Chapter 107 Don'T Underestimate Me
I took off my clothes.
And, of course, I carefully stored the clothes I took off in the Storage Ring. My shoes too.
"――What the heck is wrong with you!! You're freaking out!!"
"Huh?"
I turned around because Owen suddenly yelled.
What's wrong? Is he unstable emotionally?
"What's wrong? Why are you yelling all of a sudden?"
"No way, why are you looking at me like that!! Shouldn't I be the one asking what's going on!!"
"......?"
"You're really not getting it, are you!! Why did you suddenly take off your clothes and go naked!!"
"...Ah, that thing."
I thought to myself, "If you just said that from the start, it would be fine," and then I answered.
"Well, I said earlier that I was going to get the magic stone for the barrier tool, didn't I? I'm planning to use the magic stone for the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, but I don't want my clothes to get torn during the fight, so..."
"That's... no, but even so, you don't have to go naked!!"
It seems like Owen still doesn't understand my explanation.
I guess I have no choice but to explain it in more detail.
"This is a bit hard to explain, but ...the way I'm going to fight from now on, my clothes are definitely going to get torn and I'll end up naked. If we know that's going to happen from the start, it's pointless to just let our clothes get ruined, right?"
"Why do you assume your clothes are going to get torn...!!"
"You'll see."
"...!!"
Owen fell silent, gritting his teeth, unable to respond to my immediate assertion.
Well, I've explained it, so I don't think there's anything to complain about. Owen's still young, getting flustered over just a little nudity...I thought, when suddenly,
"――Hmph, that's nothing special."
Zara said, her face red, glancing at me with a mixture of curiosity and mockery.
Her gaze caught sight of my Black Radiance and she smiled, looking like she was making fun of me.
Hmm... I sense that she's still holding a grudge from when I sent a monster after her during our journey, and now she's trying to get back at me...or so it seems.
But judging from Zara's attitude, it seems she's not used to seeing a naked guy. She probably thinks that if she makes fun of a guy's private parts using her half-baked knowledge, it'll hurt his pride.
How shallow.
I stood tall, unfazed, and even showed off a bit, standing with my feet shoulder-width apart.
"Don't underestimate me, Zara."
"Y-you're just trying to act tough! That's all you've got...!!"
As I thought, she's just a naive girl, and it seems she lacks knowledge too.
I looked down at her with a mixture of pity and disdain, and decided to teach her a lesson.
"This is just because of the cold. Normally, I'm... about twice as big as this."
"W-what...!? You mean it shrinks in the cold...!?"
"You didn't know that, huh? By the way, when I'm in combat mode, it's 2 or 3 times bigger than usual."
"C-combat mode...!? What are you talking about...!? Does that kind of mode even exist...!? I've never heard of it...!!"
"Hmph, if you're going to tease me, at least learn more about it first."
"Grrr...!"
Zara glared at me, looking frustrated.
Poor kid, she picked the wrong opponent.
"I-I mean, what kind of stupid thing are you saying...?"
"Stupid? It's all true, I swear."
Owen, who was still sitting on the snow, slumped back and relaxed his muscles.
"Master, I'm not saying it's a lie... it's just such a ridiculous conversation that I'm losing my energy..."
It seems he's pretty exhausted. Maybe I overworked him by making him fight those monsters. I need to hurry up and set up a barrier, so I'll go get the magic stone quickly.
"Alright, you guys rest here for now. I'll be right back."
Saying that, I turned my back on Owen and the others and walked towards the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
* * *
The ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫'s detection range for external enemies is about 200 meters (≈ 656 feet).
Normally, it would first release the ≪Valkyrie Ice Golem≫ from the surface of its massive trunk, and then reinforce its defenses with the Ice and Snow magic [Blizzard Storm].
However, if an enemy approaches at high speed, this process is reversed.
In other words, I need to solidify my defense first, and then release the Valkyries.
