Ch. 300
He was clearly hiding inside the shield. As long as Endairon held Theatrazen’s shield tight, he couldn’t get out of the water without teleporting.
I focused my senses again on the situation underwater, which I could feel through Endairon.
I could faintly sense that he’d expanded his shield and was holding his ground.
[It seems like he’s stalling for time.]
“Why the sudden defensive posture?”
Now that I thought about it, it was strange.
I had my own objective, and since it was easier to block a Wind Spirit’s attacks than to dodge them, it made sense for me to focus on defense… but what was he holding out for?
There could only be one answer.
“He must have something to fall back on.”
[Maybe reinforcements are coming?]
“To intervene in this storm, they’d have to be at least on the level of Count Trenpe.”
[You mean the guy who lost to Rovenin?]
Generally, in a battle between Mages, the one whose Mana runs out first is at a disadvantage when stalling for time.
Thanks to the Dragon Heart Rai ate, I had no worries about running out of Mana, but this was enemy territory.
If reinforcements capable of exerting force through this storm arrived, I’d be the one at a disadvantage.
It wasn’t as if Count Trenpe was the only swordsman in this country who could use sword energy.
My suspicion turned into certainty. I had to get out of here as quickly as possible before some troublesome reinforcements arrived.
[What are you doing! Ador!]
I looked up at the sky and ground my teeth.
I drew a large amount of golden Mana from Rai, who was wrapped around my wrist, and poured it—along with my fury—into Ador, who was loitering up there.
Flash!
A thunderclap so loud its light reached even me was followed by an explosion, and the clouds vanished in a circle.
The shockwave shook the entire flow of Mana in the area.
And Sillaphe’s presence… could no longer be felt.
[Kyahaha! Rejoice, Master!]
[Did you succeed?]
[I did it!]
In that moment, even Ador’s boisterous laughter sounded utterly adorable.
Through Endairon, I felt Theatrazen’s shield—trapped underwater—waver precariously for a moment.
This proved Ador’s power had now surpassed that of an intermediate Spirit.
[How was that? Now, hey! Don’t call me a pain in the—]
“Go back.”
[Why!]
“You’re a distraction, so go.”
[Wait! My praise—]
Just sending Ador back gave me quite a bit of breathing room.
Even if I had a source to draw Mana from, my mental and physical strength had clear limits. Summoning multiple Spirits at once drained a tremendous amount of mental energy on its own.
“Praise for what? You should be grateful I didn’t dismiss you for good.”
[That’s right! That’s right!]
“Let’s see… Endairon? How are things on your end? Think you can break it?”
Even Endairon couldn’t see the situation inside the shield, but it was clear the strength maintaining it had weakened.
And I could see Silairon—who’d been so full of vigor just a moment ago—had become noticeably faint.
[It’s a matter of time. But he’s holding on.]
“Please hurry as much as you can.”
When a Spirit is severely injured and forcibly unsummoned, the shock returns to its master several times over.
The shock from an intermediate Spirit being unsummoned would be nothing like Undine’s, and I knew that pain all too well.
Your insides would twist violently, and the more you tried to endure it, the worse the internal injuries became.
You wouldn’t be able to summon Spirits for a while.
To get out of here, I needed to incapacitate Theatrazen, so if I wasn’t going to kill him, inflicting internal injuries was the most desirable method.
I had no intention of killing another country’s hero—unless he’d done something to wrong me.
“Grufain, where are you?”
Grufain, whom I’d sent to the rear in case Ador failed to catch Sillaphe, was silent.
The fact that he was using invisibility—making it difficult for even me to pinpoint his presence—was a secondary problem.
“Grufain!”
[I’m close, but…]
“But?”
[It’ll be hard to get any closer than this without Silairon spotting me…]
The listless reply, as if he didn’t want to do it, came only after I’d called his name several more times.
Impressively enough, his position was quite close to Theatrazen’s shield.
[Things seem to have worked out well up there, so how about I just head back now…?]
“How about it? Not a chance. Stay on standby there.”
[…Why me! More overtime!]
“Stay alert in case reinforcements come.”
Grufain grumbled as if I’d forced him into unfair overtime, but Ador was too flashy and conspicuous—and like all lightning Spirits, he couldn’t use invisibility—so it was better for Grufain to remain hidden.
Besides, seeing him get that close while avoiding the eyes of a Wind Spirit specialized in detection made him seem quite useful for future surprise attacks.
Grufain would hate it if he knew I’d realized how useful he was.
“And if Theatrazen happens to escape, freeze him immediately.”
The feeling of cornering the Spirit Mage known as the continent’s strongest wasn’t bad.
The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
If Endairon could just break Theatrazen’s shield, Silairon would disappear on his own, making it as good as my victory.
Of course, it was an advantage gained through the slight cheat of a Dragon Heart… but that would be fair if the other side used a cheat too.
They could just get a Dragon Heart from a Dragon.
[My friend.]
“Hmm?”
[Do you feel it? As promised, I have laid victory at your feet.]
The pleasure an advanced Spirit gave was as vast and magnificent as its existence itself.
Endairon’s long, long body felt as vivid as if it were another me. It made me feel as if I had become that great being, and I was tormented by a sensation so intense I didn’t want to let it go.
It felt indescribably good.
