, you mentioned proving something?”

“…”

He didn’t answer.

He remained vigilant after my unexpected skill, not lowering his guard. I could tell he was focused by how closely he was observing my movements.

“Then let me show you. From now on, I’ll face you with my full power.”

What I’m about to demonstrate is the Thunder God himself.

I’m done with pretending to be just an electricity manipulator.

I don’t care what anyone says anymore.

I don’t care about my past anymore.

What matters to me is ensuring that none of the special class students become villains.

Although becoming their homeroom teacher was beyond my control, I’m struggling here to eliminate that possibility.

Besides, even if my identity as the Thunder God is revealed, the Association won’t suddenly treat me as a villain.

Whether people recognize me or not is secondary; what I’ve done since the possession has clearly been good.

I’ve played a crucial role in capturing villains and sending them to prison as soon as they were discovered.

The same goes for stopping incidents at the academy. My response allowed for quick resolution.

Even if there’s some garbage past I don’t know about, the fact that I’ve been helpful is undeniable.

In other words, I can hope for leniency.

Moreover, I’m currently “necessary” to the Association President.

If I continue to prove my usefulness, the President will likely advocate for me regardless of his personal feelings.

After all, his top priority is eradicating evil.

Even if I’m discarded later, if the special class students safely become heroes, my goal will be achieved, and I can rest easy.

Crack! Crack!

RUMBLE—!

The air trembles.

The electricity jumping across my skin causes the air to vibrate with resistance. Nature responds first to this alien power.

“What is that power…!”

I clenched my fist as if to release the immense power I felt throughout my body.

Crackle!

Intense electricity escaped from my grip and rose up, destroying the surrounding matter.

“Here I come.”

Sparks coiled around my arm.

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, he put his full strength into his blade. As I watched the red energy blade extending beyond his sword, I thrust my fist toward him.

“Electric Discharge.”