Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 144: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea

Episode 144: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea

“Rurururaraa♪”

A cool, metallic voice echoed through the air. It was like thin sheets of metal scraping together.  The ice crystals floating around the Sea Angel flickered intensely for a moment.

“(Crap, [Super Jump]!)”

I instinctively leaped to the side. Flying wouldn’t have been fast enough. I kicked off mid-air using a [Skill], just as a barrage of cold-colored energy bullets converged on the spot where I had been standing.

But there was no time to relax after dodging that. Flying at full speed, darting in every direction, I narrowly avoided the continuous stream of energy bullets. Even with [Projectile Prediction], letting my guard down for a second would mean getting hit by this relentless barrage.

These bullets were being fired from the ice crystals. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that the ice crystals themselves were transforming into bullets and launching at me. Whenever a crystal would flash briefly, in the next instant, it would shoot out as an energy projectile.

“Rararara♪”

A new attack was added to the mix—a barrage of icicles, which rose from the ice-covered ground like a forest of sharp spears aimed at me. The combined volume of the energy bullets and icicles was overwhelming, making dodging impossible.

Well, as far as the icicles go, that’s fine.

I focused solely on dodging the energy bullets. The icicles struck me several times, but none could penetrate my body. Physical attacks like these weren’t a threat. What I feared were the energy bullets—beam-type attacks. If they were just powerful like normal magic bullets, I’d be fine. But if they had some kind of special effect, like scorching magic bullets, it would be bad news.

“(Light and ice… huh?)”

Now that I had somewhat adjusted to dodging, I had time to think. I recalled the information the god had given me about the “Polar King.” While I didn’t have detailed |Stats|, I was given a rough outline of the “Ten King’s“ abilities.

Light and ice—those were the specialties of the “Polar King.” Normally, when monsters {Evolve}, their abilities tend to become more focused in specific areas. In my case, my soul and species aren’t directly connected, so I can dabble in a variety of things. But usually, the more powerful a [Skill], the more specialized it becomes.

And for the “Polar King,” that specialization was in light and ice.

“(So, these light bullets are probably related to ice magic… ha!)”

While barely dodging, I observed the Sea Angel. It was still aiming at me, but its movements were slow and sluggish. Keeping a safe distance wasn’t difficult. Clearly, it was holding back, but I had two options at this point—either continue attacking from a distance or make a bold move and close the gap.

The safer option was to maintain the status quo with long-range attacks. But it was obvious I couldn’t win in a ranged battle. Even if I became skilled enough to squeeze in some attacks while dodging, they’d likely be shot down just like before. A prolonged fight relying on |Mana| would also be risky. Given the Sea Angel’s vast [Dominion], its recovery from ‘Absorption’ would likely be considerable, and there was no telling when it might start taking the fight seriously.

That narrowed down my choices. But rushing in blindly also had its risks. The Sea Angel might have short-range [Skills] that ignore defenses, and its close-combat prowess was still unknown.

“(…Well, at some point, I’ll have to take a gamble.)”

I made up my mind. If I was going to get close eventually, now, when I still had plenty of stamina and the enemy was underestimating me, was the best time.

“(Alright… this is it, [Super Jump]!)”

“Rarara!”

The Sea Angel fell for my feint, and its energy bullets veered far off target. Seizing the opportunity, I launched myself forward.

Using [Explosive Charge], I accelerated rapidly, closing half the distance. But as I reached the halfway point, the bullets locked back onto me. Moving forward made it impossible to dodge.

“(Shield, activate!)”

But my prepared artifact was ready. A translucent shield formed by |Mana| blocked the incoming barrage. The shield instantly froze and began to crack, but it was enough for now. Confirming that all the energy bullets were now aimed at the shield, I initiated another move.

“([Super Jump]! [Super Jump]!)”

Dodging in a sharp V-shaped trajectory, I weaved through the barrage. Using [Mimicry] to blend in with the ice around me, gaining a small camouflaging effect, I finally got within striking distance of the Sea Angel.

“(Alright, let’s fight up close, ‘Polar K— Huh?)”

Just as I was about to strike the Sea Angel with a series of weapons I had mimicked, something went wrong. I was supposed to be right there in front of it, closing in for the kill.

But somehow, I was suddenly slammed into the ice-covered ground below, a crater forming around me. The ice terrain, already devastated by the Sea Angel’s previous attacks, was now riddled with cracks. It all led to the crater I now lay in.

The Sea Angel, which should have been within arm’s reach, was now floating high in the air, gleefully dancing as if amused.

It felt as if—no, it was as if I had been struck down without even realizing it.

“(The Sea Angel’s |Mana| has dropped… was that some kind of [Skill]? Did it strike me with a speed like light…? But if that were the case, I should have heard the sound or felt some aftershock, right? Haha…)”

A laugh escaped me, unbidden, at the incomprehensible phenomenon unfolding before me. A surge of exhilaration spread through my body, undeterred even by the freezing cold.

