episode_0153

My senses are sharp.

I can precisely track even a single droplet of spray.

It’s been quite a while since a proper battle, but I’ve never stopped training, so my skills haven’t dulled.

Honestly, I’m lazy.

Normally, I’d include the daily grind under the ‘exercise’ category and wouldn’t even bother with simple stretches, let alone proper workouts.

However, one late morning…

While lounging in bed, the surprising thing that popped into my mind was Eve.

She was the one who gave me a long break from everything through heartbreak… but she was also the one who woke me from my deep slumber.

Imagining her training, sweating profusely from the early dawn, I swung my sword alone.

I wanted to show her a stronger me when we meet again.

And I wanted to see her surprised face at my growth.

And today, that training helped.

“Kyaaak— Save me, Nari-!!”

Pot- pot- paaht—

The mana I sent out from my fingertips solidified the seawater, and I dashed forward, as if walking on water.

Senior Lenny’s technique from the final exams often came to mind.

That sharp sword that displayed sufficient destructive power to break through any defense.

“Haaap—!!”

Recalling his technique in my mind, I fully focused on my posture.

Pulling my right arm, I concentrated power into the sword, continually condensing it into a single point.

Like piercing a hole in a balloon, I unleashed all the ether towards one point.

A sword that pierces any visible enemy regardless of distance.

Mūyeong Sword Style 1, Heavenly Fang.

Ssssu- Shkwaang-!

The sword strike that cleaved the sky ripped the demon’s lower jaw.

The demon, trying to swallow the Tier, dribbled dark energy from its mouth and sank into the sea.

“Booot- Booouu—”

I didn’t give it a chance to escape.

“Nix—!! Grab Tier tight—”

“Leave it to me-!”

As I tossed the ether rope to Nix, who soared into the sky, Tier, dangling like a worm at the end, helplessly flew away.

“Gheoeoek—”

Swapping places with Tier, who had been writhing in front of the demon, I landed just above where it sank.

Chlap-

Below the swaying seawater, the demon’s shadow, which hadn’t yet fully submerged, was clearly visible.

Having already suffered serious injuries and fleeing, it couldn’t go far.

However, the sea is their domain.

The heavy seawater would undeniably hinder the pursuit.

Paaht-

Gently stepping on the seawater, I leaped up, raising my sword above my head.

“Haap-!”

Instead of pouring the ether in a straight line, I lightly loaded it onto the sword strike.

Like the first style, a sword that cuts down any enemy in front of me regardless of distance.

Mūyeong Sword Style 2, Heavenly Mane.

Spot- Skaak—!!

Swinging the sword twice in an X shape in mid-air, the ether burst out in a crescent shape.

Cutting through the air and seawater, it lacerated the fleeing demon’s back.

Chwa-haak—

“Bubuit- Kiiigiiiik—”

It’s still not enough.

Its thick layer of fat absorbs the sword strike, and its dark energy disrupts the ether.

Even after enduring an attack that would have filled a whole stadium with corpses if it were another beast, it’s still alive.

But the attack just now created a gap in its hide.

“Now… die-!!”

Into the center of the X formed by the two Heavenly Mane strikes, I thrust Heavenly Fang, charged with concentrated ether.

In the stretched time, three sword strikes converged, and a pure white light pierced the demon.

Shkwaak-!

Like an oil tanker with a hole, black energy poured from the demon’s pierced belly.

“Booou- Boohuuout—”

The powerful throbbing gradually mixed with the sound of air escaping.

Soon, a giant corpse, its fins drooping, floated to the surface.

.

.

.

I had hunted one down, but fifteen more demons were still circling the deep sea of Liberty Port.

“This is… never-ending.”

I can kill them with my sword, but it’s too slow.

I need another way to wipe them all out.

I reached out to Nix to signal her, and she soon lowered the ether rope, sending Tier to me.

Poook-

I hugged her, who had lost consciousness for a moment, flying all over the place, and she moaned before slowly opening her eyes.

“Kkeueng…”

“Do you feel better?”

Clear droplets flowed from her weary eyes.

