Maria’s scream finally ended, and Kelvin began to speak anew. He explained that Maria’s unique skill and magical attacks were within the scope of what “Paramita” could nullify, their special ability from another world. He also revealed that this was how Kuro was able to touch Maria’s magic without taking damage and absorb her magic power while remaining unharmed.
“In addition to that, Kuro has the ‘Impact Nullification’ skill. No matter how powerful your fists or tail are, if they happen to hit Kuro, they won’t cause any damage,” Kelvin added.
“…I see. So, it was the ultimate weapon against me. With such a cute appearance, you’re far more troublesome than the slimes in my world,” Maria responded.
Kuro scratched his head (or what seemed to be his head) with a part of his body that had extended, apparently embarrassed by Maria’s words.
“Ahaha, and yet you’re so full of emotion♪ Celestial Zoar♪”
Maria interspersed a song into their lighthearted conversation and suddenly unleashed a scarlet wind that resembled animals. These wind-like creatures, appearing as cute as small birds, kittens, and puppies, possessed the same destructive power as the hell-forming magic Maria had used earlier. Their destructive power, speed, and tracking capabilities all surpassed Kelvin’s abilities. However, these attacks simply passed through Kelvin and the others. Even when they tried to attack again, the result was the same. The animal-like constructs seemed perplexed by this development, milling about aimlessly.
“It’s useless, we’re not canceling our phase-through state,” Kelvin stated.
“Oh dear, are you declaring yourselves shut-ins? It’s true you tricked me earlier, but you can’t win against me like this, can you? It’s been a while since the fight started, and I haven’t even been worn down at all—”
“—No, this is the end.”
Maria couldn’t process Kelvin’s declaration of victory at such a moment. Yet, the moment of fate approached.
“I can only win like this for now, but I’ll surely catch up to you someday. Maria, please wait until then?”
“What’s this, a confession to an idol who’s married?”
“Kelvin-kun!?”
“N-No, that’s not it! It’s more like, I want you to live a long and healthy life. That’s the kind of meaning it has!”
Maria’s “Pop!” coincided perfectly with a massive explosion engulfing the entire field, which served as the battleground.
***
“Waaaah, can you lose like this!?”
While waiting for Ange to change into her wedding attire, Maria’s voice could be heard. She sounded genuinely frustrated, but she was already dressed for the ceremony, so it was likely part of her act. It was the reception now, and even Maria wouldn’t do anything reckless.
“I told you, didn’t I? This is how I win,” Kelvin said.
“But still, I don’t think such brute force is necessary!?”
Maria stomped her foot, doing a tap dance that was just barely not destroying the venue. *He wouldn’t do anything too reckless, would he…?*
“Hey, please don’t destroy the venue,” Kelvin pleaded.
“Of course not! I’m a vampire who can sincerely congratulate even a stranger’s marriage!”
“Yeah, and who was it who declared ‘Wait a moment’ just a little while ago?”
“That was then! This is now! Here, have a drink for your troubles!”
“I think the context for that phrase is a bit off, and you’ve completely dropped the act of not being able to drink alcohol, haven’t you?”
Kelvin accepted the drink for now. Perhaps needing an outlet for her frustration over her defeat, Maria had been drinking Traage sake non-stop since the battle ended. She had even joined the “Sacred Sake Enthusiasts’ Club,” which had unknowingly formed with the terrifying trio of Mel, Gerard, and Adams. Honestly, approaching this club required a willingness to face death. In many ways.
“Kelvin-kun, next time let’s have a fight where there’s no disqualification! Frankly, a sparring match is too soft! It has to be a real battle! Yes, a real battle solves everything!”
“You’re saying something quite unreasonable…”
Incidentally, the victory in this battle was decided by none other than Kuro. Using the incredibly vast magic power he absorbed from Maria and the excess slime body he had stored as he grew, he detonated himself in the center of the field. The magic power, directly and completely absorbed from Maria and the super-massive magic, resulted in an unprecedentedly devastating power. It was so immense that it pushed everything else—the seawater, Maria, and even us, who were in a phase-through state with ‘Unblockable’—out of the field. This confirmed Maria’s disqualification, and we managed to secure a narrow victory.
It was good that we won safely. It was good, but… right after being pushed out of the field, Maria was already back to her energetic self. Despite taking such a suicidal attack head-on, she was still stomping her feet energetically. Yeah, this one is truly a monster. I wonder if anyone in this world can beat Maria in any way other than this current method? If so, I’d love for them to teach me how— No, I’ll figure it out myself.
