"[Water Snake]."
Spheres of water materialized around the Red-robed Figure, their surfaces bursting as the liquid stretched into serpentine forms that lunged forward.
Rest immediately unleashed his own magic to intercept the assault.
"[Fire Wall]!"
A wall of roaring flames erupted before him.
The liquid tentacles extending from the waterballs were incinerated, flash-boiling into steam the moment they touched the heat.
"Naive."
But the opponent’s attack was far from over.
The resulting vapor didn't disperse; instead, it surged back together, coiling around Rest like a massive, scalding serpent.
"Hot... [Windstorm]!"
Rest hissed as the blistering heat reached him. He hurriedly invoked wind magic, blasting the constricting steam away.
"I see... so you can manipulate water in any state!?"
After that brief exchange, Rest had seen through his enemy's ability.
She had frozen the river, attacked with liquid, and even controlled the steam. This was more than just basic water-attribute magic. Even Rest could conjure water or freeze a river, but he lacked the precision to manipulate the vapor created by evaporation.
"The ability to control water molecules... a miracle beyond the scope of ordinary magic. That’s your cheat, isn't it?"
The Red-robed Figure didn't respond to his probe. The inverted pentagram on her cloak seemed to shimmer as she observed Rest from beneath her hood, dispassionately weaving her next spell.
"[Water Beast]."
The water coalesced again, this time forming massive, streamlined silhouettes. They were three meters long—predatory shapes Rest recognized instantly.
"Sharks... no, orcas!"
"Devour him."
A chorus of high-pitched, screeching roars filled the air as three liquid orcas lunged. They swam through the air as if it were the sea, their jaws snapping with ferocious, translucent fangs. The air shrieked in their wake, sounding like the cries of actual beasts.
Even if I burn them, they’ll just turn back into steam. If that's the case, I have to erase the water itself!
"[Star Eater]!"
Rest conjured a void-black sphere in his palm. It was the Dark Star, a singularity designed to swallow everything in existence. The water orcas were pulled into the sphere’s gravity, vanishing utterly from this world.
"That is...!"
"[Amaterasu]!"
A gasp of surprise escaped the Red-robed Figure, but Rest gave her no time to recover. He drew the surrounding sunlight into the Dark Star and fired it as a concentrated solar laser. It was the same killing blow that had once incinerated Subnock, the Master of the Magical Wilds.
"[Water Mirror]."
Yet, even that ultimate strike was thwarted. Several shimmering membranes of water deployed in front of the mage. The solar laser hit the liquid and diffused, transforming from a lethal beam into nothing more than a blinding, harmless flash of light.
"Are you kidding me...!"
Rest grit his teeth. He hadn't imagined she could do so much with just water. They said that mastering one thing was the path to mastering all, but the sheer versatility she displayed with a single attribute was staggering.
"[Water Snake]."
"[Thunder Bolt]!"
"[Water Beast]."
"[Thunderstorm]!"
The Red-robed Figure attacked with fluid grace, and Rest countered with overwhelming force. When Rest blocked her water with fire or wind, she neutralized his magic with water alone. It was a stalemate in the truest sense—a grinding war of attrition where neither side could land a decisive blow.
"This is... getting nowhere."
Lightning should be the natural counter to water, but she's blocking that easily too. How am I supposed to take her down?
It was a common trope that water conducted electricity, but in reality, there were many pitfalls. Because water was conductive, lightning strikes tended to diffuse across the surface. Moreover, pure water was actually an insulator. It wasn't as simple as 'lightning beats water.'
Maybe I should force a close-quarters engagement? No, that’s too risky.
If he closed the gap carelessly, there was no telling what she could do. If she could manipulate the moisture inside a human body, it would be over in an instant. There was no sign of that yet, but it was possible he was simply staying outside her effective range.
But if this continues... No, I have infinite mana, so I won't lose a battle of endurance. If anything, I should just wait for her to run dry.
"Lord!"
A sharp voice cut through the air. It was the Sky-Demon who had been accompanying him.
Rest tensed, and a split second later, a blade whistled through the air.
"Gah...!"
The blade didn't hit Rest.
Without him realizing it, an armored soldier had crept up behind him. A throwing knife was now buried in the soldier’s throat, causing him to drop the sword he had been about to bring down on Rest's head.
"That was too close...!"
Cold sweat broke out on Rest's skin. He’d nearly been cut down from behind. The fallen man—a Geisel Empire soldier—was soaking wet. He must have fallen into the river when the bridge collapsed and managed to swim across.
I can't believe I didn't notice him. I was so focused on her... If the Sky-Demon hadn't been here, I’d be dead.
"It is over."
A chilling voice rippled through the air. Though it was quiet, the words hit his ears with jarring force.
Rest’s eyes snapped back to the enemy just as a sphere of water was hurled toward him. It looked like a simple Waterball, a lower-tier spell—but then the surface of the orb began to ripple violently.
"[Leviathan, the Water Beast of the End]."
The water, which had been compressed to its absolute limit, detonated. The massive volume of liquid flash-boiled into steam, and a white, high-pressure shockwave swallowed Rest whole.