CH 237

237 – Burning Red

If you only thought about victory, there probably are other battle plans.

Actually, a plan where the Black Sorcerer, primarily a support role, goes out first can’t really be called a clever one.

But even so, there are reasons why I challenged the Fire Manipulator Aym to a duel.

No, not challenged, responded.

It is due to gratitude and stubbornness.

That woman somehow noticed it. My master’s power dwelling inside me.

She didn’t mention that and chose to remain silent even if she has her doubts.

Even if that was more out of gratitude and respect towards my master rather than for my consideration, it doesn’t change the fact that she saved me a lot of hassle.

And as she said.

Actions speak louder than words.

What will my actions confirm? There’s no need to ask.

My actions will confirm whether or not I am a Normal who is worthy of the strongest Demon King’s attention.

I know all too well. I have always wondered the same thing since a long time ago, but I have wondered even more ever since I found out that my master was the ruler of the Demon King Castle from two generations ago.

Why…did my master give his horn to some random, talentless kid in the countryside.

The more I think about it, the stranger it gets. I was glad that he made me his disciple, and that he accepted me but…

What did he ever stand to gain from that?

Still, I’m that man’s apprentice, so I won’t let anyone say otherwise.

I won’t let anyone say that it was a mistake to have his disciple inherit his horn or even that my master was wrong in his decision.

Of course, I didn’t fly here thinking there was no chance of success.

My Holy Sword collides with Aym’s staff.

The beautiful female Majin had a ferocious smile on her face as if she couldn’t help but look forward to this clash.

In the reflections in her eyes, I can see the corners of my mouth raise involuntarily.

I slide the blade across the staff.

A staff doesn’t have a crossguard as a sword does, so sliding the sword like this would cut Aym’s fingers off.

She immediately pushes with her staff to repel the Holy Sword, pushing me back a little.

At the same time, the giant snake and flaming cat that serve her…did not assault me.

「Black Magic…!」

Aym noticed a moment too late as her expression twisted.

That’s right, the two of them quickly and nimbly turn around, and attacked their own master.

Resist is a Technique where a person releases Magical Energy from all over their body in order to prevent another person’s Magical Energy from interfering.

Like in the Tag Tournament preliminaries I was in with the Silver Hero Nicola, if my Black Magic is underestimated, even a Hero’s Resist can be broken through.

Aside from the contestants who know me personally, Aym didn’t think that I would cast my Magical Energy onto the two beasts serving her.

In fact, the Black Magic was a success.

Confusing friend for foe, the giant serpent and cat attack their master with fang and flame.

Aym, who retreated thinking that her two pets would support her, is yet to regain her posture, I have to take advantage of this-

「Hey.」

A spear of fire.

It pierced the two Demi-Beasts, their bodies turning into particles and scattering.

It wasn’t Aym.

It was the Flame Spearman Amii.

「No biting your owner.」

The flame taking the form of man, Amii, isn’t even looking this way.

He himself was in the middle of a battle with the Destroyer Fran.

Does he have time to assist during his fight with her? Or maybe he couldn’t help but intervene even if he couldn’t afford to. Considering that Fran’s fist pierced through him soon after, I assume it’s the latter.

「…」

「Didn’t feel any resistance, did ya? That’s ’cause I am fire, girly.」

「If you’re alive, you can break.」

「What a scary little girl.」

The plan may have been derailed, but what I have to do remains the same.

I, myself, have to close in on her again.

The basics of fighting against a Wizard is to somehow close the distance.

If they manage to keep their distance, they can let loose their spells.

If you can somehow get close to them, you can interrupt their process of gathering Magical Energy, constructing the spell and firing it, and then take advantage of their lack of direct combat prowess, defeating them.

「I know what you’re planning. Unfortunately for you-」

There are, however, exceptions.

Heroes who have both the Aptitudes of a Wizard and a Warrior, and Majins who are naturally born with high physical ability and Magical Energy.

For example, even though her Job is Wizard, Aym’s physical prowess is not as inferior as mine, a Black Sorcerer, is.

My sideways slash was blocked by her staff.

But this doesn’t mean my attack failed.

Aym is also a very famous Monster, so I know all about her.

Her firepower at maximum output is quite something, even within the industry.

Limited to just the fire element, I bet she’d be up there in the top 10.

However, she doesn’t have a Divine Blessing.

The Esoteric of the main Fire Spirit that Fenix formed a contract with, the Flames of the Gods, burns all of creation into ash, save for one Spirit Contractor.

That guy’s own flames won’t burn him.

That is because of the Spirit’s Divine Blessing.

People without this will be completely affected by their own magic.

In other words, if she uses a spell to damage me at this close distance, she will receive damage herself.

Maintaining a point-blank distance serves to seal her power.

Also, while fighting at such a distance, she is already consuming a large amount of Magical Energy due to Resist.

Because there is no other way for her to defend herself against my Black Magic.

「I can’t shake him off… I see, it would appear that close-quarters combat is the only option.」

For a while now, Aym has been trying to distance herself from me, but that hasn’t been going very well.

I didn’t only have one master.

I also had a master of the blade, the Reaper Knight Furcus.

With the techniques she taught me and my powers of observation that she commended me on, I can maintain the desired distance with my enemy even as someone whose main Job isn’t a Warrior.

I don’t need to overwhelm her or anything.

Of course, due to my lack of talent in the ways of the blade, all this is possible because I also completely analyzed my enemy by researching how Aim fights in filmed Clear videos.

「…You’re the studious type, I see. I like boys like that.」

She also seems to be aware that her movements are being read.

「Thank you very much.」

If she doesn’t like this stalemate, she might work towards forcibly pushing through.

Amii and her other subordinates are excellent fighters, but we have the Water Hero.

