My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“「Supersonic Punch」.”

Bang!

Her fist was far too sturdy and powerful to belong to a woman. Habito, defending with his remaining arm, let out a groan of pain.

“Ugh!”

‘This woman is remarkably fast. No, have I been slowed down?’

The Grand Anti-Demon Magic didn’t just weaken them to a certain degree.
Over time, it continuously sapped away at the demon race’s strength.

‘This won’t be easy. Coming to the capital in search of a subordinate Demon Lord has taken its toll.’

“I’ll give you one more chance to answer. Who are you calling a ‘wench’?”
“Hey, noble lady. Got a potion?”

Incurou asked while clutching his abdomen. With each word he spoke, blood spilled onto the ground. Seeing this, Ella scoffed.

“If you’ve been battered that badly, you should just stay down, Incurou. You waste all your energy chasing women, so of course you lack the strength to avoid being overwhelmed. Dumbass.”

‘Damn bitch. With an attitude like that, she deserves to get analed.’

Despite bleeding profusely, Incurou’s thoughts remained as vulgar as ever.

“That’s why your fiancées keep running away from you.”
“Shut up. I have no need for the weak.”
“Yet you still have some pride left in your appearance?”
“Hah, do you know how many men desire me?”
“You probably just go after pretty boys. You’re the delusional one.”
“You bastard! Shut up! I’ll marry someone stronger than me!”
“Oh, how many people in the Empire are stronger than you? Were you planning to spread your legs for the demon race next?”
“You really know how to cherry-pick the worst possible things to say, don’t you? That’s why your life is such a mess.”
“You’re one to talk, you whore.”
“I’m a virgin, you know?!”

Habito, who had been silently observing their bickering, gathered blood and detonated it in midair.

“Are you two done chatting?”
“…Be careful with that one. Despite her poor health, she’s strong.”
“I know. And you’ve recovered, haven’t you, trash?”

Ella donned mana knuckles as she spoke. Clashing her fists together produced a resounding ‘clang’ sound.

‘If he has underlings with him, he must hold a reasonably high rank among the demon race. Moreover, if even Incurou can’t match him, he’s highly likely a Demon Lord.’

“I’ll kill you too, wench!”

The scattered blood transformed into sickles and flew towards her. Rolling her eyes, she grasped her fists to gauge the trajectory of the incoming weapons.

“「Wind Dragon Fist」.”

Kwang!
As she thrust forward, all the sickles charging at her vanished with a burst of air pressure.

“That level of attack won’t even leave a scratch.”

Habito sighed as he instantly regenerated his severed arm.

“I see, so this is the level of an S-rank. Show me your full power.”

His eyes narrowed sharply.

Kugugugung!

Ella and Incurou grit their teeth, unable to even breathe under the immense pressure bearing down on them.

“Ugh!”
“Bow before me, humans. Kneel. I, Habito, shall pass judgment upon you. Those who do not submit shall have their blood drained.”
“Hah, hahaha… Habito, huh? So there are those who state their own names. Ugh! It’s so cringeworthy, I might vomit.”

Ella twisted her hands in bizarre contortions before shaking her body.

“Of all the women I’ve seen, you have the most rotten personality.”
“You, this bastard. Are you done running that mouth?!”

Just as Ella clenched her fist for her next attack, Habito extended his hand.

‘There are many more approaching footsteps now.’

“It seems the other humans have caught on, so I’ll kill you two before leaving.”

Blood gathered in his hand before erupting like a bursting dam, unleashing a massive torrent.

“「Blood Wave」.”

Kwakwakwang!
Everything was swept away as if by a tidal wave. The crimson surge seemed unstoppable.

“Wow, I’m gonna die. What is this?”
“You’ll remain blissfully ignorant until your demise, foolish one.”

‘I can’t die yet. I still need to find out who provided the Purification Stone.’

Ella removed the Purification Stone hanging from her neck, taking a pitching stance as if to throw it.

‘If I use it while he’s weakened by the Grand Anti-Demon Magic, the Purification Stone should be able to block his magic!’

