Ch 146.2
Red Crash huh.
「Here I come!」
With a loud shout he launched the fireball at me. Faced with it I just closed my eyes and put up my hand.
As the fireball touched my hand it exploded with a dull sound.
Grain looked with astonishment at the scene unfolding before him.
「Wha… You offset it? Well I guess it was quite good for a fluke…」
「Why don’t you see for yourself whether it was a fluke or not?」
「I’ll take you up on that offer then!!」 Grain roared out and began to continuously cast spells at me.
Red Bullet, Blue Gale, Green Crash, Black Storm, White Shot.
Fire bullets, water whirlpools, flying rocks, blades of wind and spirit bullets.
An uncountable amount of spells flew at me, trying to mow me down as if I was some sort of insect.
「WHAT?!!」
「Is that all?」 I said with an emotionless expression while looking at the shocked Grain.
His eyes were filled with disdain, as if he couldn’t wait to crush me between his fingers.
「NOT YET!!」
「It’s useless.」
No matter how many spells he cast I offset each and every single one of them.
I used blue against red, sky against green, and soul against soul. Each magic system had a counter. If one wanted to offset a said spell, he just had to cast a spell with the same power, but from the opposite system.
There were various factors which one could roughly use to read what the other party was about to do. Those included the amount of power used, the disturbance of the magic power lines, the awkward body movements, the fluctuation in magic power and so on.
The only thing left to do in order to offset your opponent’s spell was to cast your own spell before theirs hit you.
Of course it was easier said than done.
It was a skill which couldn’t be used unless the enemy was several stages weaker than oneself.
Grain was quite as skilled as myself, but there was no doubt that he was definitely up there.
If you hadn’t dipped your hands in the world of magician killing spells, you wouldn’t have had to experience this kind of one sided battle Grain.
The compatibility between normal spells and magician killing spells was the worst.
It was definitely possible to forcefully use both of them at the same time, just like Grain was doing at the moment, but doing so distorted one’s magical power lines which prevented him from fighting at full strength.
The firing speed, power and casting speed were all below average, which made it easy to predict his next spell, and in turn prepare one of my own to offset it.
「DAMN IT!!」 he yelled out and fired off a spell towards Claude, who was lying on the ground. However, I offset that one as well.
「You should stop with your pointless struggle. … It’s painful to watch.」
「Pointless struggle… Painful to watch you say!!」
Grain’s magical power swelled forth from the anger, but it’s flow was distorted and it was evident that he wouldn’t be able to withstand a spell battle.
It was at a stage where it would be better for him to pick up his sword and fight like that, however having already lost his sense of reason, something like that wasn’t possible for Grain.
Pathetic and stupid. This is exactly what people who fell off the road of magic looked like.
「DIEEEE!!」 he shouted out as an enormous magical sphere formed.
It was a Red Sphere and it was aimed right at me. However, before it could land I quickly cast Blue Sphere, offsetting his spell.
Grain breathing had turned rough, it seemed like this last spell had exhausted his magical power.
The Screen Point that was wrapped around his left hand looked like it was about to disappear as well.
Using magician killing spells alongside normal spells, took a huge toll on one’s mental state.
It seems like it really was a huge toll. He doesn’t have the strength left to fight me.
It seemed like he had also realized that fact as he fell to his knees.
Seeing him like that I took a step forward and brandished Divine Sword Ainbelle as to finish this.
「Don’t come!」 he said as he fired off a spell in desperation, but his spells no longer had the strength to harm me.
I casually took care of it as I took another and yet another step.
Grain let out a shriek of terror as he tried to escape towards the darkness of the boulder, but there was no way I would let him do that.
Time Square.
While time was stopped I cast Red Crash and Black Crash and stored them inside Divine Sword Ainbelle.
「This is it Grain.」
Were the last words I said to him as he hid behind the rock.
Just as I was about to swing Divine Sword Ainbelle down Grain suddenly spoke.
「Kukuku…」
I wanted to say once more that his resistance was futile, but for some reason his laughter made me feel something strange.
The sword that was about to strike down ended up stopping just above my head.
Without being able to shake this feeling of uneasiness I once again spoke to him.
「… What’s so funny?」
「Nah it’s just that I thought that my luck still hasn’t abandoned me…」 he said as he came from behind the rock.
His hand was holding onto a young girl.
Her figure seemed to be quite familiar.
As Grain took a step forward, the girl’s blonde hair appeared from the darkness and shone brightly under the moonlight.
The girl’s small body was trembling from fear. It was none other than Milly.
「Milly…!」
「Kuku… This one here was your leader right?」
「Urgh…」 Milly groaned in pain as Grain lifted her up by the neck with his left hand.
