Level one. The fact that I can no longer wield Disballade means that I might struggle even against a Cave Rabbit. But on the day I fled the village, I was ambushed by a monster that obscured my vision. I didn’t even understand what was happening as the monster’s claws were raised above me.
“Then show me! The power of Lua-chan at level one!”
With that kind of power, it should have been easy to slice through my small body. Yet, that didn’t happen. What did I do back then? I had never fought before, so all I could do was be startled and try to protect myself. Until recently, I couldn’t even recall that moment.
“Ugh…”
Elmera’s groan overlaps with the memory of that monster. The situation is almost identical; it’s happening again. Just like back then, nothing has changed. She should have used Imagination Magic to finish it off in one go, but foolish Elmera thought she could win and tried to punch it with her bare hands.
That monster probably didn’t hold back, but it was just like Elmera now. She restrained her fist and then screamed the next moment.
“It, it hurts! It hurts so much! Waaaah!”
Elmera, who struck me at level one, had her right arm utterly shattered. The monster’s claws shattered into pieces, along with her strong arm. I had no idea what was happening, but I was strangely sharp at that moment. I was certain I wouldn’t lose now, and even as a child, I attacked the monster with all my might.
“W-why?! Why?!”
With a strangely cold feeling, I looked at Elmera. Seeing her stomping her feet and baring her white teeth made me feel a pang of pity. It wasn’t about strength; it was something more fundamental about Elmera.
“Imagination Magic… ‘The lower the level, the greater the power of the punch!'”
While claiming that the power of the punch increases, she mixed in kicks and chops, clearly losing her composure. Even as she flailed her arms like a child in a fight, Elmera’s arms were already in tatters. She was probably trying to guard herself with some kind of Imagination Magic, but that meant nothing in front of my destruction.
“S-so, Imagination Magic! ‘Lua’s strength becomes all wobbly and she can’t do anything!'”
Pointing to the heavens as if giving a command, she thrust her finger into the air, but nothing happened. This wasn’t because I did anything; it was probably just that Elmera’s magic failed to activate. I didn’t understand it well, but even with Imagination Magic, it didn’t mean she could do anything she wanted.
“It’s not wobbly… my strength is at a child’s level… Ah, that’s exactly how it is now! Ugh! Damn it!”
She was using language that didn’t sound like a girl at all. I had a vague understanding of the weakness of Imagination Magic: Elmera couldn’t realize what she couldn’t imagine. And once she lost her composure like now, her mind naturally stopped working. That’s when her sharpness dulled, which I thought was a flaw.
“This is the ‘destruction’ power I’ve been using without realizing it… the one Lord Hast spoke of. Kurinka has ‘regeneration’… I don’t really understand why she has such a thing, but I finally became aware of it recently. That’s why I can use it as I wish.”
“D-destruction… then…”
“Nothing matters in front of destruction. Even in Lord Daigami’s Absolute Divine Territory, everything touched is destroyed. No matter what power Elmera possesses, once she touches me, it’s all over.”
“Wait… are you saying…?”
Elmera clutched her head with both hands and shook it vigorously. Just explaining what I understood made her so frightened. No, Elmera wouldn’t be scared of something like that. This was something else entirely.
“Could it be… the same as Vandalsia’s ‘Vanishing’…?! No way! The divine nature that even elves don’t fully understand?! You! Hey, you mentioned the Festival of Calamity earlier! That’s where he must be sleeping! The calamity that brought the most disasters to the world… the King of Destruction, Vandalsia!”
“I defeated him.”
“You defeated him?!”
Elmera, who had been thrashing her hair, suddenly froze. She placed her finger on her lips, tilting her head as she asked the same question again.
“The one at the very back looked like an old man at first, but suddenly turned into a monster. He was really strong. I don’t feel like I’d lose if I fought him now, but…”
“Ahaha, really?!”
“It’s true.”
“Seriously?!”
“Seriously.”
“W-why… why?!”
A rainbow-colored magical power burst forth from Elmera, cascading like a waterfall. That overwhelming light illuminated the night sky, flipping day and night. The Royal Capital and its surroundings were enveloped in light, as if transported to another world. Faced with that blinding radiance, I finally sensed Elmera’s fury.
