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“We’re changing our plan.”

Tatsumi and the others were being toyed with at the mercy of the specter possessed Great Snow Lizard..

Now that their original plan had fallen apart, switching to a different strategy was only natural.

“Husband…”

Chalcedonia’s face flashed a look of concern for just a moment, but she quickly regained her resolve and addressed Tatsumi, who stood before her.

“The only one who can keep up with the fiend’s speed on this treacherous terrain is you, darling—a mage of the Heaven lineage. I know this will place a heavy burden on you, but…”
“I understand. I’ll do my best.”
“While you’re directly confronting the Great Snow Lizard, the rest of us will deal with the other snow lizards. Is that clear?”

At Calcedonia’s words, her companions nodded in unison.

“After we defeat the other snow lizards, Juddock and Mylir, please provide as much support to my husband as possible. Then, once the fiend’s movements have slowed, Eru and I will deliver the finishing blow with our most powerful spells—”
“No, that won’t do.”

As Calcedonia was giving her instructions, Tatsumi interrupted her mid-sentence.

“The one to deliver the finishing blow… is Mylir. We’ll leave it to Mylir.”
“M-me…?”

Tatsumi smiled at Mylir, who pointed at herself in surprise.

“Yes. Avenge your comrades with your own hands. I’ll create that opportunity.”
“…O-okay.”
“Think of this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When the time comes, unleash your full power on that creature.”

Tatsumi’s gaze locked onto the Great Snow Lizard. Right now, the Great Snow Lizard and its minions were staring intently at Tatsumi and his group from a short distance away.

To Tatsumi, it seemed as though those glowing red eyes were looking down on them like they were gazing down at rats trapped in a barrel.

Just then, the Great Snow Lizard roared again.

In response, several Snow Lizards surrounding the Great Snow Lizard simultaneously charged toward Tatsumi and his group.

“The small fries are yours!”

Without even checking to see if his companions behind him were nodding—no, confident that they were nodding—Tatsumi’s figure vanished from the spot.

.

Tatsumi’s figure vanished suddenly, only to reappear directly in front of the Great Snow Lizard the very next instant.

Witnessing this, Eru and Myril wore looks of utter astonishment.

“T-Tatsumi-san just vanished…?”
“I-I can’t believe it… w-was Tatsumi really a ‘Heaven’ mage…?”

As the two of them stood there with dumbfounded expressions, Juddock—armed and ready for battle—dashed past them.

“Come on, you two. We don’t have time to space out, okay? Look, we’ve got guests here.”

Though his tone was light, Juddock’s gaze was sharp. At the end of his piercing gaze were several snow lizards.

The mabeasts bared their fangs and clacked their claws as they glided across the snow toward them.

“By golly… while we’re stuck in the snow and can’t move the way we want, they can move around freely… It’s so unfair.”

Juddock flashes a smile.

But it wasn’t his usual carefree, cheerful smile—it was a ferocious grin, the kind a predator flashes when it spots its prey.

The snow lizard at the front of the pack opened its mouth wide and lunged at Juddock.

“Heh heh. It’s a huge help that you’re coming right at me.”

Even though his movement was restricted by the snow, it was a different story if his opponent came to him.

Juddock thrust one of his battle staffs into the snow lizard’s wide-open mouth.

As the battle staff was driven into its mouth in a counter-like move, the snow lizard’s body was sent flying into the air. Using the war staff and its head as a fulcrum, only its lower body swung toward Juddock like a pendulum.

Juddock swung the other war staff horizontally, snapping both of the snow lizard’s legs. Then, without pausing, he brought his battle axe down from above, cleaving the snow lizard’s neck in two.

“Fufu. Since gathering materials isn’t our goal today, I can really go all out in battle.”

Juddock averted his gaze from the lifeless snow lizard and scanned the area for her next prey.

“……You’re really raring to go, aren’t you?”

Myril, standing beside Juddock, asked as she readied her spear.

“Of course! Tatsumi-pie trusts us enough to let us take care of these minions, right? So we have to live up to that trust. Repay kindness with kindness. Repay enmity with enmity. And repay trust with trust. That’s the creed of us Shades. Besides…”

Juddock glanced sideways over his shoulder.

“Looks like I’m not the only one raring to go?”

Coming from behind them was the resonant chanting of a spell. Of course, the one chanting it was Calcedonia.

One of the snow lizards slipped past Juddock’s side and lunged at Calcedonia, who was chanting the spell.

For an ordinary mage, being attacked while casting a spell would be fatal. But Calcedonia intercepted the attacking snow lizard without interrupting her incantation.

She spun her staff in her hand and struck the snow lizard’s body with the staff, harnessing its centrifugal force.

