[Intermediate Battle: Demon King’s Horn]
I see the flow of mana.
I can see a calm stream, a raging whirlpool, and the infinite sea.
Humans cannot go against nature, but nature cannot push humans away.
So humans cut down mountains, dammed rivers, and built ships to cross the sea.
Was it thanks to explosives, dams, and sailing ships that this was possible?
No, it was because the explosive reactions, dam construction techniques, and ship design technologies advanced day by day.
Craftsmen who cannot see through to the essence have no right to choose their tools.
[Crafting: Boss – Einstein Condensation – Spin Cloud]
The air freezes cold and all atoms passing through the magic circle slow down.
As I recite the Rune language, Larson raises his great sword high and starts charging at me with fierce speed.
There’s no need to aim.
I stretch my arm forward and pass through the magic circle, gripping a bluish mana cloud very tightly.
The chill flowing between my fingers is an incredibly nostalgic sensation.
[Casting: Glacis Ion Trap]
“What…!”
A huge ice hand rises from beneath Larson’s feet and grips his body.
Creeeak-!
I can hear the sound of the barrier breaking from here.
As if refusing to allow any further shock, Larson spins Mistilteinn and shatters the ice hand.
I take several steps back and replicate another magic circle.
[Chain Casting: Glacis Ion Trap]
“Hahhh!”
Breaking through the fiercely resisting flow of mana, I bring my hands together at my chest in prayer.
Clap!
The sound resonates.
Bboom-!
Chills whip up on either side of Larson, and two enormous ice walls charge toward each other eagerly.
Ka-chunk-!
The ground instantly freezes, scattering hard clumps of sand.
To avoid the walls that are trying to crush him, Larson jumps high into the air.
A clear handshake; it was the perfect opportunity for me.
I instantly release the ice wall and combine the two magic circles to expand the dimensions.
[3 Circle Casting: Glacis Ion Trap Catellus]
I rotate the magic circle, which was set vertically, back to horizontal, filling the 16 corners with 1 Circle runes.
From beneath Larson’s feet, 16 ice chains fly in from different directions and latch onto his body.
Immediately, I pull all chains taut and slam the bound sinner into the ground.
Boom-!
The impact was strong enough to create a crater.
It must have dealt significant damage not just to Larson, but also to the particle barrier.
An arm emerges from the pile of ice.
Barely escaping from the grave, Larson kneels and catches his breath.
As I smile slyly, raising my brows, his expression reveals his bewilderment.
As Larson repositions his weapon, he says,
“Hah, hah… You’re quite talented, aren’t you? Don’t think this is the end. The moment you fall into my hands, it’s over.”
“I don’t think trembling like that is exactly tough talk. And if I don’t get caught, then that’s that.”
“You little!”
Swish-!
Larson drives his sword into the frozen ground.
[Casting: Heat Transfer – Conduction]
Mistilteinn wrapped in a magic circle turns red, causing the ice to sublimate into steam.
The ground becomes like a sticky swamp.
Larson engulfs his feet in aura, elevating his speed.
‘I can’t let him do as he pleases.’
[Crafting: Superfluid – Helium]
[Casting: Glacis Vortex]
Chill rises from the ground.
Remembering earlier mistakes, Larson chooses to ignore it instead of jumping again.
But the superfluid that moves like a swarm ensnares his ankle.
In an instant, the swelling slime sweeps over Larson like a wave.
“Ureeeek!”
As he panicks, I seize the opportunity and prepare my connection move.
[Crafting Cancellation]
[Casting: Viscosity Control]
The fluid becomes increasingly viscous.
I firmly anchor the slime holding Larson to the ground.
His desperate attempts to slice through it with Mistilteinn yield pitifully little effect.
I slowly approach Larson, whose body has become rigid.
“Shall I let you go?”
“…”
“I can give you one more chance.”
“Get lost.”
Larson grits his teeth, gathering all his aura.
Creeeak-!
Blue lightning ruptures within the slime, freeing Larson’s hands as he escapes from the swamp.
With a whistle, Mistilteinn is retrieved.
He glares at me, his expression significantly twisted now.
It would be called a tactical retreat, but Larson is running all the way to the far end of the training arena.
I smile lightly and gesture with my finger, beckoning him to come at me.
Red mana swirls around the great sword, and soon, raging flames envelop it.
[Unique Magic: &^@#@%]
The unfamiliar magic circle structure? It must be the family’s unique magic.
Lightning strikes as the sword absorbs energy like a lightning rod.
He dashes straight toward me with a sword flickering with violet sparks at his waist.
‘This is fierce.’
There isn’t even a hint of effort to dodge or counterattack.
It’s a reckless charge, trusting in the superiority of his Aura Heart output.
Even though I shoot a few ice spheres, I can’t penetrate the odd barrier formed in front of him.
Then I’ll have to use a spell that can forcibly stop him.
Frost magic must be viewed separately from typical water magic.
Water is water magic; ice is ambiguous, but still water magic.
Then what is frost magic?
Only ultra-low-temperature magic that defies the laws of physics at room temperature can be called frost magic.
[Crafting: Iron – Arsenic]
[Casting: Superconductivity Phenomenon – Meissner Effect]
Vroom-!
I generate strong repulsive force in front of Larson, pushing him back.
And double-casting.
[Casting: Glacis Ion Trap Catellus]
With my left hand’s magic circle preventing him from approaching, I mercilessly swing the ice chains with my right.
Bang-!
With each chainslash comes a loud explosion.
Every time Larson sets foot, a superconducting phenomenon lifts him, repeatedly slamming him with chains.
Watching his clothes get tattered more and more, I can’t help but feel a tad sorry.
