kscans

Chapter 737 - The Giant Monsters' Stalemate

"Third Bullet!"

"Gah, it's ho—?!"

That was the first time I'd seen it go that far. The heat rays fired from the twin pistols she held aloft boasted twice the thermal energy of the Second, a heat bomb that instantaneously filled the space rather than a simple beam.

And yet, as it unleashed a ruinous tyranny that scorched even my skin as I stood behind the master of the flames—she spoke a single, quiet phrase.

"It was blocked."

"Huh...???"

It had blasted away the countless bullets bearing down on me, vaporized every cleverly placed and lethally effective trap, and incinerated the next barrage that was likely moments from being fired. After taking the full force of the third shot from the [Nova Rescellerate]—

"Ngh... haaah! Th-That was... terrifying! She's seriously not holding back!"

"..."

The small figures that emerged from the scattered crimson flames were still side-by-side, completely unscathed. They hadn't taken it head-on, of course; I saw them put up a wall just before the heat ray fired... but still.

"They blocked that just by putting up a wall...?"

"I'm confident I could burn through any ordinary wall, even one made of steel, but... unless I'm mistaken, wasn't that a recreation of [Salamandrite]? If they put up multiple thick walls of that stuff, I suppose it's not surprising they could block it."

"Sala... what now?"

"[Salamandrite]. It's a special ore mined from the secret domain of the Great Fire Spirit Kidun. It's incredibly heavy and difficult to adapt for equipment, but it's a rare mineral with outstanding resistance to extreme heat."

"I don't know whether to be amazed at them for casually pulling something like that out with 'creation' magic, or terrified of Hinayo-san for trying to vaporize it head-on."

Whether friend or foe, they were all monsters, their hidden abilities on the level of giant kaiju. I'm aware that I'm just as ridiculous for surviving on a stage where they can rampage as they please, but I really wish the public knew that I'm desperately struggling behind the scenes just to avoid making a fool of myself.

But man, setting aside the red one who's making a racket as usual... the blue one, who's also operating as usual, is just incredible with how cool she is. That deadpan poker face of hers has this mysterious, dignified gravitas to it. I should try to learn from that(?)...

...And now,

"Here they come, Haru-kun."

"Yep, here they come..."

Their offense is beyond fierce—it's a natural disaster. Their defense is beyond fortified—it's in the divine realm, the very antithesis of paper. While I was struggling to figure out how to change the rhythm and poke at them again, they unleashed a veritable hailstorm of magic for what felt like the tenth, or maybe hundredth, time.

Spears of lightning, cannonballs of earth. Hundreds of specialized, Haru-tormenting projectiles that were probably imbued with the same ridiculously unfair homing capabilities as before.

Seriously, I haven't been able to do a single thing.

I've been landing counterattacks in the slivers of opportunity I get while being chased from one end of the stage to the other, but a light poke made with my remaining energy after fleeing isn't even enough to make their barrier flinch—and then, I use [Rocket].

"Whoa, gck...!"

The barrage of lightning and earth, launched in unison, traced complex trajectories with truly annoying speed differentials. It was mixed with unpredictable, random movements that convinced me this wasn't just auto-tracking, skillfully robbing me of my leeway and freedom as I soared through the air.

Honestly, this is the kind of situation where I'd want to keep [Eyes Oculus] active the whole time. But even at the lowest magnification, the golden Eyes of thought acceleration only last for a little over three minutes. The silver Oculus for attack prediction, which I want even more, lasts for just over a minute at best, even when activated alone. I can't rely on it so easily outside of emergencies.

"That was close!"

Following a bad feeling that ran down my spine, I swung my great-scythe in a reverse grip.

The blade of watery light struck down a magic circle that had materialized in empty space—it was probably a trap set to activate based on specific coordinates. The dissipated mana scattered and vanished.

But that didn't mean I had escaped the danger, nor had the number of fatal threats raining down on me decreased.

That reflexive action might have been the optimal choice to prevent an accidental death, but if what awaited me was just a one-second delay of that death, the result would be the same. In other words,

I was now cornered by the barrage, my escape route cut off by a move that had served its purpose as a trap even as it was dispelled. I would likely be beaten to a pulp by lightning and earth in about two seconds and sent on my way.

If that's the case, I have no choice. I'll do this.

"[Flood]!"

My hand raised to the heavens, a torrent of water didn't just overflow—it exploded in all directions.

It was a bit more subdued compared to the bugged-out version from my fight with [Screen], but it was still far beyond the realm of common sense. The [Water Spirit's Blessing] skill I'd acquired during the clan tour was doing its job perfectly, pushing the already insane output of my water current into an even more abnormal state.

As a result, the explosive torrent bursting from a single point formed a massive tsunami.

The 'water' created by water magic is ultra-pure, non-conductive water. In Arcadia, which exaggerates physical phenomena in a fantasy or game-like way despite its realism, water magic is the perfect counter to lightning magic, an absolute shield.

