Chapter 152

He was holding Airi. He was holding her and strangling her. Just that fact alone made me lose my senses and charge at him. I don’t know why. Normally, she’s just an annoying little brat, but…

“O spear of divine slaying, pierce the heart of the gods.”

I charged forward with the divine slaying spear, aiming to smash his head. He quickly noticed my attack and tried to block it with his rock-like arm.

**BANG!**

The spear and the rock shield collided. The spear that pierces everything and the shield that blocks everything—it seemed like the spear would win by piercing through the shield. But the duel between the spear-wielder and the shield-bearer was different.

He swung the rock arm that had been pierced by the spear and slammed me into the ground. If I hadn’t let go of the spear and used a breakfall, my spine or neck would have been shattered.

“You’ve lost control of your emotions and charged at me, Archmage. That’s not very ‘mage-like.’ Keep your head cool, always rational… Isn’t that the stance of a ‘mage’? I wish you’d remain the ideal ‘mage.’”

“Since when did you start spouting nonsense? Have you gone senile, you old fart?”

“Words are the mirror of the soul. I hope you’d maintain some dignity in your speech. I’m here to prove the Archmage, not some street thug.”

“Yeah, go ahead and suck a dick. Who do you think will do as you say?”

“Sigh… It seems you need some education.”

He tossed the unconscious Airi aside and attacked me with both arms. Terrifyingly fast, ridiculously tough, and if I took even one direct hit, it wouldn’t end with just a fracture… It was truly a hopeless magic.

“Even the great Archmage is powerless if you don’t give them time to chant. I thank you, for bringing me one step closer to a perfect proof.”

Proof my ass… Even just grazing me made my body go numb. There’s definitely a crack in my bones now.

“O Archmage who knows not the solidity of the earth that supports all things, die regretting your arrogance and foolishness.”

He pulled his arm back to unleash a big move. Probably thinking to finish me off with this attack. Thanks to that, I got a tiny window to chant. What spell should I use? Lightning armor? Iron dragon scales? Divine slaying spear? Wind blades?

No, those were all wrong. The answer was clear.

I charged without chanting. If I took a hit in this state, I’d die instantly. If I chanted and took the hit, it’d end with just a fracture. But that would only lead to more injuries.

As Lorcha said, he broke through her defenses and killed other Tower Lords in one strike. The other Tower Lords must have noticed and cast defensive spells. But how did that end? Didn’t they all turn into hamburger patties?

Moreover, his rock-arm attacks didn’t give any time for chanting, and his ricochet sniping from a distance, sensing the flow of chanting… Even if an army of mages came, they wouldn’t even have time to think, let alone chant. His fighting style was tailored to target mages who rely on chanting. The difference in compatibility was clear. For example, he never once used a chanting spell.

Responding to his attacks with defensive spells would be playing right into his hands.

“…Charging instead of using magic… Truly not ‘mage-like.’ I hope it doesn’t hinder my proof.”

Who the hell would stick to magic until they’re about to die, you stubborn idiot.

Before his arm reached me, I kicked him in the solar plexus. Grabbing his cheek as he fell back, I kneed him in the jaw. That should’ve at least caused a comminuted fracture. His rock arm crumbled into dust, and now all that’s left is to arrest him.

“Is Airi okay…?”

I checked on Airi first. Luckily, she only seemed to have suffered a light shock, with no major injuries.

“Cough… Mages these days are quite skilled in martial arts too.”

It was a full-power Muay Thai flying knee kick. How the hell did he survive that… Oh, damn, my knee’s bruised.

“Did you coat your jaw with that damn rock at the last second?”

“Oh? As expected of the Archmage. I did take significant damage from the first strike… If you had hit my jaw first, I’d have been down.”

If he managed to coat his jaw in that short moment, even after taking a kick to the solar plexus…

“Got it. Your secret.”

“Hmm…?”

“At first, I thought you had a unique constitution like the other Black Round Table members. Like that fire-spitting guy or Felinoir…”

There’s a guy who spits fire, so it’s not impossible for someone to attract rocks like a magnet. That’s what I thought at first. But…

“I don’t know the exact principle, but that’s a modified no-chant magic, right? Or rather, a constitution artificially created through magic?”

Ordinary rocks couldn’t withstand my magic or kicks. Moreover, if it could injure my knee, it had to be something created by magic. No-chant magic exists, but its power is usually insignificant. It couldn’t match the power of what Tristan had been using.

That left only one hypothesis.