A sharp, dry crack echoed, and the snow lizard collapsed into the snow. Before the fallen snow lizard could even get back to its feet, Calcedonia had finished her incantation.

She pointed the tip of her staff at the snow lizard, and flames burst forth from it like a flamethrower, scorching the creature’s body.

Under normal circumstances, one should avoid using Fire-based magic in a forest like this. That’s because the flames could set the trees and underbrush ablaze, causing the fire to spread.

But right now, the ground is covered in snow. At this time of year, the risk of a fire spreading is low, even if Fire-based magic is used in the forest.

Enveloped in flames, the snow lizard let out a death cry.

As if to deliver the final blow to the snow lizard, a spear resembling a stone stalagmite shot up from the ground and pierced its body.

“Thank you, hostess.”
“No, it’s you who’s spectacular, Calcie-san.”

Calcedonia, who had lowered her staff, and Eru, who was accompanied by a mole-like earth spirit, smiled at each other.

“……I’ve got to do my best, too.”

Watching the two of them interact, Myril gave the spear in her hand a few sharp swings to steel her resolve.

.

“…………W-wow……”

A high-speed battle unfolding right before her eyes.

Having defeated all the underling Snow Lizards, Myril scanned her surroundings, wondering how the battle between Tatsumi and the Great Snow Lizard had turned out—and upon seeing the scene, she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath.

The Great Snow Lizard moving at high speed across the snow. It was virtually impossible for a human to keep up with a Great Snow Lizard moving three-dimensionally through the surrounding trees in this snow.

But.

Here was a human who’s doing just that, right in front of her.

The Great Snow Lizard darted about at high speed, propelling itself off the snow and the trees. Yet Tatsumi was closing in on it at a speed that surpassed even the Great Snow Lizard’s.

No, it wasn’t a matter of outpacing it. He was leaping across space itself, anticipating the Great Snow Lizard’s movements, and swinging the sword in his hand to inflict cuts upon it.

Covered in countless small wounds and letting out a roar of rage and frustration, the Great Snow Lizard swung its hind claws.

However, in the very next instant, the human enemy vanished and reappeared behind the Great Snow Lizard.

“────!!”

With a silent exhale, Tatsumi swung his sword. A golden magical light shone from the blade, exploding violently the moment it touched the Great Snow Lizard’s body.

There are several types of magic Tatsumi can use: “Teleportation,” “Acceleration,” “Self-Healing,” and this “Mana Strike.”

“Mana Strike”—which might be closer to a sword technique than magic—involves striking the opponent with the mana imbued in the blade and causing it to explode; it is not a technique that allows him to project mana for ranged attacks.

However, for Tatsumi, who can use “Instant Teleportation” and “Acceleration,” the distance to his opponent is largely irrelevant.

Even now, the golden mana imbued in the blade explodes, causing the Great Snow Lizard’s massive body to sway violently.

However, the scales covering the Great Snow Lizard’s entire body are incredibly tough, and its vitality is beyond comparison to that of a human.

Tatsumi’s sword strikes can only inflict minor wounds, and even the explosion of mana from “Mana Strike” is not enough to cause serious injury.

If he could focus his mana solely on the “Mana Strike” without repeatedly teleporting, it might be possible to break through the Great Snow Lizard’s tough scales. However, since it’s impossible to keep up with the Great Snow Lizard’s mobility without using “Instant Teleportation,” he has no choice but to repeatedly launch “Mana Strike” attacks with only a limited amount of mana.

After landing another Mana Strike on the Great Snow Lizard, Tatsumi used Instant Teleport to move to Calcedonia’s side.

“…C-Calcie, please…!”

Tatsumi was breathing heavily. He was gasping for air, and even though he was in the snow, sweat was pouring down his entire body.

While Tatsumi’s mana was practically inexhaustible, the same could not be said for his physical stamina.

Repeatedly engaging in intense, mobile combat while continuously casting spells naturally took a heavy toll on his stamina.

Touching Tatsumi’s shoulders as they rose and fell rapidly, Calcedonia used the spell “Stamina Revitalization” to temporarily restore his stamina.

“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I feel better. I can keep going for a while yet.”

Tatsumi took a deep breath and vanished. He then reappeared behind the Great Snow Lizard and swung his mana-infused sword, launching a fierce attack.

However, Calcedonia knew better.

No matter how much her magic could restore his stamina, there was a limit to it. If this continued, Tatsumi’s stamina would be gradually whittled away, and eventually, he would run out.

She had to do something now. Calcedonia thought frantically, never taking her eyes off Tatsumi.