“What… was that…”

“Sorry, you must have been scared.”

“I can see you’re not sorry…”

Tier wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer into a hug.

Her sobbing voice was muffled against my soft skin.

“Do we have to do more…?”

“No, I won’t pull any of those bad pranks anymore.”

I gently lowered her to the water’s surface and helped her stand next to me.

“This is your first time, right?”

“…It felt like I became a goddess.”

Miracles are sometimes explained by simple magic.

Like a goddess walking on water with her own power, we stood firmly on the sea.

“Can you show me that magic one more time?”

“I can, but…”

“Let’s do it together this time.”

At the suggestion to do it together, a vigor reappeared in Tier’s hazy eyes.

Didn’t I hear her mention that there’s a way for two people to share one spell over her shoulder yesterday?

I briefly shared the know-how to Lulu, who developed [Resonance Magic].

“…I don’t have a good feel for it, it’s my first time.”

“Me too, me too, it’s my first time…?”

Feigning sulkiness, she slightly turned her head and shyly held out her hand.

I didn’t know if she wanted to do it or not.

Seeing her uncharacteristically shy expression, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Our first time for both of us?”

“…Euh.”

Taking her soft hand, I intertwined our fingers.

We pressed our most sensitive body parts against each other.

I felt the warmth, tremor, and the strong mana waves transmitted through our palms and read them with all my heart.

Our souls began to resonate slowly.

“This… is Nari. I only have obscene thoughts on my mind.”

“You were expecting this, weren’t you?”

Thoughts, emotions, conveyed to each other through the ether.

Tier, who fully understood what I intended.

As I raised my right hand towards the distant horizon, she raised her left hand in the same manner.

“We’ll do it all at once.”

“You mean, drain everything?”

“Leave some. We might need it tonight.”

Tier smiled.

Her slightly curved eyes, soon opened wide with strong determination.

Two hearts united to cast a single magic spell.

“Sacred Enchant Force-!”

“Sacred Enchant Force-!”

Tier’s mana, my ether.

The golden and pure white light mixed wildly and platinum light enveloped our bodies.

More intense than the sun that illuminates the world.

Our light began to swallow all the sea.

And countless beasts, extremely repulsed by this sacred mana, slowly revealed themselves.

Chalang-

Chu-waaaaaak—!!!

“Booouuuuuuu—!!”

I couldn’t hear the sorrow of losing their comrades.

Inter-individual interaction shouldn’t be impossible. They didn’t lose their minds completely.

The countless demons, their hearts blackened and rotting, merely raged at our power, enveloping their surroundings with dense dark energy.

I waited patiently.

For all of them to surface.

Chlap- Chulung—

“Booout- Booouuuuuuu—”

When the demons’ fur covered the entire sea surface.

“Now-!!”

I shouted a signal to Yuri and Lulu, who were waiting in the distance.

They were also chanting spells, waiting for the moment, and launched a powerful ice magic spell filled with immense magical power, in sync with my signal.

“Frost Nova-!!”

“Frost Nova-!!”

The powerful shout seemed to echo through the entire Liberty Port.

Winter descended upon the August sea.

Chiing-!

The light flashed.

In a single moment, the sea where the demons gathered froze.

Immense cold air swirled in the air, rising into the sky and freezing the clouds.

Jjeo-jjeo-jjeo-jeok—

Soon, countless demons were frozen solid in place.

The bone-chilling cold turned their thick layer of fat into solid frozen tuna.

They were vulnerable to impact compared to their tender days as sashimi.

“Shall we do this together?”

“…Do as you please.”

Tier avoided my gaze, but as if she’d been waiting, held out her hand.

This time, I shared my spell, my original skill.

We unleashed our ultimate move against the now vulnerable enemies.

[Mana Explosion]—!!

Under the determination to destroy the enemy before us,

The law of the world showed a very simple law of nature.

It was to explode the condensed mana in one place, creating an explosion with pure and overwhelmingly powerful force.

And that simple law of nature also became a miracle brought about by divine power.

The platinum mana sphere exploded just above the sea surface.

It immediately caused a huge storm that swallowed everything around it.