I was Alraune, a plant monster in the form of a young girl.
The individual flying up there was Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
As it turned out, the Light Magic used by a Four Heavenly King had no effect on me.
On the contrary, it was actually healing me.
Photosynthesis was delicious!
"It is impossible... That my Glanzstrahl should be ineffective is unthinkable!"
The birdman of the Four Heavenly Kings was spiraling into confusion.
I suppose I could understand why.
It must have been quite a shock to see an attack spell that had felled Bear-papa’s relative in a single blow leave a tiny Alraune like me completely unscathed.
But the truth was, I felt wonderful.
Being able to perform photosynthesis with holy light made me incredibly happy.
I truly wanted seconds.
"Just what in the world am I supposed to do...?"
"I-It hurts... I’m scared of the light... I think... I’m going to die..."
"Could it be... that it actually worked after all?"
I decided to feign injury.
If I did, he might favor me with an additional attack.
It was just like the classic story about being "scared of steamed buns."
I was so very "scared" of Light Magic.
"I-Indeed. For my Light Magic to fail would have been some sort of mistake."
The birdman, whose arrogance was matched only by his high opinion of himself, fell for my act completely.
He likely refused to believe that his Light Magic—his very identity—could be useless.
"Glanzstrahl!"
Ah, sunbathing felt divine!
The temperature was a bit intense, though, making me worry my leaves might get scorched.
Or so I thought, but because it was a beam of Light Magic, I remained perfectly fine, likely thanks to the resistance I had held back when I was a Saint.
It was quite bright, however; I almost found myself wishing for a pair of sunglasses.
"Is... is it still alive?"
The birdman was wheezing.
He seemed to be growing exhausted.
"Then I am left with no choice. I shall show you my ultimate technique!"
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
Light began to coalesce around him.
A massive ring of radiance formed around Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown.
Energy leaked from that halo with enough force to make the very air vibrate.
This Light Magic was dangerous.
He definitely intended to unleash that.
"Little Witch! Treant! Kiri! Get away from here, quickly!"
Reacting to my voice and the Four Heavenly King's ominous aura, Fairy Kiri barked instructions as she leaped onto Treant.
Following her lead, my subordinate Treant forcibly scooped up the Little Witch.
The Little Witch struggled, reaching her hand out toward me.
"W-Wait! Alraune is still—!"
"I’ll be fine! Just go, quickly!"
"But!"
"I’ll be okay."
"Alraune..."
I gently stroked the reluctant Little Witch’s head with a vine.
Then, I gave Treant a light flick with a vine to signal her to run.
Responding to the whip-like command, Treant dashed into the depths of the forest while clutching the Little Witch.
They fled so far they eventually vanished from sight.
They should be safe at that distance.
I couldn't run away regardless, so I would stay and fight here for everyone's sake.
Now then, the problem was this stalker Four Heavenly King.
In truth, he was about to blast me with what could be considered the ultimate offensive Light Magic spell.
With this small body of a young girl, I might not be able to withstand it.
"There are almost none across this vast continent who could survive this Light Magic of mine!"
The ring of light vanished as if decomposing into atoms.
An instant later, the world was swallowed by a void of pure white light.
"Heiligenschein!"
A section of the forest was utterly demolished by the divine radiance.
From the sky, it must have looked as if a giant, circular radiant crown had been born on the earth.
Everything caught within that ring was purified—decomposed by the holy light.
That was the ultimate technique of Light Magic: Heiligenschein.
The ring of light expanded gradually until it finally enveloped my entire body in its gentle embrace.
The trees and boulders around me vanished like mist.
Even the surface of the ground began to disappear.
Eventually, I, too...
Yes, I, too...
I... well, I didn't disappear at all.
In fact, I felt incredibly energetic.
If anything, I had performed so much photosynthesis that I felt stuffed.
Far from being annihilated, my body had absorbed the light energy of the Heiligenschein along with the nutrients from the surroundings that had been vaporized.
Despite being a plant, I felt so enriched that I didn't think I’d need to bask in the sun for quite some time.
The Light Magic finally ceased, and the world of pure white returned to its natural colors.
I was the only thing still standing on the ground.
With me at the center, every tree and boulder within a radius of several dozen meters had vanished.
