“Lululalaa♪”
A cool voice, like thin metal rubbing against each other, echoed, and the ice crystals floating around the Clione pulsed strongly once.
“(Crap, 〖Super Leap〗!)”
I instantly jumped to the side. Flying wouldn’t be fast enough.
I kicked off the air with my 〖Skill〗, and immediately after, a barrage of cold-colored light bullets slammed into the spot where I had been.
But there was no time to breathe a sigh of relief.
I flew at full speed, weaving through the air, dodging the continuous stream of light bullets. Even with 〖Trajectory Prediction〗, I’d get hit if I let my guard down.
These light bullets were being fired from the ice crystals.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that they were turning the ice crystals themselves into light bullets and firing them.
When an ice crystal flashed, it would fly towards me as a light bullet the next instant.
“Lalalala♪”
Then, a new attack was added.
It was icicles. The icy ground was sharpened like a needle hell, and they were fired at me.
Combined with the light bullets that were still being fired, the sheer volume was impossible to dodge completely.
Well, the icicles were fine, though.
I focused on dodging the light bullets. Many icicles hit me, but none of them pierced my outer layer.
As expected, physical attacks weren’t a threat.
What was scary were beam-type attacks like the light bullets.
If it was just a type with destructive power like magic bullets, it would be fine, but if it had special effects like scorching magic bullets, it would be bad.
“(Light and ice… huh?)”
I had gotten a little used to dodging, and I had the leeway to think.
I recalled the information about the “Polar King” that I had heard from God. I didn’t have time to ask for detailed 〖Status〗, but I was roughly told about the abilities of the Ten Kings.
Light and ice were the areas that the “Polar King” was good at, as I had heard at that time.
Demon Beasts were said to specialize in one area of ability as they 〖Evolve〗.
In my case, my soul and race weren’t directly connected, so I could do a wide variety of things, but normally, the more powerful the 〖Skill〗, the more biased the system would be.
And the “Polar King’s” biased areas were light and ice.
“(So these light bullets are probably related to ice, too… tooh!)”
While narrowly avoiding the attacks, I observed the Clione.
It had been flying towards me all this time, but its movements were slow. Thanks to that, I didn’t have much trouble keeping my distance.
It was clearly holding back… but I had two options right now.
Continue with long-range attacks, or take a chance and get closer.
The former was more stable. It was pretty much maintaining the status quo.
However, it was clear that I couldn’t win in a shooting match.
Even if I got used to dodging enough to weave in attacks, I’d probably just get shot down like before.
It would also be tough to engage in a 〖Mana〗 endurance battle.
In such a vast 〖Zone Control〗, the amount of recovery from ‘Collection’ would be considerable, and I didn’t know when the Clione would get serious.
So, the options were naturally narrowed down, but approaching carelessly also had its risks.
It might have a defense-ignoring 〖Skill〗 with a short range, and its close combat ability was also unknown.
“(…No, I have to take a gamble somewhere.)”
I changed my mind.
If I was going to get closer eventually, the best time to do it was now, when I had some physical leeway and the opponent was underestimating me.
“(Alright… here I go, 〖Super Leap〗!)”
“Lalala♪”
The Clione was caught off guard by my feint, and the aim of the light bullets shifted greatly away from me. I turned and jumped forward.
A fierce acceleration with 〖Blast Dash〗. This shortened the distance by half, but as I passed the turning point, the light bullets’ aim locked on.
Unlike before, I was moving forward, and dodging from here was impossible.
“(Shield, activate!)”
But the Artifact I had prepared would make it in time.
A translucent shield formed by 〖Mana〗 blocked the light bullets.
The shield froze and cracked in an instant, but it was enough if it could hold for a moment.
I confirmed that all the light bullets’ lines of fire were directed at the shield, and then,
“(〖Super Leap〗, 〖Super Leap〗!)”
I weaved through the light bullets in a V-shaped trajectory.
Using 〖Mimicry〗, I turned the same color as the ice, gaining a slight camouflage effect, and caught the Clione within close combat range.
“(Alright, let’s brawl, Polar Ki──huh?)”
I was about to mimic several weapons to pierce the Clione’s body that was right in front of me. I was. I should have been.
“(–But, why am I here?)”
Immediately after being hit by a mysterious shock all over my body, I was embedded in the ice on the ground.
The icy ground, which had been ravaged by the Clione’s 〖Skill〗, was now covered in countless cracks.
The center of the cracks was the crater where I was.
The Clione, who should have been within reach, was far above in the sky, dancing merrily.
It was as if—yes, as if I had been knocked down by the Clione without realizing it.
“(The Clione’s 〖Mana〗 is decreasing… Is it some kind of 〖Skill〗? I was hit at light speed… No, if that were the case, there should be a delayed sound or aftershock, haha.)”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the phenomenon that was beyond my understanding.
