I cast a quick glance behind me.
Ren and the others... yeah, they’d already made it outside the castle walls.
Now I could really let loose.
"Well then—"
"Guh...!"
Guisarm took a step back.
He raised his hand, attempting to gather mana for a technique, but it fizzled out.
Hardly surprising. My previous attack had sucked up most of the mana in the vicinity.
Normally, a mage uses their own internal mana to cast spells, not the environmental kind. It’s easier to control that way, and a spell formula provides more than enough amplification to reach the desired output.
In contrast, Guisarm’s method was far too reliant on brute force.
It was true that by gathering and firing off massive amounts of atmospheric mana, he could preserve his own stores. But if he did that recklessly, he’d deplete the area, leaving him unable to attack for a while.
...Come to think of it, the Ancient Magic Grimo used was just as simple—just gather mana and fire. Maybe the Demon World was so overflowing with the stuff that no one ever bothered to innovate.
"Hell yeah! His attacks are nothing to worry about! Time for a counterattack, Master Lloyd! He’s a sitting duck! Even if he is a Demon, one hit from that magic from before should do the trick! Just kill the bastard already!"
Grimo was practically dancing, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Seeing the look on my face, Guisarm’s lips curled into a smirk, as if he’d realized something.
"! ...I see. Of course. Heh, heh... I get it now. It’s true that my attacks might not be able to land a killing blow on you just yet. But the same applies to you, doesn't it?"
"...Good eye."
The magic I’d unleashed earlier hadn't dealt Guisarm a lick of damage. As Grimo said, Void—which could send even mana into sub-space—could probably take him down, but its range was far too short. Spatial System Magic was notoriously difficult to control; if I fired it too far from my person, it risked going haywire. Since it also had a significant startup time, hitting a mobile target was easier said than done.
"N-no way..."
"Exactly. Furthermore, none of your other attacks can hurt me, but if just one of mine lands, you're dead. In other words, I just have to keep attacking until you’re exhausted. Once you run out of mana and can no longer defend yourself, my victory will be set in stone!"
Guisarm conjured a Magic Orb that thrummed near his palm.
Hmm. The mana was replenishing faster than I’d expected. Even if he’d sucked the immediate area dry, mana from the surroundings would naturally flow in to fill the vacuum, much like water seeking lower ground. If he kept the output moderate, he could keep attacking without depleting the local atmosphere.
"Which means... we’re still in deep crap!"
As Grimo screamed, Guisarm unleashed blades of mana.
"Aha ha ha! Exactly! Now, be a good boy and die!"
"Guh...!"
I deflected the barrage with Magic Barriers while attempting a counterattack. I began chanting using the mouth manifested in my right palm.
"■■■, ■■■"
A Double Casting of the Fire System Supreme Magic 'Blazing Scorching Fang' and the Wind System Supreme Magic 'Violent Sky Storm Fang.' The erupting fire and wind swirled together, forming sharp, predatory fangs.
—Synthesis Magic: Flame Storm Vortex Fang.
With a thunderous crash, the fangs of fire and wind slammed into Guisarm.
"Heh, heh... Useless, useless."
But it had no effect on the formless Guisarm. Whether I burned or shredded him, his body simply knitted back together instantly.
"This body is a mere transient form. Any attack you throw is useless, useless, useless! It is impossible for a human to defeat a Demon. And let me tell you one more thing... something truly despairing!"
Guisarm raised his hand, and a Magic Circle enveloped him.
A spell formula? Why start using them now? As I wondered, Grimo suddenly yanked my hand.
"Master Lloyd, behind you!"
A Magic Orb from Guisarm grazed my side. Looking back, I saw Guisarm’s arm floating directly behind me.
"Heh, so close..."
Guisarm’s arm vanished into thin air. He’d teleported just his limb.
"...I see. So that's Jade's ability."
The same power used to deliver letters directly inside the Assassin's Guild. I’d suspected as much, but it was clear now: Jade’s innate ability was Spatial Transfer. Guisarm was likely combining it with Spatial System Magic and auxiliary spell formulas to control it with such precision. How convenient. I was genuinely jealous.
"Come on, come on! Can you handle attacks from every blind spot!?"
