Chapter 252 Close-combat Magician
The [Dome Shield] that the Immortal Knights had set up was shattered by Io's [Black Heavy Fist].
However, that didn't decide the outcome of the battle. The key players, Mabel and the Immortal Knights, were still very much alive.
As proof, the Immortal Knights, whose [Dome Shield] had been broken, surrounded Io all at once――and once again, they deployed the [Dome Shield].
But this time, Io, who was supposed to be the enemy, was trapped inside.
In other words, this was not a skill for defense. It was a cage to keep Io from escaping.
Normally, at this point, one would say:
――The match is over.
Surrounded by 12 high-level undead warriors and having lost any chance to escape, there was nothing the magician Io could do. The fast-casting Basic Magic couldn't defeat them, and there was no time to cast higher-level magic that could take down the Immortal Knights.
The actions taken by the Immortal Knights could be called completely flawless. All that was left was to surround Io and bring their swords down, and this battle would end...
However, it should be noted that this applies only if it were any magician other than Io.
As the clan members lamented, this was Io's range.
"""――――."""
In the next moment, the Immortal Knights swung their swords down toward Io all at once――BANG!! A loud explosion pierced through the aura dome.
It was literally an explosion of flames.
Indeed, the Immortal Knights, who had swung their swords down, were forcefully knocked back by the explosion. This was one of the automatic counterattack features of the [Divine Robe]――the effect of the [Cloak of Flame].
And as the attack was deflected, the knight lost his balance and left his torso wide open. In an instant, Io closed the distance and threw a punch.
Origin Magic [Elemental Punch]――Attribute Specialization [White Lightning Fist]
BOOOMMMM――!! A lightning strike burst inside the dome, and the knight hit by the punch was sent flying, crashing into the dome.
The knight, who was falling to the ground without supporting his body, had already started to release magical energy from the edges of his body.
However, without witnessing that, Io was already in motion.
Pivoting on his left foot, he spun around and swung his right leg like a whip.
Origin Magic [Elemental Kick]――Attribute Specialization [Wind Blade Kick]
The wind blade released from his right leg blew away the 3 knights that had been frozen in place, and Io advanced into the space that was created.
As the other unharmed Immortal Knights approached, he clashed with them head-on!
Ignoring the enemy's attacks with the automatic counterattack and reflection from [Divine Robe], and above all, its defensive power, he landed his own attacks one-sidedly.
[Elemental Punch]――[Rock Fist]
[Elemental Punch]――[Flame Fist]
[Elemental Kick]――[Water Blade Leg]
[Elemental Palm]――[Thunder Palm]
[Elemental Palm]――[Freeze Palm]
He landed his attacks for sure, taking down each one.
And as the enemy's attacks slowed down, the Immortal Knights had no chance of turning the tables anymore.
The knights' attacks were narrow, with many enemy strikes, so they could only rely on the [Divine Robe] for defense. But once it became possible to dodge, there was no need to take the hits.
[Divine Robe]――[Lightning Speed Reflection]
[Divine Robe]――[Wind Speed Steps]
[Divine Robe]――[Perpetual Defense]
With the speed of lightning, Io responded to the enemy's attacks, slipping through the knights' strikes with the speed of wind, moving as if there were footholds in the void, and reducing the number of knights in 3-dimensional motion.
And then, he infused the Holy Tree Staff in his left hand with a magic blade and swung it in a sweeping motion.
Origin Magic――[Magic-Enhanced Solid Blade: Great Naginata]
He sliced through the last 3 immortal knights and the deployed [Dome Shield] together.
"W-What is that fighting style...!? What happened to you, Io...!?"
Logan gasped in shock, his eyes wide at Io's fighting.
And it was understandable. The Io Suleiman Logan knew was a typical but ideal magician, whose fighting style relied on being a powerful artillery from the backline.
He was definitely not the type to engage in close combat, taking hits and hitting back like a brute.
But sadly, he had awakened after training in the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫.
I told Logan.
"Logan, Io has become a super close-combat magician."
"Super close-combat magician...?"
Logan asked me, still in shock.
"What kind of stupid magician is that...?"
Well, I understand the feeling that you want to say that a magician is stupid for daring to fight in close combat. But you have to face the reality.
"You see what Io looks like now."
"..."
Logan stared in shock at Io from a distance, but the truth is, Logan's shock was just the beginning. He still wasn't using all his strength.
And then――
"The second round begins... Mabel's counterattack!"
The immortal knights and the [Dome Shield] were disappearing as magical energy was returned.
Until now, Mabel couldn't attack because of the shield, but it seems she has finally decided to fight for herself. Or maybe she was just figuring out if Io was worth fighting against.