The magic deployment speed of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ is fast, and it's impossible to approach it before solidifying my defense, even with [Rapid Flash]. Furthermore, the [Blizzard Storm] it deploys is thick and massive, and inside it's a deadly zone with ice fragments flying at high speed. Even a Frost Dragon would be torn to shreds in an instant if it got caught in that [Blizzard Storm].
However, the area above the massive blizzard that covers the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ is empty, like the eye of a typhoon, and it's possible to invade from above.
Of course, the countless Valkyries flying around will get in the way, so I need to break through them to invade the blizzard's interior. But this method has the advantage of being able to settle the battle much faster than waiting for the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫'s magical energy to run out, which is why I usually use this method to defeat it.
――Or so it was.
After learning [Dragon Scale], I was able to shorten the time it takes to defeat the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ even further.
Well, it's obvious, but the point is that with [Dragon Scale], I can break through that massive and thick [Blizzard Storm] head-on.
However, after breaking through the [Blizzard Storm], the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ will naturally try to eliminate me by releasing the Valkyries. Therefore, I need to attack immediately after breaking through the blizzard and defeat it in one hit, or else I won't be able to shorten the battle time.
To break through the [Blizzard Storm], I need [Dragon Scale], and if I don't infuse it into my weapon, it might get destroyed. In other words, I couldn't prepare my ultimate technique in advance.
But that wasn't a problem.
200 meters (≈ 656 feet).
I stood at the point where the enemy would barely react, and I leaned my body forward, as if I was about to fall. Just before I completely fell, I kicked the ground and exploded the concentrated aura.
My unique battle technique――[Rapid Flash]
My body was pushed forward as if I was about to be blown away. I covered a distance of several dozen meters in an instant. However, at the same time, the moment I crossed the invisible boundary line, ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ quickly activated its magic.
Ice and Snow magic――[Blizzard Storm]
A deadly area filled with swirling storms and icy debris expanded in an instant, and its intensity increased with each passing moment.
――[Rapid Flash][Rapid Flash][Rapid Flash]
As I shortened the distance between us with consecutive uses of [Rapid Flash], ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ disappeared behind a massive white wall.
I then activated my final [Rapid Flash] and jumped.
I flew through the air at an arrow-like speed and charged straight into the deadly blizzard.
Just before that.
My unique battle technique――[Dragon Scale]
I wrapped my entire body, as well as the surface of "Black Radiance" in my right hand, in an aura armor that resembled dragon scales.
The deployment of the technique was instantaneous. It's not just my clan members who have been growing stronger. In fact, I, who have been constantly processing high-quality materials, may have grown even more. After all, I've been working for a longer time.
In the past, deploying [Dragon Scale] took some time, but now I can do it instantly.
As I entered the blizzard, I was attacked by an intense storm and countless icy debris that flew at me like bullets.
The extremely cold storm that could drain my body heat in an instant, as well as the icy debris that could crush everything, were deflected by the [Dragon Scale] deployed on my body surface and passed by smoothly.
It was a space that made me feel uneasy, even though I knew I was safe.
But I was only exposed to the deadly storm for a few moments.
The next instant, I broke through the thick blizzard wall.
Suddenly, I moved from the stormy interior to a quiet space with almost no wind, and the sudden change made me feel a sense of stillness.
As I started falling due to gravity, I looked ahead and saw a gigantic ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ trunk filling my entire field of vision――and on its surface, several ripples were floating.
The crystalline trunk was shaking its surface with concentric ripples, as if it had turned into liquid, and from its center, several ≪Valkyrie Ice Golems≫ were emerging, as if jumping out of the water.
More than half of their bodies were already out. It wouldn't take more than 2 seconds for them to be completely released.
In the past, I wouldn't have had enough time to prepare and use my ultimate technique from scratch.
However, as I've said many times, it's not just my clan members who are growing. With my daily wooden sword crafting, plus the experience of developing my ultimate technique [Giant Heavy Dragon Scale Spear] using the extreme aura of "Black-White", and also mastering the Sword God technique [Absolute Death Prison] which requires incredibly precise aura control, my aura control power has broken through a wall.
