Can humans truly claim superiority over beasts? There are undoubtedly various arguments on this subject.
But one undeniable fact is that there aren’t many opponents within the same playing field that humans can triumph against.
“Creepy!?”
A sharp set of fangs clacked together where my leg had been but a moment ago, instead shattering empty space. With this speed, the keenness of these teeth, and the powerful bite force relative to the size of the head, a human leg would be as easily gnawed upon as a pretzel.
From a low posture, the central head of the three-headed hunting dog—let’s designate it as A for convenience—lunged at my leg, while the head on the left aimed for my torso with a slight delay. I managed to kick its snout as I leaped away.
Despite this fearsome appearance, a puppy-like yelp escaped upon being kicked. Is this some trap intended to rouse guilt within the opponent? However, this would be meaningless if another figure—designated henceforth as B—came forth calculatingly.
While airborne, I attempted to generate a “Sword of the Unseen Hand” to use as a foothold, charging up a slash against B. However…
“Whoah!?”
The hands I’d formed dissipated into mist, my legs flailing in empty air as my balance faltered. In the midst of plummeting where vision blurred past, I caught sight of a masked noble waving his staff while muttering incantations… That guy just cast an interference spell!!
“Ah, dangerous!”
I kicked the open jaw of B’s left head to shut it up forcibly, and in the rush of evasive action, I pushed off on the rising body of A with my hands, vaulting into another leap. Mid-air, I contorted into a ball, releasing a slash almost casually. However, it was ineffective.
Thanks to the extraordinary sharpness of the Sword of Desire, I managed to tear through the supple yet resilient hide. An ordinary sword would’ve barely managed to clip a few hairs, by comparison.
Unfortunately, the attack lacked footing in the air and thus dissipated much of its force into the void. Though I carved into the flesh somewhat, it barely grazed the innards, delivering a less-than-stellar hit.
Indeed, in terms of action, reacting with an attack and even slightly landing damage would be exceptionally advantageous, wouldn’t it?
Having reset, I readied myself for another attempt, but the enemy was not so kind as to offer me that leisure. Both A and B twisted in surprising agile turns despite their massive size, rushing toward me with a burst of speed beyond anything a human could achieve. If I were countering with my reaction-based techniques, they were coming at me with a built-up attack akin to a wrestling setup punch combo.
In terms of deviousness, I’d say we’re evenly matched!!
A charged at me directly with no pretense, while B, positioned at my rear, leapt high with the altitude difference to assault from above. Are these really beasts? They’re employing a perfectly coordinated, straightforward team assault that’d leave even an amateur adventurer’s group scrambling barefoot.
With their three heads providing a frighteningly wide attack range and the speed and agility of their four legs, teeth can reach both left and right. Even backing away, their stride advantage means a foot can still reach within biting range. Above, the towering figure covers the space, leaving me with almost no escape routes.
So amidst half-sobs, I slid into the only remaining escape route: the space beneath the great body’s torso, widened by its size. A splash of water erupted as I dived forward, gaining momentum by propelling with my “hands,” accelerating through the length of the long torso at great speed.
While the interference spell caused the hands I created to dissipate one after another, previously generated kinetic energy was still unaffected. After all, while the “Unseen Hand” is a magical construct, the resultant movement energy isn’t magic itself.
Shaking off the enormous hind legs, I lunged forward towards the puppeteer, the masked noble. The “hands” crafted for quick standing were scattered in the blink of an eye, but thanks to the low-cost magic, redeployment and multiple instances were easy—like refilling a bowl of udon, I forced myself to rise awkwardly.
Rather, I must thank the relentless barrage of Permission Denials; after all, here I am—a frail human already wounded, unable to withstand spells capable of tearing apart whatever low-level defensive barriers I could muster.
Above all, I’m already overwhelmed with two three-headed hunting dogs. The rear echelon attacks coming my way? It’s too much. To be honest, I’m no solo boss-tier fighter, you know!?
With a shout full of spirit, I believe I delivered a devastating blow, riding the momentum of my full gallop in a sideways strike. The sensation of piercing through countless hard yet thin barriers reached the tip of my sword… and this time, I managed to press the blade against its neck.
Was it due to the distraction of concocting an interference spell, or was it because the puppeteer had allocated his capacities to controlling the three-headed hunting dogs? The defense barrier, which had previously consisted of seven layers, had now been reduced to five. Perhaps he believed that a single blow could be blocked even with five layers, but sheer cutting power often trumps all when one simply braces and cuts!
I wanted to deliver another blow to the body left behind as the head flew, but the dogs returning with tremendous speed rendered this impossible. I held back the slash of the front paws with the Sword of Desire and jumped back, converting the shock into momentum to create distance.
