novelraw Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Fire and Water (6)
Fireball has no role.
When I hid Aroshu behind the rock, I had tasked Fireball with keeping watch.
It was the right decision, I was once again certain.
A sudden spray of water obscured my and Ellen's vision. It was also an attack. Countless, innumerable water droplets were shot at a speed faster than arrows.
I caught up to that speed not with sight, but with my senses. A seething heat evaporated the droplets.
The water vapor was also magic.
Within that dense haze, I felt my breath catching.
Water flowed beneath my feet.
It was flowing from top to bottom.
Even though we were at the summit, when I lifted my head, a river was falling from the sky. The shape was a river, but the direction was a waterfall.
“Let’s move.”
“Should I hold you?”
“Thanks.”
Ellen held me and leaped.
The pouring river bent its trajectory. It flowed, following the direction she had jumped.
While being held by Ellen, I only turned my head to observe the pursuing river. Its tip resembled the head of a snake. Its body was not very thick.
‘The magic is similar.’
The Avery Aquins of my past life was a snake-like man.
He would flick his tongue out ceaselessly, to the point where one might wonder if his Origin was a tongue and not a river. He was a bastard who knew very well how to get under people's skin with words.
But the young Avery Aquins of now is not like that.
Only his magic is snake-like; his tongue is not. That bastard retaliated to my provocation not with his tongue, but with magic.
‘Aroshu is like water, and Avery is like fire.’
Of course, their inner selves would be the opposite.
Avery would expect nothing from that magic. It was magic of that kind of power.
The reason we were being chased was to change locations. It was necessary to secure the safety of Fireball and Aroshu.
“Where did you put the couple?”
“It’s the opposite direction from where we’re going now.”
“Indeed.”
I smiled with satisfaction.
Ellen was moving while thinking.
“How were they?”
“They didn’t look serious.”
So there was plenty of time.
“Good.”
“What?”
“Put me down. It should be fine if we've come this far.”
It was a region filled with rocks as sharp as awls.
I jumped down from Ellen’s arms.
Almost simultaneously, fire rose up like a wall. The snake-like river rammed its head into that wall, letting out a scream-like roar. Water vapor rose like a fog.
“It's just mediocre magic. A stalling tactic.”
It was only threatening in appearance.
Ellen noticed that the fire that blocked that magic was not even Crimson Flames.
Far in the distance, a real river was advancing.
Spotting it, Ellen creased her brows.
“Did you give him time to manifest on purpose?”
“You, you’re smiling.”
The corners of Ellen’s lips were twitching.
But her eyebrows were still creased.
It was a comical expression.
“You’re going to get hurt again.”
Fighting is fine, but she doesn't want me to get hurt.
That was what Ellen was saying.
‘Is the Moon's prophecy bothering her that much? It shouldn't be to that extent.’
In my past life, I lived for 14 more years from this point.
If I put my mind to it, I was confident I could live even longer in this life.
“I have the orb.”
“How do you know when we’ll meet an Asura again.”
She meant I should use it sparingly.
“I plan on using just a little.”
“Can you control that?”
“I probably can, since you’re here.”
The corners of her lips twitched a little more widely.
“I caught Psina. This time, it’s your turn.”
Ellen was now smiling openly.
It was a fitting arrogance. The line of death was something she had been crazy about since her past life.
“You don’t have to help me at all.”
“It’ll be difficult.”
That arrogance was welcome, but I had to distinguish between public and private matters.
“You. You're not at that level.”
“…….”
Snap.
I heard the sound of Ellen taking the bait.
‘Easy.’
Then and now.
* * *
Not all Sword Masters are strong.
Of course, there were impressive powerhouses like Grand Duke Aratus, Toremot, and the future Gullen, but… they were the exceptions.
A typical Sword Master is not very strong.
At least, that was what I thought.
One 5th Rank mage with a decent Origin is several times better than one ordinary Sword Master.
The reason I came to think that way was not because those superhumans were weak.