Just as I planned, while letting the raging current carry me, I watched with wide eyes as over a hundred lightning spears were nullified. Furthermore, I confirmed that the already slow-moving earth projectiles, though not dissolving like the lightning, were slowed even further by the water's resistance.

I estimated six seconds until the remaining barrage reached me, which meant I had more than enough time.

"'Spin, water vortex. Gather, O waves. A shield without form resides in the will, a blade without shape wavers in reality.'"

One of the special effects of the unique skill [Water Spirit's Blessing]: underwater adaptation.

Weaving words that would normally be impossible underwater, deflecting the torrent that would easily crush a normal person's body as if it were a gentle breeze—I prepared to counter their magic with my own.

[Maelstrom] was the 'versatile offensive and defensive water magic' I had long desired. Its most noteworthy advantage is its incredible versatility, applicable in just about every way imaginable.

I can fire it normally as a flying, water-based buzzsaw with considerable power. I can activate it from my body while airborne to create a makeshift offensive barrier. I can even throw a weapon and activate it remotely for a tricky surprise attack. And,

—I can have it absorb surrounding water to instantly create large-scale magic.

"Whoa, hey, another new move?!"

Ignoring the little one's voice that reached my ears, the torrent accelerated, and the swirling water shredded the earthen clumps it held. The absurd volume of water from my earlier [Flood] became the raw material for the massive vortex.

Sorry to disappoint, but this is an existing technique. It's a classic combo for fire-power focused water mages, with tons of videos of it on the archives... but,

I'm probably the first person in the world to use it with 1500 MID and a blessing. Now watch this.

"Heeee... yaah!"

A giant ring, thrown.

"—Ri-na!"

"Ngh...!"

As I hurled the massive water saw, which had to be at least twenty meters in diameter, I heard the voice of one of the (unrelated) twins and broke into a full sprint without a second thought. My destination was, of course—

"Pardon the escort!"

—the older sister, who responded with a smile, no unnecessary words needed in this emergency.

I scooped her up by the waist and took a single step to leap. In the distance, the giant water saw exploded against its target with a roar, and the resulting tsunami burst apart. We flew away into the air to evade it.

And from above, I looked down to see... the figures of the Eastern Wings, who had dispelled a tornado that had blown away the water with an even larger 'ring' of its own, appearing once again, irritatingly unscathed.

"...That was... a little surprising, I guess?"

"For our allies as well, though, right?"

Even if I couldn't ignore the signs of fatigue that were starting to creep onto their faces, Hinayo-san smiled elegantly with a chuckle, operating as usual like a true lady... but this is no time for that, is it?

As the waves receded and the magical water dissolved into the air, I landed on the stage, which had returned to its normal state, and said one thing.

"Well... things are starting to look bad."

"Yes, they are."

It's been just under seven minutes since the match started. With only three minutes left, their gauges are still full. On our side, although Hinayo-san's 'gun' is steadily powering up...

"Hey, hey! Isn't it about time you started to turn things around? Things are looking pretty bad for you, y'know?"

Just as the ever-energetic red one said. Although it was necessary for our strategy against the Eastern Wings, one idiot here activated that [Hellgread Ignis] and started the match on the verge of death.

In other words, if we continue this stalemate, we'll lose when time runs out. An unavoidable judgment based on the ratio of our remaining health awaits.

What should I do...? No, wait, it's not a matter of what to do.

At this point, I don't really have any other choice.

"Mmm... I told you before the match, didn't I?"

And so, as I still hesitated, the other side had probably lost their patience as well.

"I said I'd play with you without holding back, so come at me with everything you've got!"

The red one, who proclaimed herself my great senior at every opportunity, instigated me on their behalf.

"Ri-na-chan said it too, right? 'Come at me without any worries.'"

"I didn't say that."

"Eh? No way, you totally did."

"The intent and nuance were completely different."

"Was it...? Well, whatever."

She theatrically tapped her chest with her thumb, beckoning me.

Her meaning was clear, her spirit was clear, all that remained was my decision. No, it's less about will and more about my stubbornness, which is synonymous with my petty pride... well, if that's the case, then.

"Haaah... if my opponents are a couple of invincible little kids whose very existence is unfair, I can only hope I won't be too heavily criticized for this, right?"

I glanced at my partner next to me for confirmation.

"On the contrary, isn't that what the vast majority of people are hoping to see?"

"You think so...? Let's just go with that, then."

She smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and now my escape route was well and truly cut off. If that's the case, I'll trust my sister's words and awaken it.

"Awaken."

The memory of the magic-devouring 'sakura' sleeping in the pendant on my chest.

---

Just to be clear, if he had been pushed into a corner where he might have lost without using it, he would have used it against Natsume-senpai as well. And to add one more thing, of course Ri-na is thinking, "No way, stop it." So cute.