Episode 388: Clash of Flames and Lightning
“Did you hear? About Yuma-san.”
Akito asked Rui while wrapping tape around his arm.
Rui nodded slightly, tying his shoelaces. “Yeah.”
“He’s apparently going to the White Dungeon. I bet it has something to do with ‘Resurrection Magic’.”
“Probably. If he can copy the powerful Monsters in the White Dungeon, it’ll be easier to use White Magic, right? Yuma-san’s being pretty sharp.”
“We’d like to go too, but…”
Rui stood up and tapped his toes.
“Ah, for us, conquering the Red Dungeon is more important. Besides, Yuma-san can probably handle Dungeon Conquest on his own.”
Akito also stood up and grabbed the training spear leaning against the wall.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
The two were in Elceed Corporation’s training facility. It was the Arena where Rui and Tennoji had clashed two days ago.
Currently, besides Rui and Akito, there were dozens of spectators in this facility.
They were the Seekers from Elceed and Fameel who would participate in the conquest. Tennoji and Ishikawa were also watching them from the sidelines.
“Are you sure it was a good idea? To make those two fight, even if it’s just training.”
Ishikawa asked anxiously, arms crossed. Tennoji smiled cheerfully at Ishikawa.
“It’s fine. The Seekers gathered here are also worried about conquering the Depths. Seeing those two’s abilities will reassure them a bit.”
In the center of the Arena, Rui and Akito faced each other, watched by Tennoji and Ishikawa.
The surrounding air began to crackle as the two increased their Magical Power.
“Having a lot of spectators gets me pumped up. You too, right, Rui?”
“Sounds fun. I get nervous, so I prefer fewer people.”
“Hey, don’t use that as an excuse when you lose.”
Akito and Rui met eyes and grinned. Rui moved first. His figure vanished in an instant.
No matter how strong Akito’s Magical Power was, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his speed.
That’s what Rui thought, but—
“Ugh!?”
The moment he tried to approach Akito, something crackled and hit his body. Rui narrowed his eyes and looked at Akito.
The Magical Power released from Akito was spreading around as Lightning.
—A Magical Barrier dominating the space. At this rate, I can’t approach him easily.
Seeing Rui hesitate, Akito chuckled.
“What’s wrong? Can’t use your prized legs? Then I’ll come to you!”
Akito drew his training spear, kicked off the floor, and attacked Rui. Black Lightning spewed from the tip, approaching Rui’s throat.
“Oh dear, Akito-san’s Magical Power is really something. He’s tough to deal with as an enemy.”
Rui grinned fearlessly and swung his Longsword. The flame running along the blade was dyed black, and the sword pressure swept away the Lightning.
The force of the raging flames made Akito falter.
“Whoa, a Fourth Tier spell right off the bat! Then I’ll use this—”
Akito held the spear in one hand, lowered his stance, and took aim at Rui. A vast amount of Magical Power gathered at the tip, targeting Rui.
“Eat this!!”
The moment Akito unleashed his full thrust, a flash of light erupted from the tip. It was the Fourth Tier Lightning spell, the “Annihilating Flash” that pierces through everything, but Rui lightly dodged it, saying, “Oops.”
The Lightning Strike that Rui avoided pierced through the outer wall of the Arena and disappeared into the distant sky.
The surrounding Seekers widened their eyes at the sight of the destroyed outer wall. A clash of Fourth Tier spells they had never seen before.
Everyone held their breath at the battle that exceeded their imagination.
“Alright, now it’s my turn.”
Rui slowly swung the Longsword with the black flames lit, and took a low stance. He lowered his hips, took a step forward, and swung his Longsword with Godspeed.
Dozens of flame Birds flew out from what appeared to be a single slash. The flame Birds were dyed black and headed straight for Akito.
Akito released his maximum Magical Power and deployed a strong Magical Barrier.
The Birds collided with the wall of Lightning and exploded one after another. The impact spread around, and the spectating Seekers were nearly blown away.
“Ugh, to think his Magical Power is this strong…”
Tennoji frowned while erecting a Magical Barrier. Ishikawa and the other Seekers also deployed Magical Barriers and barely endured.
Unconcerned with the surrounding situation, Rui was running around with “Godspeed,” trying to approach Akito.
However, the swirling Lightning around him blocked his path.
“This is really troublesome.”
There was no end to cutting through the Lightning with the black flame Longsword. Seeing Rui hesitate, Akito laughed loudly.
“No matter how fast you are, it’s meaningless if you can’t get close! I’ll just blow you away!!”
Even more Magical Power was released from Akito’s body. The Lightning rose higher and higher, eventually breaking through the ceiling and heading into the sky.
The area affected also widened, and Rui bit his lip and retreated.
It was not Magical Power that he could charge into.
“That’s enough! Stop there!!”
Tennoji hurriedly intervened in the battle that had exceeded his expectations. Akito reluctantly released his Magical Power, saying, “What? Is it over already?”
A gruesome scene spread across the Arena where the battle had ended.
Large Holes were in the walls and ceiling, and the floor was tattered from the impact of the explosions.
“To think it’s this bad in a facility reinforced with Magic Gems… My judgment was off.”
Tennoji narrowed his eyes at the growth of Rui and Akito, thinking he would be scolded by Honda-san.
Ishikawa, who was beside him, also snorted in satisfaction.
“To think they’re this strong. At this rate, conquering the Red Dungeon is definitely possible.”
“Yeah, I think it had a good impact on the Seekers who came here, right? We have such reliable allies. There’s no reason to fear conquering the Depths.”
As Tennoji and Ishikawa watched, the Seekers applauded excitedly.