And his right hand held onto a sword which was pointed at her chest.
「It seems like the tables have turned.」 he said with a bright smile, as his voice echoed throughout the area.
「Hey, don’t move.」 he said as he saw that I was slowly trying to approach him in an attempt to save Milly.
The sword pressed even further towards Milly’s chest and blood began to drip down.
「I presume I don’t need to tell you what will happen to her if you move right?」
「Milly!」
「Zeph… AHH!!」
「Shut up you damn brat.」
「Urgh…!」
Grain strengthened his grip which made it hard for Milly to breathe.
He looked at me as my face was turning pale and smiled brightly.
Milly probably noticed that I was leaving the inn and followed me here. And here I thought that I wasn’t being followed… I guess her magical power sense has improved since she was able to find us. It was quite the flashy battle as well. It wouldn’t be hard for anyone to find us as long as they were within the rocky area. Still, what terrible timing. I’m glad that she’s grown but it seems like it came to bite me in the butt.
Furthermore, due to Grain’s Screen Point, Milly wasn’t able to cast any spells. For a while now she looked like she was trying to move her magical power, however it didn’t seem to want to activate.
On top of that I could also feel Grain’s magical power begin to increase again.
Come to think of it, his Unique Spell allowed him to steal power from others. His specific characteristics have impacted even his Screen Point, allowing him to steal magical power huh. Despair can be used to evolve magic. He might have undergone something like that the other day when I took care of him.
「Kuku, it’s flowing into me… This blondie. She’s quite the small fry, but the quality of her magical power isn’t half bad.」
「Ur…gh…」 Milly let out a painful moan.
However, it wasn’t a situation in which I could act recklessly.
If my spells were to hit Milly now, as she was having her magical power sucked out of her, she wouldn’t get away unscathed.
「Well then Zeph, it seems like you have no choice but to listen to me.」
「And if I say no? After all, it’s not like you’ll let go of Milly even if I do follow what you say. Do you really think that I’d just wilfully listen to your every command in this situation?」
「Should we try it then?」 said Grain as he slowly began to press his sword against Milly’s chest.
And with that the red spot on her clothes spread even more.
「URRRRGH?!!」
「Haha, don’t fight it now. My hand might slip if you do.」
「!!!」
Grain pressed the blade further, as he held down onto Milly’s body, who was acting restlessly due to the pain.
The red spot on her clothes spread even more, and as the blood left her quivering body it began to drip to the ground.
Faced with her painful shrieks and her tears which fell endlessly due to the pain I shouted out.
「W-WAIT!! STOP IT!」
As the words left my mouth Grain stopped his sword.
He then pointed it at me and smiled.
「Huh? Did you tell me to stop it? That’s not a nice way to ask of a favor now is it?」
「… Please… stop… it.」
「Hahahahahaha!! Sure!!Oh god, you have no idea how much I wanted to see you make that face!」 said Grain while gazing at my pale expression.
Milly’s tears still continued to drip down.
「… Promise me that you’ll release Milly if I agree to follow your orders.」 Grain happily looked down at me, as I glared at him with hatred.
「Hahaha, that’s a nice face you got there! Got it, got it. I’m a man that keeps his promises. As long as I’m able to kill you I don’t care what happens to this small fry.」
「… Promise.」
「Kuku, yea, yea, I promise. … Well then, for starters why don’t you throw that despicable looking sword here?」
「!!!」
Divine Sword Ainbelle. Grain was telling me to hand over my trump card to him.
I could feel anxiousness in Ainbelle’s light.
《…Um. It’s okay gramps.》
《I’m sorry Ain.》
《Don’t worry. In the end as soon as you let go of me, my supply of magical power will be cut off and I’ll disappear. So don’t worry and just do it…》
As I talked with Ain through Telepathy, Grain yelled out in frustration.
「Hurry it up!」
「Okay…」 I said as I glared at him and threw Divine Sword Ainbelle towards his face.
「Whoa?!」
Divine Sword Ainbelle flew straight at Grain’s face, but he skilfully avoided it, and the sword ended up piercing the rock behind him.
Damn, it failed. I thought that maybe I’d be able to create an opening and rescue Milly but…
I had been planning on jumping out the moment I threw the sword, but due to the opening window being way too small I stopped myself.
「You bastard… You sure do some bold stuff don’t you.」
「I gave it to you just as you asked, didn’t I? I just obeyed your command.」
「… Don’t fuck with me you bastard!」
Grain pulled out Divine Sword Ainbelle from the rock, and then slammed it into the rock with all of his might.
Just as the blade hit the rock a loud sound was heard, and the blade shattered in half.
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