kscans

Chapter 679 - The Faceless Water Wings

—And so, after about five minutes of discussion and deliberation, allow me to introduce the formation of Clan Azure Sky for our battle against Rapharn, the Great Water Spirit.

Tetra in the rear. Sora-san on all-guard. Everyone else in the front.

There you have it. A perfect strategy with absolutely no room for criticism.

Our only model, our only reference, was Epel, the Great Ice Spirit I knew. As such, Sora's and Ui-san's knowledge, gleaned from my stories, was the same.

We had to speculate on various things, assuming that similar appearances meant similar basic combat styles, but in the end, we concluded that simple is best.

When it comes down to it, the individual specs of our party members are just too high.

Therefore, we reached the conclusion that it would be a waste to adopt some clever, organized tactic. It would be better for each of us to go all out while coordinating on the fly.

"—So, you ready, Kanata-kun?"

"I'm not quite sure I follow the 'so,' but…"

The clan's two agility powerhouses stood side-by-side, ready to launch the opening attack, just like in the Four Pillar War the other day.

In terms of instantaneous speed, the [Sword Saint] had the upper hand, but for sustained high-speed maneuvering, Kanata had the advantage. Therefore, a two-man evasion tank setup with me and Kanata seemed like the safest bet. The very idea of an 'evasion tank' being safe is questionable, but I couldn't care less about that.

Never mind the fact that not a single person in our clan is a high-durability type—in any case.

While calling out to my junior, I glanced back over my shoulder. Our amber eyes met, and she blinked twice. Her cute face, now filled with a dignified and reliable expression, gave a single nod.

That was the go-ahead from our Clan Master. So then… shall we begin?

"Alright—I'm going first!"

Kanata, who they say is being called 'Acrobat No. 2' or 'Acrobat-in-training' not just by me but around town, couldn't just charge in a straight line against a floating enemy in the water.

In that case, the first spear falls to me, the one with 'legs' that defy both heaven and earth.

I activated Desperate Crimson and ignited all my mobility skills, starting with [Rocket]. Tearing through the slight resistance of the water, I took a single step, crossing the vast space.

Weaving past the nine floating pillars, my vision was filled with a massive, translucent body that reflected the water. I could feel a definite 'gaze' on me, whether it originated from the core that shone with a tranquil light or not.

"Now then, I wonder if your weakness is similar too."

I drew my blade, a flash of jade—Kesshiki Ittoryu, First Strike.

"[Hisui]!"

The pseudo-Shukuchi, a combination of [Rocket], [Ignition], and Matoi, was complete, and an output surpassing a player's limits surged through my blade.

I don't know if it intended to take evasive action or if it was the type to stand its ground, fitting its sluggish appearance… but the moment the jade flash of my [Samidorizuki] split the water and carved a deep gash into the core, just as I'd aimed,

—…

A roar, like a deep, heavy rumbling that shook the world, echoed through the chamber. I see. I knew that their personalities and dispositions varied by type, but—at the very least.

Judging by the intense killing intent that filled its voice, this didn't seem to be a gentle type of whale.

◇◆◇◆◇

—And so, ten minutes after the battle began.

"—Sora!"

"Yes…!"

I was getting seriously, honestly, stumped.

While effortlessly shredding the endlessly spawning Aquia with one hand, I called out to my partner and dashed through the water. Simultaneously, I activated [Nine Tail], sending out a couple of 'shadow threads.' The moment Kanata and Ui-san grabbed hold, I reeled them in at full speed—

"[Vier Riesig]!"

With the two of them secured in my arms, I retreated behind my partner. The next moment, an immense pressure caused the 'shield' formed by Sora's four giant, interlinked swords to creak.

The source of the threat was none other than Rapharn, the Great Water Spirit—a whale that was still rampaging through the vast space, its HP bar barely scratched.

It periodically unleashed an aqua version of Epel's indiscriminate, wide-range, super-thick destruction beam, a mix of targeted and scattered shots. It was a monstrous ultimate attack that would undoubtedly be fatal if it grazed you and instant death if it hit directly, but this was still just a break time.

What was truly getting to me was…

"Seriously… what do we do about that? Nothing we do puts more than a scratch on it."

"No matter where I cut, I don't feel any real impact… What should we do?"

"Physical and magical attacks don't seem to make much of a difference…"

While this was almost certainly not the designer's intention, as long as we could secure a safe spot, the deadly zone where this vicious, all-out attack raged provided a few dozen seconds of downtime.

This made it possible to have these sorts of in-battle consultations. However, though this was our third time doing so, all we could exchange were question marks.

It was clear things weren't going well, so I knew we had to be fundamentally wrong about our strategy—and just as I was racking my brain yet again, I met Tetra's eyes.

"Senpai. Can I give you a hint, or some advice?"

Perhaps he couldn't bear to watch anymore, or perhaps he foresaw us being slowly ground down in the near future. I glanced at the women on either side of me, and they both nodded in agreement with the boy's proposal.

Well, it's not like we were bound by some iron will to refuse information.

