“Retreat! Retreat, for goodness’ sake! Fall back to point three of our plan and regroup! Kitamiya!!”
“I got it! I’m going all out, so I can’t conserve my magic!?”
“That’s perfect!”
Even though the plan failed, they wouldn’t give up.
To instantly regain their composure, Minami, while protecting her immobile right hand, resumed command, with Kitamiya responding in perfect sync. While the two usually bickered, they often found their rhythm precisely because they clashed.
Instantly, water surged, attempting to impede my movements, while Kitamiya, instead of Golems, conjured an uncountable number of ice spears in the air, preparing a barrage.
“Amy, I’m leaving Katsu and Kaido-senpai to you!”
“OK!”
Their movements prioritized escape over defeat. Minami’s actions, assessing the current situation and seeking the best course of action. She provided Amelia with potions, thinking of a way for everyone to escape, not just the two of them. It was proof that she could still think calmly.
“Nice, nice, that’s it! Minami!!”
I accelerated my magic circulation into high gear and assumed an offensive stance once more. The opponent, even after having their trump card broken, showed no hesitation in their movements, which exhilarated me.
When I received that lightning. In a moment, I thrust my unadorned hand towards the sky. That action wasn’t a mere reflexive defense. It had a clear purpose.
“Listen, Jiro, the true power of equipped magic lies not just in being able to wield magic, but in something deeper.”
“Deeper?”
During training, when learning armored magic, the supervisor had taught me its usage.
“This technique specializes in attuning oneself to magic. And this magic…”
For me, who primarily fought in close combat, having a means to counter long-range attacks was essential. That’s why this magic would be useful, and the Supervisor and Instructor Fushio had chosen armored magic for me. The reason was not only that I needed it now, but also…
“It doesn’t matter whose magic it is – your own, an ally’s, or even an enemy’s. It can attune to any magic. Anything composed of magic power can generally be attuned to, though the difficulty varies.”
The Supervisor, smiling wryly, explained its versatility, mentioning that it required some skill and had exceptions. Hearing that, I thought, ‘What kind of mage-killing magic is this?’ The fact that armored magic could attune not only to one’s own spells but also to others’ meant that when charging, I could convert incoming magic into armor instead of just defending against it, and push forward. Furthermore, it allowed me to make the opponent consume MP while gaining an offensive tool myself. It was a technique well-suited for close-quarters combatants, useful in various situations, such as closing the distance.
“Master the opponent’s magic and overwrite it with your own. It’s not easy, and you need a large total magic power for it to even be worth discussing, but you can do it, Jiro.”
Even so, I couldn’t attune to the magic of the two who had taught me this technique. But now, I understood. This technique, if honed, could indeed evolve into something incredibly dangerous. As proof, I was now attuning a siege magic, which should have been difficult to defend against and certainly lethal if hit, not only defending myself but using it as my own armor while attacking Kaido and the others.
I blew away Kitamiya’s rain of ice spears with the discharging lightning and charged forward in the shortest possible path. When dismantling such a group, the usual tactic is to eliminate the rear guard before the front line. Among them, I fixed my target on Minami, the troublesome mastermind. Our gazes met, and despite my own predatory grin, Minami wore a disgusted expression. I almost laughed at her stoicism, but I was impressed that she could maintain such an expression without showing fear. I accelerated, unfazed by Kitamiya’s barrage and shaking off the water Minami manipulated, intending to attack directly, but…
“I won’t let you!!”
Kaido attacked from the side.
“Kaido!”
“A true man, Kaido! This is where it counts!!”
“That’s what a frontliner should be! Come at me!!”
I could feel my own excitement. Their growth. Seeing it, I found myself rejoicing. That’s why I would also go all out. Kaido’s attack, repeated once, twice, thrice with all his might to defeat me, stopped my charge.
“Keep him pinned down!!”
Kitamiya’s ice magic provided support, and “Strength Enhancement! Magic Resistance Veil!” Minami’s support magic bolstered Kaido. Despite being grazed multiple times and bleeding, Kaido blocked every fatal blow. The combination of the two-sword style and magic from three different angles suppressed the power to a level that could barely affect me, prioritizing offense.
“Long-range healing magic!”
Further support arrived. Kaido’s wounded body began to heal. A faint, pale green luminescence appeared.
“Thank you!!”
Glancing over, I saw Katsu, who had prioritized maintaining the frontline over his own treatment, extending a hand towards Kaido while leaning on Amelia for support. To meet that expectation, the strength of Kaido’s sword increased.
“Hahaha!”
I understood why Instructor Kio enjoyed the battles. Witnessing growth was this enjoyable. Kaido and the others were probing for an opening to retreat, while I intended to finish them here. Such a battle. Whether it would end, I didn’t bother to consider the unnecessary. Such thoughts would be disrespectful to Kaido and the others. So, what then? Simple.
“Ore Tree! Circulate your magic!!”
“Geh!?”
Minami distorted her face, realizing Kaido was in trouble. Without caring, the Ore Tree pulsed once, answering my will, accelerating the magic circulation between me and it. The purity increased, and in response to that magic, the Azure Thunder I wore through my armored magic erupted further, striking Kaido. Lightning was troublesome. Its discharge hurt the opponent, and its light blinded their vision. Kaido fought well. That’s why making him use this technique was worthy of praise.
“Kitamiya! Cease your retreat! Full defense! That’s dangerous!”
