“Oooooooohhh…”
“(Thunder Harvest Scythe)”
“……oh…”
The sensation of reaping a life, and it soaking into me. The sound of a massive creature collapsing.
Amidst the shattered ice fragments reflecting the sunlight, I devour the flesh of the Feral Beast I had slain.
“(I’m getting consistent with this on the second try.)”
I mutter, reflecting on the previous battle.
While I still haven’t succeeded against a fully healed opponent, if I weaken them with a Lightning Strike first, I have a pretty good chance of success.
“(Usable parts into Weapon Storage, then. Shall I move on?)”
I gain momentum with a running start and take flight with Crimson Wings.
The Mana density, which was already at the level of a Feral Beast zone at the first battle location, is now at a level I’ve never experienced before.
Well, thanks to that, the Mana Crystals are rapidly absorbing Mana like dried-up sponges, and I don’t get exhausted even when flying at full speed.
“(So, this ridiculously dense Mana is causing the plants to grow abnormally, huh?)”
What lies ahead is a forest that doesn’t belong in the Arctic.
Even though they’re covered in ice and snow, none of the trees are withered, and they’re rooted in the ice.
There’s no sign of Zone Control, so this is something that exists naturally.
I’ve seen similar sights several times before. It’s like an oasis in the desert.
Usually, weak Demon Beasts gather in these places, and I’ve seen them fleeing from Demon Beasts that prey on them or nibbling on plants.
Inanimate objects increase their power by absorbing Mana, and living creatures become stronger by consuming them.
I’ve learned after fighting a few times that the Feral Beasts around here have high Stats. It’s probably because they’re eating good stuff every day.
Eating those guys will also lead to my own strengthening.
I don’t think I’ll see that much of a difference overnight, though.
“(Hmm? This sensation is…)”
As I passed through the forest and entered a blizzard zone, I caught the scent of Zone Control.
I would have ignored it if it were a little off course, but this Zone Control was a little different from the others.
“(So, the Calamity Beast finally makes its appearance, huh?)”
The feeling is harder, heavier, and thicker, similar to the Earth Serpent’s Zone Control.
In order to challenge the “Polar King” who is said to be near the North Pole, I should fight an Calamity Beast around here.
“(Release ‘Convergence’)”
I land on the ground and spread out Koushou, slamming it against the opponent’s Zone Control.
A heavy response was transmitted. The dominance seems to be equal.
The opponent must have also sensed that there was an Calamity Beast. It seemed to be heading towards me.
Since Zone Control becomes stronger as you get closer, I can vaguely grasp the distance between us.
I kick off the crystallized ice floor and dash towards the Calamity Beast.
When you become an Calamity Beast, the range of Zone Control also increases several times, but if you have the Speed of an Calamity Beast, you can quickly traverse it.
“(Clairvoyance… Is that the Calamity Beast?)”
As I pierced through the blizzard that blocked my vision and focused my eyes, I discovered an unusual presence.
It was a giant Snowman.
Its size, which was simply larger than mine, was moving its short legs with heavy thuds as it approached.
“(First, a test, Replicant Form, S(Sparkle) U(Aproot), L(Lock-on) AIM!)”
Thinking it would be very effective against a body of snow, I fired high-heat magic bullets from my two Crimson Wings.
The magic bullets, which spread to the left and right, drew a trajectory as if they were being sucked into the Snowman, turning the white giant into a honeycomb.
“(Huh…?)”
And then, the Snowman’s body simply melted away.
Most of its body crumbled into a slushy mess, and the areas where the scorching magic bullets hit directly seemed to have evaporated past the water stage, with steam rising around them.
“(It’s too fragile for an Calamity Beast… and the Zone Control hasn’t disappeared.)”
I remain vigilant. But I don’t know the trick.
Judging from the feeling of the Zone Control, the Snowman (remains) should be the main body… Could it be that it will revive if I don’t completely annihilate it?
Thinking that, I started to recharge Mana into my Crimson Wings when it happened.
At multiple points surrounding me, a huge amount of Mana exploded.
“(What… ?)”
At the locations where the Mana exploded, the ice was instantly shattered, reconstructed, and transformed into pure white Snowmen.
Of course, the remains of the first one I had just melted were also included.
“(So that’s how it is, damn, the Mana is too dense… Crystallization is impossible.)”
With Koushou, I should be able to turn the ice into Mana Crystals and interfere, but the ice in the Arctic has absorbed a lot of Mana, so it takes time to replace it.
“(Still, what kind of Skill is it that’s creating the Snowmen? Is it something like a Familiar based on ice?)”
~Skill Details~
Familiar: Consumes Mana to create a Familiar that inherits its own properties. By giving Mana to another with consent, they become your Familiar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Familiar is a Skill that all Calamity Beasts learn uniformly.
Well, the Mana consumption is heavy, and it would be difficult to use in battle unless you have as much Mana as I do.
What was just used was probably a subspecies Skill limited to Snowmen.
“Snoooowoooo!”
Among the Snowmen, the first to move was the one behind me.
I don’t have a face, but assuming that the direction I attacked earlier was the front, it might have been trying to launch a surprise attack.
Or maybe it’s just a distraction.
To divert attention from the Snowman that seems to be the main body in the center of the Zone Control… No, no, there’s also the possibility that it’s a bluff.
There might even be a way to move the Zone Control’s point of origin to another location.
“(It’s a pain, so I’ll target them all. Lightning Strike, Tenfold)”
I unleash attacks on ten Snowmen at once.
I couldn’t attack in parallel like this before, but the Skill I gained through Evolution made it possible.
~Skill Details~
L(Lock-on) AIM: When attacking at long range, Mana can be consumed to grant a tracking effect. The position of one’s own long-range attacks can be grasped. When performing parallel long-range attacks, information processing ability is corrected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“When performing parallel long-range attacks, information processing ability is corrected.”
This amazing ability, where sixteen out of eighteen characters are kanji, is the key to parallel firing.
Simply put, it’s an effect that makes your brain work faster when you perform multiple long-range attacks at the same time.
That’s why I can apply tracking ability to countless magic bullets and instantly determine trajectories that won’t cause the magic bullets to collide.
That’s why firing about ten Lightning Strikes at the same time is a piece of cake.
Crystallization doesn’t work, and they’ll probably resist instant death, but if I fire ten, at least one of them will,
“Kikikikii!”
“(What!?)”
Suddenly, as if replacing the lightning I had released, a white shadow jumped out from the first Snowman.
Before I could clearly grasp its form, it closed in on me and, as it passed by, slashed one of my Crimson Wings.
The Crimson Wing, cut in half, necrotized and froze. Strangely, there was no pain.
“(I see…)”
The Lightning Strikes pierced through the Snowmen, and with that empty sensation, I understood everything.
This is the sensation when there is no target to instantly kill… when instant death is used on something without a soul.
“(The big, conspicuous Snowman is a decoy, huh?)”
From the beginning, the Snowmen weren’t alive.
It was just that this guy was manipulating them from the shadows.
“(Heh, you’re doing something interesting. I’ll reincarnate you as a tanuki instead of a weasel!)”
In the center of the blizzard’s Zone Control, the Demon Beast stood ready to move at any moment.
It was a weasel, small for an Calamity Beast, yet exuding an immense presence, as pure white as the first snow.