Black Iron Magician

Chapter 524 Even So, They’re Giving Ernest the Minimum Consideration

Standing in the center of the bats, Vakala’s transformed body clearly looks powerful. The flesh of the corpses was fused and compressed to the point that it is almost twice as tall as Kira’s original body, with swelled muscles that looks about to burst. Akira’s armor is buried in the wall of flesh, with only a portion of it slightly exposed to the outside air. Blade-like sharp bones protrude from his arms and back, and his face is covered with flesh that resembles a skull. It can be said that his current form, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, embodies the horrors of this world.

「Using them to the fullest, huh…. Seeing how confident you are, it means that you’ve become stronger that much, right?」

「Fuhaha, I made it look scary, but you look like you can’t wait to fight me. Well, you can look forward to it. I’m also looking forward to seeing Haruna-chan’s potential!」

「I’m looking forward to it!」

The two instantly disappeared from the spot and collided head-on exactly at the middle of the distance. The jet-black Doggan Staff and pure white bone blade collided with each other, sending a tremendous amount of shockwaves into the surrounding.

「Nuuuh!」

「Haaaah!」

The two seem to be evenly matched, but Haruna’s Doggan Staff, which is clad in the power of her Unique Skill, is unstoppable. It slashes through the blade and slashes Vakala deep into his torso.

「Fuha, you can’t stop me with something like this!」

However, Vakala didn’t seem to mind the damage, and he immediately spewed out scorching flames from his mouth. The flames were from the magic used by General Zool. Haruna intuitively sensed it, but the distance was too close to avoid it, and Haruna was in a defenseless position after the attack. Furthermore, a swarm of dark bats was approaching from behind her, and they were about to bite her to suck her blood.

(Guts!)

What Haruna chanted urgently was a combination of Tiny Hole and Gravietas, a move that gathers magical things from the surroundings and puts everything inside a black hole. However, no matter how fast the chanting was done, there was not enough time to use two magic at the same time. It took less than a second, but during that time, Haruna was exposed to Vakala’s flames and the dark bats’ fangs.

(Ouch!)

As long as the timing is right, the attack of the dark bats can be blocked by increasing her defensive power by her Unique Skill. However, unlike physical attacks, in which a solid object is directed in a certain direction, 『Little Peerless』 is incompatible with irregularly shaped attacks such as flames. Therefore, it is hot. The heat is inferior to Nell and Freya’s fames, but it’s still very hot. Even Haruna, who has high durability, received severe burn and damage.

However, enduring the pain was worth it, and the two magic were finally generated. The flames and the dark bats are all made of magic. Once the magic is completed, they are all sucked into the black hole.

「I’ll give them back to you!」

Furthermore, Haruna kicked the black hole that sucked the flames and dark bats, sending it flying at Vakala.

「I’ve seen that many times already!」

Vakala had already finished preparing to intercept Haruna’s attack. His huge hand was grabbing a black hole, which he chanted at the same time as Haruna. While holding it, he thrust it forward.

The black holes collided with each other. While they are devouring each other, they begin to emit gravity. Perhaps it is because the magic is stronger than the previous magic, but the whole area is enveloped in a wave of gravity due to the unexpected reaction.

「「Haaaa!」」

In such an unstable space, Haruna and Vakala are engaged in close combat while moving at a tremendous speed. They are dodging the waves of gravity that repelled each other, shifting the battlefield up, down, left, right, in the air, and on the ground, slashing, punching, kicking, and shooting magic at each other, developing into a battle where they could do whatever they wanted.

「Kuhahahaha! Doing a hand-to-hand combat once in a while is not bad! Exchanging fists with a youngster is strangely exciting!」

「If you talk too much, you’ll bite your tongue! But I agree from the bottom of my heart that it’s exciting!」

Throwing magic at each other from a distance is also an option as a tactic, but doing so against Vakala, who is proficient in using magic, would put her in a disadvantage. With that in mind, Haruna chose a close combat where she didn’t give him a chance to take a breather. The flame breath she painfully received earlier could be death with as long as she knew it was coming. The point is to always maintain the territory of her 『Little Peerless』, not showing an opening, and not giving him the time to use a great magic.

Also, Haruna has an advantage in this distance. She puts magic into her fists and weapon, and hits the enemy directly. Of course, such a method of using magic is heresy for a magician. However, Haruna is the first of such unorthodox magician, a girl who has always used such a reckless method in actual battles. Therefore, Haruna thought that her magic ability was likely to be higher than Vakala’s in this respect. That’s why Haruna has an advantage, but――

(I’m pushing now. But I feel that the speed of Vakala-san’s magic is gradually increasing. No, it’s definitely getting faster. It means that he is beginning to adapt to this way of using magic! Wow, it’s like I’m fighting a master martial artist from a different field! And a very good one at that!)

(Fumu, I’m getting the hang of it. Still, when was the last time I learned a technique from a youngster? The rapidly changing magical patterns are beautiful. Even though she trained under the best master, she came to this world only a few months ago. I have to say that her potential is greater than that of Deris and Nell.)

(I’ve hit him with poison and black holes several times, but there’s no sign of a decisive blow so far. I guess it’s meaningless unless I damage the armor and mist inside the body he created. But it is not realistic to hit him with pinpoint accuracy. Then――)

(With each hit, my movements become sharper and faster. But it’s the same for Haruna-chan. She is improving her skills and sharpening her techniques to the utmost limit so that she can beat me. If I just go along with this fighting style, I won’t be able to hit her at all. Then――)

The two think of their next plan to break out of this situation. Thus, the last obstacle of Vakala’s trial is finally approaching.