The sudden mock battle between Iris and Polaris was underway. The signal had been the activation of a barrier over the uninhabited island, erected by Polaris, a specialist in the craft.
Iris was the first to move. Keeping her arms crossed, she manifested a magic circle at her feet and spoke.
"Darkness lies before me; a foolish rebel stands against me..."
"An incantation?" Polaris muttered, surprised.
"A black spot pierces the target. Fire—Darkness Bullet."
With the chant, a staggering number of magic circles fanned out around Iris, and from them, jet-black bullets erupted. They numbered well over a thousand, converging on Polaris as if to pinpoint her very existence.
In response, Polaris merely twitched her eyebrows in momentary suspicion. She remained stock-still, making no effort to defend or evade. The jet-black bullets struck her body, yet they were repelled without leaving so much as a faint smudge, let alone a scratch.
"Hmph. Defense magic? No... is her physical body itself just that tough?"
"Iris Illuminas... I wonder. Are you, perhaps, looking down on me?"
"Oh?"
"I won't claim there are absolutely no benefits to chanting. However, at our level, chanting is nothing more than a wasteful step. Surely, with that much magic power, it isn't that you're unable to use chantless magic?"
"Now, I wonder about that."
"Well, fine. Just don't use it as an excuse when you lose."
With a slightly irritated expression, Polaris held one hand toward the heavens. A massive sea of magic circles appeared, enough to fill the sky.
"If you want a magical duel, I shall oblige!"
"What a spectacular sight," Iris muttered.
She looked up at the magic circles Polaris had manifested. The magic formulas were simple and concise—little more than low-ranking spells—but their numbers were in a different league.
(Tens of thousands—no, it's reaching a million... She’s the type to crush enemies with sheer mass. She’s more of a muscle-brain than she looks.)
As Polaris swung her hand down, magic fired from the circles like a torrential rain, and a tremendous explosion engulfed Iris.
Naturally, Polaris did not expect the fight to be settled so easily. She remained on guard, staring into the rising smoke. After a short while, the haze cleared to reveal Iris. Only the shoulder of her clothes showed the slightest smudging.
"The power of each individual shot is low, but by concentrating them on several points and having them impact almost simultaneously, the effectiveness is increased. Quite an impressive technique, I must say."
"I'm honored to be praised. So, how about it? Are you ready to get serious yet?"
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Nodding at Polaris's words, Iris uncrossed her arms and fixed her gaze on her opponent.
"I issue a Royal Command. My army, my swordsmen—gather, line up, and destroy the fool who stands before my eyes."
"I'm starting to get angry. Stop underestimating me—!"
Seeing Iris begin chanting again, veins throbbed at Polaris's temples, and she lunged forward to launch an attack. However, her action was hindered by chantless magic fired from Iris's left hand.
"It isn't that I'm looking down on you, nor that I'm unable to use chantless magic. It's simply that chanting makes it easier to convert the formulas mid-process."
"This is—!?"
Hundreds of massive magic circles floated around Iris... and all at once, they were sucked into her raised right arm.
"Formula Conversion—Magic Armament: Black Arm of a Thousand Swords."
Iris's right arm transformed. It became encased in a jet-black, ominous gauntlet, angular and bristling with thorns.
At first glance, it looked as if she had materialized magic power to clad her arm. However, Polaris recalled the unfamiliar term "Magic Armament." Heightening her vigilance, she waited for Iris's next move.
Iris swung her black right arm down. Sensing a bad omen, Polaris immediately performed an evasive maneuver. A black flash passed right beside her, carving a line into the ground as if sliced by a sword.
"An enchantment of slashing? Or did she simply fire magic power from her right arm? Either way, since she's cutting at this range, I can't think of it as mere materialization of magic power."
"Who knows? I am not an instructor at a magic academy. Since I will not provide explanations for every little thing, try probing for the answer yourself."
As she spoke, Iris swung her black right arm again. In the next instant, multiple jet-black swords appeared around Polaris and attacked her all at once.
(There were no magic circles. No signs from the flow of magic power either... Swords of magic power, the Black Arm of a Thousand Swords... So that's it!)
While parrying the raining blades, Polaris deduced the nature of Iris's Magic Armament.
