Ch. 299
Whoooosh.
The wind raged so fiercely it hurt my ears. Trees were uprooted from all directions and flung into the sky, and buildings began to crumble.
Water crept up from the ground, flooding the area.
In an instant, it surged high enough to drown anyone left behind, surrounding Theatrazen and Silairon and crashing in towering waves, making it impossible to tell whether this was the sea or the royal castle.
Splash!
As Endairon uncoiled its massive body and struck the water’s surface with the tip of its tail, the torrent of water swirled and came to life, becoming another Water Dragon that undulated as if guarding Endairon’s side.
From every spot the water had swept over, Endairon’s clones raised their heads with the waves and rose, surrounding Silairon in unison.
Grrrrr.
At this point, I thought the knights who had fled were very wise.
Faced with the violent threat of the water, Silairon rose even higher while protecting Theatrazen.
And then, as if to cover the entire castle, it spread both its wings wide.
I held my breath and looked up as the two translucent wings became four, then grew to eight.
Wings sprouted from the tips of the wings, becoming hundreds of wind arrows that took taut aim at the Water Dragons.
I was struck again by how magnificent a High-Level Spirit was.
At the same time, I found myself thinking I must have lived a very good life.
After all, even though they were my Spirits, I had never seen the full extent of Endairon’s or Ador’s power.
‘At this rate, I really am a pacifist, aren’t I?’
It was like I was sealing away their terrifying power.
“Undaine? Make the shield thicker. I’ve never tried it, but… shall we try increasing it to four layers? Can you do it?”
[It is possible.]
“Then, four layers.”
Though they looked small from a distance, each of those wind wings was twice the size of my body.
Endairon would block them first, but if even one hit me directly, I wouldn’t be able to dodge it.
Incredibly, Silairon and Endairon were growing even more massive at this very moment, devastating their surroundings with their mere presence.
The castle walls were already shattered beyond recognition—to the point they’d need rebuilding, not repairing—and nothing else in the vicinity was left intact.
I focused on defense, strengthening my shield so I wouldn’t become a shrimp crushed in a whale fight, and Theatrazen, too, didn’t dare to step outside Silairon’s protection.
The entire area was already filled with water, so unless he wanted to become Endairon’s prey, his only option was to flee into the sky.
‘But that precious pride of his won’t let him run.’
I was an intruder who could bolt at any moment, but he was in the honorable position of having to protect this place.
A battle of wills, perhaps. For a short while, a probing skirmish continued, neither side able to decide who would move first.
“Rai? You get ready to block, just in case.”
[…You’re finally giving me a job, and it’s to be a shield?]
“It can’t be helped. You and I have to be touching to use the Dragon Heart’s Mana.”
[Dammit, why did I eat that thing…?]
For a second, I thought I was the one who said that.
Rai grumbled but prepared to defend ahead of the fierce battle, while Endairon shielded my side with its main body’s tail and pledged in its usual pleasantly grand voice.
[In the name of water, I shall offer victory to my friend.]
“Oh my, how reliable.”
[Ptooey, what a show-off!]
“Rai!”
[That bastard Endairon is acting like he’s the only cool one! And I have to do this boring battery thing! I can’t stand the sight of him!]
Is that really the only reason you’re bad-mouthing your own teammate?
“Isn’t it less about acting cool and more that he’s just mentally older than you?”
[What are you talking about! I’ve lived longer than that water snake!]
“Well, I suppose there are Spirits who don’t act their age.”
The reason I was so enthusiastic about High-Level Spirits was clear enough just from looking at Rai. They were born with a different class of dignity.
[Ah! I get it! I get it! Master, you’re trying to reverse-summon Sillaphe to make the summoner cough up blood!]
“Took you long enough to figure it out.”
[Sillaphe is easier to reverse-summon than Silairon!]
I could tell just by looking at Ador, too.
Were High-Level Spirits the only calm and mature ones?
Suddenly, I was losing the desire to search for a non-attribute spirit.
When Rai and Ador opened their mouths, it felt like I was stuck in a kindergarten.
[Kya! This body is a genius!]
‘Could that part be something he got from me…? No, surely not…?’
[What’s the use of that idiot? Master! Let’s just kick him out already.]
[What? You piece of metal! You think being hard is everything?!]
[You brat who’s nothing but electricity!]
“Enough! I need to focus, so both of you shut up!”
These damn things. You’re going to make me old before my time.
‘I’ll have to ask Undaine to teach them some manners or something.’
The moment the thought crossed my mind, I felt Undaine shudder.
[Pardon? M-Me?]
“…Don’t be so surprised.”
[I will do it if you command… but such a trial….]
“Uni…? I wasn’t serious… It’s coming!”
I felt like I was learning firsthand the heart of a patriarch leading a large family.
While I was distracted by the kids who would start fighting the moment I let my guard down, Theatrazen was the one who couldn’t wait any longer and loosed the first arrow.
The massive feather made of wind was already slamming into the ground right next to me the moment I registered it.
It was deflected by Endairon’s tail, but its power was unchanged. Wherever it struck, the water was pushed aside, revealing cracked earth from the impact.
“Ador! Grufain!”
