CHAPTER 19

Even More Terrifying

Deathmagla’s hooked nose twitches after hearing Seiya’s slight.

“‘So obvious’? What, are you saying you predicted you would be in this dilemma?”

“I expected to run into other monsters besides undead. Of course, I also expected that I would fight an enemy one day who would try to exploit the fact that I specialize in fire magic as well. That’s why I made sure to devise a countermeasure.”

“Oh… You devised a countermeasure…”

Deathmagla’s three eyes widen in anger after parroting back Seiya’s assertion.

“You half-wit! Did you not listen to what I just said?! It doesn’t matter what your strategy is. You cannot defeat Dark Firus!”

Rather than Seiya, Mash is actually the first to respond to Deathmagla’s enraged declaration.

“H-he’s right… You can’t win… No attacks work against that thing… Dark Firus is…unbeatable…!”

Right before Mash almost got his head chopped off, he showed courage that impressed even Seiya. He didn’t even attempt to beg for his life. However, that bravado disappeared the moment he saw Dark Firus, and that’s probably because he knows firsthand just how frightening that monster is.

I bite my lip.

Physical wounds can easily be healed with magic, but mental scars are another story.

This young man…will probably never rise as a warrior again…

I sense that as I wrap my arm around his quivering shoulders.

Hearing Mash’s trembling voice brings a smile to Deathmagla’s face.

“Finally, someone who gets it! Dark Firus is invincible! A little preparation isn’t going to help you win!”

His guffaw echoes throughout the spacious torture chamber, but Seiya cuts through the laughter with his resolute tone.

“Oh, it wasn’t just ‘a little preparation.’”

He glares at Deathmagla in a taunting manner.

“I’m perfectly prepared.”

After hearing Seiya’s voice brimming with confidence, it hits me…

No… There is something—just one thing that could heal the wound in Mash’s heart…!

I hold Mash tightly in my arms, then whisper in his ear as he trembles.

“Mash, do not look away. I want you to see that there is something more terrifying in this world than Deathmagla—even more terrifying than Dark Firus.”

…I’m worried. I mean, realistically speaking, anxiety is the only thing I feel right now. Because even I think it’s logically impossible to win against a monster like that. But Seiya, the overly cautious Hero, is talking like he always does and looking as confident as ever.

He said he’s perfectly prepared! That’s why…I just have to believe in him. I have to believe in the Hero I chose!

“Tsk! Let’s see how tough you are after I take your head!”

Deathmagla spits this latest threat. That’s when Dark Firus, currently shielding Deathmagla with its massive frame, transforms slightly. While it doesn’t have eyes or a nose, the bottom half of its face—where one would expect a mouth—opens wide. The cavity is overflowing with black flames just like its body. Deathmagla looks at Mash and me, positioned directly behind Seiya, then smiles gleefully.

“Deadly Flames: Once set on fire, the flames will not go out until the target has been burned to ash! Hero, if you dodge this attack, your friends behind you will be devoured by the flames in your place! While the goddess will live, the brat will be reduced to nothing more than scorched meat!”

O-oh no! What have I done?! I should have paid more attention and gotten as far away as I could while I had the chance!

But Seiya neither acts like he blames me nor appears even the least bit worried.

“Once we get set on fire, huh? Too bad that won’t be happening.”

Seiya sheathes his sword before lowering his stance.

“Mn…! He’s going to attack. Dark Firus—”

Before Deathmagla can even give the monster orders, Seiya is already standing directly in front of it with his right arm pulled back.

“Wh-what?! How is he that fast?!”

Deathmagla howls. After closing the distance so quickly that it looked like he teleported, Seiya swings his cocked right hand straight into Dark Firus’s stomach.

A palm strike?! Wait, that’s no ordinary palm strike! Not only did the hit make Dark Firus’s stomach shake, but it made the air around him vibrate as well!

Th-that’s… That’s Oscillatory Wave!

Oscillatory Wave is a blunt body strike that is generally used to temporarily incapacitate the enemy. However, there is no change in Dark Firus’s movement. Instead, the attack has a different effect on the creature by creating a disturbance in the monster’s molecular structure, changing the black flames that make up its body into normal crimson ones.

Deathmagla screams.

“Y-you learned Oscillatory Wave?! Ridiculous! You’re a swordsman, are you not?! Why would you learn such a useless skill?!”

“…If I was ever unable to use my sword, I would only have my fists to fight with. In light of the possibility, why wouldn’t I learn unarmed combat?”

“B-but what kind of swordsman thinks like that?!”

“I never thought of myself as a swordsman. That’s why I don’t merely rely on my sword. After all, I expected to encounter enemies I couldn’t use my sword against, and look, there’s one right here. Let’s not forget that blades sometimes break during battle as well. Plus, an enemy could steal my sword, or it could suddenly melt, or rust, or get eaten by insects…”

Deathmagla and I try to catch our breath while listening.

I—I guess he wouldn’t be Seiya without being overly cautious, but still…! Having your sword eaten by insects is a bit of a reach… Anyway, good job, Seiya!

While Deathmagla is astonished that Seiya can use Oscillatory Wave, I’m having an epiphany.

When Seiya was pinning Cerceus and punching him in the face, he wasn’t bullying him—he was practicing unarmed combat! I’m so relieved! Thank goodness!

“Y-you’re every bit as cautious as the rumors said! But that all ends here! Because fire magic users can’t use ice magic! …Now go, Dark Firus! Kill him!”

I gasp in surprise, bracing myself for the flames about to shoot out of the monster’s mouth. But Dark Firus raises its arm into the air and throws a punch at Seiya!

“Ha! You thought I was going to use Deadly Flames, but Dark Firus’s arms are extremely hot weapons as well! They melt anything they touch!”

“S-Seiya?!”

