The Genius and Calamity of the Villainous Noble: A Brilliant Prodigy Unaware of Their Reincarnation as the Game's Antagonist Defies the Scenario and Dominates with Talent and Hard Work - Chapter 1.33

“Marina?”

I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

All I could do was stand there, dazed, and call her name in disbelief.

“Honestly, Ark, I’d rather not fight you. You’re far too skilled in combat against humans.”

Marina toyed with the dagger in her hand, casually spinning it as she stepped closer.

The sheer killing intent emanating from her movements was undeniable. My mind reeled in confusion, but my body reacted on instinct, shifting into a combat stance.

“…Don’t come any closer. If you take another step, I’ll have no choice but to consider you my enemy.”

“I am your enemy.”

Her response was short.

And merciless.

“…”

That single statement left my mind blank.

“Ahh… I suppose a proper introduction is in order. My name is Loki, ruler of the demonic realm. The Demon King.”

“…Where is Marina?”

“There never was a Marina.”

“…”

I froze.

I couldn’t say a word.

“…I can’t afford to die just yet.”

Before I could react, Marina—no, Loki—moved behind me in an instant, aiming a dagger at my back.

I spun around, intercepting her strike with my sword, knocking her blade away.

“Which is why you need to die.”

I recovered quickly.

With her dagger deflected, she was left open for a moment—

Without hesitation, I brought my sword down in a powerful slash.

“Tch!”

She responded instantly, spewing a cluster of needles from her mouth.

I was forced to shift my blade mid-swing, cutting through the airborne projectiles instead.

“Tsk.”

Without missing a beat, I summoned multiple daggers from a pocket dimension and hurled them at her without hesitation.

Each one was inscribed with a teleportation sigil.

“Hah—”

But before they could reach her, a wave of hellfire burst from her lips, reducing every single dagger to molten slag.

**”Your teleportation magic is troublesome… but as long as I incinerate anything you send my way, it’s a non-issue.

Besides, you wouldn’t risk using anything too destructive in a space like this, would you?”**

“…”

I remained silent.

Instead of answering, I closed the gap between us.

“I still hold the advantage.”

My sword met her dagger, the clash sending sparks flying between us.

She wasn’t wrong—

In close-quarters combat, I was still no match for her.

“Tch…!”

Most of my techniques relied on surprise attacks.

But they were just that—tricks that only worked once.

Once the opponent understood their mechanics, countering them became easy.

And Marina—who knew my fighting style better than anyone—had prepared the perfect defenses against all of them.

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

“Fufu. You’re holding up better than I expected.”

Against an opponent like Marina, my situation was bound to become dire.

That was inevitable.

But if I didn’t find a way to turn this around soon—

I was going to lose.