Chapter 286: Wasted

Chapter 286 - Wasted

I jumped off the mast and landed on the deck.

Then Slayer came down after me, but I got out of the way before he landed.

"You're not getting away."

As soon as he landed, Slayer followed me.

"Oh... so fast..."

Sure enough, he's pretty fast. Not to mention, to be able to run so fast right after landing, his physical ability was high.

"Hmph, can you get away from me at that speed? The reason why my back was taken was because I was caught off guard..."

He's agile, has instantaneous power, and forceful steps.

"See, you are so easy――――"

Slayer reached out his short hand to grab my arm... but......

"[Great Demon Swerve]"

"Nah, eh, ah!"

I changed my route to run in an arc instead of a straight line.

"Kuhahaha, too bad ♪."

Slayer's fingertips were just about to touch my clothes.

He must have been sure that he had caught me.

I was surprised to see the bewildered look on his face when he saw that something unexpected had happened again.

"Hmph, a petty trick... I was almost there... but next time, I won't let you go! Even though this is a slightly larger ship, it is still a limited area. There's no way you can escape me, a Hunter, in a place like this forever."

But he quickly shook his head and turned back to face me.

I chuckled at his pissed off attitude, but I was able to draw Slayer to the last minute...

"Slant"

"Nuh! Th, this time!"

"Jigout..."

"Ah..."

I drew Slayer in and then ran around to escape his grasp by changing direction.

Slayer gritted his teeth as if he was annoyed with me.

"Uh~, he keeps moving..."

"Kuhahaha, what's wrong?"

"Wow, you may laugh now!"

I provoked Slayer to agitate him, but inwardly I was quite surprised.

He was probably the same age as Espie, around seven years old.

Such a kid was following my dashes, steps, and changes of direction even if he couldn't catch up.

"Here!"

"Yotto."

"Oh, he dodged... then how about this!"

"Heigh-ho!"

"Wha..."

"Kuhaha, impressive, impressive."

Just from these few seconds of movement, I can tell that he can't compare to the Princess, Rebal, and Fu at this age.

"I see. He's a terrifying fellow."

Unlike me, who was called a brilliant talent, I was reminded that this was a guy that the general public and the world recognized as a genius.

"So, what smugness ... jeez, you're just a little quick at running away, and I'm not going to let you look down on me! I'll show you, my..."

"Oh."

"Speed!"

Can you run faster?

He's not strengthening his body like Breakthrough, or "making it look fast" with stepwork and sharpness like I do.

He ran in a circle, surrounding me.

Afterimages can be seen of his appearance, and it looks like there are several Slayers.

「...... It's different from Shinobu's technique...」

『Mm-hmm, tis not a clone technique... tis an afterimage technique, a display of high speed and swiftness... but tis done with natural physical ability.』

「...... Heh...」

The deck of the ship squeaked from Slayer's powerful steps, and part of it was shattered.

He's not using a running technique, but he can do this with simple raw abilities.

It's a shame, though.

"Here!"

"[Great Demon Split Step]!"

"Huh!? Oh, uh, eh..."

Now, no matter how many afterimages you show, I can instantly tell which one was real and how they will move.

"What? From a position outside his view, my hand..."

I sensed Slayer's hand sticking out of my blind spot and avoided it.

It seemed that this was also unexpected for Slayer.

"Your movement is too straightforward and simple."

"Wha, what!?"

He's just chasing after me.

It's not like he was building any strategy, or attempts to drive me into a corner or wall.

On top of that, he's not trying to estimate how strong I am.

I see. This was different from Koujiro.

"This time!"

"[Great Demon Backstep]"

"While running backwards!? With such a thing, you think you could keep running... so fast!?"

"Kuhahaha, remember that. Running backwards is also an important advanced technique, you know?"

"Shut up! And, reach! A little more!"

"Yes, too bad ♪."

"Ah... w, wait!"

His hand was thrust out in a wide swinging motion, so it was also easy to read.

It's not like a jab that I'm always conscious of, which thrust out from the shoulder at the shortest distance and without any unnecessary movement.

The gaze, the knees, the alignment of the toes, the shoulders, the elbows, the creak of the muscles eloquently told me what Slayer's next move would be.

"[Great Demon Crossover Step]!"

"Eh, ah, wa, wawa... ow, damn...

He was swayed by my feint step, and Ankle Break.

Slayer fell on his butt, blushing a little.

Haha, are you embarrassed? That's a pretty cute side of him, isn't it?

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't very mature."

"Na, uh uh~~~~~~!"

Oh, you groaned. In a sense, this was also proof that he had exposed his emotions.

After all, this guy has childish emotions, and he gets annoyed and angry.

I felt a little relieved.

"...... f, fuh... I see... you are a little bit capable too."

"...... Kuhaha, thanks. Have you acknowledged me a little?"

"N, not at all..."

Then, Slayer didn't mention the fact that he was struggling, and stood up with a small snort.

No, showing such composure at this stage...

"Sure, you seem to be a little bit capable, but I haven't even used half of my strength yet..."

"Oh, that's great. I'll have to run around more."

"Well, you're talking so lightly again... yes, keep it etched into those eyes! You may think I'm a kid and take me lightly, but I'm a Hunter!"

Slayer tried to compose himself by saying that he was not serious yet, but in the end, he became irritated again.

And.....

"It's too late to regret it, right? I'll show you, how serious I get... My true power!"

Saying that, he opened his hands and tried to do something while concentrating his attention with a serious expression.

Magic? Magic power was condensed in both palms, and something...

『Hoh~, how unusual. Tis [Ironmaking Magic] huh......』

「Ironmaking?」

Tre'ainar seemed a little interested in the "something" that Slayer was trying to do.

But I had never heard of that magic.

『Mm-hmm. A powerful spell that can be used to create iron by gathering substances in the air with magic power, change its shape at will, and use it as a weapon or shield in battle... it requires a great deal of precision, hence it had become obsolete as there are no more users...』

「Heh, what a convenient magic!」

『Mm-hmm, and thus I now understand. That Great Sea King from earlier today... although slaughtered in battle, its scars seemed to have been caused by an attack with a huge sword or hammer, not by magic... in other words, that is what it means.』

While listening to Tre'ainar's explanation, a huge sword appeared in Slayer's hand.

It's a great sword for large creatures, much bigger than a kid like Slayer.

I can't believe that he can use magic to create something like this from nothing... this guy is amazing!

"I've never seen that before. Really, you... you're amazing..."

"Hmph, it's too late for that now."

When I said that, Slayer didn't seem completely displeased.

When I first met him, I thought he was expressionless and didn't seem to have any emotional ups and downs, but surprisingly that wasn't the case.

But......

"Let me tell you something, Today, I cut down the squid from earlier with this sword. If you don't want to face the same thing, I suggest you surrender while you still can, okay? I'm a Hunter. Hunting or being hunted has become a part of my life, and a flippant person like you will always be―――― "

"So... how are you going to hit me with that heavy looking thing you're wielding?"

"......................................."

"..................?"

"........................"

Slayer was at a loss for words at my question.

No, it certainly has great power, and it's probably the perfect weapon for a giant monster with a big target, but how can you run with that thing if you can't catch up with me in a normal chase?

"............ here I come."

"Oh, you changed the shape and turned it into a knife!"

"Let's go!"

Without answering my question, he silently changed the great sword he was holding to turn it into a much smaller knife.

"This guy..."

『This one...』

When I saw that, I thought... or rather, Tre'ainar seemed to be thinking the same thing.

『"So much is wasted on him!?"』

We couldn't help but think that, even though he was, by all accounts, a talented and promising genius.