An overpoweringly strong Hero who will not forgive anyone who treats him like a kid.

The other three also have far more stamina than I do.

Just spending a long time dealing with me is a disadvantage to her other party member’s battles.

She’ll definitely make a move.

If I can just deal with that-

『Ahaha.』

The black chick Dark, who had been watching quietly thus far, laughed joyfully.

Because Aym released a massive fire spell knowing full well that she’ll get hit by it too.

My vision was dyed red.

「Lem…!」

「There you go being all flashy again.」

I think I heard both Wraith’s worried voice and Amii’s bored voice.

…All within expectations.

Her Demi-Beasts are already defeated and her subordinates have been instructed to do battle with the enemy.

If she adjusts her power, her self-destruct should only affect the Black Sorcerer Lem.

And on top of her being a Majin, she can choose when to do it.

Not to mention her enemy is a Normal.

Meaning she has a high chance of surviving this.

『A pretty interesting development, but I guess this isn’t enough to surpass my partner’s expectations, huh?』

It has been proven in the battle against Fenix that high-density and high-purity Magical Energy can cancel out magic.

I used the Magical Energy from the horn at that time, but I have a Holy Sword this time.

If I time it right, I can defend myself by cutting it.

The paved road was being upturned, the nearby café was destroyed and smoke enveloped the area.

I’m sure this isn’t her maximum output either.

It’s like she suppressed it to a level that wouldn’t get her allies caught up in the blast.

Still, if that blast hit me directly, my body would be dust instantly.

Someone’s figure can be seen through the smoke.

It’s Aym.

Her dress is burnt and her body suffered burns from her own magic.

Yet still, she grips onto her staff, knowing full that I am still alive due to my Magical Energy signature, and immediately begins conjuring another spell.

「Even considering it is going through the Holy Sword, your Magical Energy is tremendous. Even more formidable is your control over Magical Energy and ability to read it.」

She’s right. It isn’t good to just have Magical Energy.

Just as Resist is a technique that constantly releases Magical Energy, it is very difficult to keep Magical Energy that has left your body in its Magical Energy state.

If you don’t change it from Magical Energy into a magic spell, then it will quickly melt and disappear into the surroundings.

Even for high-density and high-purity Magical Energy, this basic concept doesn’t really change.

The act of defending against that spell with Magical Energy is due to the Holy Sword being covered in Magical Energy, much like how Resist works.

Thinking in terms of Magical Energy consumption and speed, it really does things like discharge it.

Activating it just before the enemy’s attack hits you or activating it for a few seconds too long beforehand will quickly dry up your Magical Energy.

The technique required to pull it off is very demanding, and the timing is strict.

「Which is exactly why…it is not something you can do more than once…!」

She’s right.

The Magical Energy that I generate and flow into the Holy Sword.

It’s not inexhaustible, as I’m abusing my own Magical Energy organ.

But…

She points her staff towards me, releasing a massive fireball.

Considering the distance between Aym and me, the speed and size of the fireball, I won’t be able to dodge it in time.

Nor can I defend against it.

For her to be able to fire another attack like this so soon after the last one proves that she belongs in her position as one of the Southern Demon King Castle’s Big Four.

Ah, but…

『You’re one step ahead, partner.』

I sprint towards her.

Her fireball passes by my side.

「Wha-」

She, herself, is probably the most surprised.

Because there is no way the Fire Manipulator Aym could have missed in this situation.

But the fact that she did, means that the fault lies with someone else.

Someone else like, for example, a Black Sorcerer and his Black Magic.

I send her staff flying. With her scorched arm, she can’t defend against me as she did before.

With a subsequent thrust, my Holy Sword pierces through her chest.

「What in the…when did…」

『About that…』

「About the time when you self-destructed.」

Her eyes opened wide in astonishment.

「No…」

Just before Aym self-destructed, she cut off her Resist.

Employing another spell while also releasing a massive amount of Magical Energy at the same time is an impossible task.

It’s like trying to write the alphabet with two pens in one hand.

So I guessed that there was a high chance her Resist was off at that time.

I sent out my spell to pierce through that exact moment, and I hit the mark.

Her spatial awareness was warped by Confusion, so she aimed thinking that I was to the right of where I actually am.

Her spell flew in the wrongly aimed direction.

『It’s only natural that she couldn’t predict it. What she didn’t do, my partner did. While she released Magical Energy at the optimal timing, at the same time, he invoked his spell at the optimal timing. Surprising, right?』

Normally, I should show you how well I can handle the power that my master gave me.

But at least for now, I can’t and won’t do that.

This is why, at the very least, I’ll show it to her in my own way.

I learned a lot from that person…as a Black Sorcerer.

The horn isn’t the only thing I gained from my master.

Just before she was defeated, Aym muttered this.

「…4th rank might have been too low for you…」

Those appear to be words of approval.

At the very least, she hasn’t deemed me unfit to be that man’s disciple.

「…Thank you very much.」

Her body turns into Magical Energy particles.

『Winning without letting your opponent use their full strength. That’s very much a Black Sorcerer way to win.』

Indeed. Of course, both parties fighting with all their might is a wonderful thing, but fights aren’t all about that.

Because in a real fight, using your opponent’s disadvantage to your own advantage is also important.

That is the essence of Black Magic in the first place.

A Black Sorcerer imposes disadvantages on the enemy, allowing their allies to fight with advantages.

From the moment she allowed me to get in close, most of Aym’s specialized magic was sealed off.

I can use Black Magic no matter the distance.

She must have had such thoughts about me being the Demon King Lucifer’s successor.

I managed to win this time, but this wasn’t all she had to offer.

When I look back at my allies, it looks like their battles were reaching their conclusion as well.