Volume 12 Chapter 39 Don't Leave Me Behind
Ice couldn't do anything in that battle.
"...!"
Both Ice and Toxy were hiding among the rubble on the ground. Wade was fighting far above them. There was no risk, but that made it hard to intervene. That was the situation.
Still, Ice was determined to somehow help Wade gain the upper hand.
There was a plan. Ice intended to get the ice bird close enough to use magic and Domain Control to support Wade in his moments of danger or opportunity.
If Toxy added her poison, Ice thought they could influence the battle even more.
But it didn't work.
Loki was better than Ice and wouldn't allow the ice bird to intervene. No matter how well they hid, they were found. Even when they attacked in numbers, they were wiped out. They couldn't do anything.
They couldn't do anything at all.
"Ice-chan, look..."
Next to her, Toxy, who also couldn't do anything, pointed into the distance.
There, Typhon was distracting Fenrir and Surtr from reaching Wade. However, the crucial Fenrir and Surtr moved quickly and escaped from Typhon.
Then, Fenrir carried Surtr, jumping from falling stars, heading toward Wade.
"────."
No way, Ice thought.
Even Wade couldn't take on all of Loki's group, who had been struggling until now.
So Ice created a giant ice bird and said to Toxy,
"Get on! Let's join Clay-kun and the others...!?"
"Y-yeah."
Seeing Ice's intense expression, Toxy nodded obediently. Then, the ice bird took off with the two of them.
It took about ten seconds for Ice and the others to join Clay.
"...Ice-san, you made it."
Clay was on the Typhoon, helplessly looking up at the sky.
Even though he could control the Typhoon, it seemed like Clay couldn't do anything about the battle happening about ten kilometers above.
Of course, everyone else felt the same way.
"With Thunder Speed, it's already too late."
"Wow, look at that big one rising up. Must be tough dealing with a stupid apprentice."
"Yikes... Wade-chan, are you okay? This is pretty bad, right?"
Sandra, Mudi, and Philia murmured. Everyone was mixed with resignation.
Ice couldn't accept that.
"──Clay-kun! If we can get the Typhoon to throw us, maybe we can jump into that fight...!"
Ice spoke to Clay, who was inside the Typhoon.
"Even with Wade-kun, this difference in power is too much...! Everyone is really strong, and no matter how strong Wade-kun is, this is...!"
Just as Ice said that.
"! We'll talk later! Retreat, hold on tight!"
Clay shouted and made the Typhoon move. Everyone clung to the Typhoon, preparing for the intense shaking.
Right after that, a huge crashing sound echoed around them.
"...What?"
Ice looked cautiously at the source of the sound.
There, Surtr was seen crashing down, spitting blood as he fell. He seemed too weak to get up for a while.
"I was careless...!"
"...?"
Ice felt disbelief at that sight.
Bam, Ice looked up at the sky. Far above, a tiny Wade was fighting against huge monsters.
Ice had expected that the tiny Wade would be quickly overwhelmed.
But for some reason, Fenrir was biting down on Jormungand, who was supposed to be his ally.
"Eh...? Eh...?"
Ice couldn't understand the situation. What was happening?
Just then, a silver flash raced through the sky. A distortion appeared around Jormungand.
Jormungand started to thrash around.
He swung his massive tail. It looked like he had hit something, but Ice couldn't tell what it was.
Then, after a moment of blankness, everything happened at once.
The silver flash raced again. Moments later, a meteor fell, and Jormungand's head was torn off. Fenrir got caught up in the collapsing body.
"..."
Speechless. Ice and the others were just stunned by the sight.
They had heard that Wade won against Surtr because it was a one-on-one fight.
Fenrir had lost due to being psychologically outmatched and caught off guard. Ice and the others had managed to recover from that.
Jormungand had only been defeated with the help of Clay and Mudi. It was clear that it had been a desperate battle.
And yet now, Wade was overwhelming all of that by himself.
Against 3 huge monsters, which were almost god-like, or even capable of trampling gods.
