I Am the Weakest Cat, but If I Keep Evolving, Can I Become the Strongest? - Episode 38: VS King

Episode 38: VS King

▽ Episode 38: VS King 

Right now, I was facing the Armor Ogre King. 

As soon as it found me, it sent one of its subordinates to guide me over. 

Though we can’t communicate through language, we both have enough intelligence to communicate through gestures. 

The Armor Ogres are different from Mr. Treant. 

That stupid tree doesn’t understand benefits. It’s a monster that was always planning to kill me. 

I’ll hunt it down someday. 

I was guided to a rough throne. 

A massive body, probably weighing several hundred kilos, sat on a chair made of bones. 

It looked used to being respected and served. 

The word “great” suits it well. 

On its head, a crown different from mine. 

From between it, a large horn shot up toward the sky. 

I should probably assume that it also possesses equipment. 

『Hmph!』

The King shouted. 

The surrounding Armor Ogres also raised cheers. 

Not knowing what it meant, I also let out a “nyan”. 

The King nodded. 

With slow movements, the King stood from the throne. 

He was larger than the other Armor Ogres. 

Before I realized it, we were facing each other in a ring-like area. 

Around us, the Armor Ogres were watching joyfully. 

I understood the King’s intention. 

It seemed we were to have a one-on-one duel. 

A kill-or-be-killed fight on equal footing. 

He respected my intelligence and saw a one-on-one battle with me as valid. 

I see. 

The King probably had some anxiety too. 

The Rank VI zone is expected to be intense. 

Even if he evolves, it’s uncertain if he can keep up there. 

After all, the Armor Ogre King’s strength lies in commanding other Armor Ogres. 

He can’t take Armor Ogres into the Rank VI zone. 

They wouldn’t stand a chance. 

That’s why the Armor Ogre King wanted to test his strength alone. 

He wanted to grow stronger. 

So, upon finding me—a peer—he’s probably trying to use me as a benchmark. 

Fine. 

I’ll go along with it. 

I do have concerns. 

Even if I kill the Armor Ogre King, if the other Armor Ogres attack me while I’m worn out, I’ll get killed. 

I can’t gauge how “chivalrous” they really are. 

Well, when my MP is about to fall below half, I’ll just escape with [Home Gate]. 

Unaware that I was fully planning to run, the Armor Ogre King roared. 

In his hand, he tightly gripped a large halberd. 

An Armor Ogre like a referee swung down a dirty cloth. 

That was probably the signal. 

The King’s halberd began glowing green. 

Was it some sort of [Enchantment]? Or a skill? 

There was no time to figure it out. 

I activated all the buffs I had. 

We both smiled. 

It was the start of the battle. 

▽ 

The King’s first swing. 

A sweeping attack caused an explosive wind pressure. 

That halberd had something that could generate wind. 

My light cat body was blown away. 

Dust from the wind made it impossible to open my eyes—but I had [Search]. 

I pretended to be blind to lure an attack. 

He came. 

A wind-boosted charge. 

At the same time, he was holding the halberd in a position ready for a sideways slash. 

A careless attack would just be blocked by that halberd. 

He was better at fighting than the other Armor Ogres. 

Well, of course. 

He was a being that evolved from an Armor Ogre. 

And now, he was trying to take a step beyond that species. 

I was still mid-air from being blown away. 

And apparently, my eyes couldn’t see due to the dust (or so he thought). 

When the King activated some kind of offensive skill— 

“Nya ([Dimension Wall]).” 

I used [Super Acceleration] and kicked off the [Dimension Wall] I deployed mid-air. 

A mid-air directional shift. 

A monstrous speed. 

In an instant, I circled behind the King and aimed to bite into what looked like a hard ankle. 

Now then— 

Would poison work? …I was planning to find out by biting— 

Then came a voice. 

『Mun!』 

“—Nya!?” 

A gust. 

A green wind swirled around the King’s entire body. 

As if he was wearing armor made of wind. 

I was overpowered by the wind and blown away. 

Biting was out of the question. 

An offensive defense from outside my awareness. 

Blown away, I landed on the ring made by the Armor Ogres. 

I slid and rolled. I ended up with some scrapes. 

No time to heal. 

As I tried to stand up, I saw it. 

The King was holding out his left palm toward me. 

The hand not holding the halberd. 

I understood what he was about to do. 

A [Wind Magic] attack at a speed I couldn’t dodge. 

I take the hit. 

The power is considerable. But it’s not pain enough to kill. 

As I groaned, the King followed up with another attack. He slammed his palm into empty air without moving from that spot. 

It’s probably an attack from [Wind Magic・Intermediate].

A blow to the back. 

I screamed from the pain. 

It felt like getting struck in the back by an invisible hammer. 

If I hadn’t deployed [Battle Fur], my back bones would have been crushed by now.

『Muuuuuuuun!』 

“Nyaan ([Wonder Time]).” 

A slam using the halberd clad in wind. 

It shouldn’t be able to reach from that distance. But since it’s accompanied by some kind of skill, I enter the complete evasion state. 

The attack came. 

An attack that could one-shot me passes through thanks to my inherited skill. 

Just like that, I activated [Generator].

I couldn’t wait even one minute. 

After charging for only ten seconds, I spent thirty seconds preparing [Thunder Cannon]. 

The enemy probably also has a mid-tier spell that requires charging. 

He must have realized I’m invincible right now anyway. 

After both of us finished charging our maximum firepower, I, without canceling [Wonder Time], fired a merciless [Thunder Cannon].

“Nyaaaaaahhhh!” 

『Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!』

Thunder and wind clashed. 

In terms of power, I was stronger. 

Still, in a brief moment of equilibrium, the King swung the halberd in his right hand with a flash. 

Twice. 

With that, my [Thunder Cannon] was neutralized. 

『Hahh…hahh…』 

The King panted through his shoulders. 

But my [Instinct Detection] tells me—that’s just an act, faking exhaustion. 

I canceled [Wonder Time]. 

Continuously spending MP is dangerous. 

It’s also getting tough to maintain [Battle Fur]. 

“Nyao.” 

The King is strong. 

He’s only spent some MP so far. And physically, he’s probably still fine. 

I, on the other hand, have taken a few hits. And on top of that, I’ve used up quite a bit of both MP and stamina. 

I wasn’t planning to lose in a one-on-one. 

But it seems I underestimated my enemy. 

He has battle experience on my level. He doesn’t seem to have any Unique Skills, but he is an excellent all-rounder. 

—He’s a strong enemy. 

An opponent I can’t beat by clinging to safe tactics. 

…………Seems like I have no choice but to go all out. 

I gave up on saving MP for [Home Gate], and decided to fight from now on by relying completely on instinct. 

Because my instinct is shouting—that’s what I should do. 

“Nyaa.” 

『Mun!』 

We both smiled.