Understandably, Mercurius had taken the initiative in the battle. Its arms were dozens of meters long, and the two magicians were nothing more than flies. Mercurius soon began attacking with its big arms.
Huuung!
It was literally causing whirlwinds as it swung its arms. Its previous tail swipes were nothing compared to this wind pressure.
Theo and Veronica took to the skies. Flying magic controlled airflow, so it was impossible to stay in place against this wind pressure. No matter how well a captain steered a ship, it would be overturned by the power of the sea.
Theo was pushed almost a hundred meters away and barely corrected his posture.
… Ugh, I never expected to experience motion sickness in a place like this.
Was this the feeling of being caught in a storm at sea? He hadn’t experienced being tossed around like this before.
“Wake up, kid!” Veronica’s urgency woke him up from his dizziness.
Huuuuong!
At that moment, the mercury arm, which was more like a pillar, brushed past Theo’s feet. If it had hit Theo directly, no matter the defense spells, his body would burst like a rotten tomato.
Theo hurriedly flew over to Veronica. Instead of reprimanding him, she nodded. “Kid, I guess you don’t have a lot of experience in air combat?”
“Yes, I’ve only experienced it once.”
“I knew it. How much aerial combat is there in this age?”
Theo’s immaturity couldn’t be blamed. Even top magicians like Veronica didn’t have much experience in air combat. It was a bit harsh to ask that of a young man who wasn’t even thirty. Veronica had never fought against something the size of Mercurius while in the air. She couldn’t use fire magic, and the opponent was an immortal monster.
“So, what should we do?” Theo asked.
However, Veronica just laughed wildly and raised a fist.
Her eight Circles revolved and pulled all the mana in the area into her fist. Even though they were both masters, her dominance was far beyond that of Theo. She had forcibly materialized mana which couldn’t initially be felt by human senses.
“Enchant-Force Meteor!”
It was a spell that converted magic power into physical force, followed by a few auxiliary spells.
“Striking! Amplification!”
The duration of the technique was significantly reduced in the Meuse Desert, but Veronica was a peerless magician who could hold onto it for a while. Theo paled every time Veronica cried out a new spell, and he felt a thrill as over ten auxiliary spells were placed on her fist.
Her physical abilities already far surpassed a normal person without the assistance of aura. Then what would happen if 8th Circle magic enhanced her physical power? Now, Veronica could crush a mountain with a fist!
Mercurius momentarily stiffened at the violent atmosphere which emerged around the red dragon.
“Die, you monster!”
Power was overflowing from Veronica’s fist. It was a blow which contained pure force. Anyone who knew a bit of martial arts wouldn’t be able to breathe.
―――――――――――――!
The wind screamed as she threw her punch. The moment of contact was strangely quiet, and the enormous power turned into light. Veronica’s shining right arm went through the mercury giant’s arm without any resistance.
Then it exploded.
“-Ack?”
Once again, the two were pushed back dozens of meters, until the ruins looked small. Theo’s robes flapped in the wind as he gazed at the mercury giant.
“Heok!”
There was no upper body.
Mercurius’ thirty meter high lower body was still present, but its upper body had disappeared without a trace. Theo recalled something a veteran had once told him. It was so unrealistic that he hadn’t believed it.
In the last war, Veronica had shattered an enemy fortress with a fist.
… So it was true.
This was more than enough to flatten a fortress. Theo inwardly decided to buy a drink for the senior whom he thought had been a liar. However, Veronica’s expression was still dissatisfied. This was the strongest blow she could use without resorting to fire magic.
However…
Wuuuuuu.
Something was emerging from Mercurius’ lower body. Its regeneration speed was akin to a lizard regrowing its tail. Theo frowned at the sight for a moment, before noting something.
No, the volume has definitely reduced. It did have an effect.
It had gone from fifty meters in height to forty meters. It meant that the amount of mercury forming Mercurius’ body had decreased. It might be possible to completely destroy it with three or four more blows.
“Tower Master.”
“What?”
“That attack just now, how many more times can you use it?”
Veronica gave a long sigh and replied, “If I use it once or twice more, I will be out of combat.”
“Hoo, that won’t work.”
“I never thought I would be in a situation where I could run out of firepower.”
Veronica had awakened the red dragon’s blood, so her firepower was a step or two above that of the other 8th Circle magicians. Even Blundell couldn’t surpass her when it came to combat power. Now, only a 9th Circle magician would be able to match Veronica’s firepower. As Theo and Veronica were thinking, Mercurius started to slowly move.
Kururuk… kurururuk…
“Hah.”
“Dammit, this is another transformation.”
The reduced volume was being gradually restored. Forty two meters, forty five meters, forty eight meters… Once Mercurius’ body reached fifty meters again, hundreds of eyes appeared on its body and emitted a sinister light. A silver body and red eyes… When Theo saw it, his senses cried out loudly.
“Tower Master!”
“Huh?”
As Veronica turned with surprise at his urgent voice, Theo approached and hugged her.
“Eh? W-Wait a minute, kid?”
“Hold your breath!”
“What?!”
Theo’s right arm gleamed the moment that the hundreds of eyes on Mercurius’ body released a flash of light. The two bodies slipped out of the material world as Mercurius’ eyes released a white flash that tore through the air and sand.
Flash!
The sand turned to silver. No, it was mercury. The dunes touched by the light turned into a puddle of mercury. Some people would say that the scene was wonderful, but Theo could only look on in horror.