It was because the Elaine of my past life was so absurdly powerful.
At that time, even without knowing her true nature, she was not inferior to a Sword Master.
‘At least in terms of power.’
Innate Strength is that kind of power.
Kwaang!
The sword was swung, but an explosive sound occurred.
The visual phenomenon was the same. The river did not get cut, but exploded.
‘……It is brutal.’
The Elaine of my past life never hit me with her full strength.
Because it was obvious that I would explode if she did.
Even excluding aura.
The river was continuously blown apart. Of course, it didn't mean much. It only blocked the magic. That was not the Origin. There was no damage to Avery.
I was simply surprised by Ellen's power.
Serzila's aura resembled the blackest night.
Ellen's aura was getting closer to that. Compared to half a year ago, it was a remarkable growth.
It was proof that she was embodying her Innate Strength.
It also meant she was getting closer to becoming a Sword Master. Since Innate Strength was in tune with Elaine's essence.
‘Still, it's easier than I thought.’
I noticed that the reason for that was me.
For Ellen, there was only one Avery, but from Avery's perspective, he had to deal with two.
That bastard doesn't know that I have no intention of getting heavily involved.
I was avoiding the river on top of a sharp rock.
Avery stood loftily upon the river.
Our eyes met. A part of the river writhed like a snake and then split. A round, massive thing like a whale shot up towards me.
The sun, which had been projected at some point, shone down on the water whale. Scarlet Crimson Flames rose all over its body.
Water vapor was generated brutally. Its scale was reduced, but the whale did not die. That bastard, dangling Crimson Flames, charged with its reduced size.
“Indeed.”
A 5th Rank is a 5th Rank, I suppose.
Streams of blood flowed from my eyes and mouth.
The black sun was dyed even blacker, and the light on its surface shone even brighter. A wind blew. The solar wind drove out the mana that had hardened the water into a whale.
The Crimson Flames finished devouring the weakened whale.
The hazy water vapor disappeared without a trace due to the light of the projected sun.
“That form!”
Avery's eyes widened upon witnessing the projection that had risen in the sky. It was a familiar reaction for me.
Hadn't Psina done the same in this life alone?
Once one reaches the 5th Rank, they could accurately guess the Origin just by seeing the projection.
Furthermore, the sun is an Origin whose form is particularly distinct.
Because when it is projected, it rises in the sky.
“That’s right. I’m the King.”
I jeered, looking down at Avery.
And as if it were nothing, I wiped the blood flowing down my face.
‘Is this bearable?’
The amount of blood flowing was less than I thought.
My condition was better than when I had faced Psina.
It was thanks to having reached the 4th Rank, and the considerable distance from Avery.
Of course, the fact that Ellen was getting on Avery's nerves was the most effective part.
‘I see. He’s unfamiliar with knights at this point.’
I had wondered why he was just sending streams of river water at the man from a distance earlier.
Avery dismissed knights as insects, but that seemed to be the result of learning.
It was obvious that bastard had never dealt with a knight before.
One should not look away when facing a knight.
Avery's attention was stolen by me, and the projected sun.
In that gap, the river suddenly split in half.
The cross-sections, standing like walls on the left and right, were violent. It was closer to being torn apart than being cut.
At the end of that sword strike was Avery. No, he was slightly off. That bastard's right ear was violently torn off.
“Aargh!”
Avery clutched his ear.
Ellen leaped up onto the awl-like rock and shouted.
“That’s not it!”
“You cut him.”
Despite cutting the 5th Rank's magic and injuring the mage, Ellen showed no sign of joy.
“Not that bastard, the Origin.”
It was because her goal was set higher.
“You were aiming for the Origin?”
“You told me to.”
I let out a dry laugh.
Definitely. Ellen should have been the one to regress.
I thought myself special, but she was even more special than that.
“What you cut was the river, the magic.”
“The Origin is the river, and manifestation is magic too.”
“You couldn't cut the real river.”
Ellen looked like she didn't understand.
“My Origin is that. Not the light or fire that it emits.”
