“No way, this guy…!?”
I stood there, dumbfounded.
If this were the formidable enemy from my premonitory dreams…
“…Can I possibly win?”
My whole body tensed with anxiety.
Before I knew it, the gravity bullets were already close.
“Damn—”
For a moment, I was stunned and hesitated to cast my spell, missing the timing.
It was a critical mistake.
“Wall Sapphire!”
But just then, Ashe activated her Defensive Magic.
A wall of ice appeared, blocking our path, and absorbed the gravity orbs, dissipating them.
“…Hoh, quite an impressive magic power. The Magiradar reading has risen to 52,000.”
Dopari’s goggles displayed numerous numbers on their surface.
It seemed to be a device for measuring magic power.
“Not as much as mine, but Aisha seems to have some exceptionally skilled mages as well,” Dopari said with an arrogant laugh.
“But it’s only a temporary measure. Your attacks won’t harm the Golems, and they will continue to attack you with endless magic power and perpetual motion. It’s obvious who has the upper hand in this fight, isn’t it?”
“You’re right, if this becomes a long battle, we’ll lose.”
Saying that, Ashe readied her staff.
The same staff she had shown me on the way here.
“Ashe, I’ll go with you…”
“I’ll go first.”
Ashe bit her lip, a look of grim determination on her face.
“We don’t know if the enemy has anything else hidden up their sleeve. If we lose you, our trump card, right away, it could decide the outcome of the battle.”
Was she perhaps intending to be a decoy, to gauge the enemy’s attacks?
Seeing my concern, Ashe offered a gentle smile.
“Trust me, Abel. I am the captain, after all—Lil.”
“Yes.”
Lil stood beside Ashe, also readying her staff.
“I already told you it would be futile? The Golem’s armor—”
“Is that not susceptible to half-hearted magic?” Ashe stated resolutely to Dopari, who was floating above.
“That’s why I will annihilate them with our strongest spell—Booster Rod, Exelion Form!”
In response to Ashe’s incantation, a slender groove appeared at the tip of her staff with a soft click.
A wing-shaped energy, glowing pale pink, shot from the groove.
The Booster Rod transformed, its tip sprouting light wings.
Beside me, Lil readied her similarly transformed staff.
The beautiful mage and the elven magic swordsman exchanged glances.
“Full Boost—”
They activated the power of their staffs.
The pair of light wings extending from the tips unfurled wide, as if in flight.
“What is this…!”
Behind his orange goggles, Dopari’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Your magic power is rising rapidly…!? 125,000… 180,000… 259,000… It’s still going up…!”
Indeed, it was tremendous.
An ordinary mage’s magic power level was around 10,000.
I had heard before that even Slayer Captains were around 30,000 to 50,000.
But the magic power of Ashe and Lil now was beyond compare.
Their rising magic power turned into a flame-like aura, engulfing both of them.
“M-Magic Power Level—Over 400,000!? What in the—”
To the astonished Dopari, Ashe and Lil simultaneously aimed their staffs.
“Icicle Cannon!”
“Windy Cannon!”
And then—their spells activated.
Ice magic bullets shaped like dragons and wind magic bullets shaped like phoenixes.
These two attack spells spiraled and slammed into the Golem forces.
A roar and explosion several times louder than before erupted.
All one hundred giant Golems were blown to smithereens, scattering as countless debris.
Their vaunted armor was no match for attacks imbued with such immense magic power.
“I’m surprised. A magic artifact that amplifies magic power… So, it’s a staff with a similar principle to a magic orb.”
A voice echoed from mid-air.
Looking up, I saw Dopari floating in the sky.
He must have cast Flight Magic just in time to avoid being caught in the explosion.
“To think there are those who can create such artifacts outside my Empire. But—”
Dopari snapped his fingers.
The scattered debris on the beach then floated up and began to converge in one spot—
“Whoa, no way…”
I exclaimed, half in shock, half in exasperation.
It was exactly what I feared.
The gathered debris reformed into Golems, instantly returning to their original state.
The regenerated Golem army stood in line in the same positions as if nothing had happened.
“No way—!?”
Ashe gasped in disbelief.
“Useless, useless, useless! These are not ordinary Golems. They are special models incorporating the 41st Magic Orb bestowed by His Majesty, the Magatsu Emperor!” Dopari boasted with a booming laugh from his aerial perch.
“Their immense defense nullifies all ordinary magic, and even if that defense is breached, the Orb amplifies my magic to instantly regenerate them—it’s a two-layered, impregnable structure!”
Solid defense coupled with super-fast regeneration.
These were troublesome enemies.
“However, if the Master, me, were to be directly targeted, it would indeed be problematic—”
As he spoke, Dopari retreated in the air.
The countless Golems formed a shield, blocking the way.
“By positioning myself here in the rear, that weakness is eliminated.”
Indeed, to strike him directly, we would have to break through an army of over a hundred Golems.
An army that ordinary magic couldn’t harm and that would immediately repair itself even if destroyed… an immortal army.
“Now, rampage! My finest Golem army!”
The Golems approaching from the sea simultaneously entered an attack stance.
Their mouths opened, spewing flames and acid.
The radiation plates on their chests glowed, unleashing attacks like light and heat rays.
Their arms detached like rockets and were fired.
Even if we used counter-magic, we would be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. A saturation attack right from the start!
I wanted to say we could defend instead if we couldn’t intercept.
But at this close range, I wouldn’t have time to cast a spell.
And it wasn’t an attack that could be blocked by Silent Incantation defensive spells.
“This is the end, knights of the Kingdom!”
“I won’t let you—”
My chest burned.
The resolve I had been building, bit by bit, with Claire and Racine the other day.
The determination and courage to protect the people of the Kingdom.
I could feel them burning within me.
With my heart pounding, I cast a spell with Silent Incantation.
“Aegis Sphere!”
I expanded the range to its maximum, to cover everyone present.
A level of defense impossible for an ordinary mage’s Silent Incantation, I forced it through sheer, immense magic power—
Immediately after, a tremendous explosion of light and wind detonated.
“Guh… Ugh…!”
The pressure from the attacks of a hundred Golems was immense.
The magic field I had deployed flickered repeatedly, as if screaming.
I funneled all my magic power into the defensive spell, striving to maintain the field.
I even felt as if my life force itself, not just magic power, was draining away.
Finally, what felt like an eternity passed—
“…Impossible.”
It was Dopari who let out a cry of astonishment.
“You blocked all of that with a Silent Incantation spell!?”
“You’re really… going all out…”
Panting, I glared at Dopari, who was positioned behind the Golems.
I was incredibly depleted.
If Claire and Racine hadn’t performed a Sex Ritual on me the other day, I wouldn’t have had enough magic power.
But I couldn’t afford to collapse now.
No matter how strong the opponent, I had to fight.
I had to defeat them and protect everyone.
I was probably the only one here who could do it.
Even if the opponent was the formidable enemy from my dream.
I will win—
I told myself, repeating it again and again.
Unlike in the city, here, even if I unleashed my full-powered magic, there wouldn’t be any collateral damage.
So, I shouted, my fighting spirit blazing.
“I’ll show you—my full power magic!”
