236. Mock Battle

When I stepped outside, I could see a pillar of fire rising in the distance.

It was likely the flames of Ifrit, Libera-san’s summon.

I could feel the presences of Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan as well, so I headed in that direction.

And what I saw upon arrival was a hellish scene of bodies strewn everywhere.

“Uwaa…”

Rikka-chan was thrust upside down into a pile of rubble like a scene from The Inugami Family.

A short distance away, Ichinose-san was hanging off the top of a building like laundry put out to dry.

Nishino-kun was so battered he’d need a mosaic filter to be looked at directly.

For now, I quickly gathered the three of them and evacuated to a safe spot. I used recovery potions and skills to perform first aid.

(…They’re alive, right?)

Especially Nishino-kun.

………………Yeah, his heart is beating properly, and the sign of life hasn’t vanished.

Being alive even in such a “mosaic” state is undoubtedly thanks to having evolved.

Otherwise, he’d be dead. Absolutely dead.

(And as for Rikka-chan… yeah, this was an unavoidable accident.)

It was a “couldn’t be helped” situation.

Rikka-chan’s clothes, including her underwear, had been shredded by Ifrit’s flames.

I activated the skill “Costume Creation” to create the lost underwear and uniform.

(To think I’d use a newly learned skill in this way…)

The skill “Costume Creation” is exactly what the name implies—a skill that allows one to create clothing exactly as imagined. Depending on the level, one can make a wide variety of items like armor, shoes, gloves, hats, and cloaks. Additionally, it’s a highly versatile skill that can grant various special effects, such as boosting Kiki’s support magic (buffs) or healing effects.

After finishing their treatment, I stepped outside again.

『Guoooooooh!?』

“Guh, Su-Summon, Thunderbolt Elemen—Uwaah, wait, I’m falling! P-Please stabilize your movements a bit more, Sora-san!”

『Don’t ask for the impossible! I don’t have that kind of leeway!』

“Hahahaha! Come on, keep it coming!”

Zugan, dokan, bagooon—flashy explosion sounds rang out.

At the center of it all, I saw Sora and Libera-san engaged in an aerial battle.

I could see Igarashi-san on Sora’s back as well.

Occasionally, lightning or fire would erupt around her. Apparently, she’s supporting Sora with Spirit Summoning.

“Oh, Kazuto, you’re awake.”

『Mu?』

“Eh, Kazuto-sa—Kyaaah!”

Noticing me, they stopped fighting.

However, Igarashi-san couldn’t withstand the recoil of Sora stopping so suddenly and fell toward the ground.

I dashed immediately and caught her. It was a princess carry.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes… um, thank you…”

I set down the unusually demure Igarashi-san and looked up at Sora.

“Hey, Sora, be careful.”

『Hmph. It is her fault for falling from such a minor thing.』

“No, I think you’re the one in the wrong there…”

If someone stops suddenly in mid-air, anyone would end up like that.

Plus, she doesn’t have Aka’s support right now.

When I pleaded with my eyes, Sora looked away.

Lately, this guy has started playing dumb whenever things get inconvenient.

“Anyway, good job with the training.”

“I’m not particularly tired.”

『I am not tired either.』

No, no, Libera-san aside, Sora is actually pretty injured.

Don’t be stubbornly competitive.

I took out recovery potions from my Item Box and had them drink.

“K-Kazuto-san, please give me a recovery potion too…”

“Yes, here you go.”

I handed a potion to Igarashi-san as well.

Her condition was minor compared to Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan.

She actually has the second-most occupations and skills after me, and combined with the influence of “Evolution,” her power must be growing considerably.

I looked around restlessly.

“…Where is that girl?”

“If you mean Katsuragi-san, she’s resting in her room right now. I have Shido and Shiori watching her just in case, but it seems her abilities dull during the day.”

“Is that so?”

Libera-san and Ohno-kun are the same type of undead, yet they function normally during the day.

Is it an individual difference?

『She is an undead that I brought back to life. It’s reasonable to assume some kind of influence is manifesting, much like with me.』

Arrogance added a supplement in my brain.

That’s certainly a high possibility.

“So, Kazuto. Since you’ve come here, does it mean your evolution finished safely?”

“Yes, I’ve evolved into a ‘Demi-God’ as you see. Well, my appearance hasn’t changed.”

“Heh…”

Libera-san stared intently at me after my evolution.

Then she nodded as if satisfied.

“You’ve become quite strong.”

『Umu. The energy overflowing from your body is incomparable to before.』

Sora agreed with Libera-san’s words.

I can’t really tell the difference myself, but I wonder if I look significantly different to Libera-san and the others?