In short, I can now gather and focus my aura instantly, without taking time, even for my ultimate technique that can be activated with "Black Radiance".
In mid-air, while falling, I held my sword in a high guard position and focused my aura.
With a clear, ringing sound, it released a dazzling aura glow.
My unique sword technique [Giant Blade] [Heavy Blade] [Flash Blade]――and one more.
My ultimate technique――[Absolute Flash Blade]
I swung my sword while falling.
A massive aura turned into a gigantic blade and flashed.
The slash line passed diagonally through the gigantic trunk of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫. The Valkyries, which were emerging with ripples, stopped moving all at once.
The "Black Radiance" I was holding couldn't withstand the aura and crumbled into dust.
――Thud.
As I landed to the base of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, the massive trunk slid down along the severed cross-section, and at the same time, the magical energy reversal began, causing the huge mass to dissolve into the air and disappear bit by bit.
The [Blizzard Storm] that had been deployed around the area also disappeared like a clearing sky.
――Logging is complete.
* * *
The members of ≪Bastard≫, ≪Holy Knights≫, and ≪Silfied≫ were staring at the scene in a daze.
Suddenly, Aaron Gale, who had become completely n*ked, darted out and, with incredible speed, closed the distance and charged straight into the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫'s [Blizzard Storm].
The onlookers were shocked by his dynamic and reckless suicidal charge, and they were convinced that Aaron was dead――but just a few seconds later, the intense [Blizzard Storm] began to waver, and the scene on the other side of the white giant wall, which had been hidden from view, started to become visible.
By the time the swirling ice and snow had dispersed, leaving behind only the remnants of the storm, the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, which had been severed and felled, had already begun to fade away due to the magical energy reversal.
"Whoa...!!"
Someone muttered involuntarily.
Owen and the others had participated in the subjugation of the abnormal Nord. They thought they knew about Aaron Gale's exceptional strength.
However, the role they played in the Nord subjugation was not central to the operation, and they didn't accurately grasp the strength of the abnormal Nord or the false angel that appeared later.
Of course.
They hadn't directly clashed with the Nord or the false angel; instead, they had been guarding the mages of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] or, as part of a large group, attacking the restrained Nord.
So, they didn't truly understand the extent of the Unique Individuals' extraordinary strength through personal experience.
In contrast, the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ was a different story.
Although they had never fought before, the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ was the next guardian they should challenge, with a suitable level of difficulty. Since the difference in their battle strength wasn't drastic, just seeing the deployed [Blizzard Storm] allowed them to understand just how troublesome it was.
And yet, Aaron broke through it with his bare body and defeated it in just a few seconds, when its figure was no longer visible.
What's more, judging from the remains of the disappearing ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, it's likely that Aaron took it down with a single hit.
"Whoa, what the...?!"
"Looking at it like this, I can finally understand just how unreasonable Master is..."
Zara's body trembled with a "brrr" as she muttered in awe.
Elliot could only manage a weak, wry smile.
"Awesome..."
Owen's voice trembled as he spoke, his face on the verge of tears.
It was a strength worthy of being called hero. For himself, living in the present, Aaron was a hero surpassing even the heroes of the ancient era.
――≪Extreme Sword≫
The embodiment of the term "Strongest", something to be admired.
"Awesome...!!"
He felt a sense of excitement that filled his chest.
The thrill he felt when he decided to join the clan, the decision he made back then――it was all correct, he was convinced.
He felt an uncontainable joy in walking alongside someone he admired and aspired to, aiming for that strength.
For himself, Aaron Gale was that kind of hero, and he realized it clearly.
That's why Owen shouted. It was a cry that came from the depths of his soul.
"If he wasn't naked, it would've been even more awesome...!!"
In the end, they still couldn't understand why Aaron ended up naked.
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