Rapharn's combat patterns were, as predicted, largely similar to Epel's. The current attack was one, as were the summoning of minions (Aquia), the barrage of water magic, and even the overwhelming physical attacks using its massive body. It seemed to be the standard for Great Spirits.

It was a more difficult opponent than the ice one due to the unique underwater environment and the terrible visibility of enemy water magic in the water, but that was about the extent of it.

We were tackling it for the first time in an unfamiliar environment and had managed to handle most of its attacks with almost no damage or exhaustion. So, accepting some advice to speed things up was fine.

With that, I nodded after the other two, and Tetra replied with a simple, "Okay."

"Alright, simply put—senpai, I think you're getting too hung up on its appearance and forgetting something. It's the same as the small fry, the Aquia. I mean, they're from the same source, right?"

"……………………I see… I see?"

Hmm… the same, from the same source… It was true that, like Epel, the swarming Riepis Aquia were apparently offshoots from Rapharn's body, but…

"…—Ah, Haru. Could it be…"

"Time's up. Well, figure it out between the two of you."

Just as Tetra's words cut her off, Sora, who seemed to have had a realization, was in the middle of saying 'Could it be' when our time was up. Sensing new pressure building from beyond the shield of woven swords, everyone who had gathered scattered at once.

The next moment, the colossal body arrived.

And then, after a clash that lasted less than an instant, the giant towers shattered, but elsewhere…

"—So, what were you saying?"

"Y-Yes. Um, well…"

As instructed, I snatched Sora up and dashed through the water so we could think together. Effortlessly outrunning the diligently chasing Aquia, I asked the girl in my arms.

Perhaps she was embarrassed about having lost track of the situation for a moment, distracted by her epiphany. Hiding her cheeks, which were faintly flushed even in the dim light, she said,

"Water. It's the same as the small Aquia… so maybe water magic is effective?"

Sora's 'epiphany,' however, made me tilt my head.

"But I've already tried Water Enchant."

I'd beaten both its core and body to a pulp, but it had no effect at all—

"That's why I think the amount wasn't enough."

"The amount?"

"Yes. Um… as you can see, it's very big."

"…"

At her words, I looked up. I looked at the 'whale,' which was still energetically chasing Kanata, getting its back slashed to pieces by Ui-san, yet as lively as ever.

Haha… Hah-hah, I see…

I get it now. 'Fooled by its appearance'—a perfect description.

Because it looked so similar to Epel, and because its obviously weak-looking core was exposed, I had assumed that a straightforward beatdown would work…

But if the Riepis Aquia, its offshoots, were like that, then it was no surprise—in fact, it was only natural—that the main body would have the same properties, wasn't it?

And if I added some meta-gaming logic to it…

"So this was designed specifically for someone with Water Magic Aptitude to have an advantage…"

"That's what I… thought, maybe."

Hahaha, she's still so modest in that regard.

So, as her partner, I'll confidently declare it for her.

"Sora-san, that's the right answer."

I activated [Trance]. Driving my shrunken body, my white hair trailing behind me, I headed for a single point.

"Ah, you got it?"

"Got it—Sora, I need you to provide support!"

Leaving Sora with Tetra, who was floating leisurely surrounded by a huge number of motionless Aquia, I took a step (Rocket) towards Rapharn, which Kanata was dragging around.

The familiar sensation of my vision vanishing and being replaced by a completely different scene the next moment.

My boots landed squarely on the whale's back, just as I'd aimed. Stomping on its massive body, like a living, moving continent, I summoned the [Alv Stella] to my right hand and thrust it down like a harpoon.

At the same time, I placed my left hand on its watery skin. And then,

"Now, drink up—[Flood]!"

I loudly called forth my own magic water.

It was an impromptu action based on prediction and a whim. If this didn't work, I was prepared to resign myself to jumping into its mouth… but as it turned out, it was just as I thought.

Normally, the coordinates for summoning the waterfall could only be set in a nearby 'space,' but this time it passed through the whale's outer skin and into its interior. See, I told you so—

—, —…———!—

It was the perfect answer. As expected of my partner.

I left the swarming Aquia entirely to the magic swords and 'shadows' flying around me and unleashed a barrage of [Flood]. And the volume of this Tera Aqua is proportional to the caster's MID.

Including the double bonus from [Perdia Eternity, Star of the Earthly Vow that Dreams of the Azure Sky] when we fight together, my transformed body's actual MID value is a whopping 1550. After being force-fed a volume of water that could fill a huge pool and then some with each cast, even a whale couldn't avoid getting its fill.

And so, the Great Spirit, clearly beginning to writhe in agony, finally reached—the bottom.

Rapharn crashed to the floor with a magnificent tremor. Its body's transparency seemed to have clouded over, and it was clearly suffering from some abnormal condition.

And then,

"—Oh my…"

My master, who had been riding on its back with me, let out a curious voice as she delivered yet another slash, the impact of which must have been different from all the others before.

It's not your imagination, Master. As expected of you. That took off a huge chunk of its HP.

And with that.

"Revising my assessment. Epel is stronger than this."

Less than a minute until the end. The fate of the Great Water Spirit was sealed in that moment.