“I was finally, finally going to kill him. I wanted to kill the one who took my sister away… the one sleeping in the Festival of Calamity. Is what you just said true?”
“It’s true.”
“Even if sealed, he wouldn’t die. So I wanted to go directly and kill him with this power. Besides, such a seal couldn’t possibly last long. Sooner or later, he would have revived… but even so, I wouldn’t lose now. That’s the power I have. To think you defeated him…”
It was too much; it was pure resentment. Yet, I was the one who had to bear that anger and hatred. This catastrophic magical power that could destroy not just this area but the world itself was something I had to endure.
“My sister told me this before she died. ‘Be a good girl.’ So I’ve always been a good girl. But she never came back. That’s because Vandalsia killed her. So I have the right to kill him. Lua-chan, do you understand? You killed him without any right or reason!”
Elmera cast Flame Shot Rain!
No matter what I said, I couldn’t stop her. With the speed of a level one, I charged at Elmera. The advanced fire magic, Flame Shot Rain. For a level one opponent, this alone could devastate the Royal Capital. I might have died back in the day. But as I proved just now, it meant nothing to me.
“Chakudan… wait, again?!”
Flame Shot Rain was destroyed!
Level didn’t matter. The moment I touched her, I could destroy. I became aware of this power thanks to Lord Daigami and Lord Hast. I could finally remember the power I had unconsciously used to destroy monsters in my childhood. Just as Elmera said, I didn’t understand why I possessed such power.
But if even Elmera and the elves couldn’t comprehend it, then there was one thing I understood.
“A ‘magic that annihilates all cells in the body upon impact’! A ‘magic that removes the air around Lua’! Ah, come on! All of it, all of it!”
Imagination Magic: Seldes was destroyed!
Imagination Magic: Air the Lock was destroyed!
There was nothing that could be defeated beyond the imagination of Elmera, who was an elf. No matter how much she imagined, she couldn’t defeat it. This was another weakness of Imagination Magic. I approached the flustered Elmera again. She tried to subdue me with one hand, but at the last moment, she hesitated. She understood that touching me would lead to destruction.
So Elmera had to dodge my attacks as a level one. Even if she was weak without her Imagination Magic, she was still fast enough to avoid me. Elmera had martial arts skills beyond just her magic. After all, she didn’t defeat Ryoho and the others solely with Imagination Magic. I could tell she had worked hard to ensure she wouldn’t lose in any other way.
“Take this!”
“Yikes! Ah, that’s dangerous! A punch that slow won’t hit me!”
“Is that so? But if it does hit, this time, Elmera might really die.”
“Yikes!”
Elmera’s claim that my punch was slow frustrated me. I couldn’t believe how weak I was back when I was level one. I was out of breath so quickly, and I couldn’t believe I had lived in this body. But Elmera hadn’t taken away one thing from me.
“Is it over there?”
“Whoa! That was close!”
“This way!”
“Yikes… that hurts!”
Feigning a punch, I swept her legs, and Elmera fell dramatically, rolling around while clutching her leg. I could tell that she had probably broken a bone and her right leg was completely useless now. Even at level one, my fighting instincts hadn’t vanished.
Strength is not solely defined by levels; it also encompasses the experiences gained through battle. Even Elmera, who has surely struggled to grow stronger, only sees the surface of my abilities. It’s so typical of her, yet it feels a bit off.
“It’s painful! I can’t take it anymore! I can’t fight! Onii-chan! Waaaah!”
“Undo the magic you cast on Kurinka and return my level to normal.”
“Shut up! Who would—”
“Then I’ll target your left leg.”
“No, no, no! Waaaah!”
“Hurry up.”
“Fine! I get it!”
I felt a pang of guilt threatening Elmera, who was sobbing like a child, but I knew I had to push her a little; otherwise, she wouldn’t learn. Just the mere act of pretending to hit her made Elmera curl up like a bug. By this time, the rainbow light had long since faded, and the darkness of night had returned.
“…Huh?! Lua-chan?!”
“Kurinka, you’re awake?”
“What was I doing…? Suddenly my head went blank, and then… Wait, Elmera? What happened?”
“Hmm? What is this…?”
Kurinka, having regained her senses, and Balbus were both in disbelief at the sight of Elmera curled up and crying. Even after I explained the situation, they remained silent for a moment, struggling to find words.
