kscans

Chapter 907 - The Azure Star Dancing in the Fiery Banquet, Part 4

Anima, having no durability value, will not fall into a state of being "broken" unless they take an absurd amount of focused damage from something like a weapon-breaking special effect.

Therefore, a grandiose nail-driving session like that wasn't enough to shatter the blade of my [Alv Stella, True White Star Sword]. The white sword plunged into the demon's body became the point of the giant tower, and surely pierced its fiery form.

My Anima is the type of 'sword that can say no,' and if I were to use it as a footstool, it would mercilessly smack me in the face with its pommel without a moment's hesitation… so I do have to be a little careful with how I treat it. But as long as I use it properly as a "weapon," it's surprisingly magnanimous.

"…Um, should I apologize to it later…?"

"Nah, it's fine. In fact, when it comes to the magic swords from your [Cradle of Sword-Craft], I bet it's got more of a 'bring it on' attitude. It's a sore loser, that one."

In other words, Sora-san's concern, offered as I stepped back to stand beside her, was unfounded.

In other words, what we should be concerned with now is the threat right in front of us.

Seconds after impact. The roar, the silence—and then, the massive tower of sand, which had momentarily glowed red-hot, began to bubble and bulge. It was as if bubbles were rising from within water and popping.

In an instant, the magic sword, which had been pressed against the wall, lost its point to its own impact and dissolved from end to end, shattering into a thousand pieces that flew in every direction.

"—Hee…"

"Ha, you still have the energy to laugh?"

And then, a reflective light naturally shielded us from the shower of glass-like shrapnel… I turned my eyes toward the source, trusting completely in the conceptual "mirror" manipulated by the [Mirror Law] user.

There, as expected, stood [Volkidun, the Fire Demon], completely unharmed. It was still laughing, its shoulders shaking, with the star-sword half-buried in its solar plexus.

As if to say, that didn't hurt a bit—but the system is honest.

"It's getting through more than before."

"Only a little, though…"

If you looked closely, the HP bar displayed above its head showed a distinct amount of damage compared to the minuscule chips from before. It was proof that our recent barrage was effective.

Excellent. If hitting it makes the bar go down, then all we have to do is keep hitting it.

Then, for whatever reason, the demon, seeming to have finally decided to do something, let out a great roar and began to build up its firepower…

"'Whirl, o water vortex; gather, o great waves—'"

Time for round two. Let's prepare a counter.

"'—A shield without form resides in the will; a blade without shape wavers in reality.'"

While classified as mid-tier in terms of base power, [Maelstrom] is considered high-tier when you factor in its overall versatility and adaptability. It possesses a mischievous quality that places it among the top three in the water magic category, a category already prone to enabling all sorts of wicked schemes.

For example, it has an absurdly simple and convenient expandability, capable of becoming an instant large-scale spell just by swallowing nearby water. But more than that…

In the hands of an Acrobat like me, it has one particular trait that allows it to pull off the most exceptional mischief.

"—————!"

It was likely a pre-motion for a charge.

The demon swayed and crouched low, exhaling a breath of scorching heat so intense it was visible not just from its mouth but from its entire body. Just as the embodiment of flame was about to take a step forward…

—Was that, too, just a playful taunt to show it was unharmed?

"[Maelstrom]."

Without even a hint of trying to pull it out, my parting gift, my Alv Stella, had been left behind to join the charge. In other words, a great ring of watery calamity manifested remotely, using the caster's weapon as its origin point.

Yes, a ring. This circle, which had formed with Volkidun and the [Alv Stella, True White Star Sword] embedded in its chest at the center, meant the raging water would not directly strike it.

However…

"Sora, go boom."

No problem. The target wasn't the demon itself, but the ridiculous amount of heat it was radiating.

From its aura and the sheer pressure of information, I could easily imagine taking damage that would pierce the protection of the 'Three Laws' just by getting close, let alone touching it. An overwhelming amount of heat.

If "water" were to suddenly appear in such close proximity to that… and if that water was a super-compressed, massive quantity, empowered by the blessing of the great water spirit Rapharn—it goes without saying what would happen in this world of Arcadia.

"—,"

The demon's charge, and even its voice, never reached us. Amidst the roar, steam, and gale that rushed towards us, I braced my partner beside me, who had instinctively grabbed my hand, and focused my eyes.

I focused… and a grin spread across my face at the result. I see, I see—

"Look, Sora-san. It may be insanely tough, but it seems there's some flexibility in how we can hit it."

"…Normally, I don't think people have that many variations on how to hit something."

I was certain the moment its charge was broken, but as the steam cleared, I caught sight of its further-reduced HP bar and came to a conclusion.

Its behavior is consistently unsettling, to say the least, and it's constantly clad in some sort of 'armor.' But still, if I had to give an overall assessment…

"We've got this in the bag, right?"

"Honestly… that's not something the person who was almost killed a minute ago should be saying!"

Especially since I don't feel like we're going to lose.

I pushed the near-death incident aside and offered a grin, which naturally earned me a cute retort and a wry smile—and at the same time, we split left and right.

Through the gap we created, a barrage of roaring cannons from the [Twin Fists] tore through. And so, the demon, which finally twisted its smile into a new expression…

Well, for all its looks, it seemed to be quite the slowpoke when it came to losing its temper.

Only after all that did it finally seem to snap. Ripping the stake from its own chest and tossing it aside with disgust, the demon let loose an explosion of crimson flames from its legs and leaped forward with tremendous speed.

The speed was decent. I guess a normal person would have trouble dealing with it.

It was alone, so it had only one direction, and one target. It was true that all four of us, excluding Shoh and Sayaka-san, had been wailing on it as we pleased, but…

"Ha, that's more like it!"

It was only natural. I was likely the one who had accumulated the most enmity, thanks in no small part to my verbal taunts.