An exhilaration that was not defeated by the cold of the ice spread through my cells.
“(That’s right, it’s a 〖King Beast〗! It’s only natural that it can do that!)”
Come to think of it, ever since I 〖Evolved〗 into the distant, radiant Halo Wheel, I hadn’t had a battle where I had to give it my all.
I completely shut down the Earth Serpent with the difference in pre-battle information and the number of attacks.
I was also able to win against the White Weasel I fought for the first time in the Great Demon Labyrinth just by using my cards appropriately.
Even the battles with other 〖Calamity Beasts〗 didn’t put me in any major pinch.
I wasn’t dissatisfied with that.
The fate of the Underground City and the world was at stake, so it was better for the enemies to be weak.
But it was also true that I felt a little let down, like there was no challenge.
“(I can’t afford to be complacent, 〖Replicant Form〗.)”
I floated up into the sky.
This time, I mimicked the White Drive. An Artifact that was an improved version of the Storm Driver used by the Machine God.
Originally, it was an armament for the legs, but after being improved, it became an Artifact that purely gained speed.
It allowed for instantaneous high-speed movement and was easy to maneuver. Since I mimicked it inside my body, there was no worry of it being exposed to attacks.
Although I could still use 〖Super Leap〗 eleven more times, I didn’t know how long the battle would last.
I would increase the burden on my abundant 〖Mana〗 reserves and conserve the number of times I used my 〖Skills〗.
“Ririlula♪”
The Clione, who was directly above me, began to rain down light as soon as it saw me move.
However, the number of bullets was the same as before. It wasn’t that difficult to just dodge.
“(Shield, activate!)”
Well, if I got close, I would likely get hit, but I would use the shield Artifact there.
I had also started using the White Drive, so this time I approached the Clione without using 〖Super Leap〗–
“(Wha!?)”
–Shock. This time, I was blown away horizontally.
The Clione, who should have been right there, was a hundred meters away, and I hurriedly used the White Drive to brake.
“(Third time’s the charm!)”
Then, for the third time, I tried to approach the Clione.
I got through countless light bullets, but this time, unlike before, I released an attack when I got somewhat close.
“(〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗, 〖L(Lock-on) AIM〗!)”
Countless magic bullets attacked, but the Clione didn’t even show any signs of defense.
It was as if it didn’t need it, and in fact, it didn’t.
The magic bullets that took the lead couldn’t even scratch the Clione’s seemingly soft skin.
The other magic bullets that were about to rush in would probably end up with the same result.
“(Charge Thrus──)”
Of course, even if I tried to get close while hiding among the magic bullets, the Clione’s gaze was firmly locked on me, and as before, I was blown far away before I knew it.
This time, I was embedded in a nearby iceberg.
“(I’m getting used to it, this sudden shock. …And, why are the magic bullets disappearing?)”
Even while buried in the ice, my consciousness was directed towards the Clione.
Around that guy, who was still making an irritating laughing sound, there wasn’t a single magic bullet that should have been approaching just a moment ago.
The first thing that came to mind was the possibility that they were caught up in the attack that blew me away.
Since it blew me away at a speed that I couldn’t perceive, it wouldn’t be strange if the aftershocks alone could erase the magic bullets.
But, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with ice or light, I thought.
If I was attacked by light, I shouldn’t have missed it visually, and if I was hit by ice, there should have been more collateral damage. So far, the only things that have taken damage are me and the magic bullets, and the number of ice crystals in the air is…
“(-Huh? Come to think of it, when did the number of ice crystals return?)”
As I was pondering, I suddenly noticed something off in my vision.
The number of ice crystals near the Clione was less than in other places because they were consumed by the light bullets. And yet, before I knew it, they were about the same as everywhere else.
They didn’t increase while I was thinking. I had been paying close attention to the Clione and its surroundings so as not to miss any suspicious movements.
Come to think of it, it feels like the number of ice crystals always returned after I was blown away.
“(…No way.)”
I could make a certain guess from these pieces, but I couldn’t believe it right away.
However, having experienced the abnormality of a 〖King Beast〗, I couldn’t say it was impossible.
“(I have to confirm it before I can move on…)”
And so began the fourth try.
I dodged, approached, launched a mid-range attack, and before I knew it, I was buried in ice again.
At the same time, I reached one conclusion.
The basis for this was the range-specialized magic bullet that I had fired in a random direction before the fourth charge.
Its position was far from where it had been just a moment ago.
“(This is confirmed… isn’t it? Hahaha, seriously?)”
Clearly, subjective time is skipping.
I don’t know if my time was ‘frozen’ or if my consciousness was ‘frozen,’ but either way, it’s the same thing in this case.
The “Polar King’s” ice seems to be incredibly versatile.