Chapter 161 The Art Of Paranoia

Boom!

Immediately channeling Mana to my feet, I dodge the warhammer that is about to pulverize me. I dash away without wasting a single second, and look for a spot where I can avoid the rabid Warriors targeting me.

"Fuck! In the end, he is just teaching me how to be alert all the time, isn't he?"

There are 17 Warriors in the Arena. There are 7 Fifth Wing Warriors, 8 Fourth Wing Warriors, and 2 Third Wing Warriors.

I am not very clear about the power range for each Rank, but considering that all of them are weaker than Vibiane, I will say I am going to have a high chance of surviving.

The two Third Wing Warriors who are in the same Rank as me can hardly be considered a threat. They are just slightly stronger than me, so winning against them is something I am sure of.

Flash!

"What the..."

Clank!

I have misjudged unfortunately; one of the Third Wing Warriors can be the most dangerous Warrior out of the seventeen Warriors. After blocking his sword, I can already feel my bones cracking.

"So, that's the case, huh?" I huff, then swing Rexorem strongly, throwing the Third Wing Warrior away. "These guys are wearing each other's Rank Necklace to confuse me."

I have instantly figured out that the Rank is in reverse order, which means the weakest of them must be among the Warrior wearing a Fifth Wing's Rank Necklace. It will be a little bit tricky figuring out who it is, but knowing where to search is already enough.

Bam!

With that said, these guys are really vigorous. None of them look like they are here because they are forced; they look like they even volunteered to kick my ass.

The situation is really annoying; but luckily, this is a Demon Realm. I can hurt them as much as I want, so I won't hold back.

"[Senbonzakura]!" I mutter as I swing Rexorem.

The six Warriors who are standing in the petals' path immediately move to the side as if they can see the petals. Some of them are still cut regardless, so I assume they had, at one point, been trained by Kruff; they must have dodged out of instinct.

"Interesting."

Using [Senbonzakura] again, I control the petals to swirl around me. I am going to trade some blows with them to see if they can see the petals swirling around me.

Upon eliminating the distance between me and one of the Fifth Wing Warriors, who I think is an impostor among the Fifth Wing Warriors, I swing Rexorem at him, while simultaneously activating [Great Impact].

Boom!

The Warrior is pushed back, but he is strong enough to be not qualified for a Third Wing Warrior. He, after all, can generate a strong enough Magic Barrier to protect him from the onslaught of the petals [Senbonzakura] made.

I immediately make a distance from him because I don't want to take a risk now that I have already known how strong he is. I can't definitely say he is a Fifth Wing Warrior, but I am sure his Rank must not be lower than Fourth Wing.

"Listen to your heart, Layland!"

"That's bullshit!"

Kruff seems to think that anyone can be like him. He doesn't have a good instinct he is just lucky, and now I am sure about it.

I get what he wants to achieve by switching these guys' Rank. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't know that I am not alone.

Although it is hard for me to identify which one is stronger or weaker due to whatever Relic they are using, my partner is sensitive enough to figure it out.

'Luxia, tell me which one is the weakest.'

'That one on the left.'

As expected of a Forest Spirit, nothing can fool Luxia's eyes.

Immediately rushing at the Warrior Luxia has pointed, I send the others a couple of Mana Swords to distract them. It works, so the one that I am targeting is left alone.

Channeling Mana into Rexorem, the sword is immediately covered in a thin layer of red colored, refined Mana. I kick the ground strongly to jump into the air, and swing Rexorem down as I activate [Great Impact].

My descent is instantaneous thanks to the activation of [Great Impact]. It is as if the gravity is briefly amplified for ten times.

BOOM!

The ground below my feet developed a crater that is deep enough to entrap a three year old forever. The ground that is affected by Rexorem's pressure is split apart, creating a trench that is around 3-feet wide.

Despite what my brilliant attack has done to the ground, there is no damage done to the "weakest" Warrior. He holds his ground so well, I am convinced he must be one of the Fifth Wing Warriors that hides his true power.