“(Of course! It’s a Beast King after all! It’s gotta be able to pull off something like that!)”

Come to think of it, ever since I {Evolved} into the The Far-Off Radiance of the Luminous Sapphire Ring, I hadn’t been in a fight that really pushed me to my limits. I had utterly dominated the Earth Dragon thanks to the pre-battle information and a difference in firepower. Even in the Great Magical Wilderness, the White Weasel I fought was defeated simply by matching the right cards to the right situation. Even in my battles against other Calamity Beasts, I was never in any real danger.

I hadn’t been dissatisfied with that. When the fate of the underground city or the world itself is at stake, of course, it’s better if the enemies are weak. But, truthfully, there had been a sense of anticlimax—like I wasn’t getting the challenge I craved.

“(No time to get soft—[Replicant Form]!)”

I rose into the air. This time, I was mimicking “Hakuku”, a modified artifact based on the Storm Driver that the Mecha-God had used—originally leg-based equipment. After I improved it, it became purely a speed-boosting artifact. Capable of high-speed movement and nimble maneuvering, it was now part of my body, so I didn’t have to worry about it being exposed to attacks.

I still had 11 uses left of [Super Jump], but who knew how long this fight would last? To conserve my [Skill] usage, I decided to shift the burden to my plentiful |Mana| reserves.

“Lililira♪”

As soon as the Sea Angel saw me move, it began to rain light upon me. However, the number of projectiles was the same as before. Dodging them wasn’t too difficult.

“(Shield, activate!)”

Of course, as I drew closer, the chances of getting hit increased, but I utilized my shield artifact to handle that. Now that I had hakuku, I closed in on the Sea Angel—without needing [Hyper Leap].

“(What!?)”

—Suddenly, I was hit with a shock and blown horizontally. The Sea Angel, which had been right in front of me just a moment ago, was now a hundred meters away. I frantically used hakuku to bring myself to a halt.

“(Third time’s the charm!)”

I tried again, a third time, to close in on the Sea Angel. I avoided the barrage of light bullets and, this time, launched an attack just as I got within range.

“([Sparkle Pluto], [Lock-On Aim]!)”

A flurry of magic bullets shot toward the Sea Angel, but it made no effort to defend. It was as if it didn’t need to, and indeed, it didn’t. The leading bullets failed to even scratch the Sea Angel’s seemingly soft exterior. The remaining barrage of bullets would likely meet the same fate.

“([Charge Thru──)”

I tried to close in amidst the magic bullets, but the Sea Angel locked its gaze onto me. Before I could react, I was once again blown far away, just like before. This time, I found myself embedded in a nearby ice mountain.

“(I’m getting used to this sudden shock… But why did my magic bullets disappear?)”

Even as I was half-buried in ice, my focus remained on the Sea Angel. It was still laughing that grating laugh. And around it, the magic bullets that had been closing in just moments ago were now completely gone.

The first thought that came to mind was that they had been swept away by the same attack that had sent me flying. Given that I was knocked back at speeds too fast to perceive, it wouldn’t be strange if the bullets were erased by the aftershock. Yet, something felt off—neither ice nor light seemed involved. If the bullets had been hit by light, I would have noticed it visually. And if they were struck by ice, there should have been more collateral damage. So far, only I and the magic bullets had been affected, while the surrounding ice crystals remained untouched.

“(Wait a second… when did the number of ice crystals return to normal?)”

As I pondered, I suddenly noticed something odd in my field of view. The number of ice crystals near the Sea Angel had been reduced by its earlier attacks, yet now they had somehow returned to their original count. And this increase hadn’t happened while I was thinking—my attention had been on the Sea Angel and its surroundings the whole time.

Looking back, I realized that after I was blown away each time, the number of ice crystals always seemed to reset.

“(…No way.)”

A theory began forming in my mind, but it was so outlandish that I couldn’t fully believe it. Still, having experienced the overwhelming power of a Beast King firsthand, I couldn’t dismiss it entirely.

“(I need to test this…)”

And so, I attempted a fourth charge. I dodged, I closed in, I launched a mid-range attack—and found myself buried in ice yet again. This time, however, I reached a conclusion.

The key lay in a special long-range magic bullet I had launched in a random direction before my fourth attempt. The position of that bullet, once distant, had somehow moved to a much closer spot than it should have been.

“(This is… confirmed… Ha! Are you kidding me?)”

Clearly, something was off with my perception of time. My subjective experience of time was being altered—either my time was being ‘frozen’, or my consciousness was being ‘frozen.’

Whichever it was, the result was the same. The Sea Angel’s ice had the terrifying ability to manipulate time itself.