There are times when I ponder when it was that I started to enjoy fighting while engaging in battles against strong opponents.
However, most of the time, a simple “Ah, well” suffices.
While I enjoy fighting, I am not intoxicated by it, nor am I addicted to it.
I am not fixated on strength, nor do I blindly worship it.
There is only one thing I can say.
Fighting is simply fun.
“Oh my, this child has considerably more talent than the one I fought before!!”
“I had a bad feeling when we weren’t able to push them back two-on-one, but it seems my premonition was correct!!”
I had a bad feeling from the moment Saml mentioned it as his masterpiece, but this Fenrir is a select individual among even the chosen individuals, and that’s probably what this Fenrir is.
I take the front lines, and Valse-san provides support from the rear.
To be frank, despite defeating the instructor with this formation, we can’t corner this Fenrir even with our coordination.
Even while exchanging blows with me, it remains wary of Valse-san and consumes even surprise magic attacks.
I’m using accelerated thinking to enhance my visual perception and cognitive abilities, and on top of that, Future Sight.
I can keenly feel the strength of this Fenrir.
“Oh? You look like you’re enjoying yourself, considering your words. You’re expending quite a bit of magic to maintain me, yet you seem to have plenty to spare.”
“Being in a pinch is business as usual. Besides, my Dragon Blood is activated, increasing my magic purity, so I can still go.”
Even though I know these are idle words, my voice involuntarily becomes excited by the sheer enjoyment of this battle.
I follow Fenrir’s agile movements, uncharacteristic of its massive body, with my eyes.
Then, I circle around and deliver a slashing attack.
“It seems to have no effect.”
As always, its defense is like an iron wall. I feel like it might work if I strike its vital point with all my might, but it’s difficult to do so when it moves so much and focuses so intently on defense.
Valse-san offers a wry smile at the lack of effect from my attacks.
Shrugging her shoulders won’t increase my attack power, though.
“We can’t do anything if we can’t break through that defense.”
I too have a strong desire to land a powerful blow, but Fenrir dislikes that and is running around the entire space to evade.
“The moment you manifested me, your magical consumption became overwhelmingly disadvantageous. Time is on that child’s side. It’s intelligent. When at a disadvantage, it chooses to fight a war of attrition. It truly understands the war situation.”
It remains ferocious, and it hasn’t stopped fighting, but it’s avoiding direct confrontation.
It seems to possess the wisdom to evade disadvantageous situations; it would be an excellent partner to team up with, but it is such a troublesome opponent when turned against me.
“Yet, when we ease up on our attacks…”
“It immediately launches an assault.”
It knows when to retreat and when to attack.
It’s a creature with a clear sense of rhythm.
I create distance, and just as I’m about to observe its movements, it kicks off the wall and closes the distance instantly, attempting to bite me.
In response to its pounce, Valse-san erects a dimensional barrier, but it shatters it as easily as tearing through shoji paper.
However, in that brief moment, I am able to prepare for an interception.
Its mouth opens again, and just as it’s about to bite, I strike its mouth with my Ore Tree.
“Oof, it’s hard.”
The hardness of its fangs, imbued with high-density magic, is enough to send a tingling sensation throughout my arm.
Even though I’m channeling my magic and swinging with all my might, not a single scratch appears.
Since I feel like I’m about to be swallowed whole at this rate…
“Here, take this!!”
I switch from slashing to striking and knock Fenrir’s head to the side.
I then deliver a spinning kick to its face.
Although it’s a giant of about ten meters, a full-powered kick can send it flying.
“It withstood it.”
“It did.”
Fenrir plants its feet firmly, enduring the kick to avoid being blown away.
Well, I figured it could withstand a magic-infused kick, especially since it could endure Pile Regret.
“Isn’t its learning ability too high?”
After taking my attack, it tilts its head as if to dissipate the impact.
“Hngh!”
As a result, it remains in place and uses that recoil to counterattack.
The distance is too close to evade, and I’m not in a stable position because I just attacked.
Valse-san’s support won’t reach me in time.
If that’s the case, I’ll deliberately relax my body and use my Ore Tree to parry Fenrir’s claws, then get blown away.
“…”
I land on the wall without a word, but it was quite a blow.
Even though I’m using the Ore Tree to offset the minimal required power, the attack resonates deep within my body. My attacks are ineffective, yet the opponent’s attack could be fatal if even slightly off.
I wonder what this desperate situation is, but then a realization strikes me.
“…”
If my attacks are ineffective, why doesn’t it attack relentlessly?
With a rush that ignores defense, it should be able to finish me off without minding even one or two counterattacks.
Yet, Fenrir doesn’t try to do that.
Why is that?
Can it not attack while defending?
No, that’s not it.
At the moment of attack, there were instances where it countered with a simultaneous attack.
Even then, my attacks didn’t have any effect.
Its defense is perfect.
The only areas it can’t train are vital spots like its eyes or throat.
As long as those are protected, there should be no problem.
But Fenrir doesn’t try to finish me off at once.
Why?
To resolve this doubt, I observe Fenrir while fighting.
Its movements, emotions, surroundings—all sorts of elements become intertwined within me, and I strategize to piece together the information.
Attacks intersect dozens of times per second, and I don’t care even when my cheek is grazed, drawing blood.
Even as my magic is being drained and the time limit ticks away, I don’t stop thinking.
