Chapter 174 I Won'T Hold Back From The Start...!!
Time rewinds a little again.
In the central district of Necronia, a certain city street.
Io Suleiman and Ail Hermit, who had moved away from Aaron Gale and Logan Abrams, were heading to the rooftop of a 5-story hospital.
This place was closer to the [Seal Temple] in the central district, and the streets outside the hospital were already overrun by a monster army. There were probably many people who had failed to escape inside the hospital, but at least on the streets, there were no signs of human life.
In such a situation, the two of them stood facing each other on the vast rooftop, silent.
Io was the first to speak up.
"Ail... why did you guys do something so stupid!!?!"
Io's anger was overflowing, like a raging fire.
In contrast, Ail replied with a cold, unflinching face, without showing even a hint of disturbance.
"For the sake of world peace. We just did what had to be done."
"Is this stampede really for the sake of world peace!!?"
"......"
Ail didn't answer. No, Ail couldn't answer.
Bound by the [Testament (Contract before God)], Ail couldn't say anything about the purpose of the stampede or their own goals.
"――――."
Even so, Ail's gaze at Io didn't waver, as if to say that there was no regret in his actions.
Io gritted his teeth and twisted his face at his friend's attitude.
"... why didn't you talk to me about it...!!"
And the words that spilled out, those were his true feelings.
Why didn't they discuss anything with him? Were they not friends?
"That's... sorry."
Today, for the first time, Ail's face contorted.
Maybe, just like Logan, Io would cooperate with him. However, if he brings in 2 famous people like Logan and Io from the outside, they'll raise suspicions within the organization. And he didn't want to put Io in danger intentionally.
Because they're friends.
But he couldn't tell him anything.
"Ail..."
Io sensed something from his silent friend's expression. Even if it wasn't his true intention, since his claimed to be working for "world peace," Ail's actions couldn't be simply evil.
"Is that so, do you have some kind of circumstances...?"
Io thought that Ail must have had a reason for not asking for help and staying silent.
"......"
However, Io continued, looking at the silent Ail.
"The world, the law, won't forgive you no matter what circumstances you have. You won't be able to escape the death penalty."
"That's right."
Ail nodded, as if it was only natural, and Io let out a sigh.
"Then..."
He told Ail.
"I'll be the one to capture you."
Normally, it would be the death penalty. However, if Ail had the will to survive, there might be a way to escape the death penalty through some kind of political deal.
To take a chance on that slim possibility――or rather, to make Ail explain everything that had happened to him while still alive――Io made up his mind.
"I'll catch you, it's... quite a challenge, isn't it?"
Io understood the implications of his words, and Ail still managed to crack a bitter smile.
"Of course, I'm not going to surrender quietly."
"That's right."
"And you're a magician, aren't you? In a solo fight, you're no match for me, who have Scout job."
Magicians can shine because they have vanguards. Normally, to win against a melee job in a one-on-one battle, a significant power difference is necessary. And there's no way there's such a huge power difference between Io and Ail. Both of them are in the realm of the ultra-elite.
However, that's for a 'normal' magician.
Io is different now.
"Ail, don't look down on me. The me now is different from the me back then."
"...You're still young, and you can't change that much in such a short period."
It's impossible for Io, who's still in his prime, to have grown so much in just a short year since they disappeared. Logan is an exception, though.
Ail looked at Io with a mixture of surprise and scorn. Io activated his Gravity Magic, floating up lightly as he replied.
"I had to become able to handle high-speed battles and close combat to a certain extent due to certain circumstances... I've been training."
"...What's the point of training? You can't expect a dramatic change like that just because of training."
It's ridiculous for a magician to get involved in close combat.
But Io was dead serious.
"Ail, I don't want to discuss this with you. And――"
Io, who was floating about one meter above the rooftop, activated his magic in the next instant.
"I won't hold back from the start...!!"
Origin Magic――[Cloak of Flame]
With a "BOOM!", flames erupted.
