Episode 330: Underground Shelter
The instant the jet-black Fireball and Water Bullet collided in mid-air—a violent explosion erupted.
The shockwave spread outwards, and Rui, Akito, and Mia desperately endured, shielding their faces with their arms. Rising above the smoke was Yuma, who had spread his water wings and taken flight.
He stopped in the air, pointing the dragon head on his left hand towards the ground.
There stood Albert, unharmed. He smirked, gazing at the sky with amusement.
“Amazing. Not only can you clad yourself in Water Magical Power, but you can transform into such a form. Then I suppose I have to raise my ‘gear’ as well.”
Flames spiraled around Albert. Then, Albert’s body slowly began to float.
“W-What the hell is that! How can he float with ‘Fire Magic’?”
To Akito, who couldn’t hide his surprise, Rui calmly analyzed the situation.
“Probably, by deploying the flames in a spiral, he’s creating a tremendous updraft. He’s grabbing onto that current with a ‘Magical Barrier’ and rising.”
“Can you do something like that easily?”
“No… It shouldn’t be possible for a normal human. It’s a technique that can only be achieved with Albert-san’s overwhelming ability.”
Rui and Akito, perplexed, turned their gazes back to the battle before them. Albert had risen about thirty meters and faced Yuma, who was floating.
After a moment of silence, Yuma flapped his wings and soared.
Albert also moved. He fired several “Fireballs” from his palm. Yuma dodged the rapidly flying Fireballs by the skin of his teeth while flying.
The Fireballs exploded one after another in the air. Yuma wasn’t just being pushed around; he wouldn’t stay silent.
He pointed the dragon head on his left hand at Albert, gathering Mana in its jaws.
“Eat this!!”
The “Water Bullet” was released from the dragon’s mouth. He fired several shots, trying to hit him, but Albert gracefully dodged them in the air, and conversely, fired Fireballs.
Neither attack hit easily. The stray “Fireballs” exploded like wildfire in the air and on the ground, and when the Water Bullets burst, they covered the entire area with ice crystals.
A back-and-forth battle where neither side yielded an inch. To settle the score, Albert drew out his Magical Power to the maximum.
“To think you’d be this strong… Even so, I don’t think you can dodge this, can you?”
The flames swirling around Albert began to change color, turning black. They roared and blazed, eventually transforming into a flame Dragon.
A combination of the third and fourth tier of Fire Magic.
The Black Flame Dragons increased in number, and five Dragons appeared in the air.
They set their sights on Yuma and swam through the sky, attacking all at once.
“Bring it on!!”
Yuma fully released his Water Magical Power. The surrounding temperature dropped to below zero, and the ground where Rui and the others were standing began to freeze white.
This was due to the effect of the large amount of Magic Gems Yuma had obtained in England.
If he fully released the Water Magical Power he had absorbed, including the Blue King’s Magic Gem, it would become a disaster.
Rui and Akito, who knew this, panicked, saying, “This is bad!”
If things continued like this, Albert’s life, and the lives of the people here, might not be spared. Rui looked at Akito’s face, and they nodded at each other.
They looked up at the sky and ran out at the same time. Seeing this, Mia shouted, “Hey! You guys!”
Akito jumped on Gae Bolg and ascended in one go. Rui activated the Dark Knight’s ability and moved at high speed to directly below Albert.
This battle had to be stopped!
Rui, drawing his Katana from its sheath, unleashed a slash towards Albert. Three Birds flew into the sky.
Spreading their fiery wings, they headed straight towards him.
“Oh? This is a splendid Third Magic.”
Albert held his hand over the Birds and fired a Fireball.
The three Fireballs struck the Fire Birds directly and exploded in the air. Rui’s attack was easily nullified, but he didn’t panic and looked up at the sky.
“Albert-san! You should already know that Yuma can control his power. Any further fighting is meaningless.”
Albert, admonished by Rui, scratched his cheek.
“Ah, you’re right. I got caught up in the battle and became engrossed. Sorry.”
Albert said so and slowly descended. Rui breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the sky where Yuma was.
There, Akito was standing in front of Yuma.
He was probably persuading him to stop. Yuma seemed to have understood, and he descended from the sky.
Perhaps he still wanted to continue. It must have been a battle that made him that heated.
Rui let out a breath and headed towards Albert, who was landing.
◇◇◇
Yuma and the others were guided to a commercial facility near the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They stepped into a shelter set up underground.
The inside was quite spacious, and dozens of people were coming and going. Yuma and Akito looked around, saying “Heeh” in admiration.
Rui was also impressed by the cutting-edge facility, wondering if this was the forward base for defeating the Yellow King.
“Come on, come on. Please come into this room.”
Albert beckoned with a smile. They entered what looked like a beautiful reception room.
Yuma and the others sat on the sofa with tense expressions. When they looked, they saw that only Albert and Mia had entered the room.
The other Seekers seemed to be waiting outside.
“Now, let’s hear your story. You say you’ll fight the Yellow King with us, but what’s in it for you?”
Albert sat on the sofa opposite them, crossed his legs, and looked at Yuma and the others.
Albert wore a cheerful smile, but an indescribable tension filled the air. It was Rui who answered.
“We’re not going around the countries as volunteers. We’re getting ‘White Magic Gems’ as a reward for defeating Monsters.”
“White Magic Gems? Why are you collecting such things?”
“That is…”
Rui glanced at Yuma’s expression. Yuma stared straight at Albert, not saying anything.
It would be out of line for him to talk about Kaede here.
Thinking so, Rui turned his gaze back to Albert.
“There’s no need for us to answer that. What’s important is whether you’ll meet our demands. We’ll definitely be a fighting force.”
At Rui’s words, Albert turned his eyes to Mia, who was standing next to the sofa. Mia returned a cold gaze without saying anything.
“Okay, I understand. I fully understand your abilities. In this situation, it’s always better to have more fighting power.”
“Then…”
Seeing Rui’s excited face, Albert smiled.
“The White Magic Gems, if I remember correctly, the government and the military should have quite a large amount. In terms of Mana Index, it should be around 20,000, right? I’ll negotiate with the government so that we can prepare it.”
Yuma, Rui, and Akito’s expressions brightened up. A Mana Index of 20,000 was huge.
If they could defeat the Yellow King in America, there was a possibility that they could use the magic to revive Kaede, the goal of this journey.
Yuma stood up and put his right hand forward.
“We’re counting on you!”
Albert also stood up, said, “The negotiation is settled,” and shook hands with Yuma.