“Amy, come here and help!”
“OK!!”
Not just Kaido on the front line, but Minami too seemed to sense that dangerous atmosphere.
“Kaido-senpai, what do we do!?”
“I’ll manage somehow! Ah, honestly! I’m not a character who should be working this hard!”
Kitamiya and Amelia stopped their retreat and deployed full defensive magic. Minami also lent a hand in reinforcing it, albeit with one hand. Responding to Katsu’s cry, and denying her own character, as if proving the words “you can do it” with her own actions, she manipulated multiple spells simultaneously.
“You only get one chance, Kaido-senpai, so make sure you take it!!”
Meanwhile, my preparations were also steadily advancing, aiming to shatter their assumptions. This technique was the strongest firepower I possessed. Even Instructor Fushio and the Supervisor, when facing me, would avoid a direct hit with this one strike. The surrounding water gathered around me again, creating a vortex. While clashing with Kaido at its center, I was also preparing my next move. Fighting the Supervisor, I had learned that unleashing a great technique required preparation. Cutting and parrying, creating an opening in the opponent, I created the time needed to unleash a move with a long wind-up, and the time needed for instant release. Utilizing that experience, while clashing with Kaido, I mixed the magic of my armored magic with the magic circulation of the Ore Tree. The method was the same as the Dragon Breath imitation I used the other day against the Supervisor, combined with a technique called “Monkey’s Roar.” The difference was its power and range. I prided myself on the unparalleled destructive power of this attack.
“Take this properly!!”
A clicking sensation, as if something had locked into place, was felt. In my slow-motion vision, I savored that locking sensation and watched Kaido being blown backward, using the momentum of the slash I had unleashed. Kaido, carried by the flow, was swept into the defensive formation created by Minami and the others. The vortex created by Minami transformed into a wall, standing in my way to block my attack. A wall of water, a wall of ice, and behind them, even more double and triple layers of magic barriers. To that, Kaido’s defense was added. It was likely the hardest defense they had devised to block Instructor Kio’s attacks. While sending encouragement to those who prepared such defenses, I unleashed this one strike to test how high my attack could reach.
“Armor.”
On top of Amelia’s magic, I added my own magic, and it enveloped the Ore Tree. The shape it took was a horizontal line.
“Hahaha, a day may come when that strike can take my very life,” Instructor Fushio had said.
The day I acquired this technique, Instructor Fushio, who defended against it, felt a sense of danger from my single sword strike.
“Hmm, I won’t call it merely passable. You’ve passed. You’ve grown strong,” the Supervisor had praised me directly, with an expression I rarely saw. They had shown me their results. Now, I would show them mine.
“Pseudo Divine Sword.”
Once, and only once, the existence known as the Ore Tree had reached a realm beyond Holy Swords and Magic Swords, a realm that neither Dwarves nor Giants had ever achieved. That tree had become a legend, its existence only spoken of in lore. Some artisans, jealous that a natural being had reached a realm they could not, denied its existence. The means to prove its existence were known only to the gods. Whether I and my Ore Tree had reached that realm, I didn’t know. However, in the hope of reaching that realm, I named this strike.
“Release.”
I lowered my stance, pouring more power into my legs, preparing for the impact of the magic that was about to be unleashed. From legs to waist. From waist to shoulder. From shoulder to arm. My entire body weight, and magic, loaded onto a single sword strike. Its name was…
“Take Mik!!”
“White Lightning” filled my entire field of vision. A single strike from the sword god, clearing away all obstacles. As the power left my body, a sense of emptiness washed over me, but I instantly resumed magic circulation with the Ore Tree and regained my posture. Just because I unleashed a powerful blow didn’t mean the fight was over; I had to see. A strike that enveloped attribute-based great magic, intensified by magic circulation with the Ore Tree, and released. I stylishly called it a “Pseudo Divine Sword.” As its name suggested, its fuel efficiency was abysmal. It was a monstrously bad fuel efficiency that consumed all circulated magic. Even for me, who possessed remarkably high magic aptitude, the destructive power of this strike, capable of robbing me of my sustained combat ability, was…
“Hmm, did I overdo it?”
Even though I had done it myself, it was not something to be unleashed on a whim. The terrain changing was a common expression, and the scene before me was exactly that. The arena, which was the landscape, had been wiped clean from my footing, resulting in a remarkably clear view. As a selfish worry about whether they were safe popped into my head,
“It’s a win,”
“Oh ho, you’ve learned a good move!!”
“Hehehe, it seems you’ve increased the power as well.”
My worries were unfounded. Supervisor, Instructor Fushio, and Instructor Kio. They had protected Kaido and the others with their hands. Everyone was pale, but their gazes condemned me, as if asking, ‘What kind of attack was that?’ To them, I apologized with one hand, saying, ‘Sorry, sorry.’ And then…
“With this, the current training concludes!”
The Supervisor, having witnessed the result, brought the current training to a close.
Today’s word: Confirming results is important, but do it in moderation.
This concludes this section. This arc will end after one or two more chapters. Thank you for your usual feedback on typos and your comments. If you enjoyed it, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume of the book has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. A second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content includes revisions and additions to the material posted on Shosetsuka ni Naro, as well as unpublished interlude chapters. Please also check out the new releases!*
*A manga adaptation by Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third” has been decided to be serialized in issue #9. I hope you will enjoy that as well.*
*Thank you for your continued support of this work.*
