“([Replicant Form], Ancient Spear)”
The extremely smooth curves warped, and what was formed was a white magic spear. An Ancient Spear created from the fangs of the “Ancient King.”
I shaped four of them, each the size of a large tree.
“([Compact Slash])”
I swung each of the four spears simultaneously, on different trajectories.
Following the lines shown by [Trajectory Prediction], I shot down the Silver Vassals that were rushing in at high speed.
The sounds of air bursting and metal screeching echoed incessantly.
It was an avalanche of silver, but with the corrections from [Raging Technique] and [Multi-Weapon Style], my attack speed was more than enough to handle it.
Eventually, all the Silver Vassals shattered, becoming silvery metal fragments that danced in the air.
It was like the diamond dust I once saw in the Great Northern Demon Territory.
“Impossible…”
He widened his eyes so much that I was worried they might fall out, and squeezed out a voice.
I couldn’t tell if he was talking about my skill in handling the Silver Vassals, or the Ancient Spear that broke through the unbreakable.
“([Super Leap]!)”
A chance! As if to say that, I closed in at full speed.
I already understood that he wouldn’t agree to talk. First, I need to neutralize him.
The “Demon Lord” moved at high speed as if repelled, but once I understood that, it wasn’t a speed I couldn’t catch.
“Stop him!”
Layers of [Mana] walls blocked my path. But before my mass and [Blast Dash], they were like thin paper.
If that’s all the obstruction, I’ll catch up soon.
“[Order Motion]!”
‘Hoh, so you can do that too.’
The “Demon Lord’s” next obstruction was to reuse the Silver Vassals that had just been shattered.
Prioritizing the relatively larger pieces, he forced dozens of metal fragments into our path.
However, those were no longer worth being wary of.
Once destroyed, the Unbreakable and Iron-Cutting properties were canceled.
And such high-level enchantments, it should take a considerable amount of time just to apply one.
“(Sorry, but I won’t let you get in my way, Sun Laser!)”
I sent laser beams from my drones towards those metal fragments.
The lasers, like bundles of sunlight, turned the mithril remnants into dust one after another.
“…fuu–”
‘Hm?’
The “Demon Lord,” who was steadily being cornered, suddenly let out a voice.
When I focused on him, wondering what was wrong, I noticed for the first time that the corners of his mouth were raised.
“–Fuh, hah, FUHAHAHAHAHAH! You’re outrageous, Kouya! I’ll admit it, you are an existence equal to me! It’s been a long time since my heart has raced like this. Let’s kill each other to our hearts’ content! [Spirit] Activation!”
‘Isn’t it a bit early to be senile, old man?’
The “Demon Lord” seemed to have forgotten his original purpose of testing my strength.
With the [Skill] he activated, a humanoid figure appeared in mid-air.
“[Spirit], a [Skill] obtained by humans who have reached the [Fifth Canon]. You can create a spirit using your own [Attribute] as a catalyst. Normally, it only has about half the power of the caster, but my spirit is an exception! By adding full mithril equipment and setting several restrictions, its performance has been dramatically increased! Now, what will you do, Kouya!”
The “Demon Lord” explained with high tension, as if his previous half-hearted, listless atmosphere was a lie.
Slightly overwhelmed by his demeanor, I stared at the spirit in question.
The first thing that caught my eye was the full mithril armor. Or rather, without [Clairvoyance], it would just look like a human wearing armor and wielding a greatsword and a greatshield.
But if I looked through the armor, I could see a vague, white-glowing outline of a body and a mysterious humanoid creature with a featureless face.
‘Well, whatever, I just need to break it! Don’t complain, [Slash Wave]!’
I activated a [Weapon Skill] that I hadn’t used much recently, sending out a flying slash.
The flying slash also had the Ancient Spear’s defense-ignoring effect, so no matter how hard it was, it could be cut like tofu.
“Rurureeeel”
Such expectations were shattered.
The spirit used some kind of ability, deflecting the trajectory of the slash.