[Mwahaha! Leave it to me, Master! Sillaphe is nothing to this body!]
[Uh… I don’t think it’ll be easy to get through there….]
“Just take the long way around! Move it, move it!”
Unlike Ador, who had flown into the air the moment the battle began, Grufain was dawdling, probably because it was a bother. I forcibly cast invisibility on him and sent him far away.
‘Damn, even if I get married, I’m not having kids…’
Cleaning up after these guys was more than enough.
To think I’d make such a resolution from being tormented by Spirits.
Even as I thought that, attacks poured down, and despite the multi-layered shield, the shockwaves rattled my body to the core.
The shield was already half-broken from fragments of Silairon’s wings that Endairon failed to block, and from Sillaphe’s attacks that could fall from anywhere. The speed of the assaults was faster than the speed at which I could deploy new shields.
Most of the wind fragments raining down ceaselessly from the sky were wind arrows fired by Sillaphe.
A Wind Spirit’s attacks were difficult to dodge, since their strength lay in overwhelming speed rather than raw power.
“Ador! Hurry!”
Having Undaine catch Sillaphe was impossible from the start; just holding on was the best we could do.
Not even a Dragon could overcome the difference in attributes.
Endairon could probably catch it, but right now it was facing Silairon—an opponent of equal power—and had no capacity to spare.
Above all, if Endairon looked away for even a second, Silairon’s attack—far more powerful than Sillaphe’s—would aim straight for me.
Perhaps that was exactly what Theatrazen was after.
If Endairon showed an opening, I’d be the one to lose.
[Kraaah! Why is this guy so fast! Master! He’s too fast!]
“That’s why I sent you! You said to leave it to you!”
[Sorry!]
“You pain in the neck!”
Is a quick apology all it takes?
If Ador could just pin down Sillaphe, it would be much easier to hold out, but I guess it wasn’t that simple.
Aerial combat was a Wind Spirit’s specialty, so Ador was struggling. Still, since Sillaphe’s attacks had lessened, it seemed he was pursuing properly.
I was busy in every way: maintaining the shield, controlling Endairon, keeping an eye on Grufain—who kept trying to wander off—and dealing with Rai and Ador’s whining.
Theatrazen’s situation seemed similar to mine.
He was constantly rebuilding his shield to withstand the water pressure inside the mass of water enveloping him, a mass that continued to swell larger.
The water pressing down on Theatrazen’s shield was a part of Endairon, and it was my will.
The wind arrows attacking me were likewise Theatrazen’s will.
It was like we were glaring at each other face-to-face and taking turns slugging one another.
Seeing this mirror image of a situation, I knew it.
Neither side had any intention of losing.
[Oh, Master! You have a nosebleed again! Did your internal injuries act up?]
“No, it’s from getting hit earlier.”
My stomach felt a little queasy, but I could still endure it.
Wiping under my nose with the back of my hand, I looked up at the magnificent incarnations of water and wind clashing with all their might.
Silairon, occupying the entire sky, continuously fired feathers made of wind from its body and, at regular intervals, slammed the massive spear in its hand down toward the ground.
‘About a ten-second cycle? That wind spear seems to be its strongest attack…’
Endairon was focused more on defense than offense, but it wasn’t at a disadvantage.
It had lost the initiative in attack and the sky to Silairon, but in return it had Theatrazen—shield and all—wrapped in water and was pressing down on him.
The shield was made by Silairon, so it was incredibly sturdy, but the important part was that it was under Endairon’s sphere of influence.
The ground was already under the dominion of water, and Silairon, to reclaim its master’s safety, was ramming its wind-compressed body head-on, trying to tear through Endairon’s main body, expose the ground, and retrieve the shield.
However, Endairon’s body—having steadfastly endured countless wind attacks—was also near-infinite, so neither side could easily seize victory.
“We need a decisive blow…”
[You don’t have a Spirit that’s a natural enemy to wind, do you, Master?]
“That’s the problem. It’s difficult.”
The battle continued fiercely—the spectacular waves trying to swallow the charging wind whole, and the enraged wind bursting out again after being devoured, attacking to tear the water apart—accompanied by thunder and lightning.
As if in time with the violent lightning splitting the pitch-black clouds, the High-Level Spirits—water and wind given form—clashed head-on once more.
When their Magic proved ineffective against each other, the fight devolved into a power struggle, their physical forms colliding.
The tremendous force shook the entire area as if an earthquake had struck, and the nearest buildings began to collapse.
Only the outskirts of the royal castle were being torn to shreds, as if a meteor had fallen.
[Master? Just stealing something would have caused less damage, don’t you think?]
“…Did you really have to point that out?”
[Who else would if I didn’t!]
Rai, bored from being the only one not participating, began to openly act up.
[Since you don’t listen to the voice of your conscience at all, Master, I’m telling you instead. Hello, is conscience there?]
“If you don’t cut it out, I might just bury you next to my conscience.”
[Ah… so it’s already buried….]
I’d been wondering why I felt a sense of calm that didn’t fit the situation, but Sillaphe’s attacks had stopped a while ago.
Theatrazen going quiet was unnatural too.
“What is this old man plotting?”