It’s natural to be able to fight while concentrating.
Rather, stopping my thoughts is the problem; the moment I stop, defeat is decided.
I can’t fight relying solely on intuition like the instructor.
I always think, prepare in advance, and do my best.
That’s how I’ve achieved victory.
That experience whispers that Fenrir’s actions have meaning.
Where is it?
Kaaang! I deflect Fenrir’s claws with my Ore Tree.
Where is it?
Each time I formulate a doubt, Fenrir’s intense attacks increase.
What am I overlooking?
While receiving Valse-san’s support, I attempt to counter its fierce assault, but the problem remains that my attacks are ineffective.
All attacks—slashes, strikes, magic—are completely useless.
“Jiro-kun!”
“Ngh!?”
Even when re-examining the process, I can’t pinpoint the problem. I react to Valse-san’s warning in an instant, arching my body to evade Fenrir’s claw slash.
A white snake wraps around my arm, attempting to halt my movement, and a struggle between two colossal beings ensues.
“Honestly, what a rowdy child she is.”
However, the wounds on the white snake have not yet healed, and it’s not in a perfect state. Moreover, I am also losing in a pure power struggle.
The white snake is gradually being pulled away.
Finally, it’s swung around and slammed into the wall.
The impact of the white snake’s massive body hitting the wall stirs up dust.
My vision is momentarily obscured.
I realized this was bad, but that fleeting scene became invaluable information for me.
The dust became my salvation.
The dust particles, sparkling and dancing as they came into contact with Fenrir’s magic, inadvertently revealed the magic clinging to Fenrir.
Based on my thinking, I initially believed the source of Fenrir’s defense was magic emanating from within its body.
Or perhaps it was compressed and solidified within its body to maintain its hardness.
But if that were the case, I wondered why it could move so nimbly. If it could defend partially, that would be one thing, but if it was defending entirely, it would be like straining its whole body.
Its movements should be awkward and sluggish.
But that wasn’t the case.
Why, I thought.
And just as I was starting to accept that perhaps divine beasts are simply like that, the wind shifted.
“Flow?”
The dust particles, without touching Fenrir, flowed smoothly towards the rear. This sight held the answer to everything.
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
The dust temporarily visualized the movement of the magic, and I gained some insight into the true nature of Fenrir’s defense.
“Valse-san!!”
I yelled and dashed towards Fenrir.
Body Reinforcement, Accelerated Thinking, Future Sight—I used every means at my disposal to chase after it, at full speed, to confirm this hypothesis.
“Yes, yes! Leave it to me!!”
Valse-san, immediately sensing what I intended to do from my movements, began casting magic not to damage Fenrir, but to restrict its movement.
Dimensional barriers are deployed in succession.
The plate-like invisible walls, which shatter as easily as breaking rice crackers, have achieved sufficient results in impeding Fenrir’s movements, even if only for a moment.
One step, then another.
It might be futile, but I activate Takemikazuchi and charge my Ore Tree with electricity.
Purple lightning crackles and sparks, engulfing the Ore Tree’s blade.
My gaze meets Fenrir’s.
It looks like a child’s face, brimming with excitement, as if asking what I’ll show it.
This is proof of its absolute confidence in its own body.
Its expression, once hostile, has transformed into a provocative face revealing a child’s innocence, as if challenging me to try if I can.
I feel it’s somewhat childish for an adult to go all out against such a child, but it is also the role of a senior to teach a life lesson here.
“Takemikazuchi, converge.”
Normally, I would either discharge the electricity or shape it into a blade. But this time, I show it in the form of a spear.
I anticipate the flow of the opponent’s magic and lunge forward. Thanks to the continuous deployment of dimensional barriers, its magic consumption is immense, and over half of its magic has already been depleted.
Thinking that if this doesn’t work, I’m out of options, yet with the conviction that it will work.
“Purple Lightning Arrow!”
I lunge forward and unleash a full-powered thrust. Fenrir, which I see ahead, seems to think, “What’s that meager attack?” It cannot evade, but it awaits my strike, believing it can receive it.
That judgment is sound and normal, but…
“Spiral Spear!”
Foolish.
Twisting my body in mid-air, I propel myself at high speed by expelling magic, and pierce Fenrir’s widening eyes.
“Ruaa!?!?”
Yes, it pierces through its fur defenses, and blood splatters.
The base of its left foreleg.
It’s still rotating at high speed, clashing with Fenrir’s magic, but I’ve managed to pierce it.
The first damage, the first pain, confusion. It incomprehensibly moves its body and blows me away.
I land on the ground, absorbing the momentum.
And Fenrir and I face each other again.
Red blood stains its white fur.
It is undoubtedly a wound I inflicted.
Fenrir winces from the pain, but its gaze is filled less with anger and more with confusion as to how I managed to penetrate its once-unbreakable defense.
Its anger subsides, and its combat consciousness fades.
“Hey!! I said you could fight, but what do you mean by hurting that child!!! And how did you get through its defense?! I can’t believe it!?”
Above all, by the time an outsider’s interference occurred, this battle was effectively over.
I was largely satisfied with learning about each other through this fight, and I pondered with my flushed body how I should explain this to Saml, who was running towards me with an angry face.
Today’s Word
Even if the process is chaotic, sometimes everything can be resolved if the outcome is good.
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