Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

Chapter 256

256 – Fenix Party VS Ellie Party 3

A spell that splits the field in two. High-powered Spirit Magic like this can’t be cast immediately.

This becomes a weakness.

I put Fenix to the back of my mind for now and assault Bella.

What was unexpected was that Bella knew that I would choose to do this as well.

Knowing what I’ll do, did she predict that I would leave the four of them alone while I focused my assault on Bella?

Well, aren’t you a calm and collected child.

「Ice Cold Barrier.」

Bella spreads her Magical Energy thinly.

The moment I step foot onto the affected area…

Magical Energy hums, gathers around me, and a cone of ice grows out of the ground.

「Oh my.」

That’s right. She’s a talented student who graduated at the top of her class in School.

During her time joining the Fenix party, she showed an exceptional talent for Magical Energy control, did she not?

By spreading her Magical Energy beforehand, she sets up a Spirit Magic that automatically assaults anyone’s Magical Energy signature other than her own.

However, do not think that I’m unable to dodge such an atta-…? !

Magical Energy from directly above.

Without deciding on a destination, I reflexively accelerate myself with Wind Magic.

I could feel the ice cone that was aiming for my back scrape my right leg slightly.

「So, you avoided it.」

I made a mistake.

Casting a rain of ice blades, a wall of ice, and an automatic countering Spirit Art.

All that alone is too much Magical Energy to be consumed in one go. Considering how much her Magical Energy organ could be developed around her age, this is a slightly unreasonable amount.

However, she specializes in Magical Energy manipulation. So it is possible that she reduced the Magical Energy put into each one. It is inherently less powerful, but the target of the ice swords is the support Jobs.

Their endurance isn’t so high.

Her ice wall too. If I were to force my way through it, it would break in an instant. If I look closer at it, the wall is hollow.

She assumed that I would assault her rather than regroup and saved up her Magical Energy.

Since it is a situation that requires a split-second decision, she deliberately neglected the areas that I wasn’t paying express attention to.

By doing so, the extra Magical Energy she saved can be used where it counts.

Astonished by the automatic counterattack, even for just a brief moment, I took my mind off of it.

Of the possibility that, apart from the Ice Cold Barrier, she might manually create ice cones.

A shiver ran down my spine that cannot be said to be the feeling of fear or pleasure.

This child will become much, much stronger from now on.

But still, it is we who shall be victorious.

I accelerated without control, causing my vision to whirl about. I corrected myself in midair and headed towards Bella.

Our match lasted only a moment.

I enter her barrier. I avoid or use Wind Blades to slice the ice cones that shoot up as a counterattack.

Bella pulls out her rapier-type Holy Sword.

The distance between us became nothing in an instant, then I flew past her, stopping at a distance further away.

The Undefeated Hero and the Frost Hero crossed paths and ran past each other.

「Black…Magic…」

There was a large gash wound on Bella’s abdomen, bleeding a large amount of Magical Energy.

「I thank you, Bella. For focusing your all on defeating me.」

Her thinking ability was hampered thanks to the Black Magic of Lyner and Ryan.

There was no sign or call out. The wall of ice is obstructing only their view.

But that matters not.

My loyal dogs will do what is necessary for their master.

She should have been able to Resist it had she not spent a truly large amount of Magical Energy up to this point.

She could not immediately regenerate enough.

And, she poured all of her remaining Magical Energy into her attack against me.

Intelligence Down only made her magic activation slightly slower, but it is a fatal delay against me, who had become a deadly gust of wind.

「I thank you too. For focusing your all on defeating me.」

Immediately following Bella’s words, the commentator’s voice rattled my eardrums.

『Contestant Bella’s new magic rages against Contestant Ellie as they both cross each other in the blink of an eye! And the conclusion is…! Contestant Bella has suffered a fatal injury!!! …And on the other end, we have another surprising development!』

It certainly was surprising.

The commentator continued on about what the Fenix party has achieved.

『The foursome elegantly dodged contestant Bella’s Frozen Sword Rain, but their movements have been thrown into disarray! Who would have thought that contestant Lily’s arrows would be hidden among the falling ice swords! Narrowly avoiding the swords, contestant Lyner’s shoulder and contestant Ryan’s right thigh were pierced by arrows! This debilitating injury is a devastating blow to contestant Ryan’s mobility…!』

I judge something as a threat based on its Magical Energy or matter, then I warn the four of them with Wind Magic.

Was I unable to tell apart the falling ice swords and Lily’s arrows?

With my support, they know everything up to the moment the ice sword falls.

If there is an arrow that follows up directly after that, it would be theoretically difficult to dodge.

The question is when did were they fired. It must have been around the time that my focus was on Fenix or Bella.

Even so, what incredible skill.

To match Bella’s magic so perfectly is a supernatural feat that is not inferior to Godspeed.

『The venue is roaring!! Contestant Alba’s Magic Sword, which was fixed to the ground, has burrowed through the floor and appeared from under Jean’s feet! The sword cuts a huge piece off of Jean’s back! This injury is far more grave than the previous two and Jean’s body has begun to crumble!』

I can’t believe it…is that what they want me to think?

Alba’s Magic Sword must be set to extend and contract before it is activated.

It is not possible for him to issue a new command while it is already extending.

That is exactly why I affixed it to the ground as it was en route towards my loyal dogs, in order to prevent it from ever reaching its target.

Unless the clamp I created is destroyed, his Magic Sword will stay in that elongated state.

However, there was no indication that the restraint was broken.

Is it going underground because…it was fixed to the ground when it was never intended to go straight in the first place?

If that’s the case, when did he… Since the start?

Since the start, Alba knew that I would use my magic to interfere.

So before he activated it, he had already set it to burrow underground.

Whether I used Wind Blades to deflect it, form an Air Wall to stop it, or fix it to the ground with a clamp, its target was below the ground.

Goodness, he’s come a long way.

When I sealed his sword, he clicked his tongue in frustration.

In order to fool me, he pretended to react in a way that didn’t seem unusual for him.

I researched the Fenix party.

If this was the old Alba, he wouldn’t allow himself to look the fool, even for a moment.

Even if the audience may see him as the idiot who got his pride and joy stuck to the ground, he had it all part of his battle plan.

「Our Hero’s got sumthin’ to do at the peak. Ya think we’re gonna get wasted here?」

If there’s anything that would take precedence of Alba’s own nature, it’s that.

Getting Fenix to the top of the rankings.

He would go so far as to play the fool if it allows the Fire Spirit to save some Magical Energy.

「I’ve underestimated you, you half-naked punk.」

I was appalled by what I saw on the news of him driving out the Black Sorcerer Lem and talking about it so jovially, but his current actions can only come from him actually being wary of our strength.

He seems to be a man capable of learning from his mistakes and striving to prevent the next one.

「Hah?!」

Although his vulgarity will probably never change.

「I’ll give you five seconds.」

Bella will soon be defeated.

Jean can’t be saved. His wound is too deep. But I can still save Lyner and Ryan.

Be that as it may, Lily’s arrows are still raining down.

They can’t afford to switch to using healing White Magic.

There are four enemies left.

This situation is different from the time I fought with Len, my pet name for the Demon King Army’s Chief of Staff, and his crew.

At that time, the goal of the fight was to ascertain each other’s abilities.

It was also to determine who would be following whose orders.