Chapter 357 - The Faceless Ice Wings
It was pure instinct—no, it might be more accurate to say my body moved on its own.
It was only an instant later that I understood I had sensed something, my legs kicking off the ground unconsciously. It was that familiar, yet not-so-familiar sensation of my mind being left behind by my body.
And another instant after that, the sight of pure 'blue' that filled my vision proved that my reflexive evasion had saved me from the jaws of death.
A barrage of massive ice-pillar projectiles rained down on the spot where my avatar had been just a moment ago. The gunners were none other than the countless ice spirits attending the faceless thing that stared down at me.
And yet, the magic circles they held up as muzzles—
"Tch…—Come on!"
—did not fade.
"[Twaibolt Mirari]!"
I reflexively summoned the twin shields of blue and white. I'm sorry for borrowing our shared equipment without permission, but this is an emergency, so please forgive me…!
Negating the weight of the greatshields with my [Construction] ability, I slammed the 'blades' of the comma-shaped, distorted shields into the frozen ground of the summit.
The next moment, another barrage of countless ice pillars rained down. They struck the anchored [Twaibolt Mirari], shattering on impact and scattering a mist of ice particles.
I don't know if it's a rapid-fire spell or what, but the icy barrage showed no signs of stopping… Okay, I see. For now, I can assume that even without eyes, it's tracking me through 'sight' or something similar.
How do I know? Because it's relentlessly firing only at the shields I left behind. In that case!
"—I'm counting on you, partner!"
From a position I'd retreated to under the cover of the mist, I unhesitatingly unleashed the only 'helping hand' I could ask for in this situation.
As my [Everquartz, the Sky-Soaring White Crystal Sword] burst through the curtain of ice particles obscuring my vision, I heard the sound of it shattering one of the targets, and—
"Alright, let's jump straight to the climax…!"
I tossed aside the empty high mana potion bottle I'd chugged in one go and, with the accelerator floored, kicked off at top speed to follow my gleefully advancing partner.
That opening barrage, utterly devoid of mercy, told me all I needed to know: this was a seriously dangerous opponent, just as its intimidating presence suggested.
I have no idea what its actual 'rank' is, but I can tell it's not an enemy I can afford to leisurely test the waters against in a first-time solo encounter.
So, if I can overwhelm it with sheer momentum, great.
Conversely, if 'momentum' doesn't work, then a solo victory is likely impossible for my momentum-based build. In that case, I have no choice but to go down swinging!
"Become my arm—[An-ru Galta (Hypothesis: The Wedge-Armor that Sings of the Royal Road)]!"
As I charged forward, I dodged a volley of projectiles from the re-targeting Liepis-Aisia and returned the twin shields that had blocked the initial assault to my inventory.
In their place, I summoned the [Shield of Revolution]—and simultaneously activated [Fatal Leak (Eye of Foreknowledge)] and [Whirlwind].
Ahead of me, the boss, Epel, still hadn't moved, floating serenely in the air.
It just stared, and stared, fixing its eyeless gaze on me… Could it be the type whose main body isn't actually that strong in combat? Nah, looking at that massive frame, I can't really hold on to such wishful thinking!
Trusting the bright red attack prediction lines that filled my vision, I charged forward, batting away a rain of ice pillars—too large to be called pebbles—with my left armored arm and the small shield in my right.
Building up the defensive counter on the [Shield of Revolution], watching my MP deplete at a terrifying rate, I waited for that moment—the moment the rain stops.
And when that moment finally arrived, several dozen seconds later,
"It's my turn, king of the mountain…!"
I sent a wordless thanks to my beloved sword for clearing out the nuisance gun platforms as ordered—and charged straight ahead into my now-clear line of sight.
Thanks to you letting your minions fire away, my counter is maxed out, you bastard.
"Revolve and open—[Luna Atiara (Shield Flower in the Water Moon)]!"
As I leaped and ran up the trunk of the great tree, the [Shield of Revolution] I slammed against my chest instantly covered my body in silver armor.
A little rain won't hurt me now—so, show me what you've got, Epel, Great Ice Spirit Guardian! I wouldn't mind if you turned out to have surprisingly paper-thin defenses and died in one hit, you know!
"Kesshiki Style, One Sword—…Tenth Strike!"
Kicking reality to the curb, I sprinted vertically up the great tree. The steps of 'Matoi' shattered the icy trunk one after another, my body channeling my master's technique.
This is the one quasi-ultimate strike I can execute with a precision close to the original, even in my base state without relying on skills!
Just straight forward, relentlessly.
It is the fastest sword, born from a multi-stage acceleration that throws away the brakes and gives no thought to the consequences.
Its name is—
"—[Hourai (Blade Thunder)]!"
I poured all my speed into the blade held over my shoulder and just swung down with all my might.
If the blade's edge so much as grazes, it roars with a thunderous flash that can burn through steel.
A tremendous boom, unlike any sound that should come from a single sword swing, shook the sky—
"………………………………Alright, time to regroup."
I felt a solid impact as my blade struck its intended target: the 'core' that I suspected was the weak point, deep within the blue light that existed in place of a head.
The momentum of the technique sent me flying past it and over its head. I bit back a wry smile—and forced my sinking spirits back up.
Controlling my body, which threatened to go into a spin from the recoil, I managed to look back. The great spirit was writhing, scattering a massive damage effect. Its HP gauge—one of the five bars—was depleted by about half.
And the next moment, whether out of anger or not, [Epel, Great Ice Spirit Guardian] let out a deep, resonant roar like that of a whale. The glowing orb, which had been spattering crimson like blood, now scattered countless small 'blue' lights.
They were, without a doubt…
"[Ice Spirits of Separation]… I see."
It was simply replenishing its minions—or rather, its own clones, which had been annihilated once before.
In other words, the 'spoils of war' I gained at the cost of nearly sixty percent of my MP and significant mental fatigue from concentration amounted to about one-tenth of its total health…
"Give me a break…"
And now, against the great spirit, whose pulsing light was growing more intense, clearly angry, I had to start all over again.
Okay, fine. Let me say it again, loud and clear.
"Give me a break…!"
…Unfortunately, the only response to my plea…
…was the merciless reappearance of countless glowing magic circles.