Seeing Bryan appearing in front of me, I wanted to laugh out loud.
It was very easy, though. I just put a few suggestions on some people.
The first one was in the two thirteenth-layer practitioners, making one of them carry Bryan while the other carried Alan and Christine.
The second suggestion made the thirteenth-layer practitioners think of separating when the dragon turned berserk.
And the third suggestion made the powerhouse carrying Bryan to run in my direction.
After that, I just made Bryan believe that he had seen Iris, and that foolish brother of mine bit the bait without thinking twice.
When Bryan saw us, his face turned red. His eyes shone with a vicious glow, and his body trembled from the rage.
But to me surprise, before he could say something, someone else acted first.
The thirteenth-layer practitioner carrying Bryan jumped back.
Then, he… ran away?
I was briefly stunned. But an instant later, I chuckled in amusement. This man sure has good instincts.
Unfortunately, it is useless.
Beside me, Iris was also surprised.
"H-He ran away…? C-Claus, we need to run away! H-He is very strong."
I looked at the nervous girl with a smile. "C-Calm down, I told you I have everything under control. Rather, Are you sure you will do it?"
"I-I am."
"Then get ready. They are coming back soon."
Before Iris could understand the meaning of my words, a voice came from the forest.
"Idiot! Why are you running!? I order you to return! We need to kill that bastard! And that slut too! I'm going to skin her alive!"
One second later, the thirteenth-layer powerhouse carrying Bryan appeared once more in front of us.
Instantly, his expression changed.
Before he could run away again, though, I stopped him.
"Just stop, it's useless."
"… Prince Claus…" The man carrying Bryan put on a stern look. Although he was not sure about what was happening, his expression showed he was prepared to face great danger.
"You look nervous." I chuckled, more interested in the man than in Bryan himself. This man ran away just after seeing me, even although I had not shown my power yet.
The man took out his weapon and got ready to fight. "When I saw you just now, prince, my instincts screamed that I was going to die if I continued here. These instincts have saved my life several times before, so I usually trust them."
"Oh, so you are of that kind," I said with an interested expression. "Unfortunately, now that you are here I can't leave you to escape."
"Hey, what are you talking about!?" Bryan screamed in rage. "You! Catch them! What are you waiting for!"
I looked at Bryan as though looking to a clown. It looks like this fool has not understood the situation yet.
Should I show it to him then?
"Shut up."
As though my words were an order, Bryan's mouth was slammed shut. Then, his expression turned pale, and his body shivered.
He tried to speak again, but his mouth refused to move no matter how much he tried. It was as though it had been glued by an otherworldly force.
I did not bother anymore with him. Instead, I looked at the powerhouse beside him with a look of interest.
Let's play for a little bit, shall we?
"What is your name?" I asked the man.
"… Kevin." The man answered after a bit of hesitation.
"Kevin, huh. Then, Kevin, let's see if your instincts can save you again." I said and unsheathed my sword. "You are at the thirteenth-layer of cultivation, just like me. So we will do it like this. If you manage to receive three of my attacks, I'll allow you to take Bryan with you and leave."
Contrary to my expectations, though, Kevin's expression did not relax. Instead, it turned even uglier.
It looks like his instincts are much sharper than I thought.
Mmm, let's play a bit more then.
"It looks like you still don't think it's fair, huh. What about this then? I will only use a hand. Besides, I will not use any law or special technique in my attacks. My attacks will rely only on my mana, swordsmanship, and physical strength. I think that is fair enough, don't you agree?"
Kevin looked at me and took a deep breath. Then, he put his sword in front of him.
"Show me your strength, Prince Claus."
"Great," I said with a brilliant smile. "Here I go then. This is my first attack."
As soon as my words sounded, my body moved.
In an instant, it closed the distance between Kevin and I. At the same time, My sword was filled with mana. The tip of the sword pierced towards Kevin's heart faster than the speed of sound.
*Clang!*
That was our first clash.
Kevin's eyes opened wide. He involuntarily took two steps back, and his wrists groaned under the pressure of my sword.
Just with the first attack, Kevin knew how difficult surviving three of my attacks was.
I did not give him time to rest, though. Almost as though the strength behind the last attack was a lie, my sword turned soft. It then slithered around Kevin's sword before biting towards his neck.
The attack was so bizarre, fast, and sudden, that Kevin was almost unable to react!
In the last second, though–
"HAAAAA!!!"
With a vigorous shout, Kevin released all the mana inside his body in a go. The mana then turned into a wave that managed to slow my sword long enough for him to move his head away.
But unfortunately for him, that was just the second attack.
I stared a Kevin with a playful smile, then, I shook my wrist.
Instantly, the speed of my sword became several times higher!
Since the start, this fight was nothing more than a game. With the pureness of my mana, competing with someone in the same layer is the same as bullying them.
In fact, even weaker gods are unable to compete against me in terms of mana. Thus, even if I stopped myself from using any technique or law, just the raw strength behind my physical body and mana is more than enough to overwhelm any thirteenth-layer practitioner.
Even if Kevin was insanely talented and managed to show a strength several times higher than his cultivation, the result would have been the same.
It was just a game for me. Just like a cat playing with a mouse. In the end, Bryan and Kevin were destined to be unable to escape from me.
Kevin realized that when he saw my last attack.
It was just a trust. A simple thrust with nothing complicated on it. But it was a thrust that Kevin was unable to avoid.
Under his disbelieving gaze, my sword penetrated his neck. Then, his head flew through the air.
"Third move."
I smiled indifferently and put my sword back in his sheath. Then, I turned towards my useless brother.
Watching the expression of fear on his face, my smile turned wider.
"Now, it's time for us to speak, brother."
I'm going to enjoy this.
...
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