Feeling the precarious wind shield—on the verge of shattering under pressure that was as good as my own—was like tracing a helpless eggshell beneath my foot with the tip of my toe.
“I feel it. I like it… very much.”
It was hard not to become intoxicated by the sensation of infinite, endless power—like the sea—filling and surging through my entire body.
The moment I felt that power, I couldn’t help but be keenly aware I was no ordinary human.
‘I feel like I can do anything.’
I stuck out the tip of my tongue to wet my lips, because I’d been concentrating so hard on Endairon’s body that my own felt dull.
[I knew you would win, Master! Congratulations! Master!]
“Khuhu.”
[But don’t go too wild, okay? You know? You can’t!]
“I know, I know.”
Although I had him at my mercy, Theatrazen was a man who had lived as the strongest Spirit Mage for as long as I had been alive.
There must have been a vast difference in our level of mastery, yet the reason I had the upper hand was likely the difference in our Mana.
And the resulting numbers game with the Spirits was probably the deciding factor.
It seemed Theatrazen’s limit was handling Sillaphe and Silairon at the same time.
I, on the other hand, had Endairon, Undaine, Grufain, Ador, and even Rai. The sheer number of forces I could bring to bear was on a different level.
The number of Spirits one could control at once was determined by Mana and control, which was also directly linked to mental strength.
‘This victory… might be thanks to Rai. But I shouldn’t tell him, lest he get cocky.’
The reason I could be confident my control was stronger than any other Spirit Mage’s was purely because of Rai.
When you spend ten years controlling and reining in an attention-seeker who could bolt off anywhere at any time, you’re bound to become thoroughly trained, whether you want to or not.
[…Huh? Master! Were you just thinking about me? I got that feeling!]
For him to notice even a hint of it when I was careful not to be read… what a frightening fellow.
At this point, I wondered if he was my soul twin.
I breezily ignored Rai’s fuss and cleared my throat.
“Hmph, Endairon. Relay my words to him.”
[Anytime.]
“Listen. Spirit Mage of the wind.”
[Listen. Spirit Mage of the wind.]
I spoke through Endairon, pretending not to know Theatrazen’s name.
A grand voice with a deep resonance echoed all around.
I didn’t have a refined skill like a Wind Spirit’s—to make my voice heard only by a specific person—so I unintentionally ended up spreading rumors throughout the entire castle.
[This is my victory.]
I gave a slight smile, then spoke as if granting a great favor.
[I am in a good mood, so I shall grant you a special favor. If you surrender obediently before that paltry shield of yours is shattered, I will let you avoid the worst.]
I pressured the wind-made shield, urging him to surrender.
Having a shield broken by force inflicts a shock on the caster similar in intensity to a Spirit being unsummoned.
To avoid the shock, you only have to dispel it before it breaks, but Theatrazen was trapped underwater and couldn’t do so.
[Master, you seem to be in a really good mood. It’s not like you to be so…!]
“I wasn’t going to kill him anyway.”
Breaking the shield right now would be a piece of cake, but that would inflict the worst possible internal injuries on Theatrazen.
Internal injuries so severe he could die.
Even without that, it was impressive he was maintaining Silairon while still bearing the full shock of Sillaphe’s unsummoning.
As someone with experience in internal injuries, I could guess his body was already in terrible shape. Even if he surrendered now, he would probably be bedridden for months.
If I destroyed the shield on top of that, his body would be irreparably damaged.
I was trying to show some courtesy to a senior, but Theatrazen was stubborn.
Do all Spirit Mages have personality problems?
[Being stubborn will only shorten your life, you know? Why not accept my offer while I’m being considerate for the sake of poor Sillaphe?]
[You’re not being considerate, you’re totally taunting him.]
[Ah, poor Sillaphe, to suffer the pain of being disintegrated because of a poor master. Your master’s inadequacy must pierce the very earth.]
There is no other reason for a Spirit to suffer.
It is always the master’s fault.
Just as the threat of annihilation Undine faced was purely my fault, the pain Theatrazen’s Sillaphe must have felt was likewise his fault.
I did taunt Theatrazen a little, annoyed that he was being uncooperative instead of grateful for my offer of mercy.
Was the provocation too much? A sharp voice, carried on the wind, rang in my ears.
“Did you say surrender?”
It was a method that always sounded as if he were speaking right next to me.
If one didn’t know much about Spirits, they would never imagine it was a voice sent from far away, underwater.
[I thought you couldn’t hear me, but you heard that just fine.]
“Insolent… How dare you tell me to surrender! You, an intruder! In my country! To me!”
[Your country? Anyone would think you were the King. Isn’t that treason?]
“You bastard!”
Perhaps because he’d never heard my voice directly, Theatrazen seemed to think I was a man.
My face was hidden by my hood, and I had never gotten off Undaine’s back.
Moreover, a fierce rainstorm was raging between Theatrazen and me.
Since it benefited me for him to misunderstand, I didn’t bother correcting him. I just sneered as easily as I breathed.
[Humiliation is fleeting, but life is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. If you surrender now, I will show you the mercy of freezing you overnight… What?]
Either suffer a pain close to death, or suffer the humiliation of surrender.
Theatrazen had no other options.
So I was confident he would surely admit defeat.
“He’s not there?”
[He’s vanished.]
“That’s impossible…!”
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