'Luxia, you missed.'

'I missed—now run while I am holding him back!'

Rumble!

Since Luxia takes responsibility for her miss, I can't be mad at her. If not for the fact that she is keeping the Warrior in place with Earth Magic, I wouldn't be able to make a distance.

The situation is getting baffling. None of our senses seem to be working, so after making a distance, I focus myself on observing the Warriors while dodging their attack.

At this point, I don't bother to take a guess by their Rank Necklace anymore; after all, the Warrior who has just given me a surprise wears a Fourth Wing's Rank Necklace. He is definitely a Fifth Wing Warrior.

The pressure they are exuding is also unreliable. Luxia deemed the Warrior the weakest because the pressure he was exuding was lacking, but it turned out that he was just tricking her.

I can't see any Relic on their bodies, but I am sure they must be wearing one. All of them are Monsters—Monsters can never control their Mana good enough to fool their enemies.

Clank!

"Tsk! This guy is stronger than he looks too, huh?"

I spent around five minutes to observe each of the Warriors, and test their power. It was really a chore since they always tried to gang up on me, but I managed to do it nonetheless.

"None of them are weak." Yes, this is the bitter conclusion I have reached. "I can't even tell what their exact Rank, but I am definite that none of them are below Fifth Wing."

Sighing lightly, I decided to be more in tune with my Origin: Pride. I have been sealing it throughout the fight, and it is already time to take the risk and provoke these guys.

I am not satisfied with just being able to dodge them; I am going to get power-ups, and kick all of their asses. I can't do that without forcing them to use their real power, so I am going to need the help of my "other" self.

"Now, it is time to anger these annoying bitches."

Using [Senbonzakura] five times, I make the five thousand petals it created surround me. If anyone can see the petals, they will see half of my body inside a pink ball made of thousands of small Mana Blades.

Using Wind Magic as I dash at one of the five Warriors wielding a warhammer, I let the wind I have created carry some of the petals. I send the wind to him; as if knowing there is a danger in it, he immediately runs away from it.

Whoosh!

Of course, it means nothing since the wind can reach him no matter where he goes. Thanks to that fact, the petals managed to cut the Warrior a couple of times.

"As I expected, his reflex is the worst out of the others."

From the way he faces my attack, I immediately conclude he is the weakest out of the others. He is not weak per se; but compared to the others, his fighting skill is definitely lacking.

Upon reaching the Warrior, I immediately send the petals to swarm him. He is quick to surround himself with a Magic Barrier, but he has to constantly repair it since the petals possess enough cutting power to cut through it.

Thanks to that, his focus is split.

"[Death Blow]!"

With my Skill, I give the Warrior an uppercut to his stomach, and send him flying to the air. I propell myself to the air with Wind Magic, and swing Rexorem down powerfully when I am higher than he is.

"[Great Impact]!"

Clank!

Boom!

The warhammer that the Warrior wields can't withstand the power Rexorem posseses—it shatters. The Warrior is immediately sent to the ground, cratering it with his body.

As I land on the ground, Rexorem almost cuts his body in two. I have intentionally stopped it because killing is not my purpose in the very first place.

Whoosh!

I get a power-up for knocking the Warrior unconscious, but it is not as much as I expected. It is more than I got out of knocking Millonia out, but it is definitely unsatisfactory.

Stabbing Rexorem into the non-vital part of the Warrior's abdomen, I exclaim in annoyance, "Ah, I get it now! You bastards are nothing more than weaklings combining each other's power using a Relic to defeat the superior me. Fucking losers!"

It's cringeworthy, but I need to bear with it.

"I have been playing around with you, so why don't we get serious now... Losers?"

My provocation works splendidly. The Warrior's face contorted so badly, they now look more terrifying than they should.

When they attack me with their full power, my hypothesis is immediately proven wrong.