[WN] I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan Chapter 69

 Chapter 69

Even if he was great, it was only great for a 3-star.

This will be over quickly.

Finally, 10 seconds passed, and Usran moved.

“In gratitude for your consideration, Young Master, I will finish this in one blow.”

Whoosh!

A powerful pillar of dark energy surged upwards. At a glance, its might seemed far greater than the Black Steel Qi the masked woman used. An instinctive sense of danger made his fine hairs tingle. A destructive force, capable of shattering any barrier, surged toward Chris, and just as everyone predicted the end of the match—

Whoosh.

Something faint grazed Usran's neck. He narrowly twisted his head to avoid it.

A hidden weapon?

No. It was a transparent shard of glass.

When?

There was no time to think. Again, glass shards flew from different directions. Not just one, but more than five shards at once. Targeting vital areas like the neck, eyes, nerve clusters in the shoulder, wrist artery, and femoral artery in the leg.

Did he prepare this during the first 10 seconds of his attack? Amazing.

Usran was greatly impressed. Countless tiny glass shards hovered in the air. All of them were glass shards Chris was manipulating with his demonic energy.

“Manipulating so many glass shards?”

“How outstanding must his demonic energy control be?”

Those watching exclaimed in surprise. Infusing objects with demonic energy to move them was a trick a 3-star could manage. But at most, they could barely move a single object.

No, that's not simply a matter of realm. How outstanding must his innate demonic energy control be?

No one present could handle so many objects simultaneously. It was the moment everyone witnessed Chris's insane demonic energy control, which had only been rumored.

“You used quite a clever move, but unfortunately, it's futile.” Usran shook his head.

Woosh.

A black mist rose and enveloped his body. He had defended his entire body with demonic energy.

“Such petty tricks won't work on Usran of the Black Cloud.”

As he said, the glass shards couldn't reach Usran at all. They turned into dust and vanished upon touching the black mist. His prepared trump card had been rendered useless.

“I'll end this now.” Again, a fierce destructive aura rushed in.

It was a desperate situation. But Chris showed an inexplicable reaction.

Bingo. Just as intended.

Glass shards? Of course, he didn't think such a petty trick would land a blow. What Chris was aiming for was precisely this situation.

I expected Sir Usran, with his upright personality, would defend his entire body with demonic energy without bothering with glass shards. That's Sir Usran's combat style.

More precisely, he aimed for a distraction. When demonic energy enveloped the entire body, a portion of concentration was inevitably dispersed. Of course, that didn't mean Usran's sword lost its direction. Usran's Black Steel Qi was still sharp. It was drawing a straight line directly towards Chris. Even if attention was dispersed, it was only a very faint difference. But it was enough.

Chris leaped forward.

“He, him?!”

“Should we stop him?!”

Usran's eyes widened.

Reckless?

He understood Chris's intention. He must be trying to exploit his faint opening for a counterattack. But it was too reckless.

...His talent is outstanding, but he's overly naive. I should aim for his arm.

Chris's sword was raised. A precise strike, aiming for Usran's fleeting opening. But before overwhelming power, it held no meaning.

Swoosh!

The black steel qi ignored Chris's attack and simply slashed through his arm.

Thud!

The sensation of flesh being cut. Blood sprayed like a fountain, and it was the moment people clicked their tongues. Usran's eyes wavered.

...It's not real?

And at the same time. The image of Christian, spurting blood, wavered like smoke. It was an illusion!

Impossible?!

Usran showed an incredulous reaction. When did he turn into an illusion?

Could it be, in that fleeting moment when he defended his entire body with demonic energy?

He had manifested the illusion when Usran's attention was focused on the glass shards! Moreover, it wasn't an ordinary illusion.

An illusion indistinguishable from reality. Could it be an application of the direct lineage's secret technique, the splitting sword?

That's right. Chris had created a duplicate of himself as an illusion, applying the principles of Jupien's 'splitting sword' technique that he had witnessed during the incident with the Extreme Poison Demon Family. The splitting sword technique had the characteristic of being indistinguishable from reality, even for high-level demons. But to directly apply and adapt that principle to his own body?

That wasn't all. Just now, Chris's illusion moved as if it were alive.

—It would be good to distinguish your illusion from your ego.

This was the advice he had given Jupien earlier. In fact, he hadn't come up with it himself. It was advice he had heard from Lanya, the 9-star Archmage of the Hero's Party in the past. If one could distinguish between illusion and ego, the illusion would move as if it were alive. This was the realm of 4-star Illusion Magic. Chris was a 4-star magician in the realm of the Holy Radiance. Therefore, he could employ dark magic illusion arts by mixing in such profound principles. Enough to deceive Usran's eyes, which were momentarily preoccupied with the glass shards. And when the arm was cut, it created the illusion that a body was actually being cut, causing Usran to recognize the illusion a step too late.

The result was this:

Then where is Young Master Christian now?

