Chapter 59: Duel
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?”
“You’re in the same boat.”
Shimizu’s warning echoed in the air, but it was a mutual understanding. With the Princess’s orders weighing heavily on him, Nagai seemed destined to play a defensive role. The clouds above thickened ominously, flashes of lightning flickering intermittently.
“…Just so you know, I won’t hold back.”
Upon closer inspection, I noticed he was clad in sturdy armor. It was no surprise, given the rumors of his rapid dungeon conquests. He wielded a broad two-handed sword that glimmered faintly, and his metallic armor radiated a color that was hard to define—silver or azure, perhaps. I could even see the name of his gear through appraisal, but it was not one that hinted at any particular effect.
“Force Field!”
From behind, Nagai cast a spell to create a physical and magical barrier. It was impressive that he could wield such advanced magic. Creating a wall would obscure my view, making it difficult to see what lay ahead.
“Hmph.”
With a deep breath, Shimizu lunged forward in a single bound. I sidestepped to evade the horizontal swing of his sword, countering with a right hook aimed at his exposed torso. Anticipating my move, Shimizu twisted his body to dodge, bringing his sword back to target my back as we passed each other. I rolled forward to evade and quickly turned to face him again.
“Shuu, you can do it!”
“Hmph.”
I waved lightly at Rio’s encouragement, only to be met with Shimizu’s derisive snort. He was faster than my usual training partner, that much was clear. As Shimizu positioned his sword at the ready, I felt a surge of magic power. Was he about to unleash a projectile? I cautiously edged toward the Princess, but it seemed Shimizu had no intention of stopping. The effect of the Collar of Subjugation might not reach her unless he aimed for her directly.
“Ha!”
Something faintly glowing shot toward me at high speed. I shifted my body slightly and exaggerated my dodge, using the moment to launch a reinforced Ice Javelin toward the Princess, making it as transparent as possible to avoid detection.
I heard a loud crack behind me, as if something had shattered, but I pressed on toward Shimizu. I channeled magic power into both gauntlets; the flow was remarkably smooth. I threw a right punch, but before it could connect, his sword came crashing down. I dodged and swung my left fist from a distance. Mimicking Shimizu, I cast the Blast Ball spell—an explosive rock infused with fire and earth attributes—but he narrowly avoided it.
Desperately trying to regain my stance, I was too slow. I was already close enough to drive my right fist into his armored torso.
“Ugh…!”
Shimizu let out a small groan as he was sent flying several meters back. The added force from my Air Hammer spell boosted my strike’s power.
“Force Field!”
I heard the command word for a second Force Field being cast. Had my Ice Javelin managed to break through?
“Hey, what are you doing, Masayoshi?! That’s dangerous!”
“…Huh? What do you mean—”
There was no time for conversation. I had gauged Shimizu’s strength, and it was time to finish this. I shifted into a higher gear and closed the distance, realizing that just that slight increase in speed had rendered his counterattack ineffective. I circled around and slammed my left fist down with the intent to shatter his armor. At the moment of impact, I activated the Blast Ball spell, sending Shimizu hurtling toward the Princess in a violent explosion.
He collided with Nagai’s Force Field, finally coming to a stop.
“Masayoshi?!”
“Ugh… damn it…”
Nagai’s cry echoed, but only a groan responded. Shimizu struggled to rise, but his movements were sluggish.
“Masayoshi Shimizu. You will not be allowed to lose.”
The Princess’s unreasonable demand rang out. I had no idea what he could do in that state, but Nagai surely had Healing Magic at his disposal. I approached, gathering magic power to silence him completely.
“Ugh, Limit Break…!”
As Shimizu finally stood, an aura erupted around him. His wounds seemed to be healing, and the magic power he radiated had significantly increased.
“Wow, so you have a skill like that.”
While I was impressed, my resolve to end this quickly remained unchanged. I shifted into an even higher gear, releasing my magic to summon Ice Javelins around me. I launched the icy spears at Shimizu, who charged at me with increased speed, but his aura deflected my attacks. That aura was impressive.
“Whoa!”
I deflected the downward swing of his two-handed sword with a slick rock that I conjured atop my left gauntlet. The sword, losing momentum, struck the ground, and I seized the opportunity to drive my right fist into his side. The magic power I had infused was double what I had used before. Combined with my enhanced strength, Shimizu was sent flying, crashing through the Force Field and landing near the Princess.
“…Extra Heal!”
Nagai was just finishing his incantation, casting advanced healing magic on Shimizu. He was enveloped in a soft glow, but there was no sign of him getting back on his feet. The healing spell didn’t have a wake-up effect, so if he had lost consciousness, he would remain that way.
“Masayoshi! Wake up! …Water!”
I splashed the water I conjured over him as a wake-up call, and he coughed, regaining consciousness. But it was already too late. I had summoned a multitude of Blast Balls, ready to explode around the Princess.
“This is the end.”
Clenching my palm that was thrust forward, I commanded the floating explosive orbs to surge toward the area surrounding the Princess.
“Magic Barrier!”
Just in the nick of time, an advanced magical defense was erected. But I wondered how much it could truly withstand.