Chapter 68 I'M Fine!
Space Magic――[Four-Square Boundary Disruption]
A light burst forth from Lady Eva's staff.
It was a square shape drawn by 4 mages at its vertices, with lines of light along its 4 sides, creating a pattern on the white snow of the Snowfield Floor.
The next instant, the lines of light etched on the snow transformed from 2D to 3D. The 4 sides gave birth to 4 surfaces, merging into a single point high in the sky.
What was born was a massive, translucent, and quadrangular pyramid-shaped barrier composed of light surfaces.
No matter how powerful the Special Body Nord was, Lady Eva and the others were confident that he couldn't break through it, even if it was a monster.
As for us, we had no choice but to believe their words. It was probably going to be alright. Worrying about it now wouldn't change anything.
More importantly――.
"Well, then, as planned――Aaron?"
I ignored Io's words and kicked off the snow.
My unique battle technique――[Rapid Flash]
The explosion of aura sent the snow flying, and the reaction propelled me forward at high speed.
I was heading towards the center of the barrier. The bad footing only allowed me to advance about 20 meters (≈65.6 feet) in that instant.
I judged that I couldn't close the distance any further and stopped in my tracks.
In that instant――something flew out from beneath the snow where Nord was hiding.
It was something shining. Its movement was too fast for human perception, making it impossible to dodge.
I sensed the surge in magical energy and the killing intent directed at me. Even I, who had anticipated the attack, couldn't prepare a sufficient defense in time.
Thunder Magic――[Divine Thunder Spear]
What flew out from beneath the snow was a massive lightning spear.
The snow exploded in front of my eyes the instant it struck, and I was already hit.
"――――!!?"
My unique battle technique――[Aura Armor]
I crossed my arms to defend against it.
My entire field of vision was dyed in light.
I could feel the thick aura armor I had deployed at full power disappearing in an instant. If I had taken the [God's Thunder Spear] head-on, I would have definitely died instantly.
And then――2 seconds.
That was the amount of time I could withstand the attack with my [Aura Armor].
(Ugh, I knew it was impossible...)
The words I muttered to myself in my heart were those of resignation.
I knew it.
I knew it, but I still couldn't withstand it with my [Aura Armor].
The next moment, my aura armor was pierced by the thunder spear, and the energy contained within it exploded wildly, centered around me.
* * *
"――Aaron!!?!"
Fiona's anguished cry echoed across the snowy plain.
People held their breath. The onlookers around me must have grasped the sequence of events that had unfolded in an instant.
In the direction of Fiona's gaze――at the spot where the [Divine Thunder Spear] had struck, the snow had melted due to the heat released by the spear, and a thick mist was rising.
So, the mist obscured the extent of the damage.
But they sure I wouldn't have survived such a powerful blow unscathed. No, I should be dead, normally.
However, I shouted to dispel such worries.
"Don't worry! I'm fine!!"
That was close.
If I had been a little late in deploying my [Dragon Scale], I would have been dead.
No, I had known from the start that I couldn't withstand it with my [Aura Armor], so I had planned to use my [Aura Armor] to buy time and deploy my [Dragon Scale] in the meantime.
[Dragon Scale] is a high-difficulty combat technique, but it doesn't require accumulating an enormous amount of aura like my ultimate technique. I can deploy it in 2 seconds, after all.
Still, I didn't want to use my [Dragon Scale] if possible.
That speed, that magic... its power was just as I had expected. Unfortunately, it seems that Nord's power has been significantly enhanced compared to when he was a guardian.
"Anyway..."
The steam rising around me was turning the ground beneath my feet into scorching hot water.
I cancelled my [Dragon Scale] to avoid getting burned, and at the same time, I redeployed my [Aura Armor]. I focused my consciousness on the distant location where Nord was, beyond the steam.
――He's moving.
I sensed Nord crawling out from under the snow and standing up using my [magical energy sense].
Time is running out.
As we saw from the previous attack, Nord's Thunder Magic is the fastest in terms of attack speed among all magic. It's impossible for any living being to dodge it after seeing it coming.
To avoid or defend against it, I need to detect the signs of the attack beforehand and move accordingly.
That's why Nord is also called the Strongest Guardian.
Especially since Nord lost his guardian status due to Stampede and Specialization, it's now attacking preemptively like this. It's extremely difficult to defend against.