“Are you not giving up?”
“Hah… Haah… Huah…”
He looks far too out of breath to even answer.
Larson tries to turn the situation around by using even unfamiliar magic.
[Casting: Arc Sphere-]
But,
[Cancellation: Arc Sphere Exclusion]
With triple casting, I predict his spell and cancel it mid-casting.
“…!”
“Only I can use magic.”
At that moment, Larson becomes like a person who has lost their sanity, screaming in rage as he rushes at me.
“This monster! Aaaah!”
I can’t tell if he’s thinking or what anymore.
“This is boring.”
Finding interest in an enemy who’s lost the will to fight is not easy.
Just look at him now. Full of openings.
For the first time, Larson has managed to close the distance, raising the great sword high.
The sunlight reflects everywhere, emitting brilliance.
I take a step forward, slightly lower my head, and draw all my mana into the tip of the black horn.
[Casting: Niobium]
Wiiiing-!
A unique tone that cannot be heard in nature shakes the space.
As steam touches the black horn, it turns to frost.
A space generating powerful electromagnetism emerges, and at last, the mana compressed to its limit explodes powerfully.
[4 Circle Casting: Glacis Astar – Railgun]
Bam-!
“Ugh.”
Ah, I forgot to block my ears.
A shockwave that deafens spreads in a circle.
The mana surpassing the threshold reaches the particle nature perfectly.
The perfectly straight mana projectile sends the man flying across the training arena by several dozen meters.
I think I heard a scream while he was flying, or maybe not.
When I lift my head again, Larson is unconscious from the direct hit of the railgun.
Everything around is quiet.
I take a big yawn, and my ears clear up.
“Prince Larson!”
“Your Highness!”
The dome shield opens, and black-clad bodyguards rush in from beyond the fence.
I didn’t notice it while inside the arena, but it got really hot outside as the wind whooshed.
Out of the twelve bodyguards, half rush to check the prince’s condition while the other half surround me.
“Hmm? Why? You want to fight me too?”
Didn’t they just see me fighting?
As I say this, they subtly start to distance themselves.
“This must be a dream.”
Hearing the late-arriving coach Harold, or was it Harald?
Anyway, the bear-like coach mutters blankly with a dazed expression.
This is correct.
These insignificant country princes who could disappear with a mere twitch of my hand dare to try to teach me something.
The instructions ought to be coming from my end at all times.
*
In the shadowy corner of the Training Arena Waiting Room, Larson suddenly opens his eyes.
It felt like waking from a long sleep, yet his body felt far from refreshed.
Turning his head, the ice pack resting on his forehead falls to the ground with a thud.
“Are you back to your senses?”
“Where is this…?”
“You fainted during the duel!”
“A duel? I…! Ah!”
As memories return, his head throbs, and his whole body aches.
“Ughhh!”
“Don’t move. Your knee and shoulder might dislocate again.”
“The fact that it might dislocate again means it already… Agh!”
The temporary healing magic circle is working diligently.
He wanted to ask for some anesthesia magic, but as the prince, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
‘Still in the waiting area, huh?’
His eyes adjust to the light, starting to assess the situation.
Prince Larson realizes he has just lost to a nine-year-old kid without landing a single effective hit.
If Katsuhata Emika felt like a truck, then the duel with NoName felt like being hit by a supersonic fighter jet.
Recalling this makes his stomach clench even more.
“Ugh! How about anesthesia magic…”
“Excuse me? You’re currently partially anesthetized. To go any stronger, it would either be full anesthesia or sleep anesthesia.”
“Wait, this is what’s called anesthesia? Damn…!”
“Just hold on for 10 minutes. I’ll treat you soon.”
While Larson turns to the side, stealthily shedding a tear, a familiar girl’s voice reaches his ears.
“Ten minutes? That’s quicker than I expected. If I had known the medical staff were this good, I would have hit you harder.”
“There were several dangerous attacks, but fortunately, they missed the vital points.”
“Did I miss? I did it on purpose. Whatever, it’s fine. Elias Larson, since you’re anesthetized, let’s give you some feedback on the duel.”
“Ugh, right now? Can’t you see what my state is like?”
“Hmm… You look fine, right? Is it unbearable to the point you can’t hear? Hmmm, is it that bad?”
“No, just do it. Just do it!”
“Why are you so spineless, Prince? Anyway, stand up. I just got video feedback from the coach.”
‘It hurts just to breathe; are you telling me to get up now?’
Prince Larson hesitates.
His pride isn’t going to feed him, so he decides to lower himself a little.
“I can do this while lying down…”
“Hmm.”
“I’m still in pain.”
“Then sure, go ahead and listen while lying down. Now that I think about it, you might have a bit of a superiority complex, but since that’s your culture, I can understand.”
Having been born as royalty, he had renounced his titles.
It was the first time in his life he’d ever heard anyone accuse him of having a superiority complex.
“Now, this part. You did very well to break the Ion Trap with the sword and escape; however, why did you suddenly jump up during the second trap? I genuinely find that judgment unfathomable. From the previous situation, you surely knew that breaking it with the sword was an option and that blocking it would be far safer than jumping. Did you have some thought behind jumping? Did you have a vampire ancestor that made you sprout wings or something?”
“What, what?”
The rapid-fire barrage of sarcasm caught Larson off guard.
“Tell me quickly. What were you thinking?”
Next to Prince Larson, Na-me squats down, frowning.
Her gaze is slightly looking down on him with dissatisfaction; an eyebrow raised and her brows knitted together, she looks at him like he’s a fool and an idiot.
Faced with the cold feedback from the 9-year-old ice witch, Larson is momentarily speechless, unable to answer anything.
