Chapter 41 Layla vs Eric[Part-2]
Seeing me duck his attack, Eric adjusted the trajectory of his flames and kept directing them at me. The panic on his face was now replaced by a smirk as he realized he was forcing me to constantly maneuver. However, this was all part of my plan.
When fighting a Quirk user as a non-Quirk user, one has to discard every form of morals. Morals only hold you back, and in this case, a Quirk user and a non-Quirk user were like a cat facing an ant.
I retreated farther away from Eric, to where his fire shouldn’t be able to reach me anymore, or so I thought. This time, he began hurling fireballs at me, each one the size of a football.
WHAM~!
POOOOF~!
The fireballs slammed into the grass, setting it ablaze as I skillfully dodged each one. He left me no openings, attacking from all directions, spamming fireballs and giving me no breathing room. If I had been armed, I would have taken him out already because he lacked the speed to dodge bullets like high-rank Quirk users such as Rudy.
“Boss! How long are you going to keep running around like a rat, hehe?” Eric grinned as he bombarded me from every direction. I grit my teeth at his mockery and shamelessness.
“Imagine being cocky while attacking a defenseless non-Quirk user,” I shot back, still running and rolling to avoid his fireballs.
“As if you’re an ordinary non-Quirk user!” Eric retorted, continuing his assault without leaving an opening.
Realizing I wouldn’t get anywhere like this, I decided to fight dirty, especially since Eric was mocking me. I suddenly struck the ground with my fingers, scooping up a handful of sand, then hurled it with all my strength straight at his eyes.
“ARGH!! MY EYES!” he screamed, clutching his face as the dirt hit him squarely. In panic, he began firing off fireballs randomly, but I dodged them with ease.
I closed the distance between us, and as I reached him, I kicked one of his legs, pinning it with my own foot before yanking it hard at high speed, sending him crashing backward. I immediately planted my foot on his chest.
“I won.”
Eric wiped the dirt from his eyes and finally managed to look at me. He stared in disbelief before letting out a long sigh.
“And I thought I’d be able to protect you,” Eric muttered, covering his face. I could tell he was feeling ashamed.
“Don’t feel bad, lad. You actually did well. Based on your combat capability, you’re probably on par with an A-Rank Quirk user. You were just unlucky to spar against Layla,” Professor Claude said, kneeling beside Eric before helping him up.
“D-Does that mean boss is on par with S-Rank or even SS-Rank Quirk users?” Eric asked, his mouth hanging open.
“That depends on the version of Layla. Layla without weapons is on par with peak A-Rank Quirk users. Layla with weapons is on par with S-Rank Quirk users. However, she’d need more than ordinary weapons to deal with anything beyond that,” Professor Claude explained as Eric stood up and dusted himself off.
I noticed Professor Claude had taken a liking to Eric because he didn’t casually talk to people. While he wasn’t as relaxed around Anna as he was with Eric, he still wasn’t cold toward her.
“Professor, I want to ask one last stupid question. If my boss were to fight someone on par with her father, would she stand a chance with an advanced weapon?” Eric asked.
Professor Claude burst into loud laughter at the question, laughing so hard he clutched his stomach as if it hurt. Slowly, his laughter died down.
“Adam is inhuman. I never once considered him human. He was pure destruction, the only man who ever made me beg for my life because I smelled death. I couldn’t even use my weapon. I was frozen in fear after witnessing what he was capable of. Unfortunately, Layla doesn’t have what it takes to deal with someone like her father. Neither do I. Maybe a nuclear weapon could take him out but he’d probably flee before it ever hit him,” Professor Claude said, shaking his head.
I was stunned to hear this. He had never told me anything like this before, nor had my father. I felt like Professor Claude wasn’t telling the full truth, especially since my father often praised and acknowledged him. Maybe it was because he was Quirkless, but even then, that didn’t stop him from being an absolute monster.
Suddenly, Professor Claude turned to Anna.
“You—I did some digging on you because I didn’t trust you. I’m glad you were telling ninety percent of the truth. If you had been lying, I would’ve killed you myself long ago, former CIA agent,” Professor Claude said, staring straight at Anna.
Anna’s eyes widened in shock as she locked eyes with him.
“I only need one answer. Why the hell is someone like you working as a maid or even serving under someone? You could make a fortune going solo as an S-Rank Quirk user, yet here you are. What’s your goal?” Professor Claude asked, his gaze intense.
A slow smile curled on Anna’s lips…