The mana gathered in their palms transformed into a bow of light, emitting a pure white radiance.
What was that? It was a spell formula I had never seen before.
"Hyaaah!"
A massive explosion erupted the moment Gazel snapped his fingers. Using the blast as a distraction, he readied his bow and loosed an arrow.
With a sharp whistle of cutting wind, the arrow of light flew toward Cerobels, who nimbly dodged it.
From behind the demon, Noah followed up, using freezing magic to block his line of sight before taking careful aim with an arrow of light of his own.
"Guh! These... these brats...!"
Cerobels distanced himself from the two, parrying their strikes with a Magic Barrier.
He attempted to counterattack, but the distance was too great, and his strikes were half-hearted. There was no way Noah and Gazel would be hit by such lackluster attacks; they evaded them with ease.
It seemed Cerobels was quite wary of those arrows of light.
"Still, those arrows of light look somewhat like Radiant Armament," I remarked.
"Indeed. However, the resemblance is only skin-deep," Jiriel replied. "I do not sense a Path connected to the Celestial Realm within their spell formula, and the anti-demon effect typically found in Holy Magic seems quite faint as well."
I agreed with Jiriel’s assessment. Rather than Holy Magic, the technique felt closer to the Spatial System.
"...By the way, Master Lloyd, you have quietly stopped fighting altogether. Is that quite alright?"
"If I don't stop, I won't be able to concentrate and observe their magic properly."
I remained close enough to Noah and the others to look involved, pretending to fight while I focused on my observations.
Of course, I intended to step in if things turned dangerous. However, the two of them seemed to be pressing the advantage, so they should be fine for the moment.
Cerobels appeared to be genuinely afraid of those arrows, dodging them with ample room to spare or blocking them firmly with his Magic Barrier. He couldn't mount a decent counterattack under that kind of pressure.
"However, that Magic Barrier of his seems to be diminishing the effects of the magic. To be able to achieve that through mere imagery... Hehe, Demons really do play dirty."
It wasn't quite to my taste, though. While it might be easier to do everything through imagery, I believed that magic was only truly magic because of its beautiful processes: the persuasiveness of the spell formula, the weight of the logic, and the reactions born from pouring mana into them.
Being able to produce fire or water "somehow" was convenient, but it lacked any real interest. As a mage, the spell formula the brothers were using was far more enticing.
"And so, let's try 'Appraisal' immediately."
I peered at the arrow of light with my magical eyes—but some kind of magical protect barrier had been enchanted upon it, and my Appraisal was easily repelled.
I tried again with even more mana, but it was no use. No matter how many times I attempted it, I was shut out.
Hmm. Since it was Bloodline Magic, I had expected a certain degree of protection, but I had never seen a defense this robust before.
As expected of a Progenitor's Spell Formula, it was well worth the effort to decipher.
"In that case, I'll use this."
After confirming that Cerobels had dodged a fired arrow, I used Spatial System Magic to teleport a sword I had retrieved.
The blade danced through the void, colliding with the arrow of light. I caught the sword as it fell, having successfully absorbed the magic.
"Is that... the Sword of Magic Absorption?"
"Yeah. It's a Magic Sword I made that absorbs magic when it strikes the blade."
The Sword of Magic Absorption was a tool I had created for my own use a while back. Its effect was to absorb and record any magic it touched, making it an excellent device for closely observing unknown spell formulas at my leisure. I had prepared it in advance for just such an occasion.
Now then, it was time for the fun part. I began decomposing the absorbed arrow and analyzing the spell formula.
"I see, I see. Appraisal was repelled because the formula was constructed to specialize against Analysis System Magic. How thorough. They must want to hide it that badly. Noah and Gazel didn't use it at all until they got here, and even now, they’re mixing it with various other spells so it can't be easily analyzed. They’ve eliminated the risk of discovery to the utmost limit. A spell formula the progenitor of magic wanted to hide so badly—how fascinating."
It certainly got me motivated. I licked my upper lip and dove into the analysis, completely ignoring the battle.
"Ho-ho. Even an ancient spell formula like this can be made so robust depending on how it's constructed. And the arrangement of the Magic Lines... there isn't a single wasted movement. Truly impressive, just wonderful... Oh, I see. Hmm. Hooo."
"Ma-Master Lloyd... I understand you are enchanted by the formula, but taking your eyes off those two so much is..."
"It's fine."
Almost the moment I spoke, an arrow of light grazed Cerobels' left shoulder. The spot where it hit became blurred and distorted, as if melting into the scenery.
"Wh... what on earth is that...?" Jiriel asked.
"Oh, I was wondering what the effect would be after looking at the formula. I see. So that's how it works."
I had learned quite a bit from the analysis. The name engraved on that arrow of light was the 'Demon Sealing Bow.'
My first impression had been that it was similar to the Spatial System, but there was more to it. Its true power lay in the dimensional turbulence triggered upon impact. To be specific, the space in the area touched by the arrow distorted, causing the target to merge with the environment, effectively sealing them within the space itself.
"Sealing Magic, huh... Come to think of it, I believe a rumor like that was mentioned in a book about William."