Essentially, all she needed to do was reduce the amount of snow in this area. But even a child could see how difficult that would be.

Her “Fire” magic couldn’t possibly melt all the snow in this area, and even Tatsumi’s teleportation would struggle to move such a vast expanse of snow.

Tatsumi’s teleportation can only move things he clearly recognizes. Therefore, he can’t teleport something as vague as “all the snow in this area.”

“…If only there were some kind of marker…”

She recalled that once, while gathering medicinal herbs, Tatsumi had drawn a circle in the snow to use as a marker. It would be great if she could do the same thing, but with her feet sinking into the snow like this, drawing a circle around the entire area would take too long.

“…If only there were some way to mark the area, some kind of magic or… magic…?”

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Calcedonia.

“H-Hostess!!”

Calcedonia turned to Eru, who was standing beside her, and consulted her about the idea that had just occurred to her.

.

His arm, wielding the sword, felt heavy.

Still, mustering all his willpower and physical strength, Tatsumi continued to swing his sword.

However, half-hearted sword strikes were simply deflected by the sturdy scales of the Great Snow Lizard.

Tatsumi used “Instant Teleportation” to put some distance between himself and the Great Snow Lizard, then breathed heavily.

“Husband!!”

The voice of the woman he loved reached Tatsumi’s ears as he gasped for breath.

Without taking his eyes off the Great Snow Lizard directly in front of him, he glanced sideways at Calcedonia and saw her desperately pointing at something.

—What is it…? What is Calcie pointing at…?

Just as Tatsumi was wondering, a glowing red light caught the corner of his eye.

—A red… light…?

Without thinking, Tatsumi found himself following the red light with his eyes. This left him wide open, but it seemed the Great Snow Lizard was also confused by the red light, as it kept looking around repeatedly.

The red light Tatsumi saw was glowing in a circle that encircled the entire area. It was as if someone had drawn a line on the snow with glowing red paint.

“Husband!! The Hostess drew a marker for you! Please… please move all the snow at once!!”

Calsedonia’s voice rang out again.

That’s when Tatsumi understood everything.

—I see! This light is Eru-san’s illusion magic!

When he turned his gaze toward Eru, she had her eyes closed and was desperately concentrating on something. She was likely focusing her mind to expand and maintain this red light over a wide area.

Tatsumi tossed aside his sword and forcefully slammed both palms into the snow piled at his feet.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooh!!”

A battle cry that could split the air burst from Tatsumi’s mouth.

Using his last remaining physical strength and every ounce of his mana, Tatsumi clearly visualized the snow marked with the “sign” and teleported almost all of it in an instant.

.

A massive amount of snow fell a short distance away from Tatsumi and his companions, knocking down several trees.

As a result, almost all the snow had vanished from the area surrounding where Tatsumi’s group and the Great Snow Lizard had been standing, exposing patches of dark, black soil in some places.

With the snow gone, the ground was muddy, but it wasn’t so bad that it restricted their movement as much as when the snow was still piled up.

“…………Myril!! I’ll leave the rest…… to you……!!”

Tatsumi collapsed onto the muddy ground. He rolled onto his back and exhaled with obvious difficulty.

Calcedonia rushed over to Tatsumi in a panic. Juddock, too, ran toward Tatsumi alongside Calcedonia.

Eru, who had been casting a wide-area illusion spell, was leaning against a nearby tree, breathing heavily. Beside her, a small figure was gently touching her cheek with a worried expression.

“……Ugh, seriously!!”

Watching her companions like this, Myril—who had been entrusted with the rear guard by Tatsumi—tossed aside the spear she was holding and slowly approached the Great Snow Lizard.

“…Now that it’s come to this, not to copy Juddock, I can’t very well fail to live up to expectations, can I!”

Though she grumbled under her breath, her eyes shone with determination and conviction.

“I’m not holding anything back! I’m going to avenge my comrades all at once!”

A blue glow of magical energy surged from Myril’s body.

The magical light enveloped Myril’s body, its brilliance growing ever brighter.

As the blue light shone with intense brilliance and burst apart, Myril was no longer there; in her place stood a monstrous shadow.

It had a large head and a slightly stocky build, covered in slimy scales.

Slender limbs extended from its thick body, and webbed fingers and toes were visible between its digits.

It had large, bulging eyes, a mouth and gills that flapped open and closed, and a massive fin adorning its back.

There were also enormous fins extending from its wrists to its elbows, their tips gleaming menacingly like sharp blades.

“…………Uh, um… a, a merman…?”

Tatsumi, helped to his feet by Calcedonia, let those words slip as he looked at the figure.

“Merman Transformation.”

That was the only magic Mylir could use.