(Most likely, that right arm is fused with the magic formula. In a manner of speaking, her arm has transformed into the properties of sword magic itself. That's why she can fire slashes just by swinging it, and why she can exercise sword magic without the mediation of magic circles... How troublesome. I can't read the signs from the flow of magic power. My response is inevitably delayed by a fraction.)
Once activated, Iris's Magic Armament allowed her to instantly exercise magic without using magic circles. For someone who fought while reading the flow of an opponent's magic power, the timing of its activation was nearly impossible to discern.
On top of that, the power of each strike was substantial.
"Hill of fools, jet-black earth, the blades lurking in the shadows crave flesh and blood..."
"Tch!"
Seeing Iris begin chanting again, Polaris moved to stop her, but a massive number of jet-black swords fired from Iris's right arm blocked her path.
"My finger points toward the sacrifice. Devour—Formula Conversion, Magic Armament: Black Legs of Shadow Blades."
This time, both of Iris's legs transformed into black, thorn-like objects. As Iris stomped her feet, the shadows around Polaris simultaneously stretched out like spears to attack her. Of course, that wasn't all; the jet-black swords continued their assault as well.
"Come, there's more... Open, Underworld Roaring Cage; Nightmare Frenzy; swallow all creation—Formula Conversion, Magic Armament: Black Clothes of the Hellgate."
"Again...!"
It was a sight truly worthy of being called a storm of magic. If Polaris was even a step late in her response, Iris would add more Magic Armament to increase the density of the attack. Even when she tried to go on the offensive, weaving through magic activations that were faster than chantless magic was extremely difficult. Furthermore, because Iris's own magic power was immense, every spell fired possessed the power of a Grand Magic class.
While evading the barrage that threatened to crush her if she stopped, and occasionally swinging her arms to destroy the magic, Polaris showed a faint smile.
"You're really giving it your all... This is beyond my imagination, Iris Illuminas. But it's irritating to let you hold the initiative the whole time!"
As she shouted this, Polaris clasped both hands together in front of her body as if in prayer, imbuing them with a vast amount of magic power.
"Hill of Falling Stars."
"Mm... Hmph."
Seeing that magic activate, Iris temporarily halted her assault. With an impressed expression, she shifted her gaze to the surrounding scenery, which had been transformed.
The uninhabited island, which should have been in broad daylight, had turned into a hill under a sparkling, starry sky before she knew it.
"This is the first time I've seen it. The highest level of barrier magic that drags the opponent into a space created by the caster's magic power... A Large-scale Spatial Barrier, I see..."
A Large-scale Spatial Barrier was the secret art of barrier magic, a spell that forcibly dragged an opponent into a field advantageous to the caster. The most troublesome aspect was that it could become as vast as the caster's magic power allowed, making escape from the inside nearly impossible. On top of that, the space itself acted as the caster's weapon.
Iris temporarily stopped her attacks. Since she had been taken into a Large-scale Spatial Barrier, everything in the vicinity was now the enemy's attack range.
"I've heard that Large-scale Spatial Barriers vary completely in atmosphere depending on the caster... Now then, I wonder what kind of space this one is."
"As composed as ever... it’s passed the point of being irritating; I’m starting to find it refreshing. But well, I wonder how long that will last!"
"This is, again... quite a spectacular sight."
As if responding to Polaris's words, the space finally bared its fangs. The stars that had been sparkling in the sky all at once began to fall toward the ground—toward Iris.
With the ceaseless fall of meteors, the sounds of roaring and explosions echoed through the space. While Iris warded them off with a powerful defense magic, Polaris came flying toward her with fists ready and swung.
It was a simple right straight without any tricks, but that single strike, fired from Polaris's body which had been trained beyond its limits, pierced through Iris's defense magic and struck home.
Once the defense magic was broken, the falling meteors followed up like a wave-like attack, and explosions and smoke swallowed Iris's body.
Seeing this, Polaris struck her hands together as if clapping. The Large-scale Spatial Barrier converged on Iris as the center point, vanishing with a tremendous explosion.
An attack by a Large-scale Spatial Barrier, a strike from a body boasting extraordinary physical strength, and then a final spatial annihilation attack... Certainly, a battle between high-ranking Count-class individuals would not be settled by this much, but a fair amount of damage could still be expected.