There had been so little information that I had dismissed it as the author's delusion and erased it from my memory. It was likely created by referencing the concept of the 'Hidden Side' that melts into space. If you seal the space itself, it doesn't matter if the opponent is a Majin or a Demon immune to magic.
"Guh, so this is Sealing Magic... I can't move...!"
Cerobels tried to move his body, but the part that had blurred into the scenery was now completely integrated with the fabric of space.
"I've pinned him down, you scumbag older brother! Let's finish this!"
"Don't boss me around, you foolish little brother. Just make sure you don't fall behind!"
Gazel and Noah both readied their bows of light. They aimed for his heart, but rather than panicking, Cerobels exhaled as if he had regained his composure.
"...Phew. I see. So you truly are the descendants of the Progenitor Mage. I understand now why my master was so wary. Right, Kero-su?"
"Yes. However, it seems we have made it just in time. Right, Beru-su?"
Immediately after Cerobels spoke, the surrounding space warped and buckled. The distortion grew larger, and the scenery began to look like a smeared canvas.
"Wh-What is this!?"
"The space itself is distorting!?"
A massive wave of mana released by Cerobels was shaking the entire dimension. I had been so absorbed in my analysis that I hadn't noticed he was performing spatial manipulation during the fight. The interior of the barrier wasn't just collapsing—it was being reshaped.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah!?"
"Noah! Gazel!"
The ground beneath their feet turned liquid. It was like a marsh; before I could reach them, it swallowed them both in an instant. By the time the distortion subsided, the garden had returned to normal.
"Ma-Master Lloyd... they’ve vanished!"
"...They're still alive, at least."
I could still feel their mana signatures within this space, though they felt both near and far. He had probably just partitioned the dimension.
"But why do such a thing...?"
"To ensure those two are finished off properly. Right, Kero-su?" Cerobels said, blood dripping from his arm. It seemed he had cut off the part of himself that had been merged with the scenery. A mere graze wasn't enough to be a finishing blow.
"Yes, Beru-su. After all, facing the three of you at once was a bit much for me to handle alone."
"Therefore, I have taken the liberty of splitting you up. Especially you." Cerobels slowly raised a finger and pointed it at me. "You look like an ordinary boy, but your potential far exceeds those two. You were assisting them in secret so I wouldn't notice, weren't you? Enhancing their physical abilities, neutralizing my attacks... You are quite the mage."
"Oh, you caught on?"
Cerobels nodded. I had been doing various things to ensure I could get a good look at their spell formulas. During the latter half, I had focused so much on the analysis that I’d left the assistance on auto-pilot.
Activating magic through automatic control by pre-laying spell formulas... that sort of thing was difficult with imagery-based mana manipulation, since that required constant conscious input. In that regard, spell formulas that you can tinker with and automate will always have the upper hand.
"To construct such complex formulas, and with mana so immense that even a Demon cannot interfere... You are beyond irregular," Jiriel said, sounding shocked. Cerobels, however, seemed to have expected as much.
"Heh. To think you could seal my actions without moving a finger... my pride is in tatters. However, you cannot use Sealing Magic yourself, can you? If you could, there would have been no need for you to analyze theirs. Right, Kero-su?"
"Yes. That is why separating you from those brothers was the most effective way to eliminate you. No matter how great your mana, you are no threat if you cannot use Sealing Magic. Right, Beru-su?"
Cerobels began to speak with a triumphant smile.
"And let me give you one more piece of despair. The place those two were sent is to my master's side. It is impossible for them to survive without your help."
"Our master—one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army, Master Vilfrey of the Scarlet—possesses mana more than ten times our own! No matter their Sealing Magic, those two will be completely helpless!"
"Heh. But rest assured. I shall end your life quickly as well. Right, Kero-su?"
"Yes. As long as there is no Sealing Magic to fear, I do not mind showing a few openings. Right, Beru-su?"
Cerobels' body suddenly bulged and expanded. He continued to swell with the sound of creaking flesh and snapping bone, his silhouette transforming from a humanoid shape.
"Grrrrrr..."
The figure letting out a low growl was a massive, two-headed wolf. Cerobels looked down at me with crimson eyes, licking his chops.
"It has been a century since I last took this form."
"It was when I devoured an Empire's Mage Order that recklessly charged into the Demon World."
A century ago... I remembered an article in an old newspaper about the elites of the Empire's Mage Order exploring the Demon World. They never returned, and it turned out this guy was the reason. A mage order that made it all the way to the Demon World must have had many wonderful mages among them.
It was a sad thought. Lost knowledge never truly returns.
"I really can't afford to lose those two here. I need to go help them quickly."
"And how!? You are going to be killed by me right here!"
Cerobels charged with a roar.
I took a light breath and exhaled. Then, I activated the spell formula I had woven.
"Nuh!?"
Light exploded as I poured in my mana. The spell formula triggered a chain reaction, continuously generating new radiance. The torrent of light gradually took a clear shape and settled into my right hand.
It was a bow. It was larger than I was, emitting a pure white glow, with a shape that felt slightly ominous.