A and B now ceased their pursuit, positioning themselves protectively in front of the noble and emitting growls. Honestly, I don’t think there was any need to worry about the torso with a severed head that was still standing.
Indeed, as expected.
The body of the noble turned towards where the head had flown off, and with the staff, it skillfully flicked the rolling head into the air, catching it effortlessly with his left hand. After casting a “Purification” spell with his staff to rid it of mud, and straightening the tilted mask with ease, the head was placed back in its rightful position.
Ah, a proper member of the Unliving kind—one doesn’t die simply from decapitation. From the actions showing little regard for such bodily damage, superior magical talent, and physical capabilities far above average, the noble appeared to be of vampire lineage, one would assume.
This presents quite the complication. Lacking any weapons made of silver, which might cause an allergic reaction, and with no priests around to deliver the blessings that destroy the undead, I’m left without reliable means to exterminate them.
To be fair, the recuperative resources of the undead are not infinite. Severing the neck requires an immense amount of effort to recover from, and repeating this process would eventually leave them incapacitated, forced to wait for recovery… but how many times must I kill to reach that state?
Meanwhile, I certainly don’t have a second to spare to acquire skills. Not to mention, considering the feelings of deities who are worshipped for such fleeting whims seems cruel.
“No, no, I’m quite impressed. It’s been four quarters of a century since my torso was severed, and more than a century since my head flew off. This is refreshingly exciting, young man.”
With glee in every word, he twirled his staff casually, a display of leisure more than a taunt, although it seemed to mock us mere mortals with his nonchalant “drop-the-head-and-call-it-a-day” attitude.
Surrounded by such skilled provocateurs, those without immunity might indeed reach a state of madness yelling, “Damn you, I’ll kill you!” upon perceiving the level of irritation he exuded.
“Your swordsmanship is amateurish, but I can well appreciate its brilliance. Your integration of magic is commendable. A+ for theoretical application aligned with spell construction. Admittedly, continuing to barrage relentlessly after having spells negated might be an accepted solution, but it lacks elegance. It would be preferable if you could improvise spells and develop countermeasures.”
Many thanks for your remarkably rapid evaluation. I suppose I could have managed with the two dogs at bay!!
Ah, or perhaps, this is the moment to toy with his composed demeanor. Leveraging my concurrent thinking processes, I might slightly adjust a few patterns, using them randomly. Even if it makes dispelling slightly more complex—that should work. Hopefully. Let’s pray.
“Well then, onto the second lesson.”
At the sound of his staff striking again, a faint vibration of air tickled my eardrums.
Initially mild, this sensation grew, sending shivers of fear coursing through my skin.
The slight irritation grew into a clawing discomfort, and my eardrums, recognizing this as undesirable noise, reacted with a shudder, scratching at my very brain.
This was the rustling of wings, but not those of birds; rather, they were the beats of insects in flight.
A cacophony of these irritating wing beats advanced from the depths of the chamber. The swarm of insects, behaving like one coordinated organism, stimulated the human physiologically-induced aversion to an extreme degree.
A white mass; a wave of insects surged toward me, prompting an instantaneous, precious card to be played.
A brilliant flare. The catalyzed mineral powder of dolomite triggered a flash of light and thundering roar. An intense 75,000 candelas of light, combined with a deafening 150 decibels, overwhelmed the sensors of the insects, causing the approaching mass to collapse in waves across the floor.
It was the white moth.
“Guh…”
Among the crushed and overlapping bodies of their fallen comrades, a repugnant, noxious odour rose, clearly abnormal. This may have been an explosive suicide attack “familiar” with modifications carried out.
Once upon a time, captivated by the sound of the term, I delved into books about familiars. However, after realizing the cumbersome inflexibility and the astronomical costs both in terms of time and finances, I abandoned the endeavor.
Really, it’s too much. To develop the magical formula over several generations as a foundation before even beginning the modifications…
The simplicity with which it was dismissed as a hobby for the wealthy by modern mages makes sense.
I avoided the suffocating stench now burning my nasal passages by drawing a single breath, then deployed an enhanced version of the barrier, originally created to block out the cold, with an added “selective exclusion” parameter. The spell originally designed to prevent the passage of cool air and water could be repurposed for the exclusion of harmful gases.
“Hm, this is quite skillful, young man. Yes, let me amend my appraisal, and reconsider the construct of your theoretical model from a B rating. Your variety and elegance are commendable.”
Could you please not so easily decipher the hard-earned proficiency I’ve used to obtain this spell?!
While the familiars kept coming despite some falling unconscious, my growing frustration became all too real. I fully understood that the enemy ranked far above me in every aspect, but tolerating this attitude of overconfidence stirred my ire.
Without a retreat path, my only option was to aim for the genuine giant-killing technique.