It spread all over Io's body, engulfing the clothes he was wearing and burning them silently.
Then, the flames spread from his shoulder to his back, taking the shape of a "Cloak of Flame".
"...What's going on?"
Suddenly, his friend was standing there completely naked――no, wearing a cloak――and he couldn't help but stare at him in shock.
He couldn't understand what had happened, no, his brain refused to comprehend it.
"No way...what's going on?"
And Ail let out a meaningless cry again.
It was already unbelievable that he had burned his own clothes with his magic, but there was something even more surprising.
"Io, you...enjoyed weightlifting as a hobby...?"
He couldn't help but think that, because for some reason, Io's body was so muscular.
It wasn't like the Guildmaster's overly developed muscles (although Ail didn't know what the current Guildmaster looked like). Io's body was lean overall, but his muscles were tightly toned to the limit.
In other words, it was like he had developed his muscles through real combat, without any unnecessary fat.
He had only seen Io's naked body clearly when they were camping during their explorer days, or when they went to the public bathhouse with their party members. That was over ten years ago, so it was natural that he would have changed, but this transformation was beyond his expectations.
"Weightlifting, you say...?"
Anyway, Io denied his suspicions.
"No, this is...proof of how harsh the environment I was in was..."
"What happened...!?"
What on earth had happened to his friend in these few months?
And... he wanted to ask about other things too.
"Why are you naked...!?"
Io's reaction was intense.
"――Don't lump me in with that naked guy!!!"
"What naked guy are you talking about!?"
He was getting more and more confused.
Is this really his friend that he know?
Io took a deep breath and somehow managed to suppress his agitation, continuing on.
"Huu... I'm getting naked for a reason, you know? It's to change clothes."
"Change clothes...?!"
He didn't say "hurry up and change already." The atmosphere wasn't like that either.
Io continued.
"It's preparation to wear the magic clothes...!!"
And then, the magic circle he had been constructing during the conversation suddenly activated. Multiple magics were triggered one after another.
Origin Magic――[Boots of Wind]
Origin Magic――[Water Coat]
Origin Magic――[Gloves of Earth]
Origin Magic――[Undergarment of Thunder]
Origin Magic――[Hat of Ice and Snow]
Origin Magic――[Leggings of Gravity]
Origin Magic――[Holy Tunic]
Origin Magic――[Mask of Darkness]
Origin Magic――[Necklace of Flash]
All of these magics were triggered individually. They were auxiliary magics that Io had developed on his own.
And those auxiliary magics were integrated into a single magic using a method that Io had also developed to reduce the burden of sustaining magic.
Magic Unification――[Divine Robe]
Io's body, which was completely naked just a moment ago, was now wrapped in a dazzling magic garment.
Io, who was floating in mid-air, was actually not using any flying magic. He had obtained the ability to fly freely thanks to the effects of [Boots of Wind] and [Leggings of Gravity] within the [Divine Robe].
And other magic, all of it is to temporarily boost Io's physical abilities, defense, reaction speed, and recovery abilities, adding to the supplementary magic, and even has automatic counterattack magic.
"I'm telling you, Ail."
Io, floating in the air, glared at Ail.
"In this state, I can take on a naked demon in a solo battle for 30 seconds..."
"What the...?!"
What's with the naked demon, and a solo battle for 30 seconds is crazy! There were many things Ail wanted to ask, but none of Io's words made sense. What's going on?
But Io continued, not noticing Ail's doubts.
"You have no chance of winning. If you're going to surrender, do it quickly."
"...Is that what you're saying?"
Ail drew the dagger at his waist and lowered his stance, saying.
For some reason, Io's words didn't sound arrogant.
Still, Ail couldn't just quietly surrender. There was still a result he wanted to see. Until he saw the end of everything, he couldn't stop. So――
"Io, I don't want to kill you. If you're going to surrender, do it quickly."
Ail declared, then kicked off the ground.
The battle began――.
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