People Need to Use Their Heads

 

• • Clang!

I deflect Chloe’s lightning sword smoothly like flowing water and return its power back to her in full.

“Urgh…!?”

I don’t usually use Counter in normal situations.

There’s no need to reveal all my strengths to everyone.

Only three people know about my Counter ability: Sheena, Charlotte, and Elise if I’m being generous.

In other words, Chloe knows nothing about my Counter.

Faced with the strange experience of having her attack completely returned to her, she can only helplessly take it…?

• • Crackle!

The moment my sword was about to touch her, Chloe’s body transformed into a streak of lightning and instantly moved outside my attack range.

That’s… Chloe’s lightning transformation that she should learn after reaching 4-star level, has she already reached that level?

The lightning that quickly retreated backward returned to Chloe’s form. Then, with a hardened expression, she questioned me.

“What was… that just now?”

“That’s what I should be asking, Lady Chloe. Have you really reached the 4-star level?”

“No. I’m still at 3-star. However, that technique was something I developed based on advice from Lady Astorius.”

Holy shit, Sheena. Are you some kind of growth accelerator? How could you raise a student like this? I’m happy but sad at the same time.

If I had sent my doppelganger, I would’ve been completely caught. Sending my real body was the right answer.

While I was internally shocked, Chloe smiled triumphantly and said to me:

“Well, I’ve revealed my technique, so now you should tell me about that strange skill of yours.”

To her reasonable request, I shrugged my shoulders and answered:

“Huh? Did I ever say I would answer you? Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”

“Beating the drum and playing the gong… What? Are you making fun of me?”

“Haha, who knows? Why don’t you think about it yourself? By the way, senior over there whose name I don’t know, who keeps aiming that bow at me. Doesn’t your arm get tired from drawing the bowstring like that for so long?”

Having stalled enough to let Counter’s cooldown refresh, I provocatively addressed the male student aiming a bow at me from the rear.

“Aren’t you going to shoot?”

I’ve had my fun, so it’s time to lure them in. If I keep them here any longer, the timing will be off. The doppelganger I’m controlling to tie up the Green Team is also reaching its limit.

“…..”

“Ah, you don’t happen to not know how to shoot a bow, do you?”

When I mockingly provoked him again, an arrow flew fiercely toward me.

Thanks to my title “Mouth of Destruction,” it’s easier to provoke enemy attacks, which is convenient.

After deflecting the arrow with “Weak Strike,” I ran as annoyingly as possible toward the location where I planned to lure them.

“Oops~ Then I’ll excuse myself first. Everyone, carry on with what you were doing~”

“Catch that bastard!!”

With the shout from the female student who appeared to be the leader, Tresy, the entire Green Team began chasing after me.

Since they all have superior physical abilities compared to me, catching up to my slug-like speed seems to be no problem for them.

“Die!”

Tresy swings her sword fiercely at my back.

But her sword never manages to cut my body.

• • Tap!

I formed a dolyeok platform under my feet and jumped high, causing her sharp sword to merely graze my calf.

“….!”

As I leapt by stepping on thin air, Tresy’s eyes widened in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

“Hiya~”

Floating in midair, I stepped on the face of the stupidly flustered Tresy and moved forward.

“Captain!”

“Never mind me, just catch that bastard!!”

Perhaps not expecting to have her face stepped on, Tresy fell down helplessly.

Some approached Tresy, but she quickly jumped up on her own, her face flushed red, and screamed at the top of her lungs for them to kill me.

Using Natural Mirror lets me not miss these amusing sights.

Tresy’s shouting must have had an effect, because the pursuit toward me regained its momentum.

I twist my head to avoid the barrage of arrows and deflect throwing stars with dolyeok, somehow managing to hold on.

It’s killing me to control both my doppelganger and my real body simultaneously, but the recent special training must have helped because I’m managing to hang in there.

“Wings of Raging Flame!”

Just then, a bird made of flames rushed toward me as I floated in the air.

A quite elaborate magic form. Not a first-year, a second-year maybe? A sharp attack. I should let this one pass.

“Hup!”

Like when I sparred with Charlotte, I created a dolyeok platform on my side to twist my path in midair.

The flame bird barely grazed my side as it passed.

But it seemed to have a will of its own as it rushed toward me again.

Does it have some kind of homing function?

If that’s the case!

Just before the flame bird collided with me, I stepped on a dolyeok platform and made a large spin in midair.

Then, keeping the nine students chasing me in my sight, I placed my hand on my sword hilt.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline that~!”

I countered the flame bird rushing toward me with ‘Strong Strike.’

• • Clang!!!

The dark sword aura that erupted from my sword forced them to stop in their tracks.

And then, the flame bird, now twice as fierce as before, engulfed the defenseless students!!

• • BOOOM!!!

“Hehe~ That hit nicely!”

The flame bird exploded with enough force to shake the building. I landed on the ground and ran with all my might to create distance.

I can sense through Natural Mirror that two people have “died,” or rather, been eliminated from the occupation war due to that attack.

