“A direct hit! Diguardia’s bombardment has snapped Leonhart’s fangs!”
A thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.
The Neutralization Shell had performed perfectly, shattering Leonhart’s barrier and shearing through its fangs.
“Damn it... to think... this could happen...!”
“What’s wrong, Ido? This isn't the end, is it?”
“Of... of course not...! Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this day...?”
Despite his defiant words, Leonhart’s knees buckled the moment it tried to step forward. Its control systems were clearly compromised; the golem could barely keep its footing.
“Gehehe, looks like the guy’s reached his limit, Master. A golem with that much mobility must have sacrificed a lot of durability to get it. He shouldn't even be able to move properly anymore.”
“Indeed. While a powerful barrier can compensate for a lack of defense, it offers no protection against a direct hit from a Neutralization Shell.”
My familiars were dismissive, but I wanted to believe Ido could still fight. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't anywhere near satisfied yet. Keep going, Ido. I know you’ve got more than this.
“Ngh... Move, Leonhart...!”
Ido strained with everything he had, but Leonhart remained sluggish. When I looked through Magic Focus, I could see that the mana which had been saturating the machine moments ago was now almost entirely depleted. The Aqua Regia Barrier’s mana consumption was significantly higher than a standard barrier. Sustaining it over a frame as large as a golem’s must have drained him dry.
“Looks like you’ve run out of mana.”
“...So what? We’re just getting started.”
Ido snapped back at me, but it was clear he was immobilized. Well, there was no point in a fight like this. I let out a sigh and held my hand out toward Leonhart.
A pale light enveloped the rival golem.
“My mana... it’s returning...?! What are you doing, Lloyd?!”
“Isn't it obvious? I’m pouring my own mana into you.”
It was the healing system high magic, ‘Magic Conversion’—a spell that allowed the caster to transfer their own mana into a target. If I gave him about thirty percent of my total pool, Leonhart’s storage capacity would be more than topped off.
“D-Don't mock me! How can we call this a serious battle after accepting charity like that?! A fight to the death?! I won't accept this!”
“You say that, but we can't have a proper match if you can’t even move.”
“Grrr... ggggh...!”
Ido gnashed his teeth in frustration, but I already had his golem pinned with the earth system magic ‘Mud Binding.’ The softened earth coiled around Leonhart like a snake, holding it fast. If he moved around too much, the mana I was sending via ‘Magic Conversion’ would lose its alignment and cause an accidental explosion.
“Hmm. I wonder why Ido is so angry?”
“Well, Master, he’s hitting you with everything he’s got while you’re completely unscathed. Meanwhile, his fangs are broken, he’s out of mana, and you’re basically forcing him to keep going...”
“On top of that, Master Lloyd has him physically restrained while forced-feeding him a recovery spell. At this point, any pretense of an 'all-out battle' has gone out the window. I imagine Ido is feeling quite humiliated right now...”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Grimo and Jiriel were looking at me with expressions of pure disbelief. I didn't get it. I was lending him a hand specifically because I wanted us to fight for real.
“Lloyd... Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloooyd...!”
Ido’s voice trembled with absolute rage. I didn't understand. He was being so unreasonable.
“...You’re always like this! You don't understand how I feel at all! All I wanted was to fight you with everything I had!”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been going all out from the start. Honestly, you're being very selfish...”
“As if this could ever be considered going all out!”
With a primal roar, Leonhart charged. I shook my head at the sheer lack of logic, but I turned my focus back to the mana-shrouded Leonhart as it lunged forward. It looked like his mana was fully restored. On top of that, Ido was using his own magic to reinforce the golem. I see. So this time, it was a serious fight using magic as well. Excellent. Then I suppose I should get serious too.
“Strengthening System Magic, sequential expansion deployment. ‘Strength Increase,’ ‘Speed Increase,’ ‘Elasticity Reinforcement,’ ‘Levitation’...”
As I layered the strengthening spells one after another, Diguardia began to glow with a dazzling radiance. Then, with its entire frame reinforced by my magic, Diguardia took a single step. The earth cracked instantly, a shockwave kicking up a massive screen of dust. My strengthened speed was now several orders of magnitude beyond what it had been. I leveled the Great Magic Sword and took another step; the scenery became a blur.
“W-What incredible speed! It’s on a completely different level! Is this really the power of strengthening magic?!”
“Magic usually struggles to permeate physical matter, making strengthening magic extremely difficult to master... To manifest it with such precision... Master Lloyd is truly a terrifying man.”
Diguardia, now capable of high-speed maneuvers through magic, was significantly faster than Leonhart. I had his movements completely read.
“Ngh! Go, Leonhart!”
In a desperate lunge, Ido swung both claws in a dual strike that seemed to catch Diguardia head-on.
“Did I get him?!”
Ido let out a momentary cry of triumph, but he was mistaken. He had only caught a thin layer of Diguardia’s outer casing.
“I see. So this is what an afterimage with physical mass looks like when created by the Aqua Regia Barrier. Not bad at all.”
It was just an imitation of his own move, but it worked perfectly. Using the Aqua Regia Barrier to shed only the thinnest part of the surface required incredible control. Doing that with a golem of this complexity was an impressive feat.
“Y-You copied my technique just by seeing it once...?!”
Ido’s voice was thick with shock. By the time he spoke, I had already circled behind him. I raised the Great Magic Sword high and brought it down in a single, fluid flash.
“Langris Style Greatsword Arts: Ogre King Fang.”
The air crackled with the sound of static sparks. The audience fell into a stunned silence, eyes wide. On the massive monitors overhead, Leonhart was shown sliced perfectly in two. For a heartbeat, time seemed to stand still. Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted behind me. I gave the Great Magic Sword a quick flourish before sliding it back into its sheath.