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 146: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea 3

Episode 146: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea 3

The first change that occurred in the “Polar King” was its halo. The icy ring floating above its head started to thicken, making cracking sounds as it extended icicles upward, defying gravity. It almost looked like an ice crown.

“([Shoot], [Sparkle Pluto]!)”  

“Rururu…”

The high-temperature magic bullets from the scarlet wings were stopped by a single ice crystal shield. Though I could only use two of the wings due to time constraints, I should have been able to break through some of the shields earlier. Clearly, the performance of these ice crystal shields had improved.

“Rororala…”

But the “Polar King’s” transformation didn’t stop there. After a large amount of |Mana| was consumed, bands of pale green light wrapped around its body. This light, resembling a robe, was actually an aurora. Clad in this aurora robe, the creature exuded a regal presence, radiating murderous intent like a queen ready to kill.

“(Hakuku, activate!*)”  

“Rireriri…”

Before the Sea Angel could launch its attack, I initiated full-speed flight. The [Projectile Prediction] showed me an incoming onslaught of attacks, an avalanche of sorts. It was the only way to describe the barrage of long-range attacks that were about to be unleashed.

Sure enough, a split second later, the accuracy of that prediction was confirmed. Although some of the attack trajectory had shifted slightly as I fled, it was mostly as foreseen—a barrage of countless rays, resembling an avalanche.

“(Shield! These… aren’t the same as the ice crystal bullets!)”

I barely managed to block the edge of the avalanche-like attack with a |Mana| shield. And from the way the shield melted, I understood the nature of the attack. The shield melted away like heated plastic, while ice crystal bullets had shattered it by freezing.

“(The speed of these is faster, and they last longer—this is troublesome!)”

These beams, which I’ll call “Heat Beams” for now, had a key characteristic—they continuously fired like laser beams. The swarm of heat beams that missed me initially was now chasing me, determined to burn me. Since I was flying in a circular path, the heat beams moved horizontally as well, hitting the icebergs behind me. The icebergs immediately started melting.

The heat energy they generated in just a few moments was ridiculous.

“Rere…”

“(You’re kidding, more of them?!)”

Alongside the heat beams, freezing light bullets were now being launched. It was a barrage aimed directly at my path, a precise prediction of where I’d go. If I kept going forward, I’d be hit.

“(In that case, up it is!)”

Since the enemy could control ice, heading downward was out of the question. I shot up into the night sky, evading the incoming heat beams and light bullets by flying sideways. As I soared through the sky, I kept an eye on the Sea Angel’s next move.

Apparently frustrated with the lack of progress, the Sea Angel halted its light bullet attack and activated another [Skill].

“Rara…”

“(A black… sphere?)”

The ice on the ground began to change. At first, I thought it was going to manipulate more ice blocks. However, the four ice blocks that floated up next to the Sea Angel morphed into spheres and turned pitch black. If I hadn’t used [Clairvoyance], it would have looked like four gaping holes had opened up in the ground. It was as if they had been dipped in black ink.

“(This is clearly a sign of some kind of [Skill]… better interrupt it! [Lightning strike]!)”

“Rarera, Rororere…”

The Sea Angel blocked my lightning attack with an ice crystal shield, just like before. Its next move, however, involved shooting freezing light bullets. But this time, the target was different.

The glimmering diamond dust was being sucked into the four black ice spheres floating next to the Sea Angel.

“(Wait… I get it now!)”

Thanks to [Clairvoyance], I understood what the Sea Angel was up to. Those black spheres weren’t just dyed in color. No, they were prisons of light. The Sea Angel had changed the properties of the ice through its [Skill]. Light that entered the spheres would pass through, but any light trying to escape would be reflected back and trapped inside. The spheres now had a supernatural ability.

“([Lightning strike]! [Thousand Blades Genesis]! [Sparkle Pluto]! [Lock-On Aim]!)”

I unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks at the four black ice spheres. While dodging heat beams that grazed my body, I pressed on. A few hits were inevitable, but they were a necessary cost. Destroying those black ice spheres took priority.

“Rererare…”

“(…As expected, no luck.)”

Even though I sent out magic bullets with complex trajectories, all of them were blocked by light bullets or ice crystal shields. Meanwhile, the amount of light trapped within the black ice spheres continued to grow. It seemed that freezing light bullets couldn’t explode inside the ice spheres.

For a moment, I considered using the heat ray magic eye, but quickly reconsidered. It would be better to focus on defense. Not only would the charge time be tight, but continuing to get hit by those heat beams wouldn’t end well.

I’ve only been hit a few times so far, and it’s more like the heat from being under a warm kotatsu. But if it keeps stacking, even my |Toughness| might get pierced. Heat-based attacks, like the light bullets, are a pain because they accumulate over time.

(Note:

Kotatsu)

“(──Here it comes.)”  

“Rararoroo!”

While focusing on dodging, I channeled |Mana| into the shield artifact. At that moment, the flow of freezing light bullets into the black ice spheres stopped. The four black ice spheres began to rotate, releasing flashes of light from their surfaces.

“(Whoa, that was close! Damn, the trajectories are hard to read!)”

The black ice spheres, randomly spitting out stored light, looked a bit like disco balls in a sense. But there was nothing fun about them. While their targeting was sloppy, the rotating spheres made their attack range more like a sweeping line than a single point. 

If they hit, great. If not, they could still limit my movement. That was likely the Sea Angel’s plan.

As the black ice spheres moved further away from the Sea Angel, the number of directions I had to watch increased, scattering my attention.

“(Even if I know the aim, it doesn’t mean I can fully counter it! Shield, activate!)”

I blocked a heat beam I couldn’t avoid with my |Mana| shield, using the brief moment the shield bought me to get out of the line of fire. In aerial combat, where high-speed movement is constant, even a split-second defense is valuable. I kept dodging and dodging. But when I was about to get hit by one of the disco ball light bullets, I deployed my |Mana| shield. However, it pierced right through without even a moment of resistance.

“(Gah, cold!)”

Although I didn’t take actual damage, a shiver ran down my spine, like ice had been shoved against it. The disco ball light bullets, condensed from freezing light bullets, had drastically increased in power.

“(This is bad!)”

While I was shaken by the cold, I was hit by a barrage of heat beams. I blocked them with my shield and quickly fled, but about ten heat beams scorched me.

“(…Huh? It’s not that hot… actually, it feels kinda nice.)”

The warmth from the heat beams soothed my body, which had been chilled by the light bullets. It was a strangely pleasant sensation. Well, an ordinary Sovereign Beast would probably be dealing with frostbite and burns at this point. But I couldn’t afford to be too relaxed. Alternating between extreme heat and cold could lead to thermal cracking in my body. I couldn’t let my guard down.

From what I saw with [Clairvoyance], the amount of light left in the four black ice spheres was about a third of what it was initially. From now on, I had to make sure not to block those attacks with a shield and just keep running.

“(Wait… I’ve got it!)”

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind.

“(Yeah, if this works, I might be able to block those…  [Instant Shift]! But there’s a huge risk. If I fail, I’ll be toast… Shield, activate! …No, just running away won’t get me anywhere, and the enemy might adapt to my movements soon. Playing it safe won’t win this. Alright, let’s do this! [Update]!)”

With my plan in mind, I decided to test my new idea, altering my body into a certain artifact.