As particles of light danced into the sky, Io turned to look back at Mabel.
And the moment he saw her confident smile――,
"――!?"
Mabel was the one to strike first.
Terra magic――[Rock Lance]
A huge rock shot up from beneath Io's feet, turning into a spear aimed at him. It was easily blocked by [Divine Robe], but the force from the massive impact couldn't be negated.
Io's body was launched high into the air at high speed.
"――――"
Chasing after him, Mabel smoothly floated up with her unchanged smile, and then she began to fly at high speed.
Io and Mabel.
The battlefield for the two , who could fly freely, moved from the floating island to the sky above.
And in this vast field of battle in the sky, it seemed that Mabel had the advantage.
Flame magic――[Phoenix Blaze]
Ocean magic――[Water Storm]
Storm magic――[Wind Storm]
Terra magic――[Meteor Impact]
A fiery bird chased Io endlessly, while a massive water and storm swirled to block its path. Or a huge rock, falling from the sky, aimed to crush Io and the floating island dramatically.
Io dodged these attacks with high-speed and complex maneuvers, and by deploying [Meteor Barrage] around himself again, she shot down [Phoenix Blaze] or broke through the swirling water and storm.
However, it was faster for Mabel to unleash magic one after another than for Io to replenish the exhausted [Meteor Barrage].
Ice and Snow magic――[Blizzard Storm]
Thunder Magic――[Thousand Lightning]
Darkness magic――[Dark Arrow Heavy Rain]
Flash magic――[Laser Arrow Heavy Rain]
Each of these was a powerful magic that could easily take human lives. Mabel was firing them off as if they were basic magic.
"To unleash that much powerful magic at that speed...!!"
"Hey, this might seriously make the sub-master lose, right!?"
"What a sight this is...!?"
In front of us, the sky of the floating layer had turned into a scene from hell.
Giant flames exploded, an incredible amount of water swirled up, the raging storm moved even the floating islands, and the falling giant rocks shattered the floating islands into pieces.
The extreme cold storm would freeze your body in an instant if you got caught in it. The lightning fell like rain, but it shot up from the clouds below into the sky, creating a forest of lightning. The arrows of light and darkness flew around at high speed. Each attack wasn't very strong, but because there were so many, it was hard to avoid them. If they hit, they would blow Io away and mess up her stance, delaying her actions.
It's hard to believe that this scene was created by just one person, even for us who call ourselves top explorers.
――But.
"Is Io going to be okay...!? Is there a chance for a comeback from here!?"
"Yeah... there is."
I answered Logan, who shouted out of worry for Io.
It's definitely possible for Io to win from here.
We shouldn't be distracted by the flashy appearance. Despite the massive magic being unleashed, Io was still standing strong, and――he was steadily closing the distance.
"I told you, Logan. Io has become a super close-range magician."
Once Io gets within range of Mabel, his victory will be guaranteed in that moment.
And――finally, that moment has come.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!"
"――!!"
As Io flew at high speed, dodging countless massive spells, he caught Mabel.
The distance was already 3 meters (≈ 9.84 feet).
It was close enough to be within Io's "trump card" range. Io had already raised his hand toward Mabel, and the [Divine Robe] covering his body shimmered—
――But.
"———."
Mabel, who had been quietly smiling with confidence, suddenly changed her expression to a smirk, mocking the fool who had fallen into her trap.
At the same time, Mabel's magic activates.
Space magic――[Space Transfer]
Even Io, who has the same job as Mabel, should never be able to activate this magic.
At the tip of Io's outstretched palm, Mabel's figure suddenly disappears.
She appears about ten meters (≈ 32.8 feet) behind Io. And the moment she appears, Mabel is already pointing her staff at the back of Io.
Yes. It was something that should have been expected.
Mabel is a hero from the Age of Gods, and the people from the Age of Gods naturally possessed Brain Support Devices.
The main reason modern humans can't use Space magic is that they don't have this device. Because of that, they can't process the huge calculations needed for Space magic.
However, paradoxically speaking, in the 'Sage' job, if you have the device, there's no reason you can't use Space magic.
That's right. Originally, the 'Sage' job was a powerful job that could even use Space magic.
"I――――."
'Sage Mabel' unleashed her magic without mercy, without hesitation, in the next moment.
Space magic――[Space Rupture]
In the space with a radius of several meters centered around Io, countless cracks spread through the space like a 3-dimensional spider web.
There's no doubt that this area includes Io.
"Ioooooooo!!?"
Next to the shouting Logan, I instinctively leaned forward with my eyes wide open.
And I murmured.
"Did she do it...!?"
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