With all her might, she threw the stone directly at his palm.

Thunk!

“?”

The instant something struck his palm, he felt his magic power rapidly draining, prompting him to immediately cancel his skill.

“What is this…?”

Seeing the violet stone rolling on the ground, his face contorted in shock.

“Th-This stone is…! A Purification Stone…! Don’t tell me you had a Purification Stone all along, you wench?!”

Habito clutched his palm as if burned, shouting in outrage. Seizing the opportunity, Ella charged at him.

“「Pulverizing Strike」.”

Kwang!
But Habito easily evaded even that opening, leaping up onto the city walls.

“Over there!”
“Move quickly!”

Judging that he could no longer continue the battle, Habito ground his teeth in frustration as he fled swiftly.

“You humans are fortunate. The next time we clash, I will surely kill you.”

She couldn’t pursue the swiftly retreating Habito. After all, she lacked the means to scale the over twenty-meter-high walls.

“Haah… What was that about running away while spewing nonsense?”
“Hey, hey, noble lady. Must you be so foul-mouthed?”
“Damn brat.”
“If people knew the ‘Northern Duchess’ used such vulgar language, many would be appalled. Though personally, I don’t mind.”
“I’d rather not associate with a slovenly womanizer like you. How dare a lowly commoner address a duchess?”
“No matter how you speak to me, you’re still a piece of trash, woman. Truly.”

He responded in a fed-up tone.

The Imperial Knights who had belatedly arrived gaped at the scene before them.

The surrounding buildings had collapsed into rubble, and the roads were drenched in blood.
Areas were shattered from the impact, scorched by flames.

“What in the…!”
“Lord Incurou! Where are you injured?!”

One of the knights rushed over upon seeing Incurou’s wounds.

“…Po-Potion, gimme.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Ah! You insensitive fool!”

Ella muttered, “More trash,” as she watched Incurou converse with the Imperial Knights, before retrieving the Purification Stone.

The precious stone that had saved her life.
To her, it was irreplaceable by anything else.

Although she had spent the exorbitant sum of a thousand gold to obtain it, she had no regrets. A thousand gold was a small price to pay for saving her own life.

“That woman over there…”
“That silvery hair color… Could it be the Northern Duchess, Lady Ella Todia?”
“…Oh my, there are those who recognize me?”

As Ella gave a faint smile, the Imperial Knights respectfully bowed their heads.

“It has been a long time.”

Ella Todia.
The only daughter of the Todia Ducal Family.

At twenty, she had earned the S-rank adventurer title and lived up to her reputation as the Empire’s strongest warrior by vanquishing the demon race on the frontlines.

However, a single mistake had resulted in her body absorbing demonic energy, leaving her powerless and frail.

She had even suffered the agony of her flesh gradually rotting away, forced to rely on potions and healing magic just to cling to life.

One month, two months passed.

As time went on, those who had once praised her S-rank status turned their backs, and even her family resigned themselves, believing she could never recover.

That was, until she learned of the ancient Purification Stone from an old tome.

After that, Ella scoured the Empire, eventually discovering the Purification Stone was being sold in the capital’s black market.

Within a week of obtaining the Purification Stone, she had recovered from all demonic energies.

She was cured.

‘I remembered shedding so many tears back then.’

Recalling that time, she felt a stinging sensation in her nose.

“But how do you come to be here? I had heard your physical condition had severely deteriorated due to magic addiction.”
“I’m alright now.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I can fight again.”

She stroked the Purification Stone hanging from her neck as she spoke.
Then she remembered being interrupted by the demon race while in the midst of her task.

“I have unfinished business. Ask Incurou for my statement regarding this incident.”
“I shall do so.”

Just as she was about to leave the scene, Ella looked down at Incurou, who was sprawled out drinking a potion.

“Incurou.”
“What is it, Duchess Ella?”

Even for an S-rank adventurer, there were still social standings and positions to uphold.

