Things you see for the first time are usually not a good thing for us.
This is even more so if it’s a magical artifact called a magic circle.
Judging from the amount of light emitted, it’s clear that a considerable amount of magic power is being poured into it without hesitation.
“Kaido!”
“Roger!”
It’s a matter of course to seal it before they can do anything.
My junior responds to my actions just by shouting into the radio.
Kaido’s flagship begins to transform, and a giant turret emerges from its bow.
Energy is already being charged, as crimson magic leaks from the tip of the main cannon.
Fortunately, the magic circle is outside the barrier of the Tower of God.
It should be possible to break it with the main cannon of the Magic Battleship.
We don’t have the luxury of leaving something that clearly declares itself as dangerous unattended.
A three-second charge time, which sounds short, but is actually long for the Magic Battleship created by the Machine King, is followed by a strike that, though instantaneous, dyes the sky red.
A crimson flash runs in a straight line.
It pierces through the magic circle.
Or so I thought, but I saw a silhouette standing in front of that crimson light.
“You’re coming here now!”
No, it’s not a person.
It’s not human, it just looks human-like.
Three pairs of wings sprout from its back.
Even though it’s about to lose an arm, the silhouette shows off its strength.
The last Seraph stands in the way of the crimson flash.
Raising a slender sword to the heavens, it slashes vertically.
With just that, it tears the crimson flash apart.
“Instructor!”
“Kaka Kaka! You understand well! Don’t let anyone near! That’s my prey!”
I understood in an instant.
That’s out of specification.
I knew that even for me, fighting it would be a matter of life and death, and that I’d need to deploy multiple generals, but we don’t have the luxury for that.
If left unchecked, the fleet above would likely be annihilated.
So, I choose the best option available.
It was fortunate that, while calling out to the instructor, it was clear who would react.
As if to say “strike and you shall receive,” Instructor Fushio, who was active on the ground, immediately leaped into the air.
“Suella, I’m going forward too.”
“…Then Tofam?”
There’s a gap.
Suella confirmed her role before moving, asking if she should fill it.
“Ah, after summoning Tofam, summon Tempme as well.”
“Understood.”
It’s not good to consume all my magic power to operate at full capacity later.
Therefore, a supply of magic power is essential.
Turning my back to her as she prepares for the summoning, I take a step onto the battlefield.
“Jiro-san.”
I look back at her voice that stops me with that one step.
“Good luck.”
“Ah, you too, Suella.”
I deliberately showed an innocent smile.
Honestly, a mere corporate slave has ended up in a ridiculous place.
“Tell them to leave the command to the main camp.”
“Yes!”
I sent my adjutant, who was nearby, as a messenger to transfer command to the Demon Lord, and then dashed forward without hesitation.
I gradually accelerate, being careful not to send shockwaves towards Suella.
Looking up at the sky, a clash of black and white is unfolding.
“Even the instructor doesn’t have an easy time.”
A stray bullet from it falls to the ground, causing damage to our own forces.
It’s a shame that the barrier deflects it, and no damage is done on their side.
From my perspective, running through the battlefield, the instructor’s magic falling nearby feels like reliving a trauma as I run.
If it were the instructor, they wouldn’t make the mistake of letting stray bullets fall on their allies against a weaker opponent.
But the fact that it’s happening means they’re definitely not at ease.
Not at ease mentally, but at ease with their strength.
Such a world-shattering fact.
I didn’t want to face it directly, but…
“I can’t afford not to.”
Muttering a complaint, I look up at the sky where they are continuously attacking the magic circle with naval gunfire.
“It’s already confirmed that I’ll be working overtime, but there are times when you just have to do it!!”
I stomped on the ground with all my might and leaped into the sky.
The magic circle’s intensity is abnormal.
It blocked the hidden weapon of Kaido’s flagship, but ignored all other attacks.
In fact, even though attacks hit it, the magic circle didn’t budge.
Amidst this rain of attacks, I kick through the air, and the magic circle looms before me.
I don’t know what will come out, but my intuition whispers that it won’t be good, so I grip the Ore Tree without hesitation.
“KIEEEEYAAAAAAAAAA–!!”
With a roar of determination, I slash at the magic circle.
When it comes to slashing, no one should be able to surpass me. I can even cut conceptual things.
“Tch, as expected.”
Or so I thought.
I definitely ran my blade through the magic circle, but there was no tangible resistance.
Well, if I’m cutting conceptual things, there’s virtually no physical resistance, but I still have the sensation of having cut it.
My slash was unfazed.
This, then, is…
“A divine summoning circle, is it!?”
As if to confirm my shout, the magic circle expands further.
Too fast.
My prediction was that it would take longer.
Or is it because we attacked too aggressively?
Our preparations are incomplete.
At that stage, the divine summoning has begun.
At that moment, my back lights up.
This is Tofam’s light, and a healing light that spreads throughout the entire army.
With this, the army has no fear of collapsing easily.
And as a result, the clouds also change.
The clouds become stormy.
This is the power of Tempme, who can control the weather.
When I fought Suella one-on-one, she took time to summon spirits, but if she can solidify her defenses and concentrate on summoning, she can summon them simultaneously.
The angels’ movements suddenly slow down.
They intended to gain air superiority, but the weather in the sky has shifted to our favor, making it agony for the angels in the sky.
This should have been a tailwind for us, but…
I widened my eyes in surprise at the arm that sprouted from the magic circle.
