The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 58. Barrier of the Rift

58. Barrier of the Rift

It seems I won the gamble. As I looked at the pitch-black sole of the Earth Dragon, I let out a sigh of relief.

Objects larger than the hole cannot enter the rift. In other words, objects rejected by the rift are blocked by the severed space and cannot proceed beyond it.

And it appears that this applies even to massive objects like the Earth Dragon’s foot.

Could this work somehow…?

As I pondered, the voice of the robed man reached me.

“Hey, what are you playing around for? Get on with it. There’s still work to be done.”

From his view atop the shell, it probably looked like I was barely holding on. With an annoyed tone, he urged me on, and the Earth Dragon swung its leg down again.

“Eek…”

I involuntarily cried out at the approaching, awe-inspiring sole once more.

However, before the rift, the foot came to a sudden halt. There was no impact sound. Just the grass beneath my feet swayed from the pressure of the attempted stomp.

Of course, the wind blows unaffected beyond the rift. It’s just that the attack is being blocked because it’s stepping where I created the rift.

Thinking about it, a rift the size of a manhole seems quite unreliable.

If the attack were to come from outside the rift, I’d be done for. Whether I’d be flattened or sent flying like an adventurer… the thought alone is terrifying.

“Oh, in that case…”

Then, I had a small revelation.

If the rift is small, I just need to widen the hitbox. For that, I should divide the rift into smaller sections.

I’m used to dividing the rift as a pastime during carriage rides, so it’s not a problem.

So, I began to divide the rift into many smaller sections—creating a Rift Barrier.

Each section of the Rift Barrier was a surprising 5 millimeters in size. Truly a product of my pastime.

I expanded the Rift Barrier to cover my front—becoming roughly the same size as the Earth Dragon’s sole.

Even after changing to the Rift Barrier, the Earth Dragon’s foot remained still. It seems that reducing the size of the rift doesn’t change its effectiveness.

I think that even a tiny grain of 5 millimeters may not be able to pass through the rift. Well, this area needs further verification.

Relieved that the Rift Barrier worked, a voice suddenly yelled from above.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?! Hurry up!”

Following the impatient voice of the robed man, the Earth Dragon swung its foot down again.

This time, not just once, but repeatedly, like pounding a futon, relentlessly swinging its foot at me.

—However, the Rift Barrier didn’t let the foot through. Only the soil that slipped through the gap between the rifts sporadically fell on my head.

“Grh… Grr, Grr…”

Eventually, the Earth Dragon began to gasp, still with its foot on the Rift Barrier. Watching it, something caught my attention.

I can manipulate the rift as I wish. So, what if I keep pushing the Rift Barrier upward like this?

It’s worth a try. Let’s give it a shot.

I conveyed my intention to the Rift Barrier—keep going up with the Earth Dragon’s foot on it.

The Rift Barrier obediently rose higher and higher, just as I intended.

There was no sense of strain. It simply moved smoothly without any sound, just like usual.

“Grr, Grrr…”

The Earth Dragon made a puzzled sound. As its one foot remained on the ground while the other was lifted up, the tone of the robed man’s voice changed to a soothing one.

“R-Right! My bad! I may have shouted too much! In that case, how about you have a bite first? Look, there’s a woman lying over there, right? I remember you loved eating women’s flesh, so go ahead!”

However, no matter how much the Earth Dragon was appeased, it’s me who’s moving it.

As the Earth Dragon’s foot continued to rise, the robed man finally slipped off the shell.

“Gyaaah!”

He fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Unable to get up due to hitting his waist, he crawled on all fours, looking around.

Then, our eyes met.

“You! What in the world did you do?!”

Pointing at me, the robed man yelled angrily.

Though his expression was hidden by the hood, it was clear he was angry. …But, I’m feeling the same way.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the area around the robed man.

The Earth Dragon, losing its balance, fell from its back. The robed man looked up at the approaching shell—

“Whoa, whoooaaaaaaahhhh!”

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Earth Dragon fell from its back, creating a deafening sound that made my ears ache. The ground also shook so violently that it was impossible to stand.

However, the shaking of the ground subsided surprisingly quickly. And just like that, the thunderous noise from before ceased as if it were a lie, leaving only silence to dominate the surroundings.