And yet, the current Nord seems to have high intelligence and sharp instincts.
The moment a barrier appeared around him, he instantly judged that escape was impossible and launched a surprise attack. Moreover, he targeted our location because he knew that many troublesome humans were gathered there.
Since we were outside the range of his magical energy sense, I think he judged us to be the strongest opponents based on Nord's intuition.
As for me, Fiona, and Io, our combat strength was the highest here.
That's why it decided to eliminate us with a surprise attack in that instant.
An opponent who can take optimal action based on intuition is troublesome. He might make a move that surpasses our predictions, which is terrifying.
And it's not just intuition. The pressure of the rapidly increasing magical energy is also intense. It's calmly detecting that we're not dead and preparing to launch a pursuit magic.
But before that――I'll strike first.
"Now it's my turn...!!"
I took a wide stance, lowering my hips and holding the "Black-White" near the tip with my left hand, which was covered in aura. I accumulated the repulsive force between the aura covering the "Black-White" and my aura.
I've become quite skilled at controlling my aura through the process of creating various wooden swords like "Silver", "Jadeite", and "Black-White".
The discordant sound that grated like scratching glass had ceased, and there was hardly any time left to spare.
Ding――――――.
A sound like a bell ringing echoed.
My unique sword technique-combined technique――[Flying Flash Blade - Heavy Fang]
I swung my sword in a large, inverted arc.
A black aura imbued with heavy properties turned into a blade, flying towards Nord.
The flying blade swept away the steam in front of me, revealing Nord standing up and facing me with his palm outstretched.
His massive body, over 10 meters (≈ 32.8 feet) tall, was muscular and armored with steel-like muscles, and his bald head was like a statue. His golden eyes, unchanged from when he was a guardian, shone brightly, but his entire body was a pale white, like a statue, indicating that he was disguising himself.
Just before Nord unleashed his second [Divine Thunder Spear], my black blade, infused with my power, struck his body.
He didn't even assume a defensive stance.
Of course not. For someone like him, who boasts extraordinary regenerative abilities, there's no need to defend against enemy attacks. It's better to take the attack and counterattack simultaneously, making it harder for the enemy to anticipate.
――But.
"Hah, don't underestimate me!"
The blade enhanced by "Black-White" was not an attack to be taken lightly.
The diagonal slash mark etched onto his torso didn't cut his massive body in 2 or pierce through it, but――,
"――――――!!?"
That's why the heavy impact was transmitted to Nord's massive body without being diminished.
His feet lifted off the ground, and his massive body flew backward, his face contorted in shock. The magic formation he had constructed was forcibly interrupted midway, failing to activate.
Immediately after, Nord crashed into the snow, sending it flying everywhere. The impact was so powerful that I could feel it faintly even from where I stood.
"Now then――."
This is where the real battle begins.
First, I and the Restraint Squad, including Garon, need to restrain Nord. Until then, the other members will wait in the rear to avoid unnecessary casualties.
I walked out of the hot spring-like water, my footsteps squelching.
The mist was finally starting to clear, and when I looked back, I saw Fiona and the others, safe and sound.
"――Aaron!!"
They were staring at me with wide eyes, either because they saw me unharmed or because they saw Nord blown away in the distance.
I waved my hand lightly in response.
"It was just a small hiccup, but we're going according to plan. We'll restrain Nord. ――Alright, I'm going!"
I said, and then I took off, jumping into the air with a burst of speed.
My unique battle technique――[Rapid Flash].
I jumped high into the air, keeping an eye on Nord as he struggled to get back on his feet. And from the top of the barrier, I saw the Restraint Squad members rushing towards Nord.
And then――,
"Wait for me!! Aaron!!"
I glanced back, and for some reason, Fiona was looking up at me with a desperate expression, stretching out her hand as if to stop me.
I was a bit surprised that she was worried about me, even though I had just dodged an attack with my body. I forced a laugh and called back.
"I told you I'm fine, didn't I? I'm not hurt at all!!"
"――That's not it!!"
But the words that came back were not what I expected.
It seemed that Fiona wasn't worried about my safety.
Fiona called out with a desperate expression.
"――Put on some clothes!!"
Ah.
That's right, I was completely naked right now.
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