344 The Solitary Strongest ② (Weiss)

Burning mana—the concept completely disregarded conventional mana principles.

If I were to use terms from my previous life, Teacher Milk probably viewed mana as gasoline.

By intentionally igniting it, she produced an explosive output of power.

Most battles in this world were decided in a heartbeat. You almost never saw anyone slugging it out for half a day. Monsters were different from humans; the concept of stamina was foreign to them. Even the weakest mob had inexhaustible reserves. That was likely why she’d developed this technique.

That was Teacher Milk’s ultimate secret.

Because of it, she didn't actually have any sword techniques you'd call a Special Move. Sure, she had magic and specific attacks, but those were merely tools in her kit.

But in a way, she was absolutely terrifying.

Despite already being S-class in everything—stamina, willpower, mental fortitude, mana, swordsmanship, and martial arts—she could explosively burn all of it to shatter the ceiling of her own limits.

If this weren’t a test, I probably would have insisted on fighting her alone. But things were different now. To hell with my ego.

From here on out, I was playing to win.

"Mali—"

"Ha! My Lord, please, give me any order you wish! Haa... haa..."

I tried to call out to Malice—also known as Debi—who had been waiting right behind me. She was at my side in an instant, dropping to one knee.

...First Luna, and now her. Why does it feel like I’m surrounded by perverts lately?

Whatever. Focus.

"We're attacking together from here on. You understand?"

"Of course. I am your subordinate with an Immortal body. Please, feel free to sacrifice me however you see fit."

Malice's greatest strength was her total lack of fear regarding death. Her physique had gotten... larger (specifically the jiggling parts), which meant she took longer to resurrect, but her durability had shot up to match. She probably wouldn't get taken out in a single hit like last time.

Teacher Milk stood there, silent and still.

Why wasn't she moving? She was the type to prioritize the first strike. No—was it that she couldn't move?

Right. It was because the Shrine's Defense Formulas had been completely dismantled.

After Coco fell through, Chloe had followed.