Yes, it wasn't over. Rather, it started from here. While telling her heart—which had begun to relax because the continuous attacks had connected so cleanly—to stay focused, Polaris remained in a combat stance within the smoke that covered the island.
"I see. Since you use limited future prediction, I thought you were the type to engage in specialized combat... but it seems you're a versatile type with extraordinarily high basic abilities. Interesting."
"Hey now, that's a harsh joke. I didn't think this would settle it, but... it's a shock to see you unharmed. You said you weren't an instructor, but I'd like you to tell me the secret."
Seeing Iris emerge from the smoke unscathed, even Polaris could not help but have a drop of sweat run down her forehead.
"Hmm? Ah, there's no special secret. It's simply that the Black Clothes of the Hellgate I clad myself in earlier possesses an automatically activated defense effect."
"Ah, I see... Come to think of it, your clothes have returned to normal. To think it could withstand that attack with an automatic activation... what terrifying performance."
"Well, it is convenient. Now then, that was a good fight."
"What did you say?"
"This mock battle was very fruitful for me as well. In particular, being able to experience a Large-scale Spatial Barrier was a good learning experience. I would like to create another opportunity for us to fight like this someday."
Polaris showed a puzzled expression. It was only natural. There were still nearly twenty minutes left until the time Iris had set, and neither had sustained significant damage. If anything, the real battle should start from here.
However, Iris's tone sounded as if she were finished.
"In that case, let's end this."
"!?"
By the time she realized it, Polaris had already leaped back to put distance between herself and Iris. It wasn't a conscious action; her body had moved on its own to flee from a primal threat.
"Awaken, the violent beast that slumbers in my heart! Black claws rend the earth, black fangs devour the heavens. You are the predator, the beast of the end that destroys heaven and earth! The fangs of my heart are here! Manifest! Magic Staff: Apocalypse!"
Black magic power whipped about, and a massive staff manifested in Iris's hand.
"Now then, Polaris... you are strong. But unfortunately, I cannot afford to simply lose to you."
As she spoke with a bold smile, the words she once exchanged with her best friend came to Iris's mind.
—Well, that's about everything I had to teach you. You learned faster than I expected. From here on out, Iris, you must develop your own fighting style yourself.
—Hmph, I'd hate to have to keep asking you for instruction forever. Well, I am grateful for this guidance.
—Still a tsundere, as always... Well, for my part, the idea of having to instruct Iris again gives me the creeps, so please, spare me. Oh, that aside, here's a report.
—Hmm?
—Regarding Iris's body, I've made some adjustments. I slightly lowered the basic abilities you weren't able to master, and in exchange, I adjusted it so that you can grow through training from now on.
—I see, so that's it... In other words, you're saying this. From this point forward, how strong I can become depends on me...
—That's right. By the way, your current strength is just about reaching High-ranking Count-class... I don't intend to be kind enough to stop and wait for you. Don't play around at a snail's pace; catch up quickly... partner.
While smiling bitterly at the memory of her best friend's provocative grin, Iris muttered in a small voice as she leveled her staff.
"Several hundred million years is a long time. I’m essentially cheating since I got a head start, but even so, the gap is still so wide that I can’t even see her back."
"Hmm? What are you talking about?"
"No, it's nothing... Since we're here, I'll show you the power of my Apocalypse. Don't worry, the ability is extremely simple. Apocalypse explosively amplifies the magic power I pour into it. Like this!"
"Guh!?"
In an instant, jet-black magic power raged violently, centered around the staff in Iris's hand. It was at a level that could already be called a storm of magic power, causing even Polaris to reflexively take a step back.
"The twilight bell tolls; hearing the song of ruin, the beast of the end roars!"
The powerful magic power that Iris herself possessed was augmented by the staff, pulling her power up to a domain that would be effective even against the Six Kings.
But it didn't end there. She now possessed a power she never had before: Magic Armament.
"Open your maw! It's hunting time! Magic Armament—Fangs of the Violent Beast."
The raging magic power converged, and the massive staff Iris held transformed into an ominous, jet-black spear. Seeing this, Polaris turned pale, a drop of sweat running down her face.
