The first change that occurred to the “Polar King” was its halo.
The ring of ice floating above its head crackled and thickened, extending icicles as if defying gravity.
It almost looked like a crown of ice.
“〖Shoot〗, 〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗!”
“Rururu.”
The high-heat magic bullets from Crimson Wings were stopped by a single ice crystal shield.
Even though I could only use two wings due to time constraints, I should have been able to break through a few of them until just now.
The performance of the ice crystal shield has clearly increased.
“Rororara.”
And the “Polar King’s” changes weren’t limited to that.
Just as a large amount of 〖Mana〗 was consumed, a white-green band of light enveloped its body.
The true nature of that light band, which resembled a feathered robe, was an aurora.
Clad in a robe of aurora that seemed to seep out of the void, it exuded a queenly majesty and a murderous intent.
“(Tch, White Dash, activate!)”
“Rireruri.”
I started flying at full speed before the Clione could launch its attack.
The scene (attack trajectory) that 〖Trajectory Prediction〗 showed me was an avalanche. I had a vision of the future where a barrage of long-range attacks, which could only be described as such, would be launched all at once.
As expected, the correctness of that vision became clear a moment later.
Although the trajectory was somewhat off as it chased after me, who had fled, the attack was generally as 〖Trajectory Prediction〗 had shown.
That is, countless rays of light at a level that could be mistaken for a massive avalanche.
“(Shield. This is different from the Ice Crystal Light Bullets?)”
I defended against the edge of the avalanche with a 〖Mana〗 shield, and understood the nature of the attack by how the shield broke.
The shield melted and drooped like heated plastic.
When it was an Ice Crystal Light Bullet, it should have cracked as if frozen.
“(The projectile speed is fast and it’s sustained, this is a pain in the ass!)”
The characteristic of this ray of light—let’s call it a Heat Ray for now—is that it can be fired continuously like a laser beam.
The swarm of Heat Rays that missed me are now chasing after me, trying to burn me to a crisp.
Because I’m escaping in a circle, the swarm of Heat Rays is also moving horizontally, and the iceberg behind me was hit by a stray shot and began to melt.
Even though it was only hit for a few moments, the heat was tremendous.
“Re re.”
“(Are they still increasing!?)”
Freezing Light Bullets are also being fired in parallel with the Heat Rays. It’s a predictive shot in my direction of travel. If I keep going like this, I’ll get hit.
“(Then that means above!)”
Since the enemy can manipulate ice, below is out of the question.
I quickly flew up into the night sky, and then moved sideways again to escape the Heat Rays and Light Bullets that were chasing me.
I continued to fly around the sky, observing the Clione’s movements.
Perhaps it was getting impatient with the lack of results, the Clione stopped firing Light Bullets and activated other 〖Skills〗.
“Lala.”
“(Black… Orbs?)”
The change occurred on the ice on the ground. At first, I thought it was going to manipulate ice blocks again.
However, the four ice blocks that floated up next to the Clione changed their shape into orbs in the process, and at the same time, they turned completely black.
A blackness that looked as if holes had been opened, if you didn’t use 〖Clairvoyance〗.
It was as if they had been dipped in ink and dyed.
“(It’s clearly a sign of some kind of 〖Skill〗… For now, let’s interfere, Lightning Strike!)”
“Rare. Rororere.”
The Clione, who blocked the lightning with an ice crystal shield, took the same action as before, firing Freezing Light Bullets.
However, the target of the sniping was different.
The sparkle of diamond dust was being absorbed into the four Black Ice Orbs floating next to the Clione.
“(What are they doing… Ah, is that what it is!?)”
〖Clairvoyance〗, which can see through darkness and even walls, told me what it was aiming for.
The black orbs weren’t dyed black.
In other words, they were prisons of ice that trapped light.
It must have changed the properties of the ice with a 〖Skill〗. The light that entered the orbs passed through, but the light that tried to escape was reflected and trapped inside. Into such a supernatural property.
