Volume 21 - CH 18

Kyron, the hero who stands at the top of the Centaur tribe.

The white horse clad in white armor seems to be a grand master of armor and magic.

That's why, in fighting him, I'll definitely lose if I use normal techniques.

Centaurs have a four-legged lower body, so their posture is more stable and they can attack more often than humans.

But there must be things in the world that are advantageous for humans and disadvantageous for horses.

Think about it.

There is always a way.

「What's the matter, Alec? I'm sure the person you have to face won't be waiting for you for long.」

Yes, I know, Kyron.

I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work.

If I fail, I'll be hit with an arrow heavier than a hammer, or an even heavier blow from a strong hoof.

Kyron is not a naive man, and he might try to kill me with that blow, respecting the divine match and his natural destiny.

Still - if it's possible, I have to try.

First, I took the skill.

It's a simple skill that consumes only 93 points even at skill level 5, which is not too expensive for me right now.

「I've kept you waiting. Here I go! Kyron!」

「Come on!」

But even if I use this new skill, if I don't block Kyron's movement, even just a little, he'll intercept me and I won't be able to do anything.

Naturally, I start by blinding him.

I took out the item "Smoke Ball" from the 【Item Storage】 and threw it at Kyron. Of course, this is probably enough to prevent him from seeing me.

From here, I'll use the fastest lightning spell I can find to temporarily stall him.

I'm not going to use 【Turtle Shell Binding】. That's a skill that allows you to tie a noose with divine speed, but it's too dangerous for this guy because I really need to get close to the target.

「Shake the atmosphere! Creak, earth! Lightning in the blue void, pierce my enemy! Lightning Dual!」

A blue electric shock shot out from my left hand into the smoke.

I also used my 【Blocking Presence】 skill and used 【Instantaneous Movement】 to get above him.

As if he had been waiting for it, Kyron was already holding an arrow up in the air. This guy looks like he has some kind of 【Prediction】.

But I had expected that much as well.

I'm going to give top priority to getting close to him, even if it means taking damage.

The arrow pierced my brain and heart at the same time, but it was no problem.

【Dimensional Slash!】

I use the strongest attack skill I have, but this is just another move to get closer.

The sword slices through the dimension, and the gap is filled by the world's natural restorative power.

「Murhhh!」

As expected, Kyron had never seen this rare skill before, so he crossed his arms over his head and prioritized defense.

No, that's not it. This is not a defense, but rather an offensive and defensive technique that allows him to adjust my position and move on to the next attack at any time through the wind pressure of a quick movement of his arm.

Phew, it was a good thing he didn't use this technique as a trump card.

「I got you, Kyron. Now I've won.」

「Don't be ridiculous., you just got close enough ......Nnuhh!? That technique is!」

His eyes widened, and he seemed to understand. However, there are some techniques in this world that even if you know them, you cannot prevent them.

Especially if it's a horse.

【Horse Riding Level 5】

With this skill, I straddled Kyron's back and landed on him.

Due to the structure of the Centaur's body, if he takes this mount position, he will not be able to attack.

Horses are designed to carry people.

The only thing he left to do was to attack me with spells, but of course, I wouldn't let him do that. I slammed my magic directly into him, blocking him from activating his magic.

「Depressed farting mud, silence the clean wind and bury the breath of life beneath your tombstone!　Suffocation!」

Furthermore, I will deploy the magic of suffocation around our body.

「Are you going to compete with me in lung capacity? You have no idea how big a Centaur's lungs are.」

「No, I'm not going to compete with you on that. I don't need to breathe.」

I have 【Choking Resistance level 5.】

「Tsk, you're already out of the biological category, you monster. ......!」

I think there were creatures that didn't breathe, but whatever.

Kyron then flailed around, shaking his body in a desperate attempt to shake me off.

I was prepared for him to smash my back against the rocks around me, but he doesn't seem to do that.

Petting, or was it peroring?――I don't remember the name of it, but I guess the rule is that you lose if you go outside the base of this huge natural rock.

「Aarghhh, if he takes that position!」

「N-no, he's on his back!」

「What a humiliation, Kyron-sama had never carried a ningen before!」

The centaurs around us were dismayed.

The rest is whether Kyron to catch his breath or I'll be shaken off.

I also use the 【Turtle Shell Binding】 to hold my body in close contact with his.

A series of tremendous G's attack hit me, almost tearing my arms and legs off. (TLN: G as G-force?)

Still, I hold on desperately.

Kyron, too, throws away all of his previous composure and pride as he flails about.

And then, finally.

「UUuoooohhhhh――――!」

The scream of anger and frustration shook the air and reached the top of the sacred mountain.

After exhaling all of his breath, Kyrob stopped moving and threw away his bow and arrow.

It was a signal of surrender.

I finally break the suffocation spell, cut the rope, and descend to the ground.

「H-He's done it!」

「Ni-Ningen defeated a grand master~~!?」

「That's impossible. ......!」

The air around me fell silent.

「Well done, King of Vernia. In recognition of your achievement, I will give you as much guidance as you desire.」

「No, I don't want that, but it's promise. Show me your family's treasure.」

「Mm-hmm. Right.」

The older brother Kyron and I descended the mountain and returned to the Centaur village.

「Aniki......」

The younger brother Pholus, who is completely dejected and quiet, worries about his older brother with a caring look in his eyes. He himself is bandaged up and must be pretty badly injured, but well, at his level, I'm sure he'll recover soon.

「Don't worry, little brother. As I said before, the world is big. It's just that there is someone with a higher level. We have gained new experience by losing. It's never a waste of time. We can see our own challenges.」

「O-Ohh, that's right. I'm going to learn magic too! You'll teach me more later, right, Aniki!」

「Umu. This way, King Vernia.」

He led me to a temple made of piled up stones. At the back of the temple, Kyron moved a large rock that blocked the passage, and we entered the altar room.

Inside was a small room ten meters square, and in the center of the room, on a stone pedestal, was a leather bag.

「This is the treasure that our centaur clan has inherited since the time of the gods.」

Kyron said.

「Hmm? What's in it?」

「Nothing.」

「What? Are you saying that the contents were stolen?」

「No. The bag is empty from the start. The bag itself is the treasure.」

「Hmm. Can I touch it and check it out?」

「Suit yourself.」

「Aniki, are you sure?」

「I don't mind. This is also fate.」

I picked up the leather bag and opened it.