Guisarm teleported both hands above and behind me, raining down Magic Orbs from every direction. The mana flow was hard to read, and the power behind each shot was starting to overwhelm my Magic Barriers.
"Master Lloyd! Right—no, above! Wait, below! Behind you! Aaaah, I can't keep track!"
"Magic Barriers alone aren't going to cut it. In that case... I'll use this!"
I drew the Sword of Magic Absorption from my waist. This blade could absorb and store magic. I combined it with Control System Magic to perfectly replicate Sylpha’s movements.
"Hah!"
I exhaled sharply and swung. The blade caught and absorbed every incoming projectile. I tried a follow-up strike on Guisarm’s floating hand, but I only managed to graze the formula before it vanished.
"Whoops. I underestimated you for a mere mage, but you've got some moves. ...However, I’ve already gauged your speed."
Thump! My jaw was jerked upward.
A Magic Orb from below had shattered my auto-deployed Magic Barrier. I swung my sword, but he was too far out of reach. Guisarm exploited the opening, firing more Magic Orbs. Bang! Clang! Thud! He had my range perfectly measured now. Firing from blind spots and just outside my reach, he systematically dismantled my Magic Barriers. Finally, an orb broke through and rattled my head.
"Master Lloyd!"
I stumbled a bit from the impact, but I was fine. I was guarding with a Magic Barrier: Strong deployed at point-blank range. But the rapid-fire Magic Orbs continued to hammer against it. Clang! Clang! The impacts vibrated through me until I was forced down to one knee. The assault didn't let up for a second.
"Aha ha ha! How pathetic! You’re just like a turtle! Stay down and cower! I’ll peel away those Magic Barriers like I’m stripping a turtle’s shell!"
As he laughed loudly, a rain of Magic Orbs poured down from above. I could only huddle there and endure it.
"It’s over! Die! Die, die, die, die! Die! Regret the day you defied me and di—"
Guisarm’s voice cut out. His attack stopped.
He had no choice, really. After all, the arm he’d been using to attack had ceased to exist.
"Wha...!? Why... why is my arm gone!?"
"Hmm. So even a Demon can't regenerate parts swallowed by sub-space."
Guisarm looked at the coordinates where he’d teleported his arm. A black vortex was floating there—a rift created by the Void spell.
"Th-That’s impossible!"
The stub of his arm was hazing over, dissipating like mist. It looked much like a Majin’s death.
"Wh-What did you do!? I was moving with every strike, coming from your blind spots! There’s no way you could have predicted my movements! There’s no way such a sluggish spell should have hit me!"
"He's right, Master Lloyd! You said yourself that spell was too slow and short-ranged to land a hit!"
I nodded at both of them.
"Yeah, that's why I built a new formula. Just now, while I was curled up on the floor."
Earlier, I’d grazed his Spatial Transfer Spell Formula with my Sword of Magic Absorption. By making contact, I’d absorbed and analyzed it. I’d previously etched an Appraisal formula onto the blade, allowing me to examine the structure of any magic it sucked up.
While Guisarm was pummeling me, I’d finished constructing a formula to detect the exact moment his spell activated. Then, it was just a matter of linking it to Void. The instant his arm teleported in, the formula would calculate the coordinates and trigger Void at that exact spot. A hole to sub-space would open at the very moment his arm appeared.
"You built a new formula!? While you were huddled there!? Even a simple formula takes days to construct! It’s not something that can be done in a few dozen seconds! It’s impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible!"
"Unbelievable! You’re insane, Master Lloyd! This is the result of your daily habit of tearing spells apart and performing Magical Modding! Your ability to analyze and assemble formulas is ingrained in your very soul! It’s on a whole different level!"
The two of them were babbling about something or other. I decided it was time to finish this. I unleashed Void directly at the panicked Guisarm.
"Crap—!?"
A black hole tore open right in the middle of Guisarm’s torso while he was distracted by his own breakdown. His body began to vanish into the rift. His chest, his limbs, his head...
"Guh... D-Dammit... DAMN IT ALLLLLLLLL!"
Guisarm’s final scream echoed through the castle. But even that soon fell silent.
The black vortex vanished, and only silence remained.