I said, pointing my finger at the projected sun.
To use that as an analogy, Ellen had just cut the fire.
“Water is usually insidious. He must have hidden the river within the river.”
Ellen cut the fake.
And the fakes were increasing.
The air became damp.
“How dare you……!”
The river, responding to the earless Avery, flooded.
* * *
The tattered magical beast was 5th Rank.
That beast was wounded, but strong nonetheless.
It was Ellen's first defeat.
Even so, she felt it was manageable.
It became so in the end.
If only she could meet it again, she was confident she could kill it.
‘……Rabbit.’
It was her second defeat.
She gained nothing from that creature. Even if they met again, she had no confidence she could kill it. But she had the confidence to fight.
‘Giant.’
That giant she met on the path of the deep sea.
6th Rank, Harad had said. Ellen had intuited that the giant was not much different from the rabbit.
A 5th Rank once, a rabbit that was either 6th Rank or less once, and a 6th Rank once.
Things that others would have difficulty experiencing even once in their lives, Ellen had experienced three times in just half a year.
Perhaps that was why.
She had gained the confidence to kill the tattered magical beast, and her standards had been raised due to experiencing 6th Ranks twice.
So she might have been unconsciously underestimating 5th Ranks.
……Her mind went blank. A disaster was rising. A river. Harad had called it that, but what was before her eyes was a tidal wave. A massive tidal wave, large enough to bring a wall to mind, was rushing in.
If Harad hadn't been next to her, she might have been swallowed up just like a human witnessing a disaster.
“I told you, water is insidious.”
At those words, her mind cleared completely.
It is just majestic. A river is a river. The transformation into a tidal wave is a threat. In reality, it would not be that threatening.
“That bastard should have compressed it.”
He was right.
There are mages who are strong against the many. A river is that kind of Origin.
A knight is powerful as a single unit.
Therefore, a mage who is strong against the many cannot win against a knight of equal standing in a one-on-one fight.
“He's underestimating you, even after having his ear cut off.”
Knowing they were not of equal standing, Avery had increased the size. He was trying to intimidate her. It was a thought possible because he was looking down on her.
“……He's underestimating you too?”
“That’s right, because it's a projection.”
Avery was underestimating me as well.
“What do you want to do?”
It was a continuous opportunity.
If Ellen had aimed for Avery earlier, that bastard's head would have been cut off, not his ear.
It seemed possible even now.
She would get quite hurt, but she would heal quickly anyway.
“I want to cut the Origin.”
Yes, she would heal quickly anyway.
Ellen wanted to get properly hurt, and properly cut.
You'll be an exception.
Harad's words echoed in her head.
She did not want to betray that expectation. She wanted to succeed spectacularly and show off. That way, she would get closer to the secret.
“It'll be hard alone.”
“Can you get hurt just a little?”
It was greed.
But Ellen asked without hesitation.
Perhaps she wanted to confirm something.
“Those are scary words.”
“If you become disabled, I’ll take responsibility.”
“You don't have to.”
“……Why do you go so far for me?”
“It’s a secret.”
Harad was smiling again.
Very suspiciously.
“……You. You know you’re really mean, right?”
“Could I be meaner than you?”
Harad pushed her back. It was a sign to go.
To find the river, one first needs to dive into the river.
Ellen let herself be pushed meekly.
……In truth, she still didn't know how to cut the Origin.
‘A fake?’
Find the real one? How do you find it.
‘How do I cut it.’
Even while thinking, Ellen did not hesitate and threw her body into the tidal wave.
She did not want to disappoint Harad.
She had to succeed here, somehow. Even if it meant throwing her body into it.
-Come to think of it, I was so foolish.
……It was then that she heard a voice.
-You still are.
-Haha. I must be crazy.
Grand Duke Elaine and Harad were conversing.
So, it was a dream.
-It was your fault.
She was clearly awake, but…….
-Innate Strength wasn't meant to be wielded like that.
A dream was overlaid onto reality.