Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

The pace was slow, yet carried a strange rhythm, as if they were not heading to a battlefield of life and death, but rather to a rendezvous to begin a game.

Alone, he walked to the narrowest entrance of the valley, which resembled a "skyline," and stopped.

At that very moment, beside the mule cart carrying Tsukimi, the donkey pulling the cart, terrified by the earth-shaking beast tide in the distance, broke free of its reins and ran off somewhere unknown.

Tsukimi sat in the car, still reading her novel, oblivious to the world around her.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Qi Ji added to the crowd, "Bring Lao Yue along."

"What?!" Just as she had pulled the two frightened children to her sides, she heard this and was filled with reluctance.

"He doesn't care whether we live or die! Why should we care about him?!"

However, before her complaints had even completely faded—

Huo Mu had already rushed to the front of the vehicle and overturned all the cargo on it to the ground.

The vehicle has been cleared of its load!

Then, he slung the sling over his shoulder and said to Setsuna, "Setsuna, put those two children on the cart too!"

"Huomu! You..." In an instant, they realized that they really didn't need to care about this bastard teacher.

however--

"I believe in Saki-kun!"

Huomu, however, remained exceptionally resolute.

"Because Saki is absolutely right! Therefore, everything he says and does must have its reasons!"

We don't need to think about anything, we just need to listen to him and do as he says!

"Quick! Help me push the cart! I can't pull it fast by myself!"

At this critical juncture where life and death hung in the balance, Huomu's almost "single-minded" way of thinking and his unreserved trust allowed him to demonstrate decisiveness and execution that was no less than Liuli's.

His mind was almost blank; he didn't think about how terrifying the beast tide was, nor how dangerous it would be to stay behind to cover the retreat. He simply and absolutely carried out every single command from Qi Ji.

Reduce your load!

run!

Bring Tsukimi-sensei!

Signal when you reach the exit!

Seeing this, the other trainees, though still dissatisfied with Tsukimi, gritted their teeth and stepped forward to help push the cart, remembering what Saki had said, after seeing how hard Hōki was working.

Just as Huomu and the others were pulling the mule cart and struggling to escape towards another exit, Qiji remotely sent out a final reminder:

"The uprising of these virtual beasts is man-made, and there are enemies hiding in the shadows."

After I'm gone, you all must be very careful.

Having said all that, he felt he hadn't missed anything and had said everything that needed to be said, and could finally focus without any distractions.

He drew his sword and turned around.

Facing the group of illusory beasts that had finally rushed up to him, crowding the narrow valley entrance with their gaping, blood-red mouths.

Qi Ji flicked his wrist and swung his sword, the tip of which lightly touched down and pierced the hard ground in front of him.

Then, pull it straight to the side.

"laugh--"

A clear, straight sword mark, penetrating deep into the rock strata, appeared between him and the beast tide as the sword tip moved.

Then, he raised his sword, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, and tilted his head slightly.

I'm sorry.

"Here—"

"No passage allowed."

……

……

Chapter Thirty: An Absolute Powerhouse! An Invincible Genius!

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Ji stood with his sword across his hand.

One person, one sword.

They blocked one side of the narrow valley, the only entrance.

The rock walls on both sides are steep and sheer, and the moonlight falls through the narrow crack overhead, like a spotlight, illuminating the desolate landscape.

【Ding! 】

[System Notification: Special item "Spotlight Card" successfully used!]

【Ding! 】

[System Notification: Special item "Sound Card" successfully used!]

【Ding! 】

[System notification: Special item "Filter Card" successfully used!]

In that instant, one man and one sword faced hundreds upon hundreds of ferocious beasts of various shapes and sizes, their eyes as red as blood—

The scene immediately presented an extremely magnificent visual impact.

And then there's that suddenly powerful, catchy theme music.

At this moment, the comments section actually got a bit creepy:

"Holy shit!!!"

"Playing this so cool? Hagiwara!"

"One man, one sword, guarding one place alone! Damn, this is getting exciting!!!"

"You rascal! You managed to pull it off again!"

"Silent God is awesome!!!"

It's also fortunate that this rift is only D-level, and the highest-ranking beast inside is only a second-tier void beast.

Even if stimulated into a frenzy by drugs, the increase in strength is ultimately limited.

As for Saki—

Below the third rank, he is invincible.

This is a gap that cannot be filled by numbers.

After all, no matter how much garbage there is, it's still just garbage.

No?

"Roar--!!!"

The first few wolf-shaped phantom beasts, accompanied by a foul stench, pounced first!

Sharp claws tore through the air, aiming straight for Qi Ji's throat!

Sakiji moved.

It wasn't an earth-shattering burst of energy, nor was it a dazzling display of sword light effects.

It's just the simplest, most direct, and most deadly thing—

cut!

"Shh-!"

A cold, silvery-blue arc of light, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, flashed by in the moonlight.

The three shadow wolves that pounced at the front suddenly froze in mid-air.

The next instant, the head and body separated along the smooth cut surface!

Blood shot into the sky like a fountain!

Before their corpses even hit the ground, Qi Ji's figure had already shifted half a step to the side like a ghost, and Wu Xiang Sword swept horizontally in the same direction!

"Puff puff!"

Three more Deinonychus pounced from the side, only to be cut in half by the sword light!

At the cut, the internal organs gushed out, emitting a pungent, fishy smell.

Qi Ji's movements were so fast that they were just afterimages.

With every step, he could perfectly dodge all attacks.

Each swing of the sword inevitably takes the lives of several virtual beasts.

There were no unnecessary movements, and not a single ounce of effort was wasted.

The efficient and precise killing was like a dance, incredibly elegant.

The comments section was filled with amazement:

"Elegant! So damn elegant!"

"Haki, are you going to dance too?"

"Kamishiro Seigen: Brother Ji, how's my sword going for you?"

"Musou-chan, the most important thing is that you and Saki are living a good life together!"

Sword light swirled, and blood blossomed.

Saki stood there, like an unshakeable reef.

The beast tide surged in like a torrent, but he cleaved it in two with a single sword stroke.

All the ethereal beasts that rushed towards him, whether thick-skinned or agile, were as fragile as paper in front of this man and his sword.

Limbs, severed heads, broken carapaces, splattered sap...

It formed a nauseating yet incredibly awe-inspiring wave, cascading wildly to both sides with the rugged terrain as the dividing line.

The long line he initially drew under his feet seemed to truly possess the magic of "no passage."

Not a single virtual beast was able to cross this boundary.

Those who had already run far away couldn't help but turn around to look when they heard the shocking noise behind them.

Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

All I saw was—

In the distance, beyond the narrow valley, a surging tide of beasts seemed to devour the heavens and earth.

In the center of that destructive torrent, a slender yet upright figure stood against the current.

His back view was slender, yet it gave the impression of being as majestic as a mountain.

The moonlight, like a waterfall, stretched his long, narrow shadow on the ground as he held his sword.

Clothes billowed, longswords danced, and blood, flesh, and shattered armor splattered everywhere.

Centered on him, death spreads rapidly and magnificently, like a living ink stain.

Nothing could stand where the sword's light reached.

The clamor of life and the silence of death achieved a strange and awe-inspiring harmony within a three-foot radius around him.

for real--

One man can hold the pass.

All beasts,

All of them shall be executed!

……

Everyone was dumbfounded.