“N-no... th-this can’t be...”

The one who felt the same way as the girl...

was the “object” in the boy’s hand—the burly man, Boluo.

As Boluo directed his men at the back of the convoy, he sensed a surge of magic.

Looks like that little girl isn’t behaving.

Boluo thought.

Before long, he sensed another surge of magic.

To keep things from getting worse, Boluo drew his sword and charged forward.

And that was when he ran into the boy before him.

Probably just some straggler who slipped through the net. One casual swing should be enough to kill him, Boluo thought.

So Boluo swung his sword at the boy.

But...

As Boluo raced forward, the moment he noticed the boy, a strange feeling came over him.

He was moving fast, but somehow, in the boy’s eyes, it felt as if he hadn’t moved at all.

The boy noticed Boluo too. Then, slowly, he reached out and grabbed for Boluo’s neck.

“Huh?”

Boluo tried to change course, only to find that his body wouldn’t move in any other direction.

It was bizarre.

From another angle, it looked as if he were offering his neck up himself.

No... Wait... Stop... I can’t go over there...

Boluo screamed inwardly.

But no matter what Boluo thought, his body still wouldn’t obey him.

“Splat~”

Just like that, the boy grabbed Boluo by the neck with ease.

The boy’s hand clamped around him like a pair of pincers. Boluo couldn’t break free.

The grip tightened further, making it hard for Boluo to breathe.

“So you’re the powerful fighter who’s supposed to be as strong as me.”

The boy shook the “object” in his hand and gave it a look as he spoke.

“But why do you seem so weak?”

“You...”

The burly man, Boluo, turned red in the face. It was hard to tell whether he was choking because of the hand around his neck or because the boy’s words had gotten to him.

“Hey, I’m in a hurry, so I’m not going to play with you anymore.”

With that, the boy hurled the “object” in his hand down onto the ground ahead of him.

“Boom~”

Dust flew everywhere, and a person-shaped crater formed in the ground.

“N-no... I won’t accept this...”

Boluo struggled out of the crater, roaring as he charged at Xiaobai.

“I’m a Sword King... That was definitely a fluke... There’s no way I’d be stupid enough to let you capture me just like that...”

A black sword dropped from the sky, answering Boluo’s words.

But then that same strange feeling came over him again.

Boluo watched helplessly as the black sword fell from above his head, unable to move a muscle.

“Smack!”

A single blow from the sword slammed Boluo straight into the ground.

......

“Boom~”

Before long, the earth was torn open.

Boluo slowly stood up out of the crater, shook his head, rolled his shoulders, and braced himself.

“Kid, I wasn’t ready just now. Let’s go again.”

As he spoke, he gripped his sword once more and charged at the boy with a roar.

“Aaaaaah!..... Huh?”

Before his sword could even reach the boy, Boluo found himself unable to move again.

“Thud~”

The black sword appeared above him in an instant and came crashing down.

And once again, Boluo’s whole body was sent back underground...

“What a pain...”

The boy put his sword away, dusted off his hands, and muttered.

“Why’s this guy like a cockroach...”

Just as the boy was about to turn and leave, the burly man appeared on the ground behind him once again.

“Hahahaha! This is fun! I’m getting serious this time!”

(Boy: Damn, how’d this guy get back out again...? I thought I’d used plenty of force just now...)”

Back on the surface, the burly man rallied himself and retreated a dozen or so steps. He began gathering power, pointed his sword at the boy, and shouted.

“You’re strong, kid. Ever since I reached the Sword King realm, no one around here has ever made me use my full strength. You should feel honored.”

“I don’t know what kind of magic you’re using to keep making me unable to move, but in the face of absolute power, everything else is trash.”

Strands of lightning sprang from his body and slowly wound around his sword.

The blade shone with increasingly brilliant white lightning, and the power it held grew stronger and stronger—far beyond Little Yellow Teeth’s Flame Spear.

“Super Tier Sword Art: Thunder Dragon Break!”

At last, a massive dragon-shaped bolt of lightning shot from the sword and rushed straight at the boy.

Just then...

“Advanced Magic: Wind Barrier!”

A lovely voice rang out.

A thick barrier of wind appeared between the lightning dragon and the boy.

But the barrier was no damn use at all.

“Boom~”

The lightning dragon blasted straight through the barrier. Its speed didn’t drop—in fact, it seemed to pick up.

“Hahahaha! This is a Super Tier sword art! How could some ordinary spell possibly stop it?”

“You’d better use your sword art too, kid! Even if you’re a Sword King, getting too cocky can still leave you badly hurt, you know?”

Boluo laughed.

The lightning dragon was about to hit the boy.

“Huh?”

“Zzzt~”

A palm suddenly appeared in front of the lightning dragon.

“Bzzzt~”

The lightning kept crashing against the palm, but it didn’t leave a scratch.

“Crack~”

The hand clenched, crushing the lightning dragon in an instant until it vanished without a trace.

“What a pathetic excuse for lightning. It’s not even good enough to give me an electric shock.” The boy sneered.

“You...”

Boluo’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“H-how could this happen...”

My full-strength attack... just like that, gone?

Could it be...

“Plop~”

At that very moment, in the distance, a burly man searching through the convoy’s supplies for cake accidentally dropped the piece in his hand. It hit the ground and was smashed to bits.

That would’ve been bad enough, but the man didn’t feel the least bit guilty. He even stepped on the cake before going back to hauling supplies.

The boy happened to catch sight of it.

He didn’t even notice it himself.

In an instant, a powerful pressure burst from the boy and surged toward Boluo.

“Thump~”

Hit head-on by the pressure, the burly man, Boluo, dropped straight to his knees. His whole body trembled.

The pressure came and went just as quickly. It lasted only an instant, then vanished.

“Hey, why’re you kneeling on the ground? Don’t— I can’t accept such a grand gesture.”

The boy looked at Boluo and urged him.

“So, bearded guy, got any other tricks? Hurry up and use them. If not, I’m leaving.”

By now, the “bearded guy” could move again, but his spirit was already broken.

Boluo felt that everything he’d done in front of the boy had made him look like a ridiculous clown.

Dude, are you messing with me? You’re a Sword Emperor! If you had that kind of pressure, why didn’t you use it?

If you hadn’t accidentally let a little of your pressure slip, I wouldn’t even know how you’d killed me while toying with me...

The more Boluo thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. Then, out of nowhere, he burst into tears.

“Waaah...”

“You’re picking on me...”

“Why does every random person I take a swing at turn out to be a Sword Emperor...”

“I should’ve realized sooner. Anyone who can grab me that easily has to be way stronger than I am. How could we possibly be in the same league...”

“Use another move? Like hell I will...”

“Waaah...”