“Oh? As expected of the Archmage. You haven’t grasped the exact principle, but… To analyze my combat so coldly in this situation… Truly the ideal ‘mage.’ Even ‘manly.’”

Ever since earlier, Tristan kept repeating words like ‘mage’ and ‘man’… Is it just me, or does it feel like he’s spitting those words out like curses…?

“As a reward, I’ll tell you. What I’m using is a modified no-chant magic. Originally, it’s a trivial magic that can only throw pebbles, but…”

He created another rock arm.

“By layering that trivial no-chant magic, combining the layered magic into one, layering it again, and then converting the arm’s magical power into the earth attribute… This becomes possible.”

It sounded easy. But being able to cast it at that speed was already more broken than any special constitution. But…

“Armadura, I’m going all out, so get ready.”

[Understood, Son of the Primordial Mother.]

Now that he’s revealed his hand, I’ll go all out too. That’s the courtesy to an enemy. Layering no-chant magic on my body, converting magical power into a specific attribute’s power.

On top of that, I infused it with the Spirit King’s power. It felt a bit like a magical girl transformation.

I’m still inexperienced, so I couldn’t turn my entire body into steel… But both my arms, from bones to muscles, turned into steel, and sharp claws, identical to the divine slaying spear’s blade, grew from my fingertips. My arms felt like they were screaming, but… I could still endure it.

“Hahaha… Impressive. Truly an impressive ‘mage.’”

He kept emphasizing the word ‘mage.’ Now I was sure.

“I’ve been feeling this since earlier, but are you just spitting out the words ‘mage’ and ‘man’ like curses?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m genuinely admiring the ‘mage-like’ stance of the Archmage.”

“This bastard’s been spouting nonsense since earlier…!”

“Stop blabbering and come at me, Archmage. If you keep wasting time like this… I’ll kill your disciple first. Or perhaps, does seeing people around you die excite you? Have you ever felt pleasure from seeing those around you die…?”

That snapped the last thread of my rationality.

Rock and steel clashed. The rock arm and the steel arm collided.

The sound of an iron pickaxe smashing through rock echoed continuously.

“Hmph… Falling for such a low-level provocation… Not very ‘mage-like’…”

I aimed for his opening and slashed his right eye. Even as blood poured from his ruined eye, he laughed. A grotesque laugh that would send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“Truly impressive, Archmage! This is it! Only by killing you can I achieve the perfect proof!”

“Proof my ass, just die.”

“…?”

I charged at him again. He raised his guard to protect his face, but I aimed for his arm instead.

**BANG! CRASH! BANG!**

Explosive impacts echoed continuously. I chipped away at his rock arm from the outside. No matter how thick the rock, it would eventually break.

“Ugh…”

By the time he realized, it was too late. If he lowered his guard, this strike would land directly on his face. Having chipped away at his rock arm, he must’ve sensed the danger and lowered his guard. My fist slammed into his face.

“Soft, Archmage! Such an attack… I can withstand it once!”

I stepped back, sensing the threat, but he converted his guard into an attack and swung his rock arm again.

Of course, this was also part of my plan.

With the claws on my fingertips…

**CRACKLE…!**

I tore his arms apart. What I confirmed earlier with the divine slaying spear was the hardness of the rock he wielded. It was definitely tough, but… Steel of the same material as the divine slaying spear could definitely break it. So, claws made of the same steel as the divine slaying spear… Could easily tear apart his half-chipped arms.

“It’s your defeat, Tristan.”

I charged at him again, raining punches on his face and torso. I hit him hard enough to shatter every bone in his body. He collapsed, and I went back to Airi. I picked her up. She was a bit heavy, but I’ll let it slide today. Airi smiled, oblivious to what had just happened. So cute.

“Good job, Airi. If you hadn’t destroyed the surrounding rocks, I would’ve lost. Relying on my disciple as a master…”

Then, something I shouldn’t have heard started to reach my ears.

“That nameless bird in the sky… Why does it sing so mournfully…”

Tristan was singing.

“That nameless flower in the field… Why does it hold dewdrops like tears…”

With a body that should’ve had every bone shattered, he sang in a sorrowful voice.

“The drunken stonemason… Why does he rage so bitterly…”

He stood up.

“And why do you weep so mournfully…”

With a body that should’ve been a miracle to even be alive, he stood up.

“I’ll drive away all that makes you cry…”

Step by step, he approached me.

“My beautiful child…”

The black hue of the gloves my mother gave me turned into darkness, enveloping us in pitch-black shadow. Through his sorrowful eyes, his life began to unfold before me.