A chill ran down Usran's spine. He didn't even need to look to know where Christian was. He was behind him. His rear was completely exposed.

“!!”

Usran hurriedly turned. But it was too late. Christian moved his sword. With all his might. The eyes of the other demons who witnessed that movement widened as if they would tear. It wasn't merely the movement of a 3-star. It was a single strike, but the movement was of a realm that would only be possible for a 4-star or higher.

Damn.

Usran instinctively knew. A precise strike, delivered from a completely exposed rear. That sword could neither be avoided nor blocked.

I have to use my secret technique. But then, Young Master Christian's life might not be guaranteed...

His secret technique was a killing technique, designed to thoroughly take the opponent's life. But was that right? Normally, it wouldn't matter. It was a tradition of the Demonic Empire that no responsibility was held for killings that occurred during duels.

However.

—Thank you for giving me the opportunity for valuable guidance.

The image of Christian, respectful and considerate of his honor, contrary to his ruffian rumors, made Usran hesitate to use the killing move. But suddenly, something unexpected happened. Christian abruptly stopped his sword.

“...Young Master?”

Chris withdrew his sword and respectfully bowed. “Thank you for providing such valuable guidance. I concede my defeat.”

“!!”

Usran was flustered. “No, what do you mean?”

“Didn't you hold back your hand? I'm not so foolish as to not realize that. Thank you for your consideration.”

Usran sighed. From beginning to end, his actions were admirable. If it had been another Young Master? Especially Myisac, would he have acted this way? Absolutely not. Compared to others, Christian's demeanor felt even more remarkable.

And it wasn't just Usran who felt that way. Everyone in the banquet hall who watched this duel had similar thoughts.

Such an attitude. We completely misjudged Young Master Christian.

Although their factions and masters were different, they were demons. There was no way their hearts wouldn't be swayed by Christian's repeated respect for the honor of a strong demon.

Moreover, what was admirable wasn't just his courteous attitude.

Perhaps, defeating a 5-star demon wasn't mere luck...

Of course, he was still far from enough. But what Chris had just shown went beyond the simple realm of a 3-star. Innate combat sense. And exquisite illusion magic, something only a professional mage could achieve. Most impressively, it was the final strike he displayed. A strike absolutely impossible for a 3-star. A single word came to everyone's mind.

Genius.

And not just any genius. It was an overwhelming talent whose magnitude could not even be imagined.

It wasn't a coincidence that he absorbed over 9-star dark demonic energy.

Some demons even had this thought:

Even Young Master Ashid, who was called the greatest genius of the next generation, didn't possess such talent.

Perhaps...

A few demons swallowed hard, carefully thinking.

—Young Master Christian might cause a revolution.

Of course, only a minority thought that far. Still, the fact that some were now predicting Chris's victory, even with a slim chance, was a tremendous change. It was because Chris's performance today was that impressive.

“I hope that was enough to qualify as what Young Master Myisac desired.” Christian said to Myisac.

“You... you...”

“Myisac.” Chris grinned. He had dropped the honorifics. “I asked you to be courteous as a fellow Young Master, didn't I? Or should I just be informal with you too?”

“!!”

Myisac gritted his teeth. His clenched fists trembled. This arrogant brat.

But stirring up trouble again here wasn't a good look. Myisac, too, had enough sense to realize that. In the end, Myisac left with a threat.

“Don't get cocky. You'll soon shed tears of blood.”

“Yeah, got it. Just don't go tattling to your mommy.”

“!!”

Myisac, his face flushed with anger, disappeared. His furious demeanor clearly indicated he wouldn't stand by idly. He would undoubtedly try to exert unfair oppression by leveraging his mother's power, but Chris, on the contrary, thought it meaningful.

It would be better if he played as dirty as possible.

Did Myisac know? How much his schemes would help Chris. Chris planned to use Myisac's schemes as an "opportunity" to expand his standing within the Dark Demon Family.

How was such a thing possible? Just look now.

“Young Master Christian. May I offer my greetings?”

Glancing over, demons were now approaching him to offer their greetings! Not many, but still. It was a sight hard to imagine when the banquet first began.

“It's a pleasure, Sir Caron.”

“You know me?”

“Of course. Aren't you the Second Squad Leader of the Scarlet Knights? I've also heard about the merits you earned recently in the skirmish with those Gold Cross bastards.”

It wasn't just Caron. Chris had a complete grasp of all the personal details of the Dark Demon Family's demons. Not just their positions, but all the merits they had accumulated so far. The demons he conversed with were once again impressed by Chris, who even mentioned their minor contributions that others might have overlooked. His demeanor was so proper that it was hard to imagine why he had been rumored to be a ruffian. Most importantly, Christian knew how to respect the honor of others. Who wouldn't feel favorably toward him?

As the number of demons seeking out Christian slowly grew, an unexpected voice was heard.

“May I also offer my greetings?”

“!!”

A soft voice.