Kelvin, blown away by the fierce fists, saw it from a distance in the midst of it all. Great black wings, emitting a strange glow. Spread as if rooted in the air, overwhelmingly powerful yet beautiful, one could almost be captivated. It lacked the ferocity common to the black flames of before, possessing an almost refined atmosphere.
“Finally, it has come, to God!”
Kelvin uttered those words involuntarily. Then, he excitedly sent a telepathic message.
“Hahaha, I’m done for! I, of all people, was captivated during a battle!”
“Master, are you making such remarks in front of me again…”
“No, this isn’t that kind of thing! More importantly, Mel, are you alright?”
“Yes, during the blow-away, ‘Self-Consumption’ activated, and somehow the wounded holes that opened all over my body have closed. I will have eaten by the time this blowing-away subsides, and if possible, I’ll have dessert afterwards and return to the front lines.”
“Oh, I see, I’m relieved… Then, we can attack again, towards Rukil!”
“Master, are you intentionally making such remarks? Are you waiting for a reaction?”
“Huh? If you say that, aren’t you the one who’s doing it? ‘Return to the front lines after eating dessert’ – no matter how you think about it, you’re waiting for a reaction, aren’t you?”
“No, no, you are.”
“No, no, you are.”
That discussion was utterly pointless. However, just as there is no meaningless thing in the world, this discussion also held some significance.
“Ah, I can feel the waves of seasoned lovey-dovey from them. Hmph, leaving me out in the cold, yet even I…—”
“—Is that so!”
Rukil was about to open new doors, but Kelvin had already closed the distance. Rukil’s peculiar fetish – no, peculiar nature – of converting all events into pleasure. Kelvin seized a perfect opportunity, exploiting a slight opening that occurred during that process.
Kelvin, pouring “Mana Overload” into Wind God’s Leg and reaching a speed that surpassed even his physical limits, had already sustained significant damage just from the movement up to this point. The price of super-speed that left not only sound but even light behind.
(Cheap, what an affordable price…! To be able to see such a wonderful world with this level of serious injury, it would be a waste not to buy it!)
Of course, Kelvin accepted it gladly.
—Slash!
“Ara? Another new pain.”
Kelvin slashed. He split Rukil in half again, this time along with the widely spread black flame wings. And this time, not vertically, but horizontally. Rukil’s upper and lower body were separated, and as expected, both continued to move energetically.
“Purified Boiling Water!”
Although not as enhanced as Kelvin’s, who had pushed himself beyond his limits, Mel was also endowed with Wind God’s Leg. With a fragment of dessert on her lips, she unleashed new Combined Magic.
A white stream of water appeared from nowhere and, like a snake hunting its prey, gobbled up Rukil’s upper and lower body. With fierce momentum, it swirled around, forcibly taking Rukil on an underwater roller coaster ride. Naturally, one must be careful about suffocation while riding this underwater roller coaster—but neither Kelvin nor Mel expected a conclusion in that regard.
“Rukil has now become an incomprehensible creature! Let’s assume normal gill breathing!”
“If their specs haven’t changed, their damage tolerance should be the same! Let’s inflict damage thoroughly!”
The Combined Magic [Purified Boiling Water] possesses qualities of both “White Magic” and “Blue Magic.” Specifically, it’s like imparting the ability negation of the divine sword and Sacred Heavenly Garment to a torrent flowing through the air. Previously, it was magic that demonstrated its effect when imbued into weapons or armor, but it had a clear demerit of nullifying one’s own enhancements. However, because this Purified Boiling Water imparts its effect to the water itself (in actuality, boiling water), the previous weakness is resolved. Furthermore, the water attacks the opponent as a snake-shaped torrent, also acting as a pure attack—in other words, Purified Boiling Water is a truly innovative magic, distinctly different from previous negation magic.
“Master, now’s your chance!”
“Ooh!”
Now that Rukil was swallowed by Purified Boiling Water, the manifested Authority and the black flames of the wings should be nullified. This was truly an opportune moment. Kelvin synchronized with Mel and unleashed pinpoint, consecutive slashes with his scythe into the flow of boiling water.
The slashes cut through Rukil, who was likely struggling within, but since Purified Boiling Water is a liquid, it was barely affected. The moment it was hit by the slashes, the cut surfaces were restored, and the forced roller coaster ride resumed as if nothing had happened. It suppresses the opponent with unblockable attacks while nullifying their power—this strategy, which works no matter how superior the opponent is, is perfectly suited for this battle. It could even be effective against Maria and Adams, whom they will likely fight tomorrow.
…Of course, if those attacks actually hit.
“—I see. I have savored it. The ingenuity of the powerless, born from the desire for victory. I have learned something new.”
” ” ! ” ”
Suddenly, Purified Boiling Water scattered. No, it dispersed. It was instantaneous, as if it had rapidly vaporized.
“If I had to say just one thing, you should have noticed that the amount of water was decreasing slightly every second. It seemed like a wonderfully advanced magic, but it also felt like you weren’t used to it yet. It’s a real shame.”
Rukil reappeared from the unceasing steam. She had wrapped the black flame wings around herself. The black flames vaporized the liquid only within the minimal range around her, severing contact with the Purified Boiling Water. As it was a very small amount compared to the total volume of Purified Boiling Water, Mel, the caster, did not notice it.
However, even so, her body still bore faint lines resembling cut surfaces in some places. The scythe’s slashes, which had pierced through Purified Boiling Water and even the black flame wings, inflicted damage on Rukil—no, it’s questionable whether that was truly substantial damage either. Those scars also healed in an instant, and she was now back to an almost undamaged state.
“Well then, it’s about time my plan starts to take effect, isn’t it?”
“What—!?”
“This is…”
The situation was not improving; it was worsening. At that moment, all the enchants that had been applied to Kelvin and Mel were stripped away. The scythe imbued with the Black Staff was likewise affected, and now both of them were exposed.
Rukil’s Combined Magic [Black Annihilating Princess], which had broken through Kelvin and Mel’s previous strategy, possessed more than just the powerful black flame wings themselves. The wave of heat emanating from its wings enveloped the battlefield created by Maria, an unavoidable attack from which there was no escape. In essence, it gradually degraded everything it touched with heat, eventually rendering it powerless. During the brief moment Kelvin and Mel escaped Purified Boiling Water, this field had been dominated.
“Both of you, surely this isn’t the end? Come now, show me further creativity and ingenuity. I am expecting miracles to occur before me.”
“…I am honored that you would have such expectations. Mel, the amount you ate is still enough, isn’t it?”
“Naturally. I was just warming up some meat buns with that nice heat we received earlier.”
Kelvin and Mel continued to laugh, however. The subsequent exchange of blows was one-sided. One could say they were being toyed with to death. Each time they received immense damage, Kelvin and Mel suffered severe burns, or were scorched away, and in some cases, melted.
In response, Kelvin used White Magic to heal, and Mel used “Self-Consumption” for immediate regeneration. Even in this state of battle, they did their best and still did not give up on victory—but that is precisely why it was clear that a single misstep would lead to defeat. Though they persevered, relying on their inherent recovery abilities, at best they were barely managing to stay alive. A comeback from this point was already…
“Papa, Mama, let’s get serious! …now!”
— “Monster Parent,” activated.
