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Vol 05 Chapter 22-1: Conclusion
Vol 05 Chapter 22-1: Conclusion
Vol 05 Chapter 22-1: Conclusion
I confronted Ashno. It seemed that neither the Imperial soldiers nor the people of Erucy intended to intervene in our battle, merely watching from a distance. I took the initiative. Aiming the gauntlet, I had developed specifically for this battle, I used the magic of [Lightning Strike].
[Lightning Strike] was a magic derived from the power of transforming electric and magnetic fields that I acquired when I devoured the hero's soul. Unlike spirit magic, which borrows the power of mana from the atmosphere, this magic depleted my internal magic power (Odo) considerably. I compensated for this by extracting magic from the magic stones created with Kuiro's power. These five magic stones I carried with me were my lifeline.
A short arrow flew out of the gauntlet at a speed faster than the speed of sound. This gauntlet was a special device that transformed into a coil gun that fired arrows when electrified.
My opening move was an unexpected attack that exceeded the speed of sound. The distance between Ashno and me was about twenty meters. The time it took to reach her was less than 0.1 seconds, the limit of human reflexes. Against a normal opponent, it would have been a decisive hit.
「Figures, you'd come at me with everything from the start. In that aspect, you're really similar to Dad.」
The supersonic arrow was deflected. A tremendous barrier of wind swirling around Ashno, dense like a typhoon, had repelled the arrow. The mana of wind around her was whirling like a storm.
Two things surprised me about Ashno's response. The first was the sheer strength of her power. How much force would she have to put into mere wind to block a coil gun arrow that surpassed the speed of sound? And the second surprise was that she had anticipated my opening move. Her timing was too perfect to be the result of reacting after seeing my movements.
「There's no time to be surprised. Now, it's my turn.」
Sensing the movement of the earth's mana, I leaped backward. Being an elf, I couldn't wield mana other than wind and water, but I could still perceive it. Spears of earth sprouted from the ground where I had just been. If I had remained standing there, I would have been impaled.「So persistent!」
I shouted, twisting my body in mid-air. A follow-up attack was aimed at my landing point. Even as I avoided it, more spears kept emerging. I desperately dodged them, rolling around, as I enhanced my physical abilities with [Physical Ability Enhancement].
「You're very nimble. How about this?」
Walls rose high on both sides and behind me, effectively trapping me. She was clearly aiming to leave me with no escape.
「Don't die on me just yet, okay?」
Ashno extended her hand straight out. In her palm swirled a combination of wind and fire mana.
「Damn it.」
I clicked my tongue. Trapped with no way to escape, I was now the target of a fire magic amplified by the wind. It was like a storm of flames. Ashno alone was accomplishing what would normally require the cooperation of an elf and a fire fox. As she released her magic, I fired the coil gun. The coil gun could deliver a fatal blow faster than Ashno's magic could reach me. However, it was thwarted by the barrier of wind. I had hoped that it would be impossible for her to use high-powered offensive magic and defensive magic simultaneously, but it seemed that I was mistaken.
「[Magnetic Field Generation].」
If escaping forward, backward, left, or right was impossible, then the only option left was to go up. A storm of flames passed right beneath me. I had preemptively equipped powerful magnets in the soles of my shoes. By stepping on the generated magnetic field, I could use its repulsive force to leap upwards.
With [Magnetic Field Generation] and these shoes, I could perform high-speed, three-dimensional maneuvers as if the air itself were my foothold. I moved swiftly through the air, kicking off the invisible platforms. From above Ashno, I fired three shots from the coil gun. If her wind barrier was a typhoon protecting her from all sides, an attack from directly above should be effective.
But she reacted as if it was natural, merely stepping aside to dodge. Not only did she have her overwhelming magic ability, but her reaction speed and crisis management skills were also really good. Moreover, the direction of the wind's mana was now heading in my direction. It seemed like she was trying to crush me by manipulating the air pressure. I kicked off the magnetic field again and tried to escape the wind controlled by Ashno. Her attacks showed no mercy.
「Ashno, you seem intent on killing me with all your might. But if I die, you won't be able to meet your father, you know.」
「I'm aware. But I know you can handle this much. If I don't attack with the intent to kill, I'll be the one getting killed. Here comes another one!」
Ashno activated another magic. With surprising skill, she launched bullets of earth, propelled by explosions of fire. And to make them harder to evade, she turned them into a scatter shot.
I kicked off the magnetic field to dodge, but some of the shrapnel grazed my arm, drawing blood. As expected, it was really difficult to avoid every single piece of a scatter shot. I felt a growing sense of panic within me. She had no weaknesses.
Her attack power, defense, speed, the scale of her magic, and her processing speed—she surpassed me in every aspect.
And on top of that, her mileage was better than mine due to her being able to use mana for magic. The longer the battle continued, the more I was heading towards my loss. One of my magic stones shattered. The consumption of magical power was intense because I couldn't use mana.
Four magic stones remained.