(That magic power density is nothing short of a joke. It’s no good. Even if I used every defense magic I possess, I wouldn’t be able to withstand that.)
It was truly a mass of violent power; just looking at it caused her to feel death—a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time—with intense clarity.
While experiencing a sensation as if her whole body's hair was standing on end, Polaris let out a soft laugh.
(How fittingly ominous for a subordinate of the Death King... truly magnificent.)
Iris had a certain fixation when it came to combat. In battle, strategy is important. Technique should be honed as much as possible. Special abilities and the flexibility to respond to various situations are also indispensable.
But above and beyond all that... the most important thing in battle is firepower. Of course, this is assuming one possesses everything else as well, but she believed that in the end, firepower is what decides victory or defeat.
Overwhelming and tyrannical firepower that crushes and swallows strategy, technique, ability, and adaptability alike—that was the power she sought most strongly. Therefore, the Apocalypse, which simply and massively enhanced firepower, truly represented the state of her heart.
"Now then, let's draw the curtain. Devour them, Violent Beast! Hell Apocalypse!!"
Along with the key phrase, Iris swung the massive spear down, releasing its tremendous power. Having already reached a level that could be called the strongest among the Count-class in the domain of firepower, her strike swallowed and pulverized everything with tyrannical magic power: the defense barrier Polaris had reflexively erected, the surrounding barriers, and Polaris herself.
When the prone Polaris regained consciousness, she saw Iris sitting beside her.
"Are you awake?"
"I... I see, I lost."
"Now, I wonder... you can decide that for yourself."
Hearing Polaris's murmur, Iris pointed toward the sky with a voice that felt surprisingly kind. At the tip of her finger was the clock Iris had manifested in the sky at the start of the battle. Looking at it, there was still one minute remaining until the end time Iris had set.
"..."
The victory condition Iris had set for Polaris was that when thirty minutes had passed, Polaris must be standing. In other words, Iris was saying this: whether to stand up now and claim victory, or to remain lying down and accept defeat, was for Polaris to choose.
Understanding Iris's intent, Polaris let out a soft laugh and turned only her face toward Iris while remaining lying down.
"Don't you have a bit of a bad personality?"
"Who knows?"
Polaris had realized that Iris had intentionally stopped her final attack at twenty-nine minutes. She was saying that she wouldn't mind yielding the seat of the Head of the Death King's Subordinates if Polaris wished for it.
"So, will you not stand?"
"I won't..."
"I see."
As Iris nodded at the words of the still-prone Polaris, the hands of the clock in the sky moved, and the timepiece, having fulfilled its duty, vanished.
After confirming that, Polaris slowly sat up, donned her pointed hat which had been placed nearby, and spoke to Iris.
"Well, in the first place... I knew from the start I would lose anyway."
"Hmm? Ah, come to think of it, you mentioned you could use future prediction."
"It's limited, and since the magic consumption is high, I don't use it all the time. Even so, I knew that defeat awaited me at the end of the action of fighting you. That's why I told you from the beginning, didn't I? That I have no complaints about you being the Head of the Death King's Subordinates... Those were my true feelings."
"I see... Then why did you challenge me to a fight, knowing you would lose?"
"I can only see the results. My words about wanting to know your strength were also my true feelings... and well, there's that too. Even though I understood it with my head, my emotions were complicated. But thanks to losing so decisively, I feel quite refreshed."
While saying this, Polaris stood up and, with a bold smile on her face, addressed Iris.
"Well, for that reason, I'll be counting on you from now on... Head-dono."
"Hmph... I shall work you to the bone. As soon as we return to the castle, we will begin meetings regarding the upcoming festival in the God Realm."
"Hey now, what a slave-driving boss. Even though I've self-resurrected, my physical body was vaporized once and I actually died, you know... I’d like to have a tea time or something to recover my spirits first."
Following behind Iris while shrugging her shoulders, Polaris's expression was somewhat joyful, indicating that, just as she said, she had reached a resolution regarding various emotions within her.
"Well, I suppose I can at least provide some tea, so see that you work hard."
"Oh? That's something to look forward to. In that case, I'll place my expectations on your skills, Head-dono."