Another World’s Highest Guild Leader ~I’m the weakest in the guild, but I can’t quit the guild because of the heavy love of all the guild members~ - Chap 44: Horus VS... Just Another Nobody

“Heh, you’re just a dropout, aren’t you?”

The bear-like beastman, Horus’s opponent, looks down on him when he sees his face.

“Say whatever you want. The weaker ones are always the loudest,” Horus replies calmly.

“What did you say?”

Irritated by Horus’s composed demeanor, the bear-like beastman clicks his tongue.

Horus removes the ring he usually wears before entering the match. The match begins after the referee explains the rules—either knockout or give up, with no weapons allowed.

“—Start the match!!”

The signal for the start of the match.

As soon as it begins, the bear-like beastman lunges at Horus with a punch.

He’s fast. A regular adventurer would have been hit.

But to Horus, the movement happens in slow motion.

Still, he doesn’t move from his spot.

He doesn’t flinch until the fist almost touches his chest.

“Got you!”

The fist makes contact with Horus’s body.

The bear-like beastman thinks he’s landed a solid punch and needs to follow through.

However, his fist doesn’t move any further.

That’s because Horus has grabbed his wrist, his right arm transformed into that of an eagle’s.

“What!?”

The bear-like beastman is shocked.

He felt the sensation of his fist hitting, but it didn’t land a blow.

When his fist touched Horus, Horus expanded his arm with a ‘snap’ and grabbed the wrist.

It all happened in a split second.

The audience is buzzing.

Only Crow and his team, the king, and the top fighters from the East, West, South, and North could follow what happened with their eyes.

“Is that all the speed you’ve got?”

Horus releases the wrist, looking somewhat disappointed.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

The bear-like beastman backs off to regain his posture.

He lowers his hips slightly and confronts his opponent, raising both fists in a boxing stance, keeping his center of gravity low.

“Haha!”

He exhales sharply and closes the distance, throwing a punch with all his might. However, Horus easily parries it with his left arm and counters.

“Guah, ugh!”

“Too slow!”

“Guh!?”

He follows up quickly with a kick.

Before his kicking leg touches the ground, he throws another punch, putting his weight behind it.

The bear-like beastman stumbles, unraveling his crossed arms and taking a deep breath.

“What’s the matter, already tired? I’m just getting warmed up.”

“I’m far from done!”

He throws a series of punches, but none hit their mark. Instead, he finds himself dodging counterattacks from Horus.

“Show me more power; what are you holding back for?”

“Guh…ugh…”

Just as Horus was thinking of wrapping up this warm-up for the main event, he noticed an unsettling grin on the bear-like beastman’s face.

“Take this!”

He charges at Horus, and a strange sound is heard—inappropriate for a fistfight.

A palm-sized blade is deeply embedded into Horus’s abdomen. Moreover, the blade is coated with a potent poison.

“Heh…now…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

Horus remains unfazed.

If he was stabbed in the abdomen and poisoned, he should be weakening.

Moreover, the blade hit the descending aorta; a normal person would lose consciousness in one or two seconds.

He planned to follow up with more attacks, but it failed.

The referee’s eyes light up.

He tries to pull out the blade quickly, but Horus tenses his abdomen, making it impossible to remove.

“No need to rush.” 

Horus grabs the hand of the bear-like beastman, who is trying to pull out the blade. He wraps it around the beastman’s waist with his free hand, pulling him close in an embrace.

The blade sinks deeper and deeper, making it virtually impossible to remove. Horus stands as if nothing happened despite what should be a fatal wound. He narrows his eyes slightly, lost in thought.

Horus needed to improve at fighting to begin with. 

The idea of punching or stabbing was out of the question. After being exiled from the Beastman Kingdom, he left hunting entirely to Garga. 

Whenever he saw the corpses or blood of monsters, he would vomit without letting Garga notice and spend sleepless nights.

Then, one day, he met Crow.

Initially, Crow was accompanied by four women, and Horus despised him, thinking he was no different from the beastmen who flaunted their power over women. After some complications, they joined a guild. 

For the “Demon’s Triumph Return,” Crow was absolute. Horus needed help understanding that. He couldn’t comprehend the idea of submitting to someone weaker than himself. In the Beastman Kingdom, you obey the strong; there’s no worry of rebellion or betrayal.

So, he once asked Crow, “Why are you so weak? Doesn’t it bother you?”

In hindsight, it was a very rude question. If the women had heard him, he would have been beaten up. Crow answered Horus’s abrupt question, “Well, everyone protects me.”

“Protects you? What kind of naive idea is that?”

Seeing Horus’s unconvinced reaction, Crow continued.

“Sure, being weak is frustrating. But the most important thing is trust. Nothing starts without trust. You wouldn’t willingly give something to someone you don’t trust, right? Right now, my safety is secured through trust. I may be weak now, but I’ll work hard in the future.”

In the Beastman Kingdom, strength and trust were synonymous. Horus remembered what Crow had done for him. He healed his wounds, provided food and shelter, and gave him weapons. Crow trusted Horus. When he realized that, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Following the strong only leads to power and the belief that power alone can dominate people. But Crow was different. He didn’t force obedience through power; he respected one’s feelings to want to follow and protect.

There’s nothing that empowers a person more than gratitude. And so, a clear rule formed within me. Anyone who tries to kill Crow, or Wakka—will be eliminated.

Zubot, Bakibakibaki

Small fragments scatter on the ground. It seems that while lost in thought, Horus had ripped out the blade deeply embedded in his abdomen and crushed it to pieces.

“Oops, my apologies. I have broken your weapon. But weapons aren’t allowed, so it’s fine, right?” 

Horus grinned broadly.

He doesn’t seem to care about the intense pain from the heated wound or the blood dripping down; he just smiles cheerfully.

“What are you laughing at—Agah!?”

Horus brings the tip of the bear beastman’s jaw towards his ear with a quick, powerful twist. The beastman’s entire body goes numb, immobilizing him. He slowly collapses.

“The winner is Horus!”

The crowd roars in excitement.