Chapter 54: The Power of Two

“Neither of you should push herself too hard.”

“Understood. I’ll only be expending mana, so there is no risk on my side.”

Aoi drank a blue mana potion. The Abystortas remained motionless, just as before.

What Aoi and Yuuka were about to attempt was the exact opposite of the battle of attrition we had fought until now: a swift, decisive assault.

Aoi would use her magic to strengthen Yuuka. The thought of letting Yuuka approach the Abystortas again made me hesitate, but they said that in her enhanced state she would certainly be able to evade the previous attack. In the end, I agreed to let them try it once.

“I’ve been told I won’t be able to move for a while afterward, so I’ll leave the rest to you, Aoi.”

“Leave it to me.”

Apparently, the spell carried a risk after its use. Once its effect ended, the recoil would leave its recipient unable to move for some time. That was why they had not been able to test it beforehand yesterday, leaving this as their first real attempt. I had known nothing about the spell, and Aoi had only vaguely mentioned it to Yuuka yesterday.

“…Yuuka, Aoi—do your best!”

All I could do now was cheer them on. My own powerlessness was bitterly frustrating.

I was terribly worried, but worrying would not change anything. I would trust them and see them off!

“Leave it to me, Kakeru! I promise I’ll defeat that thing!”

“I will answer your expectations without fail, Kakeru-sama!”

“Then I’ll begin.”

After drinking a potion and restoring her mana to its maximum, Aoi stood before Yuuka.

She raised her staff, slowly closed her eyes, and focused.

“Blood, seethe; flesh and bone, engrave the law of transcendence; manifest power within her soul—”

Aoi opened her eyes and began the incantation. A gigantic magic circle appeared beneath Yuuka’s feet.

“Feed upon my mana and unleash boundless strength! Unlimited Force Soul!”

“!”

When the incantation was complete, the magic circle blazed with light. Yuuka, standing at its center, was enveloped in a red radiance.

“Ugh…”

“Aoi!”

As soon as the spell was complete, Aoi dropped to one knee.

“I only consumed a large amount of mana very quickly. I’ll be fine after a short rest. More importantly, that state won’t last long. Yuuka, the rest is up to you.”

“…Amazing. I’ve never felt power surge through me like this before! Leave it to me. I’ll fight hard enough for both of us!”

Yuuka lightly moved her hands and feet, testing how her body responded. Red light still covered her entire form.

The instant she broke into a run, she vanished completely. A single streak of crimson shot straight toward the Abystortas.

“Whoa! What is this? She’s unbelievably fast, and she’s cutting through that incredibly tough body as if it were nothing!”

Rain, who was already watching through the binoculars in preparation for another attack, cried out.

After confirming that Aoi was all right, I looked through my own binoculars. I could not see Yuuka at all. Instead, a crimson flash darted in every direction. Wherever a red streak passed, black blood burst from the Abystortas’s hardened hide.

“So this is what happens when the power of Aoi’s [Archmage] combines with Yuuka’s [Sword Saint]…”

Unlimited Force Soul was the highest form of physical enhancement magic, converting the caster’s mana into power for the recipient.

Both women were already immensely powerful. Combining their strengths created something beyond comparison. I doubted any Blessed Person could stand against Yuuka in her current state.

“But the spell’s duration is very short. Its effect will probably end in another three or four minutes.”

Yuuka seemed invincible, but the spell lasted only a short time. Because magical power forced her body beyond its limits, its recoil would leave her unable to move for a while once it ended.

She had to stake everything on the roughly five minutes the spell remained active. It was truly a double-edged spell.

“I’m finally getting used to this body! It’s all right—I’ll finish it like this!”

The red flash did seem to be moving faster than before. Yuuka was gradually adapting to her enhanced state.

Damn it. If only we had possessed enough time to test this spell beforehand and let Yuuka grow accustomed to it. The lack of time before the Abystortas reached Soraval had cost us dearly.

“Shadow Moon Lotus! Dragon-Slaying Cross Slash! Void Flash Strike!”

Yuuka increased her pace again and unleashed sword techniques she had not used earlier.

All I could see was a red flash racing about, but even more dark blood now erupted from the Abystortas’s body. She had also begun attacking its head, which was tougher than its legs, carving deep wounds there as well.

Even after losing still more blood on top of everything it had already shed, the Abystortas remained alive. It must truly have devoted itself to healing during its earlier stillness, perhaps even restoring the blood it had lost.

“Grrrrrrrrr…!”

“That roar again…!”

The Abystortas loosed another tremendous roar. Even at our distance, the aftermath reached us and shook the ground.

No. The last time it roared, that black attack had followed immediately.

“It’s all right! That attack isn’t coming this time! Keep attacking!”

“Yes. That sounded more like its death cry!”

Rain’s Hostility Detection told him the previous attack was not coming. Yuuka, fighting nearby, seemed to sense the same thing and did not slow her assault. In her current state, it felt as if even that attack would be easy for her to block or evade.

As we had suspected, the Abystortas could not use such an attack repeatedly. We had almost thrown away our greatest opportunity.

“This ends now…”

The crimson flash stopped directly in front of the Abystortas.

Yuuka stood still and raised her Japanese sword overhead in both hands, focusing her mind to its absolute limit.

One second… Two… Three… She held the blade in position while a profound silence passed, as though time itself had stopped.

“Heaven-Sundering Flash!”

Yuuka vanished completely, leaving not even a streak of red light behind.

A moment later, the gale produced by that single slash reached us. The ground split open—and the Abystortas’s gigantic body was cleaved in two.