Chapter 91
Ardis recalled 『Springtime Mist』 and 『Moon’s Blizzard』 back into his hands and immediately dashed .
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There was a total of five mana signatures two hundred meters away . They were all about the size of a human’s, most likely Solte’s and the three mercenaries’ . But the problem remains with the fifth signature .
「It moved? 」
The moment when the fifth which had the largest signature moved, one of the other signatures vanished . Ardis couldn’t tell whether that was Solte’s mana signature or the mercenaries’ .
As if ridiculing at Ardis’s worries, another signature vanished . Even though it’s a distance within seconds if the trees weren’t blocking his way, the mere two hundred meters felt extremely long for Ardis .
Just before Ardis finally got through the trees and arrived at the destination, another signature disappeared .
「Tch! 」
Ardis sent out 『Springtime Mist』 and 『Moon’s Blizzard』 first . The two swords flew out in a straight line towards the signature that was thought to be a demonic being’s .
「It was dodged!? 」
But the two swords were stabbed into the ground mercilessly .
It seems that the opponent is fairly proficient in their senses . Dodging the swords that Ardis sent out from a distance, it took a distance from another mana signature .
Ardis finally arrived belatedly after the swords . While keeping his guard up at the demonic being which should be still around, Ardis quickly surveyed the surrounding .
There was one corpse with no head, another that had lost one of his leg and died of bleeding, and another who had his body gouged out and died . All of them were the mercenaries . And at the side, there was the girl in the monastic clothing on the ground .
「Still safe huh……」
Without showing on his face, Ardis felt relief .
But he couldn’t let his guard down a moment . After all, the demonic being which was responsible for the deaths of all three mercenaries in a moment was still hiding between the trees .
It is capable of even dodging Ardis’s surprise attack with the flying swords, Ardis could never let his guard down . It seems that the opponent doesn’t have the intentions to back off . Under the lantern’s dim light, Ardis still felt the enormous mana signature behind the trees .
「If you don’t come, I will go . 」
The pale yellowish green and white blades moved with Ardis’s words as the trigger . Towards where the demonic being hid, Ardis’s swords drew an arc from both directions .
Of course, Ardis didn’t expect it would hit at all . He planned to recall the swords when the demonic being leaped out and stab it from the back swiftly .
「Wha!? 」
Contrary to his expectations, Ardis was surprised . Ardis reflexively drew 『Skies of Myriad Colors』 and guarded .
There was a quadrupedal beast with golden fur baring its fangs towards Ardis . With its mouth biting the sword that Ardis swung out, its claw tried to swing at Ardis stomach .
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「Ho―! 」
Ardis immediately let go of 『Skies of Myriad Colors』 and retreated .
Taking a distance, Ardis faced against the beast with golden fur . Although 『Skies of Myriad Colors』 was taken away, Ardis still had many ways he can attack .
But Ardis didn’t use any magic, nor recalled his flying swords, he only stared at the beast . It wasn’t eyes that are filled with bloodlust like normal demonic beings, Ardis felt that there was intelligence behind them .
On top of all, the beast felt familiar to Ardis . The way its tail that’s larger than its body waved around, and the golden fur that covered its whole body .
The few seconds that the both stared at each other . Ardis opened his mouth first .
「You……, could you be Rona? 」
The beast’s body reacted .
After a short moment of weird silence, the golden beast released its bite on『Skies of Myriad Colors』 . The sword fell onto the ground with a loud clank .
The beast narrowed its already narrow eyes, it seems that it’s surprised at Ardis’s words, eventually, it talked with its mouth that had sharp fangs .
「I don’t remember having given my name to a children like you . 」
That was a human speaking .
「A demonic being……spoke . 」
Solte’s eyes became round from the surprise . Without giving a single glance to her, Ardis continued his contact with the beast .
「It’s me . Ardis . Don’t tell me you forgotten? 」
「Ardis……? 」
The beast was obviously skeptical about it as it looked at Ardis .
「The Ardis I know doesn’t look like you though . 」
「Oi, that’s cruel of you? We’ve been together for so many years . 」
「……The smell certainly resembles Al . 」
「I’m saying that I’m Ardis . 」
The beast sniffed and was still suspecting Ardis’s claim .
「If you’re really Ardis…… . Then, 『Third whites of the second』, you understand? 」
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「I don’t really mind but……, who’s the white? 」
「Of course――」
The beast seemed to have smiled, then leapt .
「――It’s to my decide! 」
「Oi, that’s dirty! 」
Ardis complained as he deployed a magical barrier to defend . And the beast released a magic . A light rain started to appear in the darkness and poured down on Ardis .
They were like fireworks as they collided with Ardis’s barrier .
「Wasn’t it three turns!? 」
「It’s your fault for lowering your guard? 」
Floating in the air, the beast was smiling as if enjoying the fight .
「Oi, Solte! 」
「Y-Yes! 」
「Go elsewhere! Yell if you are in danger! Sorry but I don’t have time to be watching you now! 」
Without waiting for Solte’s answer, Ardis had stood on one of the tallest trees around after lifting himself up with mana .
