Volume 1 - CH 22

Julis went to Caesar before the other students did.

“You’re the next, huh, Julis Anderberg.”

“Yes, I was hoping you could measure my strength with your own eyes.”

Julis stood in front of Caesar.

“I’m sure you’ve been called inept……. But the fact you’re in the S class, you must have some competence, right?　The principal was very complimentary of you.”

“……Indeed.”

When Julis made his appearance, the students around were buzzing.

“There’s no way that inept will be a match to him.”‘ “Did he not see the earlier match?”, “He shouldn’t even be in this class in the first place.” and such.

But on the other hand, the people who knew Julis were gulping and watching with bated breath.

“Julis-kun……, will he be okay?”

One of them, Mirabelle, leaked anxious words.

It was just a test of strength, not a fight for life. However, the surroundings stirred up Mirabelle’s anxiety.

However, Cecilia who was next to her was different.

“There’s no way Julis is going to lose! Julis is very strong after all!”

“Well, it’s certainly hard to imagine Julis losing…….”

And Anastasia, who had returned, also agreed with Cecilia.

Mirabelle heard those statements turned her gaze to Julis once again.

(That’s an S-Class adventurer for you…… his power is unbelievable…….)

As the students around him watched, Julis was marveling at Caesar’s spirit as he faced him.

He just had his sword hanging down and was not even prepared for a stance. He was arrogant in the face of his opponent,———— yet Julis could not seem to find an opening.

Julis unsheathed the one-handed sword at his hip and pointed the tip at Caesar.

Then————

“Superbia.”

With a short chant, a spell in the name of pride, befitting a sorcerer of deadly sin, he moved his opponent’s back to his front.

At that moment, Julis thrust out his sword with great force.

————but.

“Hmm!”

(Wait, seriously?!)

Caesar had swung his large sword at Julis, who had moved in an instant.

It was as if he knew exactly where Julis was going to appear.

So, Julis opened his eyes to the unexpected event.

With Caesar’s sword looming before him, Julis didn’t withdraw his attack, instead————

“Superbia…!”

He chose evasion.

He knew that if he proceeded his thrust at Caesar, Caesar’s sword would reach him first.

So Julis took a distance and shifted his coordinates from his original location to near his feet.

The moment Julis disappeared, Caesar’s sword cut the air with tremendous power.

“Fast————not it, it’s your instant move thing, huh?”

Caesar moved his gaze from the previous to the now Julis was.

“……I see, at your age, you’ve reached this level, no wonder you’re in S-Class.”

“……Thanks for it.”

Julis forgot about the politeness and glared at Caesar.

“For reference, can I ask you how you were able to catch my move?”

“It’s easy peasy————What made me able to do was your gaze.”

“……my gaze?”

“Yeah…… I don’t know the principle of your thing, but you had your gaze on a point before you disappeared————In other words, it means you’re going to move there, right?”

For more precise, Julis’ Superbia is to move the coordinates that come into view.

Therefore, Julis must shift his gaze to the target coordinates before he can move them.

So, as Caesar said, if you are paying attention to Julis’ eyes before he disappears, you will know where he will appear and you will be able to counter him.

But————

(It is a normal thing to be able to see through that at the first sight……?)

Julis was aware of the weaknesses of Superbia, but nevertheless, he didn’t expect it to be spotted at first sight.

Inwardly, he gnashed his teeth.

“Even an S-class [Swift] can’t produce such speed, but…… this guy had covered that area very well————though, you’re still not very good at it.”

“……”

Caesar made eye contact with Julis.

“What’s up, are we done here?”

“No————not yet…….”

Julis nevertheless used the sorcery of pride to slip into before his opponent’s throat.

♦♦♦♦

Several times after that, Julis used Superbia to attack Caesar.

However, all of them were repelled by Caesar, and instead, he was the one getting attacked.

From the spectator’s view, it looked as if Julis was attacking him unilaterally, but in reality, all of Julis’ attacks were just not getting through.

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Is it over already!”

Caesar, whose excitement had somehow begun to rise, swung his sword at the approaching Julis.

“Tsk……!?”

With a ferocious smile on his face, Caesar thrust his sword tip toward Julis, who had shifted above his head.

And Julis managed to evade it just in time.

“Hahaha! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so elated, Julis Anderberg!”

Caesar laughed loudly at Julis, who appeared at a distance.

Apparently, that Caesar is a battle junkie.

For Caesar, his exaltation is combat.

By fighting against the strong and experiencing the tension, he can be immersed in pleasure.

However, Caesar is an S-class ability holder.

On the other hand, Julis didn’t share the same feeling as Caesar.

“……fair.”

“Eh?”

“This’s unfair, this’s unfair, this’s unfair, this’s UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR.”

Julis was mumbling and calling out the same words while attaching his sword to the ground.

From the perspective of those around, the current Julis seemed to be broken.

He was downcast, shaking his fists, his arrogant attitude and imperious words have disappeared, and he now was just————spreading negative emotions.

“That speed! Power! Skill! Status! Talent! Experience! I envy all of them! I’m envious of your abilities that I don’t have!”

Julis grasped Caesar with his eyes full of hatred.

“Wh, what you’re talking about……?”

Caesar was bewildered by Julis’ sudden change.

He wondered if he had broken him or overdone. The excitement he had felt earlier was disappeared, and now he felt uneasy.

“I want those powers! I want all those of yours! That’s why————”

Julis held his sword and rushed towards Caesar————without activating Superbia.

His speed was on par with Caesar’s, which he had shown in his fight with Byrne.

“Wha!?”

“My Invidia————Get those powers, okay?”

Julis used the sorcery of envy.