Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Strongest Sage, Inserts Poison

"Alma, here's another arrow!"

"Un!"

I continue to parry Elhart's attack while Alma and Ruli shot him with arrows .

Fighting while using as little mana as possible, and being careful not to get shot and get pushed back is unexpectedly tough .

Apparently, being a vanguard in a practice battle isn't easy .

The sole consolation here is the fact that Elhart's brain has been damaged by the traceback, so his magic construction is very coarse and easy to nullify .

However, this tough fight is worth it as the two's prowess clearly rise in the midst of this fight .

Ruli's magic engraving speed becomes remarkably faster and Alma rarely misses her shot now .

The difference in running tension between fighting monsters in a dungeon and fighting a demon is big .

"Kuh . . . Why's my magic disappearing! My power shouldn't have fallen this much!"

Elhart doesn't notice that I'm nullifying his magic as he keeps trying to use them .

It's true that I've been doing stealthily . . . . But having it this unnoticed is a problem in itself .

If the situation becomes too stable, the tension decreases and the effectiveness of this battle training turns weak .

. . . . Well, this fight is about to end soon .

『Looks like the effect is starting to manifest . 』

I informed the two while continuing the fight .

『 . . . Effect?』

『I feel like my arrows hit easier . . . or rather, he's slower?』

『Correct . 』

The magic circle I gave to Ruli this time is an arrangement of poison magic called 『Magic Poison』 which interferes with demon's mana, stiffening them .

The effect is slow-acting, or rather it will demonstrate itself once the accumulated amount of poison passes a certain mark .

The fact that he's slower now means that the amount of poison Alma shot has passed that mark .

It's only a matter of time before the demon completely loses its ability to move .

" . . . Nu? Since when did you bastard became faster--No wait! It is I who turn slow!"

After a slight delay, Elhart himself noticed the effect of magic put on him .

However, the pattern he showed afterward is quite an unusual one amongst what I predicted .

"Me, beaten by a sham . . . . I won't allow thaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

"Mu? This is . . . . "

Elhart's dull movement suddenly turned fierce unlike what he showed up until now, I immediately activated Physical Reinforcement magic .

However, Elhart's change didn't end with just that .

"Damn you--damnyoudamnyouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The moment Elhart's speech crumbled, his eyes shined red, and his whole body was wrapped in mana .

It's a phenomenon called 『Evilize』 .

" . . . . 『Evilize』 huh . Been a while since I saw that . "

When a demon is cornered, this situation may happen rarely .

The amount and intensity of mana of demons who have undergone 『Evilize』 increase tremendously, and their physical ability becomes incomparably higher than their usual state as a result .

Demons who undergo 『Evilize』 die at the same time the effect of 『Evilize』 ends . . . . However, that doesn't change the fact that demons who use 『Evilize』 is a force to be reckoned with .

I'd better stop the practice and deliver the finishing blow here .

"KILL!"

Looks like the 『Evilized』 Elhart is targeting the two behind me .

His evilized feet kicked the floor and he jumped above me .

Seeing that, I constructed a magic while giving order to the two and shot it at Elhart .

『You two, don't move from where you are . 』

『I understand!』

『G-gotcha!』

They probably couldn't catch up with the sudden turn of event . The two remained in place as they nodded .

And the two--moved ahead, before the coming Elhart .

"DIE, DIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Elhart easily caught up with the two who didn't act as ordered .

My magic also missed its target, destroying the ceiling .

And Elhart's sword reached the two--slipping through them .

" . . . Aa?"

Elhart looked surprised as his sword slipped through nothing .

I had expected this move .

The things Elhart cut just now were illusions I created with magic .

It was an impromptu illusion, I merely hid the two with an extremely simple magic .

If Elhart still retained his sanity, he would have immediately noticed the oddity .

However, Elhart didn't notice it .

Because his awareness was turned at my magic instead of the two slow-moving girls .

"This is how you use camouflage magic . "

And it's not just an illusion .

I've put highly concentrated 『Magic Poison』 inside it .

With how much 『Magic Poison』 has accumulated inside his body, even an 『Evilized』 demon can do nothing about it .

As he swings his sword, Elhart hardens--and perish in that position .