“(Lightning Strike! 〖Thousand Blades Burst〗! 〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗! 〖R(Lock-on) AIM(Aim)〗!)”
I unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks at the four Black Ice Orbs.
My evasion became sloppy and a Heat Ray grazed my body, but some hits are a necessary expense. Destroying the Black Ice Orbs is the priority.
“Rerera re.”
“(…I guess it’s still impossible.)”
The magic bullets drew complex trajectories, but as expected, they were all blocked by Light Bullets and ice crystal shields.
Even as I did that, the amount of light inside the Black Ice Orbs continued to increase. It seems that even Freezing Light Bullets don’t explode inside that ice.
The idea of using the Heat Ray Demon Eye crossed my mind, but I decided that I should take defensive measures instead.
It’s doubtful whether the charge would be ready in time, and it seems bad to keep getting hit by the enemy’s Heat Rays.
Right now, I’ve only been hit a few times, so it’s only as hot as inside a kotatsu, but if this keeps piling up, my 〖Toughness〗 might be penetrated.
Light Bullets are the same, but temperature-based attacks are troublesome because they accumulate.
“(–Here it comes.)”
“Lararororu!”
While focusing on evasion and pouring 〖Mana〗 into my shield Artifact, the inflow of Freezing Light Bullets into the Black Ice Orbs stopped.
Then, the four Black Ice Orbs began to rotate, and flashes of light burst from their surfaces.
“(Whoa, that was close. Damn, the trajectory is hard to read!)”
The Black Ice Orbs, which were randomly spewing out the accumulated light, looked like mirror balls in a way, but in reality, they were not something fun.
The aiming itself was quite rough, but because the Black Ice Orbs were rotating, the attack range became a line instead of a point.
If it hits, lucky. Even if it doesn’t hit, it’s good enough if it can restrict movement.
That’s probably the general idea.
The Black Ice Orbs were gradually moving away from the Clione, and my attention was being dispersed because the number of directions I had to be wary of had increased.
“(Even if I know the aim, it doesn’t mean I can deal with it, Shield activate!)”
I intercepted the Heat Rays that I couldn’t dodge with a 〖Mana〗 shield, and escaped from the line of fire in the moment that the shield was holding them back.
In aerial combat, where high-speed movement is the norm, being able to defend for even a moment is enough.
And so I dodged and dodged and dodged and dodged, and when I was about to be hit by a mirror ball light bullet, I deployed a 〖Mana〗 shield, and it was penetrated without even a moment of resistance.
“(Guh, cold!?)”
I didn’t take any damage, but I was attacked by a sensation like ice being put down my spine.
The mirror ball light bullets, which were condensed Freezing Light Bullets, had dramatically increased in power.
“(This is bad.)”
Taking advantage of the gap in my agitation from the cold, I was concentratedly attacked by Heat Rays.
I defended with a shield and quickly escaped, but about ten Heat Rays burned my body.
“(…Huh? It’s not that hot… or rather, it feels good.)”
My body, which had been frozen by the Light Bullets, was warmed and enveloped in a pleasant sensation.
Well, I guess a normal 〖Calamity Beast〗 would probably be in no condition to feel that with frostbite and burns.
Even I could suffer from thermal cracking if I repeated rapid heating and cooling, so I can’t be too optimistic.
Looking with 〖Clairvoyance〗, the remaining light in the Black Ice Orbs was about a third of the initial amount for all four.
From now on, I’ll make sure not to block with my shield and keep running away–
“(Ah, that’s right!)”
At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.
“(Yeah, if it works, there’s a possibility that I can prevent that… 〖Blink〗! But the risk is huge, if I fail, I’ll just… Shield activate. …No, it’s not like I’ll get anywhere by running away, and it might be that they adapt to my movements first. …I can’t win by just being solid. Alright, I’ll do it, 〖U(Update)〗!)”
Having gathered my thoughts, I transformed my body into a certain Artifact in order to try out my idea.