Chapter 37: The Holy Knight vs. Ainika, the One Who Loathes All Life (Part 1)
Since Ichiro vanished, it had taken less than two hours for them to reunite in the Town of Bordaf using Crane’s Guidance. However, sadly for Ichiro, who was locked in a continuous battle with Ainika, the One Who Loathes All Life in a separate dimension, two full days had already passed.
In other words, one hour in the outside world equated to a full day in Ichiro’s current realm. According to Sensei, even a time discrepancy of three or four times was nearly impossible, yet Ichiro found himself suffering an unfortunate fate that soared far beyond any expectations.
“Die!!!”
The vicious blade sliced through the air.
“I won’t die!!!”
Ichiro deflected the attack and created some distance from Ainika. With the ability to draw in Qi from the outside world and convert it into Mana, it felt as though there were no restrictions on his magical power. However, this did not mean he had obtained a decisive blow to defeat Ainika. The fate that should have ended him in an instant due to Hyper Acceleration had merely turned into a stalemate—no, it wasn’t even that good. There were still issues with food and water, not to mention Potions. In short, Ichiro’s current situation could only be described as a temporary reprieve.
If he didn’t find a way to defeat Ainika soon, it was inevitable that he would eventually run out of strength and perish.
Even without a clear path to victory, his throat remained parched. Ichiro slashed through Ainika once more, obliterating her with Light Magic. She would undoubtedly revive herself yet again, but it would buy him a little time. He hastily poured precious water from his Magic Bag down his throat. It was a valuable resource, but there was no other choice.
As expected, the particles that had vanished began to gather, forming ash, and then the ash coalesced into flesh. The flesh twisted and contorted, quickly reassembling into Ainika.
“It is futile to resist. You are destined to die.”
Ainika proclaimed. Last time, Ichiro had kept an accurate count of her revivals, but this time he had given up on counting. Still, given that he had been battling her for two days, he felt certain he had defeated her over a thousand eighty times already.
Just like before, Ainika grew stronger with each defeat. This time, while it wasn’t an overwhelming increase, the sheer number of times he had vanquished her had refined her combat skills significantly compared to when the battle first began. Therefore, Ichiro realized he needed to grow stronger himself to keep pace with Ainika’s evolution.
As a result, he found himself not just fighting but also experimenting with different strategies. He pondered whether he could completely obliterate her or, at the very least, find a way to do so with minimal effort. In pursuit of this goal, he developed several new Light Magic spells.
First was the Revol Edge, the Light Dagger. This technique allowed him to stab the enemy and unleash concentrated Light Magic from within. Unfortunately, despite its power, it was not enough to destroy Ainika.
He also created other spells, such as Camouflage of Light to deceive her vision, Bullet of Light for harassment and distance, and Chainsaw of Light for guaranteed severing. Though improvised, he had crafted multiple spells.
Among them, the one that gave him the most satisfaction was the Fan of Light, which could attack a wide area with a single swing. As he swung it, it made a whooshing sound.
The approaching Ainika disintegrated with a sizzling sound.
“Come at me!!!”
It was a hollow bravado, but he couldn’t afford to show any signs of weakness.