It looked as though a hole had been punched into the forest.
It had been a devastatingly powerful attack, but it seemed even this Light Magic was nothing more than a snack to me.
"Unbelievable... The only one who could have even hoped to counter my Heiligenschein was that Saint—the one said to be the strongest in history, who died years ago..."
Mr. Birdman, that Saint is probably me.
I was standing right in front of him, though I doubted he would believe it.
It was true that during my days as a Saint, I could have nullified that attack.
I was, after all, the child of Light Magic.
Whether it was because my Alraune body performed photosynthesis or because my soul still held the resistance of a former Saint, I wasn't entirely sure.
The reason was likely both.
"E-Even if Light Magic is ineffective, the attacks of an Alraune cannot reach me! I am in the sky. My victory is still assured!"
That much was true, Mr. Four Heavenly King.
Even if Light Magic didn't work, I was still just a plant monster young girl.
There was a world of difference between our combat capabilities.
But you see, nutrients were currently circulating through my body like never before.
I hadn't felt this energetic since becoming an Alraune.
In this "bonus stage" state, I felt as if I could do anything.
Furthermore, through the power of photosynthesis, I could use Light Recovery Magic.
I possessed the power to make plants grow at an accelerated rate.
Until now, I had only used Plant Generation for parts of my body, like my vines, the Man-eater, or the Teppou-uri.
But the truth was, I could even make my main body—my bulb and corolla—grow rapidly.
I had only been unable to do so before because I lacked the necessary nutrients.
Now, however, I was overflowing with energy.
And so, I decided to do it.
I would make my entire body grow.
Forcibly, until I was strong enough to defeat him.
I took the Light Magic I had received from Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown and converted it into nourishment through photosynthesis.
Then, I let my body undergo a sudden, massive growth spurt.
First, my roots stretched deep and grew thick.
In response, my bulb expanded, and my leaves began to flourish with great vigor.
My red corolla bloomed as beautifully and magnificently as a cherry blossom in full peak.
Simultaneously, the human portion—my pistil—matured.
My young girl's body transformed into that of a young woman.
Oh, my chest was getting tight.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my vine bra burst open under the pressure of my expanding bust.
I'd always wanted to try something like that at least once, I thought, as I offered a silent prayer of thanks to my growing chest. Keep growing, I urged it.
However, I couldn't simply stay like this.
There were likely many "gentlemen" up in the sky staring down at me.
At this rate, I’d never be able to get married!
With practiced speed, I fashioned a new vine bra to hide my chest.
It was only natural for a lady of the forest.
By then, my growth had reached its conclusion.
I now looked exactly as I had when I died as a Saint.
In other words, I had returned to the form I possessed before being incinerated by the Flame Dragon Lord.
I had grown quite a lot.
I was no longer a young girl!
From above, I heard the Four Heavenly King mutter, "This cannot be happening."
"I-It’s impossible. Not only is this Alraune immune to Light Magic, but she looks exactly like that Saint..."
Oh, come to think of it, Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown did mention he was familiar with me from my Saint days.
Since it was just the two of us now—me and the stalker—perhaps I should ask something a bit more personal.
"Do you... know... the Saint?"
"Naturally! My ultimate goal was to swallow Saint Iris whole and seize her power. I observed her countless times even before I became a Four Heavenly King, all for the day I would finally devour her."
So this birdman had been a dedicated follower.
To think I had a fan even in the Demon King's Army.
Moreover, for a Four Heavenly King to be my stalker with the goal of eating me... I was shocked by what an irredeemable pervert he was.
Well then, my dear stalker.
If you liked me enough to stalk me, then being defeated by that very Saint should be your heart's desire, wouldn't you agree?
After all, you had been planning to fight her one day.
Congratulations on your dream coming true.
For the sake of such a romantic gentleman, allow me to go all out.
Please try to forget about the part where my vine bra burst and I was briefly exposed.
Now then, Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown.
The former Saint Iris, reborn as an Alraune plant monster girl, shall be your opponent.
I cannot say for certain if your goal of swallowing the Saint will be achieved, however.
I wonder which of us will be the one doing the swallowing.
Thank you for reading. Next time: The Alraune Teppou-uri Symphony Orchestra.