「Sorry for the wait . 」
「Don’t mind . It’s not my interest to involve some spectator as well . 」
「Who knows . The Rona I know is an inconsiderable kid, he’s not one to see his surroundings when he gets into a fight . 」
「Shut up」
Could it be that it was irritated after being pointed out, the golden beast muttered grumpily and countless icicles appeared by its tails . The icicle reached it top speed without even a sound, and came at Ardis .
Ardis lifted himself up again, and dodged from the targeted area . Having saw the tree that he was standing on just a moment ago vanished, the young man transformed the mana he was gathering into a single spear .
The beast seemed to be ready for the attack head on . Just before the spear of magic hit itself, the beast slapped it away with its fore foot . Following on, deflecting the fireball that came its way, it also deployed a wall of water to delay the remaining attacks . The beast seemed to have avoided all the attacks when the dusts settled .
「It’s about my turn . 」
The beast’s ear piqued and suddenly the atmosphere in the air changed . The mass that appeared above the beast’s head was making a whirlpool in the space . With the compressing space, a huge amount of air was sucked in as it compressed .
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「Take this! 」
With a yell, the beast manifested a crescent blade . Three from the front, and one each from the sides . With a weird ringing sound in its wake, the blades accelerated and came at Ardis .
「This much! 」
It wasn’t a speed that Ardis can’t dodge . Making a foothold invisible to the eyes in the air, Ardis leapt from it and dodged the crescent blades .
「Too bad! 」
As if a kid succeeding in his prank, the beast laughed at Ardis . The crescent blades that Ardis dodged came around in a curve and chased after him .
「Tch! 」
Ardis stretched out his hand, and deployed a barrier with his mana . It was the triple fold magical barrier that defended against Nere’s magic before .
But the moment when the crescent blades touched the barrier, Ardis immediately regretted . Ardis expected it to be deflected after clashing with the barrier, but the outcome wasn’t that .
「It sticks!? 」
Not even having an impact when it clashed against the barrier, it didn’t get deflected but became a liquid consistency and stuck to Ardis’s barrier . The blades that seemed hard and sharp just now suddenly became a thin film that covered Ardis’s barrier and blocked his sight .
「That was your aim huh! 」
Sensing a huge amount of mana gathering at the direction of the beast, Ardis readied himself . It was an attack stronger than any before . It was in a degree way above incomparable to Nere’s light ball, the unbelievably huge amount of energy circulated around .
Ardis changed the vector of the magic barrier outwards, and used his mana to blast away the sticky film that covered his sight .
「So easy―」
The beast laughed again . Accompanied by small explosions, Ardis’s view opened up . But that seemed to be well within the beast’s expectations . The moment the explosion happened, Ardis noticed the mana that was like a rope that bound his hands and legs .
It seems like during the explosion, the sticky attack had changed shape and came at Ardis to bind him .
The rope shaped mana had tangled around Ardis’s limbs, dulling his movements . Finally, the one who casted all this magic, something visible started converging on its tail .
「Now, the finisher! 」
As the beast pulled its tail, Ardis felt the rope bound more tightly on him . The beast started to knead mana happily .
Suppressing and compressing the strong mana that was on its head, it seemed to be waiting for the moment it struck the unescapable prey it had caught .
But Ardis didn’t seem to be panicking .
「It’s convenient that you connected yourself to me . 」
Saying so, Ardis started to change his mana attribute .
His body started to crackle with small pops . And its numbers slowly increased, with the frequency increasing . Along with the sound of crackling, there were countless lights that looked like fireworks manifesting .
Eventually, when Ardis’s entire body was covered in a might of lightning, Ardis smiled smugly towards the beast .
The beast that seemed composed before suddenly hardened .
「Eh? Eh? Eh? W-Wait . No . Stop! Not the biribiri――! 」
With the beast trying to sever the rope of mana quickly, the black-haired young man declared mercilessly .
「Unfortunately, too late . 」
Just as he finished so, the electricity charged up in Ardis’s body flowed through the rope of mana that bound himself to the beast .
「Abababababababa! 」
It seems that it is more than just effective . Although the beast had an absurd resistance towards magic, Ardis knew that Rona hated lightning attributed attacks the most .
That much probably wouldn’t injure it at all but, 『Being fine』 and 『Dislike』 wasn’t the same after all .
「Well then, Rona . Still want some more? 」
「Uuuh……, Al is so mean . You knew that I hated that the most, yet……」
「That means you finally understands who am I? 」
Ardis’s question was met with the beast’s nod reluctantly .
「Muu…… . I don’t really know but, only Al would’ve known the password……」
「I’m glad that you understand . I have mountain loads of stuff that I need to ask . For the time being, let’s go down and group up with Solte . You got anything to do? 」
Rona shook its head .
「Not really . I also have many things to ask Al . 」
「Good, it’s decided then . 」
The both landed back on the ground . And the one waiting for them there was a lone girl . With no ability to comprehend the unbelievable scene that had just unfolded, it was Solte who stared at blank air stunned .