“…To be honest, the growth is beyond my expectations. Natsu likely reached LV30 during this training session too, so this might actually work…”

Eh? Ichinose-san reached LV30 too?

I think she was LV29 when I was distributing my stats earlier…

I open my status again to check.

Ichinose Natsu: Newhuman LV30

It’s true… Ichinose-san has reached LV30.

This means Ichinose-san can now evolve too.

I’m looking forward to her reaction when she wakes up.

“But with this much growth, it might be difficult to raise your level through training with me from now on.”

“What do you mean?”

“The experience point gain will decrease. Until now, the gap in power between me and you all was so large that you gained experience just by fighting, but as that gap shrinks, the experience you can earn naturally drops.”

“That makes sense.”

But looking at it another way, it’s proof of how strong we’ve become.

“Well, I’m thinking of new training methods, but for now, what will you do?”

“What do you mean by ‘what’?”

“A real fight. You evolved and got new skills, right? If you want to test their effects, a real battle is best.”

Libera-san curled her fingers in a “come on” gesture, wearing a provocative smile.

She’s not as bad as Sora, but Libera-san likes fighting quite a bit too.

However, that’s exactly what I wanted.

Then Arrogance raised his voice.

『H-Hey, wait a minute! Are you seriously going to fight the “Dead King”?』

“I am, but so what?”

『Don’t be ridiculous! I’m not joking! Who could possibly fight such a madwoman! No! I absolutely refuse! I decline categorically!』

Despite being a piece of cursed equipment, he actually declared a boycott.

…Seriously, Libera-san, what did you do to Arrogance?

“Sigh… fine. Well, this is largely about testing new skills anyway, so I won’t use you.”

『…I am grateful.』

I entrusted Arrogance to Sora and faced Libera-san.

『Kazuto, do your best!』

“Kyuu, kyukyuu♪”

Shiro and Kiki cheered from beside Sora.

Those two are spectating this time.

By the way, Momo and Aka are with the Sea King, so they aren’t here.

It’s strictly just me fighting Libera-san alone.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

“Yes, I’ll be going all out.”

I took a ninja blade out of my Item Box.

In response, Libera-san readied her staff and spread her arms as if to say “come at me from anywhere.”

I took a deep breath and concentrated my awareness.

“—Gale Breakthrough!”

“—Ifrit!”

I kicked off the ground.

In an instant, a fire giant appeared in front of Libera-san.

It was Libera-san’s summon that I’d seen many times before—the fire spirit, Ifrit.

The fire giant, standing over two meters tall, blocked my path as if to say I wouldn’t pass.

“Gaaooooooooooooooooooh!!”

Ifrit roared.

Until now, I would have felt enough pressure to hinder my movements.

But now that I’ve evolved, I won’t stop at just that level.

I closed in on Ifrit in an instant and swung my ninja blade imbued with Lightning Style.

“—Goa…?”

Ifrit was sliced into small pieces with an expression of complete bewilderment.

(Incredible… Ifrit’s hard body cuts like tofu.)

Even without using “Divine Power Release,” my power has increased this much.

Libera-san wore a slightly surprised expression at this.

“Not bad.”

A broad smile.

At the same time, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

That was just a small test.

My instincts told me that the real deal was starting now.

I was right.

“Well then, I’m going to get a little serious!”

As Libera-san readied her staff, countless magic circles floated up around her.

A tremendous surge of energy enveloped the area.

“Now, come forth. The giant beast of the bulwark that protects its master—Behemoth.”

In the next moment, a new summon appeared in front of Libera-san.

What appeared was a massive black beast with a horn on its forehead.

But it didn’t end there.

“The incarnation of the sea that annihilates the master’s enemies—Leviathan.”

A monster like a giant sea serpent followed.

“The great wings that carry the master—Garuda.”

A monstrous bird with three pairs of wings.

“The incarnation of the spear that sees through all and pierces the enemy—Odin.”

Finally, a one-eyed giant holding a massive spear appeared as if to guard Libera-san.

A total of four summoned beasts… their intimidating presence was incomparable to Ifrit’s.

I could tell without a doubt that every single one of them was stronger than Ifrit.

“Hehe, it’s been a while since I fought with these four. Now, Kazuto. Come at me.”

Apparently, this is where it gets serious.

…I mean, this is really just practice for my skills, right? I won’t be killed, right?

Feeling a bit uneasy, I launched an attack toward the four summoned beasts.

Addendum:

Monsters summoned by Libera-san’s skill are different from normal monsters.

Like Kazuto-san’s Clone Jutsu, they are like imitations created by a skill.

End of 236