Mudi quietly said,
"...Looks like Wade will become the next 'absolute' sooner than I thought."
That casual remark pierced Ice's heart.
"......"
Ice instinctively pressed a hand to her chest and held on tightly.
Her whole body is shaking. The words she shouldn't say are rising up in her throat. As she desperately hold them back, Toxy next to her starts to sob.
Ice opens her eyes wide and looks over. Toxy, with tears streaming down her face, is staring at the battle in the sky.
──Stop. Don't say it. Please, don't say it.
But Toxy said it anyway.
"...Isn't it still not enough...!?"
"Toxy-chan!"
Ice instinctively grabs Toxy. Clay and Sandra try to stop her, but Toxy continues.
"B-but, we killed even the gods...!? And yet, ugh, Wade is, Wade is...!"
Toxy is even gagging as she pleads.
"I don't understand anymore...! I don't know how to get stronger than this...!"
Saying that, Toxy breaks down in tears. Ice grits her teeth in response.
What Toxy said is the feeling of everyone in the Wade party.
After all that struggle, using any means necessary, they gained power by even killing the god they believed in.
And yet, Wade easily surpasses that. In front of a strong enemy, he becomes stronger, like a fish in water, leaving Ice and the others behind.
...The truth is, Ice doesn't know how to catch up to Wade anymore.
"L-look."
Sandra says, pointing to the sky. They look up. Then, on the eerie ship floating above, flames erupt.
After taking down the 3 monsters, Wade is surely fighting Loki now. They want to go help, but Ice doesn't have the strength to intervene in the battle after getting rid of Loki.
Helpless. Even now, at this point, all Ice can do is be crushed by the feeling of powerlessness.
"Wade, kun....!"
Don't cry. Ice tells herself that. Wiping away the blurring tears, she desperately thinks.
Anyway, she sends out the ice birds. She can only make up for her lack of skill with more attempts.
As she gets closer to the ship in the sky, a Demon that looks like a crew member starts shooting arrows at the ice birds. Dodging them, Ice splits the ice birds, managing to keep things under control even when one or 2 get shot down.
Countless arrows fly at her, and strangely, the ice birds keep getting shot down. Even when she uses Domain Control to stop time and avoid them, somehow, the moment she releases it, they get shot down again.
Something is happening. But she can't figure out what it is.
As the number of ice birds rapidly decreases, Ice grits her teeth and splits them further to increase their numbers────
'Ice-sama, you really should stop wasting your magic like that~. Even if you use Domain Control, it won't help~♡ Loki will just shoot them all down anyway.'
The moment she hears Loki's voice from somewhere, the last ice bird gets shot down.
"...!"
There's nothing she can do. She can't do anything against Loki.
Just as she thinks that, the ship explodes.
Everyone's attention turns to the commotion. Then, a small something is shot out at high speed.
"."
Ice quickly creates a giant ice bird and jumps on, taking off. Sandra, Toxy, and Clay's Typhon follow behind her.
It's not too far away. Even if they can't intervene, they at least want to know what's happening. With that determination, Ice and the others head to the scene.
And then, they gasp.
"Ha, hahahaha...!"
There, Wade, covered in injuries, was trying to stand up from the rubble.
Durandal, using the ground as a staff, was stained in colors they had never seen before. The patterns flickering in scarlet looked just like Surtr's flames.
But its appearance was covered in blood, having lost several limbs, and it couldn't recover. Sandra, pale and drained of color, murmured, "All his chakra..."
Yet, even in such a situation, Wade was smiling. He had a face that showed he was truly enjoying the fight, staring fiercely and intently at the ship above.
"...Not yet. It's still, going to be, even more fun...!"
Wade took a shaky step forward. Ice couldn't hold back any longer.
"Wade-kun!"
At Ice's shout, Wade's feet stopped. Then he looked over, a puzzled expression on his face, and whispered, "Ice...? Everyone..." before collapsing to the ground.
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