While the Empire generally treated the strong with respect, they didn’t disregard status entirely.

As such, even the foul-mouthed Incurou couldn’t address her in just any manner.

“You’ve worked hard covering for me all this time.”
“…It’s been a while since I’ve received praise.”

Incurou chuckled wryly at her sincere, guileless praise, waving his hand dismissively – an indication for her to go ahead.
Without hesitation, Ella turned and left.

‘I must inform the Demon King as soon as possible. Humans are far stronger than I had imagined.’

Habito knew that if it weren’t for the Grand Anti-Demon Magic field, he could have easily overpowered two S-ranks.
Yet he had arrogantly continued the battle despite the disadvantage.

His actions were meant to demonstrate the absolute power gap between the demon race and humans. Instead, it had proven there wasn’t such an overwhelming difference to be complacent about.

“Still, I managed to acquire my intended subordinate Demon Lord candidate. While I lost some underlings, there are always more to replace them. It’s fine.”

While swiftly moving to return to the Demon Realm, he sensed a presence from a remote house and stopped.

Night had fallen, with only the moonlight illuminating the ground.

However, vampires like himself grew stronger in dim light.
Moreover, this place lacked the Grand Anti-Demon Magic field present in Pretium. It was the perfect environment for him to run rampant.

“How convenient, I was getting thirsty. I should slake my thirst by killing whoever is in that house.”

The moment he started towards the house, the door creaked open.

“Phew… The weather has really gotten quite chilly.”

A black-haired man emerged from the well-lit house.
An utterly ordinary human, emanating nothing noteworthy.

‘I’ll drink his blood first.’

As Habito advanced through the bushes, the rustling alerted the man, who turned his gaze towards Habito.

Kugugugung—!
The instant their eyes met, an overwhelming killing intent caused Habito’s body to tremble.

“What is this…?”

‘I… I can’t move my body…? Me? By a mere human?’

The demon race possessed senses several times more acute than humans.
So what would happen if such a being confronted an intensity that would make even humans quake with fear?

Generally, they would feel terror and attempt to flee.
It was the fundamental way to survive in a world of the strong preying on the weak.

The demon race was no exception in this regard.

In fact, the moment Habito sensed the killing intent emanating from the man, he was gripped by fear. To the point of losing control over his own body.

His mind understood he needed to flee, but his body wouldn’t obey. This sensation was entirely new to him.

‘This killing intent is not inferior to even the Demon King’s. How could such an unfathomable powerhouse reside in this remote house…?’

He clamped his mouth shut with an audible “Kuk!” As he averted his gaze from the unblinking man, a belated realization struck him.

‘That’s right! The Demon King had mentioned it. That heroes had been born. Then could that man be one of those heroes?!’

Habito convinced himself that the man before him was a hero.
Of course, it was a completely mistaken epiphany.

Habito immediately turned to flee.

‘I must inform the Demon King. That a hero is secluded in this remote place!’

Not only was he already quite exhausted from the previous battle, but more importantly, he lacked the confidence to defeat a man possessing such an incomprehensible vastness of magic power.

No matter how much pride the power-obsessed demon race took in their might, life was still precious.

Meanwhile, even after a considerable time had passed since Habito’s departure, Praus remained staring intently into the bushes.

“Not coming out?”

Due to the darkness obscuring his vision, no matter how hard he squinted, he couldn’t discern any moving objects.

“Master, what are you doing outside?”

Tina poked Praus’s side as he fixated on one part of the forest.

“Just getting some fresh air.”
“Is that so? It seems to be getting colder.”
“Indeed.”
“But I like Master’s house because it’s warm! Oh! And dinner was delicious too! What did you call it… Ah, ramen, was it?”
“Correct.”
“I want to eat it again sometime. Can you make it for me?”

Praus absentmindedly patted Tina’s head.
Although he didn’t verbally respond, Tina knew it meant yes.

“Hihihi.”
“Let’s go inside. It’s cold.”
“Okay!”

Once again, Tina’s lively voice echoed across the hill that night.