A burning giant’s arm, should I say?
Judging by the shape of the hand, it’s the left hand.
The hand that emerged from the magic circle and moved reached out and casually grabbed the air, tearing it away.
It was a gesture as if it had grasped space itself, not a pantomime.
It happened in reality.
“It tore apart the sky.”
The arm that grabbed the clouds burns them.
The arm grabbed a part of Tempme and burned it.
Magic power was immediately supplied from Tofam, and the weather manipulation resumed, but…
“The output is too different.”
A part of the body, and even with limited output, a part of a god.
Even Tempme, a spirit with considerable power, cannot easily resist the power of a god.
“No, is it heat in this case?”
And as soon as the divine arm appeared, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed.
The ambient temperature rose noticeably.
As expected of the body of the Sun God, its heat must be tremendous.
“…If this continues, won’t the temperature become dangerous?”
It’s obvious that if the sun were to appear directly on the ground, it would be dangerous.
I was warned about this, but it hasn’t reached the point where the ground is instantly scorched.
Is it because it’s just one arm now that it’s only this much?
While gradually extending from the magic circle, cutting down attacking angels, and repeating this, the arm is gradually growing beyond the elbow joint.
“I’ll give it a shot before that happens!”
The thought of it manifesting physically and being able to cut it flashed in my mind.
I leap into the sky again.
“CHAAAAAA—-!!”
I thought it would react to my movement, but perhaps its perception ability is low due to the lack of sight?
I was able to easily reach it with my blade.
“I can cut it, but I can’t cut it!?”
Unlike the magic circle from before, this time I cut it properly.
However, even though I should have cut off the entire arm, it reconnected in an instant.
Things that are cut conceptually should not reconnect. This means that although I cut it physically, I didn’t cut it conceptually.
“Is its defense not that high?”
Originally, defense would be mere decoration in front of my slashes, but I didn’t expect it to apply to a god as well.
I had thought it might be difficult to cut.
“No… that’s not it.”
That’s probably the truth.
I can cut it, but I can’t cut it.
It seems contradictory, but considering the nature of fire, that’s probably how it is.
Even if you cut through fire, it continues to burn as long as the embers at the root are not extinguished.
It’s a tangible arm, but it’s made of the sun’s flames.
I can cut it, but it only appears to be cut; it’s not actually cut.
On top of that.
“Partner, are you alright?”
“Yeah, no problem. But we can’t stay in that flame for long, you know?”
When I ask my partner, named Ore Tree, it replies that there are no problems, but a reality that can’t be taken lightly is upon us.
My partner, Ore Tree, which is both a mineral and a tree, has a terrible affinity with fire beyond a certain limit.
As long as the temperature is below a certain level, it’s fine.
It can easily withstand temperatures of around 1500 degrees Celsius, where iron melts.
However, it’s a different story when it comes to the temperature of a blast furnace used by giants, or even a magic blast furnace used for forging magic swords.
To process all sorts of metals, an immense amount of heat is required. The refractory bricks created using alchemy to achieve this can withstand temperatures of up to 7000 degrees Celsius.
Do you understand?
We can create bricks that withstand temperatures higher than the sun.
In other words, a magic blast furnace can achieve temperatures higher than the sun.
Ore Tree is a metal and a tree.
It only has a certain resistance to the concept of heat.
Using its magic power abundantly, it can withstand temperatures up to the sun’s.
In fact, if it uses conceptual defense, it can withstand any physical temperature.
However, the flames of the Sun God are a different matter.
It possesses heat comparable to the magic blast furnaces used by giants, and the god’s flame is probably conceptual heat.
Otherwise, this land wouldn’t be a sea of heat in no time.
The fact that the ground isn’t molten is the best proof.
“If it’s a prolonged battle, it might be manageable with Suella’s spirits…”
“If the magic power runs out, it will melt instantly.”
“I’ll have to fight while protecting Tofam.”
We are challenging an opponent who is, in a sense, our natural enemy.
“It looks fun.”
“Does it look that way?”
“Yeah.”
However, instead of despairing, I seem to be smiling.
It can’t be cut, and my weapon might melt.
Furthermore, I have to protect Suella’s spirits that support the battlefield.
Rain begins to pour down.
This is Tempme’s power, trying to cool the Sun God’s heat as much as possible.
The raindrops that touch the Sun God disappear instantly, not even turning into steam.
Still, the surrounding temperature becomes somewhat more bearable.
It’s going to be a tough fight.
A new magic circle has appeared on the opposite side, so is it the right hand that will emerge now?
Despite this, I have a smile on my face.
“Can you cut it?”
“A foolish question.”
As time passes, the situation becomes increasingly critical, and our preparations are not yet complete.
Even though we have to engage in a battle of attrition with a god…
I tell my partner that there are no problems, and attack the god again.
“The point is, I just need to swing it before I get melted!!”
Simple and clear: if I don’t cut it, the world will be destroyed.
Just knowing that is enough, so I unleash my attacks with all my might.
“Kahahahaha!! I’ll do it!!”
As I unleash my slashes, it’s with sheer stubbornness that I challenge the god.
The more I cut, the more I understand.
Ah, honestly, why, how is it so difficult to cut?
I feel like Issun-bōshi challenging an oni.
But strangely, I didn’t feel like giving up.
Today’s quote:
Schedules are important.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Secret Bases and Other Things!!
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