The fist is already too close to Seiya to dodge! But that’s when he throws his left fist at Dark Firus’s right!

“You half-wit! Do you seriously think you can block Dark Firus’s fist with your puny human hands?! Keh-keh-keh! Say good-bye to your arm!”

Dark Firus’s temporarily materialized fist collides with Seiya’s left hand…causing a deep rumbling that echoes so loudly, you can feel it in your stomach. I’m forced to shut my eyes in order to endure the shock waves.

…After that…I slowly open my eyes…to find their fists touching.

Seiya’s hand hasn’t changed, but Dark Firus’s fist, then wrist, then upper arm all start to click and clack before turning blue and then finally becoming transparent!

Th-the monster is freezing?!

The phenomenon continues to its chest, then its stomach, and before long, it spreads to its entire body. Dark Firus’s whole body is transforming from red to blue.

“I-ice magic?! No! No, no, no! This can’t be! Ice magic and fire magic are complete opposites! Humans can’t possess both!”

I don’t have any idea what’s going on, either. What Deathmagla is saying is true. You cannot simultaneously learn the opposite type. You cannot break the laws of magic theory.

So how did he do that?!

Only when I look hard at Seiya’s arm do I realize it. He’s wearing a bracer that I’ve never seen before! Deathmagla seems to notice this as well and raises his voice.

“W-wait! Is that—?! Is that an item that grants ice magic?!”

Ohhh! It’s an ice-magic bracer! He doesn’t have to use magic with that, since it fundamentally does the same thing! B-but none of the weapon or item shops we went to sold such a rare item…so where did he get it?! Wait…!

“Synthesis! Seiya, did you make that while synthesizing items?!”

Seiya nods.

“W-wow! B-but what did you combine to make such a rare item?!”

“I combined an average bracer with some ice…and then I added the usual: your hair.”

“…What?”

D-don’t tell me he went into my room again while I wasn’t there? I—I don’t know how I feel about this! But whatever! If all it takes to get out of a pinch is some of my hair, then take as much as you’d like!

“By the way, this isn’t the only thing I made.”

“What…?”

Like a magician, Seiya starts pulling bracers out of his pocket one after another.

“This is a lightning bracer, this one’s a holy bracer, this is a dark bracer…and the list goes on. Of course, I made spares as well. And I made all these thanks to the numerous strands of hair lying around in your room.”

Just how much hair do I lose every day?! Am I going bald?! Whatever. I’ll have plenty of time to think about that later. I need to focus on Dark Firus for now. The bracer seems to have frozen the monster, but it looks like it can still move. However, its flickering flames harden, materializing it. In short…

“Seiya! Your physical attacks can hurt it now!”

I’m absolutely delighted by the second miracle in a row, but in contrast to my joy, Deathmagla appears to be racked with fear.

“No! This can’t be! This can’t be!! You can’t possibly be telling me that your attack power exceeds Dark Firus’s defense as well?!”

But Seiya’s answer takes me by surprise.

“Unfortunately, my attack power isn’t that high yet. I probably wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch with a normal attack.”

“Whaaaaat?!”

I feel like I’ve just fallen from heaven and dropped straight into hell. Deathmagla, on the other hand, wears an expression of relief. Ignoring both of us, the Hero continues as if he’d been talking to himself the entire time.

“But that won’t be a problem now that the enemy has materialized. After all, fire magic is obviously effective against ice enemies. Unfortunately, Phoenix Drive isn’t strong enough to penetrate the enemy’s defense, so…”

Seiya backsteps, creating some distance between them. Sensing danger, Deathmagla screams.

“Th-this is bad! He’s going to do something crazy! Dark Firus, close the distance! Keep him from attacking!”

But Seiya has already unsheathed his weapon. The silvery-white blade of the platinum sword, known for its high attack power, is wreathed in flames.

Dark Firus tries to close the distance as ordered, but…

“You’re too late.”

With his flaming sword drawn back, Seiya charges Dark Firus. As the two collide, a powerful shock wave shakes the room. With both arms raised, Dark Firus tries to grab Seiya…but those arms stay motionless in the air—because Seiya’s sword is piercing Dark Firus’s chest.

“Let the scorching flames converge into a single strike—Phoenix Thrust!”

There is a crackling sound like that of ice being shattered, and the sword goes right through Dark Firus’s chest! A fissure forms where the sword entered and then spreads throughout its body.

The moment Seiya sheathes his sword, Dark Firus explodes, bursting into flames and leaving only dust behind.

“Y-you did it! We won…!”

Before I even noticed, Mash is tightly squeezing my arm.

“H-how?! What the hell is going on?! I thought he was supposed to have zero chance of winning! Why…? How? How did he beat that monster?!”

Mash is trembling but not out of fear. Color returns to his cheeks as he keeps his eyes open wide, staring at the Hero who killed the monster he once feared without sustaining a single injury.

In my excitement, I look at Deathmagla—frozen in terror—and flip him the middle finger.

“Did you see that?! That’s one-in-a-billion talent right there! You like that?!”

“Th-th-this can’t be…!”

Quaking, Deathmagla starts a slow retreat.

“Who’s the half-wit now, half-wit? That’s what you get for being so cocky that you actually told us how to win!”

Seiya fixes his messy hair while muttering:

“Well, he didn’t have to even say anything. I would have figured it out soon enough.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you would’ve! You’re the perfect superhero, after all!”

Elated, I send Seiya a cheerful smile, but he turns to Deathmagla with an expression devoid of all emotion.

“After taking care of this one, I’ll have to purify the entire room with everything I’ve got to make sure Dark Firus never comes back.”

“Of course! Be my guest! Take as much time as you’d like!”

As I leave the torture chamber with Mash in tow, I can still hear the sound of Deathmagla’s anguished screams.