“What on earth happened?”
“I defeated Elmera… Wait! Elmera! My level hasn’t been restored?!”
“I-I can’t restore it… Reducing level 2000 to 1 is easy, but I can’t even imagine what 2000 looks like!”
“That’s unacceptable! What are you going to do about it?”
“Waaaah!”
This was truly awful. I fought the urge to smack her while looking down at Elmera, whose cheeks were wet with tears. I know it’s ironic coming from me, but she really is just a child. One moment she was laughing, and the next, her emotions plummeted, leading her to tears. It felt as if I was the one bullying her.
“…If that’s the case, I might be able to restore it. I’m not sure if I can, though.”
“Kurinka can?!”
Before I could say anything more, Kurinka closed her eyes and held her staff. A gentle light began to emanate from her body, reminiscent of when she purified the Undead and Ghosts.
“If what you say is true, then as Lord Hast said, my power is ‘Regeneration’… Only I can return Lua-chan’s level to normal.”
“But even Elmera can’t imagine level 2000.”
“I’m the one who’s always been with Lua-chan, witnessing her power firsthand, right?”
“…I see.”
That’s right; it was Kurinka who had always been by my side. She gently placed her hand on my cheek, and the light flowed into me.
“Ah… This feels nice…”
“I feel it too…”
Suddenly, something surged up from deep within me with incredible force. It was the power I had possessed not long ago. The energy that had been dormant within me awakened, radiating an intense heat that coursed from the top of my head to the tips of my fingers.
“Ugh!”
“Lua-chan! Are you okay?!”
The overwhelming flow of power sent sharp pain throughout my body. It was so intense that I thought my body couldn’t handle it. It felt as if I was being sliced open from the inside by a sword, and that sensation lingered for a while.
“Haah… Haah…”
“Did I… fail?”
【Lua Lv: 2313 Class: Unknown Rank: A HP: 43012】
“I-it’s back!”
I finally felt a wave of relief as I activated the Detect Ring on myself to confirm my level had risen so dramatically. Wait, hold on.
“What is this class?! I was supposed to be a Swordfighter!”
“Unknown… This Detect Ring was made by the Kingdom of Metallica, so it means there’s no class that corresponds to your strength in the data.”
“Is that how it works?!”
“At least for higher classes, you need to pass the tests at recognized training grounds by the Guild or the Kingdom to learn skills and other things… Well, I’m not sure either.”
“Most of the S-rank folks hone their skills themselves and register with the Guild under their own unique classes, separate from the general higher classes like Warrior or Swordmaster. Why don’t you think of a name for yourself? That way, the Kingdom of Metallica might automatically absorb it as data.”
Now that I think about it, even the King had been quiet under Elmera’s magic. If even such a grand person could be subdued, then Imagination Magic is truly fearsome.
“By the way, my class is ‘Battle King’! The King who fights! Isn’t that cool? Hahaha!”
【Jisfast Lv: 343 Class: Battle King Rank: None HP: 5106】
It really does say Battle King. Wow.
“Right, let me take this opportunity to name you something.”
“Let’s save that for another time and focus on resolving this situation for now!”
“Y-yeah, you’re right.”
Kurinka picked up on my cue and handled the situation more diplomatically than I could have. If this continued, I might have ended up being named Battle Girl, which would have been dangerous.
“Let’s protect that girl too.”
Saying that, the King approached Elmera, who was still sobbing. I wanted to warn him it was dangerous, but if Elmera did something again, I would stop her. But judging by her current state, she didn’t seem capable of doing anything.
“Don’t cry; for now, wipe your tears.”
“F-fine… Sniff!”
The King didn’t say anything about Elmera using his beautiful cloth to wipe her nose instead of a handkerchief. It was too filthy.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Imagination Magic, if I could use this, Lua would be…
For example, turning Lua’s body into a floppy mess and then—boom!
Or immobilizing her and then—boom!
Hehe, a perfect image.
If I had just a bit more power in this imagination, history would have changed.
Destruction, just an image of destruction.
Being destroyed and then destroying that.
Hmm, it feels like all my images are being completely destroyed.
This is the power of destruction.
At this point, no one can intervene.
I can’t believe I have this much power and yet don’t think of trying to conquer the world.