Chapter 94: Holy Night Showdown (The Blessed One)

——The torrent of power rushing in floods my body.

Even though I had only spent less than a year together with that power, the sensation felt strangely nostalgic.

---

“What the hell… is that…?”

Collapsed on the ground, Souta grimaced as he listened to Aymok’s words.

I understood how he felt. Just when he thought he’d finally gained the upper hand, it was overturned in an instant.

Anyone could see it—Aymok’s fighting spirit now was incomparably stronger than before.

“But… there’s no way I’m letting you take Ikuto…!”

Clenching his teeth, Souta forced himself to his feet.

“…Oh? You can still stand? Even after witnessing our true power, you refuse to yield… That spirit is worthy of praise. I acknowledge it.”

Dragging his battered body, hands and feet barely working, Souta still refused to give up. He knew: the moment he gave up, our defeat would be sealed.

“But what can you do in that state? Surrender quietly. I won’t treat you poorly. If you pledge yourself to me, I’ll give you rank, women—anything you desire.”

“Then what about Ikuto? You gonna hand him over to me too?”

“Ikuto? …Ah, the Water Priestess. No. That woman has a role: to become my queen and bear my rightful heir.”

“Then yeah… there’s no way I’m letting you win. He’s my best friend. If I can’t do anything while he’s suffering… I’d never forgive myself.”

“…Very well. With my current power, altering your memories would be a simple matter. If you won’t submit, I’ll simply make you submit.”

Considering Aymok had been able to command those crowds without even a blessing, now that he had one, world domination might no longer be just a fantasy.

Of course—that’s assuming no one stands in his way.

“Ultimate Healing Spell—Highest Heal.”

I finished chanting.

Before my eyes, my injuries began to heal at an astonishing speed. Bones reset, bruises faded, wounds closed, swelling vanished.

I stood up, flexing my body to check for lingering pain.

…Good. No issues.

I walked over to Souta and, from behind, placed a hand gently on his waist.

Souta turned, eyes wide in shock, and looked at me.

“I-Ikuto…!?”

“I’m fine now. Thanks, Souta… High-tier Healing Spell—Extra Heal.”

A warm light enveloped Souta, healing his injuries. He stared, round-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“My wounds… healed? Ikuto… what the hell is this…?”

“Aymok isn’t the only one blessed… I’m fine now. So leave this to me. Take Suzuka and get to safety, will you?”

“There’s no way… I’m leaving all of this to you alone!”

“This next battle… it’s on a whole different level. If you guys are nearby, I won’t be able to fight seriously without putting you in danger. So… sorry, but could you pull back?”

“…Do you actually think you can win?”

“Yeah.”

“…Got it. You’d better win.”

Leaving those words behind, Souta ran off away from me.

And I… once more faced Aymok.

“The Water Priestess, huh. Healing your wounds with recovery magic.”

“Thanks to that, I’ve got a blessing of my own now. Sorry, Aymok. I’m not gonna let you have your way anymore.”

“Ku-ku-ku… Foolish. Don’t get cocky, little Water Priestess.”

Aymok spoke, his tone dripping with scorn.

“The blessing I received from the Dark God Dakrihipos grants over five times the power of the blessings from the Four Elemental Gods. Which means, even if you’ve gained Minstia’s blessing, you’re no threat to me.”

That was a fact almost entirely unknown, even in the other world.

…But.

“…I already know that.”

Back when I didn’t even know blessings of light and darkness existed, I’d challenged the Demon King armed only with the blessings of the elemental gods. The result? I was helpless before him, nearly killed by the overwhelming power of the Dark Blessing. A bitter memory I hadn’t forgotten.

“You know, do you? Then why—”

“Then let me ask you something. Do you know this? The humans of this world you look down on—they’re born without any elemental affinity, and possess no innate magic. But that’s exactly why… unlike in your world, where people can only receive one blessing tied to their birth attribute, humans here can acquire multiple blessings.”

I began chanting, conjuring twin blades in both hands.

A sword of fire and ice. A sword of wind and earth. My beloved weapons from back then.

“Anti-attribute magic…? Impossible!”

“Once, I was summoned from this world, granted the blessings of every elemental god, and returned.”

“Ridiculous… multiple blessings… that would make you…”

“Ah… I never introduced myself, did I? I am Kisaragi Ikuto. In that world, they called me Hero.”

