The Central Sea Region.
“The blood of a great king? Hah, what a funny joke. If you say that, you must mean tainted blood—”
It happened in an instant. As Tristan, using the Tyrant Mira’s colossal body as a shield, was spewing malevolent words, a Black Knight-type Golem unfolded around him. It appeared as suddenly as a ghost emerging from the mist, without any presence or premonition. Tristan’s speech was cut short, and instead, his eyes moved with ferocious speed. It was debatable whether he moved them by his own will or reflexively. After all, the Royal Guards, Shutra’s exclusive Golems, appeared even behind the Tyrant Mira, which was positioned in a straight line with Azgrad, completely surrounding him 360 degrees. No matter which direction he turned, the Royal Guards were within his sight.
(So what if he has mirror Golems as subordinates! It’s already obvious!)
(If cutting them is useless and magic is also useless, ignoring them is the best option. The one who needs to be defeated isn’t the subordinate controlling them, but the caster, Tristan!)
While hidden behind Azgrad, Shutra had applied the A-Rank Blue Magic [Spy Fog] to all the Royal Guards, leaving them lurking in the vicinity. This magic is a complete upgrade to Type C Blue Magic [False Fog], generating mist that envelops not only visual information but also presence. Although its effect is limited, disappearing after a very short time, it can virtually grant the target a stealth state of the same rank.
(—As soon as it appeared, there was a slight scattering of magic traces. Withdrawn by high-level magic, and hiding even its presence? It’s likely the work of Shutra-sama, who has gained power. Even when she was weak, she was a monster, and now she can even do this. Really, Lord Kelvin has sent me a formidable opponent. To pit such a deranged creature against a mere mortal like myself…)
However, Tristan himself remained completely calm. In fact, he seemed to have enough composure to think of his next insult, and his expression showed no cracks.
“Schwarzer Stille, you’ve captured Mr. Zildra’s work, haven’t you? My, my, it’s the end of the world when a princess resorts to thievery!”
The moment Tristan shouted this, the giant strange bird he was riding also opened its massive beak.
—Kiiiin…!
A sound like ringing in the ears could be heard. Immediately after, all ten Royal Guards were repelled. Shutra quickly manipulated her magic threads, resisting the impact in mid-air to stop them.
“What was that!?”
“It felt like we were pushed out by an invisible wall, I wonder? I think it’s Demise Girrimot’s ability. From the feel of the threads, it’s something like a sonic shock.”
“Is it like Boga’s loud voice…!”
“Hah, please don’t compare it to such a crude thing. Girii’s is a much more delicate technique.”
The purple giant strange bird, Demise Girrimot, was one of Tristan’s oldest subordinates. It was originally from the Mixed Beast Corps, and Azgrad, who had been under Tristan for a time, naturally knew of it. Shutra, too, had been aware of its existence since childhood, storing it as part of her accumulated knowledge. That’s why she knew that the strange bird Hound Girrimot at that time did not possess such an ability. It was likely a power and ability newly acquired through evolution.
(Miasma is mixed with the sound. If it were a living creature instead of a golem, it would have been quite dangerous with that attack. But with this, the only unconfirmed remaining subordinates are the Dream Devourer and the Binder.)
Like Tristan, Shutra’s mind was also undisturbed. Compared to Kelvin and the others, who were now like family to her, Shutra’s abilities were still weak, easily estimated as being at the very bottom. To compensate, Shutra had to rely on her greatest strength: her intellect, and win through strategy. How could she corner the enemy and force them into a stalemate? The young Shutra’s eyes scanned the battlefield, deciphering information to make the best moves.
“I appreciate your attention, but I wish you would pay more attention to your surroundings.”
Tristan, having foiled the surprise attack, said coolly. At the same time, in front of Azgrad and the others, the colossal fist of the Tyrantrigures was approaching as if in return.
The information about the Apostles that Melfina had painstakingly gathered also contained details about this Tyrantrigures. Like the giant strange bird, it had evolved from the Tyrant Mira. As Tristan had mentioned earlier, if this monster’s abilities were also enhanced, any clumsy attack would have a very high chance of backfiring. It was an opponent to avoid touching if possible.
(When I fought with Efil Big Sister, she could only reflect either physical or magical attacks. Estimating the reinforcement, one would be the ability to reflect both simultaneously. Second would be an increase in power upon reflection, or absorption. If it can reflect everything, it’s a threat—)
As her thoughts raced, Shutra lightly tapped Azgrad’s shoulder.
“Brother!”
“Got it!”
At that signal, Azgrad took something out of his pocket and threw it. Shutra, behind him, also thrust one arm forward, creating an icicle with a relatively low-rank Blue Magic and launching it towards the approaching fist.
—Paki…!
A kunai pierced the Tyrantrigures’ fist, while the launched icicle bounced back, doubled in size. The icicle disintegrated upon touching Seraphia’s body. Seraphia then dodged the colossal arm, narrowly avoiding being grazed by the attack.
“Oh, you’re testing its abilities? If you can’t grasp its true nature, you’ll confirm it with a subdued attack?”
Tristan’s guess was correct, but Shutra deliberately did not answer. What took precedence was the conversation with her brother. Ideally, telepathy using a doppelganger of Kuroto would have been best, but telepathy didn’t seem to be Azgrad’s strong suit. To prevent confusion, they proceeded with this direct communication in their current combat formation.
“—This is my current assessment.”
“Ah, I see.”
To chip away at Tristan’s composure, Shutra did not forget to have the Royal Guards attack even during this conversation. Shutra spoke while multitasking.
“What a dazzling aerial battle, fierce yet graceful!”
“Tch! No matter what, he doesn’t shut his mouth! Hey, Shutra, can’t you restrict his actions more with your power?”
“I’ve already embedded the restriction of not abandoning allies, so that’s impossible. My unique skill only allows for one promise per person. It’s not impossible to cancel a previous promise, but from my current position, talking to him isn’t very effective. I’ve ignored him so much, it’s incredibly suspicious. More importantly, I hate talking to Tristan myself.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
Not abandoning allies, meaning she couldn’t make them self-destruct. The curse Shutra cast on Tristan in the Underworld was still in effect, suppressing the strength of his trump card, the Booming King Insect. Further conversation was unlikely to be elicited by Shutra’s current approach.
“So, Brother, there’s no need to talk to Tristan anymore. Ignore him completely! I’ll provide adequate support, so Brother, calm your heart, but cherish your ferocity and intuition on the battlefield!”
“You’ve become even more active than when you were a child… Well, I guess that suits me better!”
The latest volume of Black Summoner will be released on June 25th.
Black Iron Mage has also been decided to be published.
For details, please check the activity report.