Let’s draw one last trump card, then. Surely I cannot be without preparation, facing an undying foe like this.
You see, that day, when my experimental booth was utterly destroyed after I was thoroughly belittled by Lady Agrippina…
I was not testing merely one spell.
While taking evasive steps from the advancing moths, I retrieved the last card from my pouch, using the “Unseen Hand” as a tool—more accurately, to break the seal. This was a long-held, meticulously prepared card. If the experimental booth would collapse under simple incendiary thermite, “this” would surely result in a catastrophic disaster.
There might not be much chance to use just one, but… well, if it comes to this, I might as well laugh over this thought, while preparing this trump card and hurling it. What may appear as mere scraps covered with layers of cloth contained the vicious, devilish contraption I devised labeled “Crowd Scatter.”
The moths swiftly overtook this card, enveloping it in their throng, and I could feel it being crushed into powder. Ah, so these aren’t merely suicide units, it seems…
Still, this was simply a process initially incorporated into the construct that they had executed on our behalf, and thus not problematic. In fact, it was all according to plan. Originally, the outer shell would be shattered by the “hands” to disable the first safety protocol.
With this shell, acting as both detonator and safeguard broken, the inner catalyst triggered an automated magical sequence, subtly transformed through simple transmutation and alteration spells. Simultaneously, a modified “Isolation Barrier” was activated to restrict the scope of the effect, subtly warping the world’s laws.
And my final contribution would be to open the final outer shell, releasing the vaporized catalyst into the confined space at overwhelming speed while simultaneously sealing it.
“Scatter, O Daisies!”
Together with the activation code—embarrassing yet considered too flamboyant by the mage community of the Threefold Empire—this spell reached its proper function.
In an instant, the world burst.
Blown away by the powerful explosion restrained by the “Isolation Barrier,” this entire spectacle demonstrated what would have been a controlled magical occurrence gone awry due to the predominantly low-cost magic employed.
A blistering heatwave swept through the barrier-confined area, the explosive combustion sending shockwaves akin to an iron hammer wreaking havoc. Liquid oxygen scattered in the air expanded instantly upon release, causing a detonation that truly made it feel as if the space itself had detonated.
A single, minuscule spark. On this delicate ignition point, the aerosolized liquid oxygen caught fire in a chain reaction, instantly creating flames nearly 2000 degrees hot in an explosion that blasted apart the space.
The destructive range of an explosion is narrower than it appears. One might survive even being engulfed in blazing flames, provided they are not too near the epicenter—of course sustaining severe injuries—but the deadly effect range caused by the shockwave is smaller than expected. Hence, weapons like hand grenades or flechette projectiles aim to maximize the damage radius by dispersing metallic shrapnel efficiently.
This concept, borrowing from a weapon of questionable ingenuity or brute force, suggests that by combining all combustible materials, one can create an explosion with a shockwave that does not diminish in power over distance, eradicating everything within its reach.
This was the fuel-air bomb.
The complex synthesis of fuels was beyond my capabilities. After much thought, mixing alchemical equipment, and receiving occasional advice from Lady Agrippina, I finally prepared liquid oxygen, used in early vapor bombs. It took considerable effort to maintain the oxygen below its boiling point, and my apparatus broke several times from failed attempts.
Had Lady Agrippina not helped with a half-smile, it would have required an additional level of proficiency to prepare this final card.
And somehow, this originally unseen technique has seen the light of day. Should I be pleased or sorrowful?
Regardless, the power is sufficient. An isolation barrier confined within a 10-meter radius became the blast center, and the explosion’s continued effects over a matter of seconds surpassed ordinary expectations. The simultaneous vacuum depression causing visceral damage, the pressure-induced lung collapse, and the copious carbon monoxide produced made this attack a nightmare for all breathing life forms.
That is, for all life forms based on Earth standards…
【TIP】spell interference: An advanced magical technique capable of interfering with and disrupting an opponent’s casting process, scattering or disrupting the spell itself. This involves infiltrating their thought processes to rewrite the spell, achieving the pinnacle of magical interference.
An analogy would be arbitrarily altering the symbols and numbers in an arithmetic formula. Imagine planning to calculate an amount through multiplication, but unexpectedly facing altered values, multiplication replaced with division, rendering the calculation invalid or even causing unexpected damages.
I apologize for mistakenly posting an early draft during editing. This should not be approached with an exhausted mind.
As for the code “Daisy Cutter,” suggested by Erich’s vague recollection of “fuel-air bomb,” it is worth mentioning that Daisy Cutters are not fuel-air bombs.
While more strictly speaking, belief in “if we follow this reasoning, this will happen” is crucial in magic, vague knowledge could still manifest in passionate applications despite having less power compared to actual instances.
—
Translation completed.
