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 148: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea 5

Episode 148: The One Who Commands the Eternally Unmelting Frozen Sea 5

“Ruririririri!”

“(What the!?)”

Just after taking off from the ice toward the Sea Angel above, something happened that made me doubt my eyes. The Sea Angel’s figure blurred and then split into four. The four Sea Angels spread out in the cardinal directions, all looking down at me as they began preparing their attacks. Even more impressively, their [Dominion] strength was evenly distributed, and the |Mana| I could sense from each one was identical.

“(Illusions, right…?)”

Given Sea Angel’s abilities, they should just be illusions. But considering it’s a Beast King, it wouldn’t be surprising if it could create clones with the same |Status| as itself. I’ll move with both possibilities in mind.

“Rarara!”

“(Their voices overlap, too! Shield, activate!)”

As I dodged the barrage of freezing light projectiles, I started thinking of a plan. It’s impossible to determine the real one just from the attacks. Three-quarters of the ice projectiles are probably from the illusions, but the rest are still coming from various directions. I’m guessing that as long as there’s ice present, Sea Angel can launch projectiles even from a distance.

This means I have to be extra cautious, which makes it a real pain.

“(For now, I should retreat!)”

After a quick assessment, I decided retreating was my best option. Instead of going up, I veered sideways. I was pursued by more projectiles, but dodging them wasn’t too difficult. Once I put some distance between us, I returned to the original plan and headed upward again to match the Sea Angels’ altitude. 

As for the Sea Angels, they were maintaining a formation, spread out in all directions to keep me from focusing on just one.

“Rerera!”

“(It’s annoying that even [Projectile Prediction] is being deceived.)”

I sighed as I recognized the countless predictive lines that filled my view. There’s no way I can dodge all these projectiles. Sure, most of them are illusions. I could deflect the real ones with a shield while dodging the rest, but still.

Interestingly, the heat beams haven’t been fired since the illusions appeared. It might be because they can’t change the firing point or maybe the illusions interfere with that attack somehow. Either way, the absence of heat beams makes things a bit easier. On the other hand, it also means I can’t raise my body temperature as much, which is a downside.

“(Wait, if that’s the case…)”

Watching the wall of projectiles approaching, I decided to test something. I moved to an area where the projectile density seemed thinnest and deactivated my shield, which had been constantly in use. A few ice projectiles hit me, sending a chilling cold through my body.

“(C-Cold! But… this might work!)”

The cold sensation only lasted a moment. My Sunstone core quickly heated me back up. And soon enough, the ice that had formed on my body melted away.

“(Looks like I’ve managed to overcome the projectiles too.)”

My |Mana| consumption was speeding up to counteract the natural cooling, but it also meant that my Sunstone output had increased. The air around me shimmered like a heat haze, and I could endure the ice projectiles without any real issue. On the downside, I’m now more vulnerable to heat beams since my melting point is getting closer. Luckily, they haven’t used them since the illusions appeared, so that’s a relief. Not much has changed in terms of my tactics, but it’s still good news.

Feeling more confident, I decided to launch a counterattack.

“(Quad Activation! Heat Ray Magic Eyes! [Sparkle Pluto]!)… Of course, it didn’t work.”

Using a pre-upgraded version of the heat ray, I targeted all four Sea Angels simultaneously. But the attacks were blocked by ice swords and ice shields. Not long after, the Sea Angel revealed its next move.

“Rarira.”

I felt the convergence of |Mana| from above. In the bright white sky, seven orbs of light began to glow. Even though they were far away, their massive size made them clearly visible. My [Projectile Prediction] immediately drew lines connecting me to these orbs.

“Riroro.”

“(Those are huge.)”

I quickly maneuvered out of their range just in time. The orbs unleashed beams of light straight downward, creating enormous pillars of energy. The beams seemed to have physical destructive power, piercing through the ice below and leaving deep craters. If one of them hit me, I’d be smashed into the ground.

Fortunately, the beams didn’t last long and were already fading, but—

“Rorari.”

“(They can fire again!?)”

Seeing seven more light orbs form in the sky, I immediately adjusted my course.

“(This isn’t sustainable. I have no choice but to engage in close combat.)”

Ideally, I’d like to figure out which one is real before going in. But given the situation, I don’t have any means of discerning the truth. 

“(I can’t be too cautious.)”

I reminded myself of what I had thought at the start of the battle. You can’t beat a Beast king by playing it safe. I could withstand the projectiles now, so it was time to take a calculated risk.

“([Super Jump]!)”

I continued evading the Sea Angel’s pursuit, then used the cover of the light pillars to suddenly reverse course. With the support of [Explosive Charge] and other enhancements, I closed the distance to the Sea Angel in one swift movement. Out of the four Sea Angels—one each above, below, and to the left and right—I decided to target the one directly above.

If the real one exists, it’s most likely above, where it can survey the battlefield best—that’s what I thought. I minimized the interference from the light projectiles with quick dodges and my shield, limiting the hits to under ten as I closed the distance. I unleashed a lightning strike at close range, but it passed right through the Sea Angel. It was just an illusion.

“([Thousand Blades Genesis]!)”

I immediately detonated a mass of cursed minerals, targeting the remaining three Sea Angels simultaneously. In the next instant, I was tightly encased in ice. The blades I launched had vanished, and I was trapped between ice chunks while being hit with “Freeze”. 

“(Too bad for you, ice can’t hold me anymore!)”

Using my overheated body, I tried to force my way out. But time skipped again. The ice chunks multiplied. The illusory Sea Angels had disappeared without me noticing, and the real one was preparing to fire multiple ice crystal projectiles.

“Riri.”

Again, “Freeze”. I felt an intense burst of |Mana|, followed by the sensation of being thrown into an icy pond in the dead of winter. I could tell from the ongoing barrage of light projectiles that the Sea Angel had now committed to the “Freeze” combo I had feared. The Sunstone alone wouldn’t be enough to overcome this…

Which is exactly why I had another plan in mind.

“([Weapon Storage]!)”

I pulled out a giant shield made from the shell of the Forest Turtle. If I stuffed my body into Paula’s spatial expansion bag, this shield should be able to cover me entirely. That was my thinking when I took it out. But as soon as “Freeze” broke, the shield itself froze and shattered into pieces. 

A Sovereign Beast weapon isn’t fit to fight a Beast King, but just being able to survive one “Freeze” attack with it was good enough. I kept swapping shields to endure the “Freeze” attacks. And eventually, I began to grasp the rhythm of when they would come. That’s when I brought out my trump card.

“(I’m counting on you, Replicant Form!)”

This was a shield made from the pelt of the White Weasel. It boasted superior cold resistance and would be highly effective against the light projectiles as well.

“Ruru…”

The Sea Angel, now visibly irritated by the seemingly endless appearance of shields, gathered its |Mana| again. Another sign that “Freeze” was coming. Normally, reacting after noticing this would be too late. But after experiencing it so many times, I could now predict its arrival.

“([Block]!)”

Just before “Freeze” was activated, I triggered my defensive [Weapon Skill].