Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

"That is to say..."

"That's right, that naive princess has fallen into the trap of geniuses!"

……

on the square.

Carol suddenly realized this as well.

My heart skipped a beat; I knew something was wrong.

Your Highness is too kind, too gentle, and too easily trusting of others!

Although, it is precisely because of this aspect of His Highness that they have followed him so devotedly to this day.

Born into a treacherous court, she was ostracized as a monster and an outcast from a young age, yet Her Highness still treated everyone who came near her with sincerity.

Carol knew how incredible this was, like a miracle!

That's why she wanted to protect such a prince.

but--

"Your Highness! Don't be fooled by this masked fellow! He's wicked! Stop the construction of this massive circuit immediately!!!"

Carol shouted in a panic.

Unfortunately, the noise from outside the stadium couldn't reach the stadium itself.

After shouting, Carol realized that she had done something useless and could only turn around and start cursing Saki's despicable behavior.

……

Just when everyone thought that Saki would launch a sneak attack at the most critical moment when Sybil was constructing the circuit, Saki showed everyone with his actions.

You've all misjudged him; he's the number one genius in the City of Fire!

How could he be such a despicable and shameless villain?

Even if he did, he would avoid the camera when doing something like that!

Now, not only are there live streams outside the anime series, but within the anime series itself, everyone in the City of Salary is watching.

Saki, who has always been very concerned about his image, would never do such a thing.

Therefore, Saki simply waited quietly for Hippel to construct the circuit.

However, Saki's body did not live to see Hippel finish constructing the circuit.

Before this, the ten minutes that Saki had been waiting for to borrow money from the Silver Prayer had come to an end.

The power drained from my limbs like the receding tide, and my body felt as if it had been hollowed out in an instant.

Qi Ji's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, new loans are starting to come into play.

cost--

He is in a wheelchair.

The wheelchair, which was parked beside the ring, seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, and instantly slid under Qi Ji's buttocks, catching him steadily.

"Cough cough." Saki coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.

"Are you OK?"

Should we say that Sybil truly lives up to her reputation as a monster?

Ordinary Echoers need to be completely focused to build large circuits, yet she can still be distracted by her opponent.

Qi Ji waved his hand and said, "I'm fine."

Sybil is particularly sensitive to time, so she was able to sense the unusual nature of Saki through the changes at this point in time.

"Um, I have a question."

"please say."

Is there a time limit for you to stand up from your wheelchair?

"Yes." Since Sybel treated him with sincerity, Saki saw no need to hide anything from her.

"Ten minutes."

Saki opened his mouth and spoke frankly.

Outside the stadium.

"???"

"What's going on?!"

"You only have ten minutes to spare, why didn't you take advantage of that perfect opportunity to make your move?"

"What a mess!"

"It's over! We're all finished!!!"

As Saki sat back in his wheelchair, lost his fighting power, and fell into a slump, the audience of Shin no Castle instantly erupted in wails.

During the time that Hippel was constructing the circuit, Saki had several opportunities to make a move, but he didn't make a single one, dragging it out until his body couldn't hold on any longer.

They don't understand! They can't comprehend it!

"Is this water being released? What's going on?"

"It's clearly already at the level of match-fixing!"

"A pledge of allegiance! Absolutely a pledge of allegiance! They say nice things and refuse Kalentia's attempts to win them over, but in reality, their bodies are already in the City of Fire, but their hearts are with Kalentia!"

"Damn! He acted so convincingly, I actually believed him! Turns out he's a traitor too!!!"

A troublemaker is still a troublemaker; no one can match his ability to change his tune.

……

On the college square.

Carol felt apologetic for misunderstanding Saki.

She hadn't expected that the masked guy opposite her wasn't bluffing, but genuinely wanted to take the hit of Princess Sibel's strongest echo...

Therefore, he even managed to drag out his ten-minute "last gasp" before his death.

Can there really be such a madman in the world?

Carol was at a loss for words.

……

On the ring, the conversation between Sibel and Saki continued.

At this moment, the two did not seem to be fighting, but rather like old friends reuniting in the afternoon courtyard, chatting and talking at a short distance apart.

Hibel began, "I have one more question."

"Go ahead and ask."

“You haven’t awakened the echo, have you? You’re not an echoer yet. I haven’t sensed your resonance with the circuit.”

As soon as Hiber finished speaking, everyone, both inside and outside the arena, froze for a moment.

Of course, most people's first reaction upon hearing this is—

What is this guy saying?

Although Qi Ji is now back in a wheelchair, the combat prowess he displayed in those two matches was undeniable.

How could someone who isn't an Echoer possibly have such a crushing victory over Kalentia's two Tier 3 elite Echoers?

Of course, there were also those who were stunned by Sibel's words and then began to show thoughtful expressions—

Tsukimi is one of them.

……

Upon hearing Sylvie's question, Saki, who was directly involved, was also taken aback.

He hadn't expected that Hibel's perception of echoes would be so acute.

Saki had kept the lack of response well hidden, and Sybel was the first to discover it.

However, after installing it for so long, it's almost done.

Now, the timing is perfect.

A slight smile played on the corners of Saki's lips beneath the mask.

“That’s right, I have no echo, I am not an echoer.”

He readily admitted it.

In fact, even if Sybil hadn't asked, Saki would have confessed on her own later.

Because this was part of his ritual.

But now that Sybil has asked, Saki will go along with it.

He sensed it—

it's time.

The rituals of destiny resonate at this moment!

……

"what?!"

No response???

"real or fake?!"

Upon hearing that Saki had actually admitted it himself, a huge uproar erupted outside the arena.

"Are you kidding me? The number one genius of the City of Fire hasn't responded at all?"

Even now, the shill from the Thousand Faces family still dutifully added, "Tie! Tied for the number one genius!"

"Wait a minute, then in that case, does Qi Ji still count as a genius?"

"The phrase 'no response' has absolutely nothing to do with genius!"

"But he utterly defeated Karentia's genius! Doesn't that make him a genius?"

"Not a genius, yet he can crush geniuses? Hmm?"

If you ask me—

To be able to easily defeat a group of third-tier elites who possess echoes without any response is undoubtedly the mark of a genius.

However, in a world where echo determines everything, without echo, the upper limit is visible to the naked eye.

The higher the level, the less effective physical techniques become compared to Echo.

From this perspective, it seems that he can't be considered a true genius...

……

Inside the stadium.

The four little ones guarding the arena were also quite shocked by Qi Ji's self-disclosure.

"No response from Saki-kun? He's like me? So Saki-kun is a pig too... wait, so I'm a genius too?!"

Huo Mu was excited for a moment, then shook his head violently.

No, no, no, no!

How could I possibly compare to Saki-chan? Am I even worthy?

and many more!

In other words, if Saki is this powerful even without awakening his Echo, wouldn't he be invincible after awakening it?!

Suddenly, Saki's image in Huo Mu's mind became even more mysterious, powerful, and radiant.

In Huomu's simple understanding, the reason why Qiji hasn't awakened yet is, of course, because Qiji doesn't want to awaken.