“Hero… a Hero…? That’s impossible! You’re the Water Priestess…! And the Hero was supposed to be a man!”

Shock twisted Aymok’s expression.

The title of “Hero” carried a certain weight in the other world. Apparently, Aymok knew of me too.

“For certain reasons, I’m sharing a body with Alicia right now. But it doesn’t stop me from using my powers.”

My current body—Alicia’s—had a natural affinity for water magic. I’d worried that might prevent me from using other elemental blessings… but that fear had proven unfounded. All the blessings still worked perfectly.

In fact, with Alicia’s inherent magical aptitude, my magic capacity now exceeded what I’d had as Ikuto.

“Don’t be absurd! Who would believe such nonsense…? I’ll tear that mask of yours off myself!”

With a snap of his fingers, Aymok unleashed a massive swarm of shadows from his own. Thick as arms, the ribbon-like shadows spread outward in radial lines, blanketing the area.

“No originality as always. Same old magic… Shadow Manipulation—Shadow Act!”

I cast the exact same spell as Aymok. Thanks to the blessing of darkness, I could decipher and use the shadow magic he’d employed.

“Dark magic…?!”

From beneath my feet, shadows burst forth, fanning out in all directions. Fueled by my overflowing mana, I produced nearly twice the number of shadows Aymok had.

At my command, the shadows shifted course and shot forward like arrows. The two approaching swarms clashed, colliding and exploding into nothingness as they cancelled each other out.

"...They're like homing missiles."

Since I had far more shadows than Aymok, many bypassed his attacks and continued closing in on him without clashing with his own. A few came for me too, but I cut them down with the pair of enchanted blades I held.

Dozens of shadows assaulted Aymok.

Just before they struck, he kicked back several meters, narrowly dodging. Some overshooting shadows drove into the stage, splintering it apart with thunderous cracks.

"Tch...!"

The remaining shadows auto-corrected, relentlessly pursuing Aymok, but with a sweep of his arm wreathed in dark flames, he tore them apart with shockwaves, disintegrating them one after another.

"I refuse...! I refuse to acknowledge this!!"

Landing hard, Aymok immediately lunged toward me.

"—Blessing of Wind: Wind Breath. —Guardian of Stone: Stone Guard. —Physical Amplification: Increase Physical—Extreme!"

In a single breath, I layered my enhancement spells, then charged in myself, closing the distance in one burst and slashing at Aymok. He blocked the initial strike with his dark-flame-clad arm.

The shockwave from the clash rippled through the air.

"My mission is to bring salvation to this world! The gods must've willed my arrival here! Then why!?"

I kicked off footholds I'd formed midair with wind magic, pressing the attack with successive blows. Each slash held enough power to pulverize small hills. A normal human wouldn't even be able to defend—they'd be vaporized outright.

But Aymok, bolstered by his dark blessing, stood far beyond human limits. The fact that he withstood my relentless assault—and even countered—was nothing short of astonishing.

"Whether the gods have a will or not... I don't know. But this world sure as hell isn't asking for your salvation!"

Aymok's face twisted.

"Shut up, shut up, shut UP!!"

He lashed out, his attacks wild with rage, but I parried them.

"Roar—Ball Lightning!"

I conjured spheres of chained lightning—wind and fire combined—and hurled them straight at Aymok.

"Tch!? —Twilight Crystal Barrier: Dark Shield!"

A black, translucent pyramid enclosed him. My lightning orbs smashed against the membrane, scattering dazzling bolts and deafening blasts as they detonated.

But... that wasn't the real attack.

"Lightning Pillar!!"

I unleashed the fire-and-wind composite spell, focusing my mana to its limit.

Pillars of lightning surged up around Aymok, all at once. Layer upon layer of lightning spears tore through the pyramidal barrier and pierced Aymok at its center. A deafening blast shook the air, and with the crackle of discharges, the surroundings were swallowed in blinding light.

The world turned white.

Eventually, my vision returned.

The stench of scorched air and lingering static clung to the area. Where the stage had once been was now gouged out like a crater—completely obliterated. And yet, Aymok was still standing there.

I kept my guard up, waiting.

But Aymok didn’t move. Slowly, as if his strings had been cut, he collapsed.

—And just like that, the battle was over.