Chapter 141
Gotcha!
While
we were chatting idly, it seemed preparations were complete, and Lirica
snapped her eyes open. Around her, several weapons manipulated by Shadow
Arts floated in mid-air. All of them were longswords, and among them were
absurdly huge ones like horse-slaying swords, even larger than the greatsword Mitsukawa-kun
carried on his back. All of them were glowing red-hot, emitting a scorching
sound.
「Shadow Arts... Blast!」
Impact.
The moment the numerous swords hit the scarecrow, they exploded, scattering
heat and shattered blades into the surroundings. I see, it's like an improvised
bomb. The power of each individual blast wasn't quite on par with Mitsukawa-kun's
Tear Soleil, but when the smoke cleared, the massive chain of explosions
had created a pitted crater resembling the surface of the moon. Did she enchant
the weapons manipulated by Shadow Arts with Fire Magic...? That
might also be a type of Magic Sword. In my case, I'd have my hands full
just manipulating the swords, so I probably wouldn't be able to do something
that delicate.
「The power is excellent too. I think
you could easily take down a Wyvern with that.」
「Why is your evaluation standard for
combat power a Wyvern...?」
「Because outside of the Holy
Corpse of the Knight, a Wyvern is pretty much the only somewhat strong
monster I've actually fought properly.」
Eh,
haven't I fought demons twice too, you ask? The first time ended in one hit
with Lightning, and the second time I just punched the guy and knocked
him out. I still don't really understand their strength.
「What do you think? From your
perspective, Mitsukawa-kun, do you think she can fight against demons?」
「Yeah, against a normal demon,
landing two of those would be a fatal wound. Well, the effective range isn't
that wide, so it looks like hitting them accurately would be tough, though.」
「Isn't that just a matter of getting
used to it? She could use the minor skills she showed earlier to cover her
openings, or purposely use it as a bluff.」
If
it's a densely packed area where exploding it would hit something regardless,
she could take them down without an issue, and against monsters that don't
think that deeply, she could probably win just by keeping her distance and
brain-dead spamming it. Besides, even in an actual one-on-one fight, I think
it's pretty strong. Once an opponent sees that magic, they have to fight while
staying on guard against Shadow Arts... Blast!. That takes up their
mental resources, making it easier to create openings.
「Splendid, Lirica. With that
much power, you should actually be able to fight to some extent in a dungeon
too. If you keep raising your magic attack power, the damage should climb even
further, so let's do our best to raise your LV!」
「Y-Yes! I'll do my best!」
Saying
that and clenching her fists, Lirica still seemed to have plenty of
energy to spare. Apparently, because that magic relies on detonating actual
swords, its fuel efficiency is quite good.
「Then I shall go next... The one I
use often is this.」
When
Priola snapped her fingers with a snap, a massive pillar of ice appeared
horizontally just in front of her body. Looking closely, the ice seemed to be
mixed with the Dark attribute as well, making the ice she produced pitch
black. In an instant, the massive ice pillar—already taller than I am—extended
at incredible speed, piercing straight through the Treant scarecrow in the
blink of an eye. It seems the high mass gives it high power. The piercing
pillar kept going straight through the back and stopped dead right before it
could destroy the Royal Castle's outer wall.
I
see, her magic control is perfect too...
「An Ice Magic user, huh...
This might be the first time I've seen one.」
The
spell she used was likely the Ice Magic spell Ice Pillar. Ice
Magic isn't very effective against the undead, so I haven't used it much at
all. Considering anti-personnel combat, maybe I should get some advice from
her.
「By the way, I can also do this.」
From
roughly the midpoint of the extended Ice Pillar, a new pillar of ice was
born and extended outward. Just as the shape of the pillar changed into a sharp
icicle at the tip, it branched off even further halfway through, shooting out
blades of ice. I thought it was just a magic that smashed a mass of ice into
the opponent, so I hardly used it, but... magic is surprisingly profound. What
should I do? I'm suddenly starting to feel anxious about playing the role of a
master when I know so little myself.
「When it comes to high power... it is
this. —Ice Dragon!」
Closing
her eyes and concentrating her mind, Priola thrust both her arms
forward, and a massive ice dragon—large enough to swallow a person
whole—appeared. Ice Dragon, the strongest Ice Magic spell that
can be learned after reaching LV 10. Unleashing a massive roar that
evoked primal fear, the ice dragon swallowed the scarecrow whole. Scattering a
loud crushing sound, it half-destroyed the outer wall of the training grounds
and transformed the surrounding area into a frozen world. By the time the magic
vanished, the yard had already turned into a world of ice.
「Amazing... Ice Magic can do
things like this too...? Maybe I should ask you to teach me how to use it.」
「Well, to begin with, Ice Magic
cannot be used unless one has mastered both Fire Magic and Water
Magic to a high degree of proficiency... Are you able to use it as well, Masaru-sama!?」
「Yeah, more or less.」
However,
right now, I still can't use Ice Dragon. Even though I've learned Ice
Magic up to LV 10. Just like the flying magic that wind bastard
used, it's probably a magic that hasn't been activated yet. My magic attack
power is probably higher, so why can't I use it? Does it have to do with
proficiency or something in addition to magic attack power? Wait, right,
there's someone who can use it right in front of me, so I should just ask.
「I can actually use Ice Magic
up to LV 10, but I can't use Ice Dragon yet. Do you know how to
unlock it?」
「Umm... yes. The conditions for Ice
Dragon should be learning how to use it from another caster, and having
used Ice Magic tens of thousands of times.」
...I
see. No wonder I can't use it. Wait, but if it's usage count, there shouldn't
be a problem. Making ice at my house should count as Ice Magic, right?
After
receiving a lecture from Priola and slightly correcting the flow of
magic power in my body a few times...
「Ah, I can use it now! Alright, I'll
try it right away.」
Well,
it probably won't have that much power. Thinking that, I had completely
forgotten when I used it. The fact that I currently possess such overwhelming
magic attack power that I can defeat a demon with a single hit of Lightning.
「—Ice Dragon!」
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The
ice dragon I created swallowed everything, completely destroyed the already
crumbling training grounds, and on top of that, was still circling playfully in
the sky.
「ROOOOOOOOOAR!!」
Seeing
the Ice Dragon roaring as if to say 'I can still go for two or three
more rounds,' Priola was completely dumbfounded.
「H-He's mastered Ice Dragon
better than I have... Even though it took me a full year just to be able to use
it...」
Then
she collapsed on all fours and began shedding tears of frustration. To think
that the gap with native mages, which I had feared many times, would be
experienced at a timing like this... I'm just, really, sorry...
Thus,
the combat ability assessment settled down for the time being. Parting ways
with Mitsukawa-kun as he headed back to the Royal Castle, we set about
making preparations to head to the front lines against the demons.
Alright, let's switch gears! —The strongest magic, Gotcha!
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