That’s quite a few people taken down considering it was just a counterattack against an ordinary student’s attack. It was meant to buy time, but this is a fortunate development.

Good, I need to escape quickly before they resume their pursuit.

I’ve almost reached the spot I had in mind, so let’s push on a little more.

“Cough… Won’t you stop there!?”

“Would I stop if it was you, Lady Chloe?”

From the black smoke billowing up, some of them regained their senses and continued pursuing me.

Their speed remained unchanged as if they never tired, but it was already too late.

“Phew…. Lady Chloe, you really like running. If you enjoy running so much, you should run around regularly too.”

“Do you think I’m a child?!”

Arriving at the wide open space of the training ground, I turned around to face Chloe and the others, smiling wearily as I spoke.

“Haah…. I really wish something could be done about that mouth of yours. I don’t know what you’re plotting, but I have no intention of falling for such trivial stalling tactics.”

“Oh, if you see through my intentions so easily, I’m left with nothing to say.”

I responded casually as I sheathed my sword. Then, with my usual grinning face, I folded my arms and continued.

“Well, I also thought that stalling for more time would be difficult. Fortunately, I’ve fulfilled my role.”

“Role?”

“Are you curious?”

Chloe seemed curious and was about to ask, but then shook her head and said:

“Curious… No. I’m not curious. If I ask, you’ll just tease me saying it’s a secret. I won’t be fooled as easily as Miss Astorius. So….”

• • Shing!

“Just go down quietly! This is so embarrassing!”

She immediately drew her sword, clearly very angry.

“Oh my.”

As Chloe closed the distance instantly and swung her sword.

I had no choice but to draw my sword again and block Chloe’s sword while trying to stall for time by running my mouth.

“Urgh…. I’m certainly not strong enough to withstand Lady Chloe’s power.”

With Counter’s cooldown still at around 26 seconds, I have no choice but to directly receive her attacks like this.

I struggle to hold my ground in this test of strength against her.

My sword is gradually being pushed back. It’s baffling how such strong power comes from that slender body.

“But Lady Chloe…. doesn’t something seem strange to you?”

Despite my trembling arms and legs, I force a smile and keep talking.

“Haven’t you wondered… why my teammates aren’t showing themselves?”

“…..!”

Seeing her momentary distraction at my words, I didn’t miss the opening. I slightly tilted my sword sideways while using dolyeok to push Chloe’s sword to the side with all my might.

Eventually, I managed to slide off her sword and deflect it.

• • Tssszk!

The sound of metal sliding against metal with sparks flying rings out.

After barely deflecting Chloe’s sword, I stepped back greatly and spoke again.

“Actually, Lady Chloe, and the Yellow Team members behind you, my role was to lure you all to this place.”

I spread my arms wide and pointed to the main gate of the open area, and all the Yellow Team members, including Chloe, focused their attention on the gate.

• • Creeeeak!

And soon the gate opened. And there were…

“Shit! Where’s that squinty-eyed bastard who just called me an orc!”

“Wrong. He said you looked like an ogre.”

“Shut up!”

“He, he couldn’t have gone far…”

The Green Team was there, their faces red with anger. My doppelganger’s provocations must have worked too well.

“Hey! There he is!”

“Really? You’re caught now, you bastard. Let’s end this once and for all!!! You’re dead!!!”

After looking around, they spotted me and rushed toward me, shouting.

Those whose eyes had gone wild with rage.

Facing their charge head-on, I smiled broadly and opened my mouth.

“Haha! Green Team everyone! Earlier I was just running away, but this time will be different!”

Then I spread my arms again, this time pointing at Chloe and the Yellow Team as I spoke.

“This time, I’ll face you together with my reliable teammates!”

.

.

.

“What?”

After a brief silence, Chloe frowned and tilted her head, asking.

“Come at us!! We’ll make you and your comrades realize the sin of choosing the wrong allies!!”

“No, wait…. this is a misunderstanding….!”

Before Chloe could finish speaking, Green Team’s magic began flying this way.

They seem to be completely mistaking the Yellow Team for my team.

The Yellow Team couldn’t just stand there and take it either, so they began to counterattack, and soon the open area transformed into a battlefield between the Yellow Team and the Green Team.

I carefully slipped away from the battlefield and cheered for both teams from a corner.

Play play Green Team! Play play Yellow Team! Whoever wins is our team!

Just then, Chloe’s sharp sword attacks rained down on me as I was enthusiastically cheering.

I barely avoided the attacks with Natural Mirror.

“Urgh…. Sion, you!!!”

Chloe glared at me with a flushed face and swung her sword again.

Narrowly avoiding that threatening attack, I smiled mischievously and opened my mouth.

“Lady Chloe, do you know why Itachi is strong?”

Taking out a teleport scroll from my inventory, I grinned and continued.

“It’s because he’s a ninja who runs away!”

“Sto-!”

• • Whoosh!

After tearing the teleport scroll, I leisurely escaped from the battlefield.