"Flame Lance. Flame Lance. Flame Lance."
Reiko fired a rapid succession of Flame Lances as a preliminary test.
As the first strike hit home, a massive Death Sea Serpent reared its head, breaking the surface of the water.
"Flame Buster."
Reiko followed up instantly with high-level fire magic, obliterating the Death Sea Serpent's head in a single blast.
"One."
Sensing their leader's demise, three more Death Sea Serpents emerged from the waves.
"Flame Buster. Flame Buster. Flame Buster."
Reiko unleashed a volley of fire magic at the trio. Two more had their heads shattered, leaving their corpses to bob amidst the swells.
"That makes three."
However, the third serpent had sensed the danger and dived; the final Flame Buster struck nothing but empty air.
Watching the exchange, Jin spoke up.
"It went underwater, huh? Watch this—I'll smoke them out."
He moved to implement the tactic he had been visualizing.
"Sonar!"
While Sonar was a form of Craft Magic typically used to inspect the internal structural integrity of objects using ultrasonic waves, increasing the intensity allowed it to affect living creatures beneath the water.
Jin unleashed a burst of ultrasonic waves at maximum intensity toward the sea ahead.
Immediately, more than ten Death Sea Serpents breached the surface as if trying to escape the water. Fish of all sizes also floated up nearby, stunned by the shockwaves.
"Now, Reiko!"
"Flame Buster. Flame Buster. Flame Buster. Flame Buster. Flame Buster."
Under the relentless barrage of fire magic, five more Death Sea Serpents were reduced to nothing more than sea foam.
"That’s eight."
However, the surviving serpents managed to submerge once more.
"Reiko, I'll flush them out again," Jin said. "Try attacking with lightning-attribute magic this time."
"Yes, Father. Understood."
"Alright, here we go... Sonar!"
As the Death Sea Serpents surfaced again, unable to withstand the renewed ultrasonic assault, Reiko took aim.
"Thunder Rain."
She rained down high-ranking lightning-type magic upon them.
The Death Sea Serpents struck by the spell writhed briefly before going limp, their white underbellies exposing as they floated unconscious on the surface.
"Good. We’ll finish them off later. Again!"
Jin radiated Sonar at maximum output. Reiko met the surfacing serpents with another shower of Thunder Rain.
Even more Death Sea Serpents drifted to the surface, paralyzed.
"That’s half of them."
"There are still quite a few left, though. Fall back for a moment!"
If they allowed the swarm to close in, Jin would be in danger, even if Reiko was safe. Reiko focused on backing the boat away.
Two Death Sea Serpents, however, had identified the small boat as the source of the threat. With a sudden burst of speed, they closed the distance in an instant.
Occupied with operating the paddlewheel, Reiko’s reaction was delayed. Just as the jaws of the leading serpent loomed before them—
"Water Jet!"
Jin unleashed magic at the approaching monster. The blade of water, moving faster than the speed of sound, unerringly severed the Death Sea Serpent’s head.
"Whoa! That’s grisly."
Jin and Reiko were showered in the resulting spray of blood. But even in that moment, the second serpent was closing in.
"Water Jet!"
Jin swung the water blade again. This time, there was enough distance that he managed to avoid the blood spray.
"Father, what was that?" Reiko asked, looking surprised.
"Oh, it's the Craft Magic 'Water Jet.' It can even slice through adamantite."
"You are truly incredible, Father!"
Reiko looked delighted, even in the heat of battle.
While they talked, they managed to put some distance between themselves and the swarm. About fifteen serpents were still active.
"Is the effect too weak from this far? Water Jet!"
Jin threw his full strength into a Water Jet. It sliced through the midsections of two Death Sea Serpents, cutting them clean in half, but the remaining thirteen generated curtains of water to block the attack.
"Tch. I guess they really are resistant to the water-attribute."
While the Water Jet's stream did penetrate the water curtains, its force was drastically sapped, leaving it unable to pierce the serpents' scales.
The remaining thirteen serpents grew enraged, coiling their bodies as they prepared to pounce. Their movements stilled for a split second. In that opening—
"Mana Explosion."
Reiko’s most powerful offensive spell detonated. This magic was capable of annihilating only targets that possessed mana, but to control its destructive power, she had to target their magic cores with pinpoint accuracy. Otherwise, the surrounding mana would cause a chain reaction, resulting in a catastrophic explosion.
One Mana Explosion vaporized eight Death Sea Serpents. The ones floating unconscious were also caught in the blast, bringing the count of eliminated monsters to seventeen. Only five were left moving.
"Whoa! Talk about turbulence!"
The shockwaves from the spell tossed the small boat violently.
"Using it again... might be too dangerous at this distance," Reiko noted, refraining from another Mana Explosion.
She chose to prioritize Jin's safety. As she did, the final serpents closed in.
"Laser."
This time, Jin unleashed his own magic.
A beam of intense red light pierced through the head of a Death Sea Serpent. When it struck the water curtains, it evaporated them instantly, boring straight through the serpent's head through the resulting hole.
In the blink of an eye, the last five Death Sea Serpents were eliminated.
"Father, was that also Craft Magic?" Reiko asked.
"Yeah. It was my first time trying it in a real fight, but it worked out well. It's actually just an application of the 'Light' spell."
Light was a simple spell used to illuminate one's hands or search for objects in the dark.
"I just amplified the light to an extreme degree and made the waves coherent."
It was a feat possible only through magic; in the physical world, it would require a massive apparatus. However, within Jin resided both the scientific knowledge of modern Earth and the mystical wisdom of the Magi Craft Meister.
The fusion of science and magic. This was a path that led to heights even greater than those reached by his predecessor, Adriana Barbora Tsetse.
"You are truly magnificent, Father," Reiko said as she moved to finish off the unconscious serpents.
"Yeah... well, I suppose it's better to make sure they're gone."
While Jin had no qualms about defending himself, he still felt a lingering resistance toward one-sided slaughter. Reiko, however, lacked such emotions and carried out the task with clinical efficiency.
"Is it over?"
"Yes, Father. I can no longer sense any mana."
On the now-tranquil sea, Jin used water magic to wash away the blood. Like Reiko’s outfit, his clothes were made of magical materials, so the stains vanished instantly.
"Well then, let’s head back."
"Yes, Father."
At a more leisurely pace than their departure, the two began their journey back toward the race course.