“Conversion of material ray…? That is 9th Circle magic.”
“It wasn’t uncommon in the Age of Mythology.”
“How annoying. Magic resistance would be useless if we were hit by that, and it would only spread like poison.”
It wasn’t a curse of petrification. Instead, the blood flowing through one’s body would be turned to mercury, and one’s bones and flesh would be separated from the body. Theo didn’t know that Mercurius had been concealing such a terrible weapon.
It was good that they had avoided the first attack, but how long could that last? Theo felt sweat beading on his palms.
… I have no choice.
The Azoth Sword was sleeping in the space in his left hand. Theo might be able to break through this situation if he used it and the Philosopher’s Stone. It was regrettable to consume the treasure in this place, but nothing was more precious than his life.
The Azoth Sword left the inventory and entered his left hand.
***
Thanks to the two magicians fully occupying Mercurius’ attention, the rest of the investigation team quickly jumped into the tunnel that Lloyd had used. He had entered approximately ten minutes ahead of them, so he had quite the head start. Given the speed of a sword master, he could be up to several kilometers ahead of them. However, that speculation was proven wrong shortly afterward.
“Hoh? You followed me quickly. I thought I would have more time to spare.” Lloyd Pollan, the Empire’s Seventh Sword, appeared at the mouth of the passage like he had been waiting.
He cast an appraising gaze over Mujak, Sylvia, William, and Para and soon realized how they had gotten here.
“Indeed, you must’ve used two masters to bind that monster’s feet. You must’ve thought it was a priority to block me. How great.”
“…. Why are you so relaxed?” Mujak stepped forward.
Swordmasters had an advantage over magicians in this narrow space. It was true even if the other person was a 7th Circle magician. It was difficult to use area of effect spells, alongside other disadvantages. In the end, Mujak was the only one who could stop Lloyd.
“Andras’ dog, all of your men are dead. Aren’t you ashamed to crawl into this hole alone?”
“I should be asking you if you feel ashamed,” Lloyd sneered back. “What is a loyal dog of the Sultan doing attaching himself to Meltor?”
“You…!”
“Well, the king of Meltor does have more prospects than a dying old man in the desert. It’s a good decision.” Lloyd started clapping, causing Mujak’s anger to soar silently.
The fact that Mujak didn’t curse was proof of how angry he was. Before they could stop him, a turquoise aura started to emanate from his blade. It was an urgent situation. The Quattro members read the atmosphere between the two sword masters and stepped back.
Mujak growled, “Bark as much as you want. You will die here.”
“Hrmm, you still don’t understand.”
Two voices hung in the air, and their owners disappeared.
Kaaang!
Ochre and turquoise, the two different aura colors collided with each other, causing a shock wave. Thousands of years of dust was stirred up as the two swordsmen moved back and forth, leaving faint afterimages.
They slashed at each other from above, below, left, and right, while bending over to avoid their waist, neck, or heart being cut. They moved ten to twenty times in the blink of an eye. Clearly, there was a storm of two swords in the narrow passage.
King!Kakang!Kak!Kiiing-Kaaang!
“Damn, there are no gaps!” William tried to support Mujak, but he ended up shaking his head and lowering his outstretched hands.
The two masters were so fast that there was no room for spells. Was his experience that different from a sword master? He had been treated as a prodigy since childhood, so this was the first time William had felt so helpless.
However, Sylvia casually raised her staff. “Wind, freeze.”
She had cast Frost Fog, and a chill emerged from the end of her staff and wrapped around the two sword masters. This was a spell which affected both people! William was astonished.
However, he quickly understood her actions. “I see! You placed cold resistance on him in advance!”
Unlike Lloyd who didn’t have any magic defense, Mujak had the cold resistance that Sylvia had cast on him. The two of them would react differently to the same ice spell.
Unsurprisingly, Lloyd’s sword was delayed by half a beat, and he was pushed back by Mujak.
Now!
The three magicians reacted at the same time.
Frost Spear.
Chain Lightning. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝑙．𝑐𝘰𝘮
Gravity Bound.
Ice spears and a net of lightning bolts stretched out to Lloyd’s location. The gravitational pull was just a bonus. These were attacks from the next Tower Master candidates, so it was impossible for their target to avoid serious injuries.
However, Lloyd responded like a sword god, taking two and a half steps forward as he weaved through the ice spears and lightning bolts like a dancer. The gravitational field seemed to barely affect him as he slashed down with his sword.
Pajijik!
Spellbreak was a stunning feat only possible for some people of the empire. It was the nemesis of magicians, used to break down the spells by precisely inserting aura into a spell’s gaps. This was the ability the Empire had used to fight against magicians for decades.
Lloyd slipped through the linked attacks of the three magicians, but there was another person who blocked him.
The sword master, Mujak, appeared before Lloyd.
“-This isn’t cowardice.”
Mujak’s eyes blazed as he held his swords in a strange shape. It was his Aura Ability, Illusion. It was useless for trying to break through something like Mercurius, but it was very effective when fighting against a human.
Mirage.
Mujak used his special move that he reserved for killing another master. Dozens of swords appeared in the empty space. They were illusions, but they became real blades the moment Mujak’s aura filled them. Materialization of an illusion… This was the secret technique of Austen’s guardian which had never failed him so far!
Lloyd’s eyes widened. “… This!”
A shower of swords rained down on Lloyd.