‘Not bad. The spirit’s own [Mana] was decreasing, so can it use [Order] magic?’
“Only to a limited extent. However, do not think that you can easily break through!”
“(I wonder about that, White Drive)”
While questioning in my mind, I accelerated rapidly.
If long-range attacks are deflected, then it’s best to hit directly.
The spirit is human-sized, so it’s probably good at dodging, but if it does, I’ll just ignore it and target the “Demon Lord.”
Then, it comes down to how much power of Order magic it can use… but even that would be like a drop in the bucket unless it exceeds the “Demon Lord’s” output by a fair amount.
“(Lightning Strike, [Charge Slash])”
I sent out four or five Lightning Strikes with irregular trajectories. The Lightning Strikes were bent, but they were decoys.
Perhaps because the magic capacity was allocated there, there was no obstruction to me.
I cut the spirit in half with a quick [Weapon Skill], shield and all.
‘Next is–‘
“Ru, rele…!”
‘Whoops?’
In an instant, my momentum was stopped.
The vector that was heading towards the “Demon Lord” dissipated, and I was fixed in mid-air.
Looking behind me, the spirit that I had just cut down was stretching out its arm towards me, releasing a large amount of [Mana].
“Hahaha, you were careless, Kouya! Spirits have no physical form! No matter how sharp your spear is, physical attacks are meaningless!”
‘I can still move… It’s just “movement” that’s prohibited… I see, they’ve narrowed the target and strengthened the effect.’
While analyzing what had happened, I glanced at the spirit.
The armor was half-destroyed, but the body underneath was unharmed.
It was shimmering like a heat haze, so it really didn’t seem to have a physical form.
‘Is this the one casting the magic too?’
Considering safety, it would be better for the “Demon Lord,” who was far away, to use it, but the source was the spirit right next to me.
This magic might be very short-ranged due to its power. As proof, the spirit hasn’t moved an inch since earlier.
Judging from the amount of [Mana] consumption, the magic would probably be canceled if I left it alone… but probably, the goal is to buy time.
There’s a high possibility that he’s preparing a trump card like a [Royal Authority Skill]. It’s better to finish him off quickly.
‘Physical attacks don’t work, huh? Then how about this? [Scorching Supreme Treasure]!’
The spirit suddenly burst into flames. Since I was close by, it produced quite a bit of firepower.
But it didn’t seem to take any damage.
“It’s useless! Spirits don’t have a body to receive heat! No matter how high the heat, it will pass through the spirit’s body–”
“[L (Lock-on) AIM], [Thunderous Cycle of Rise and Fall]!”
[Scorching Supreme Treasure] was a distraction, to make it hard to see my movements with the flames. This is the real deal.
The Lightning Strike, released from point-blank range as a surprise attack, pierced the spirit without giving it time to change its trajectory.
“Flames don’t work, so needless to say, neither does electricity–”
‘I know.’
Certainly, I wouldn’t be able to electrocute a spirit that has no physical form.
But for my [Unique Skill], electrocution is just a superficial effect.
~Unique Skill Details~
[Thunderous Cycle of Rise and Fall]
・Maximizes harvest yield.
・Can manipulate thunder that strengthens the earth, harvests life, or defines shape.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Thunder that defines shape.’ In the battle with the “Ancient King,” I only used it as Shape Lock, but after that battle, I was two or three steps closer to the essence of power.
And this technique, which has reached a practical level, is this,
“(Shape Definition)”
“Rurue…?”
The spirit made a sound as if it felt something was wrong.
That became its death cry.
The Ancient Spear, which had been unleashed again, slashed the spirit, and the impact shattered its entire body.
If it has no shape, then give it one.
Even if it’s an existence like smoke that slips through when touched, if you put it inside a vessel, it’s the same as having a physical body.
The power to transform the formless into the formed. The ability of embodiment.
That is the essence of the ‘Thunder that defines shape,’ which sprouted after achieving [True Evolution].