The distance between Ayaka and Flame was at most about 20 meters (3,28 feet). If it were her legs, it wouldn't take even a second.
"Seriously, humans can be so stubborn. Don't you think so, Sissy?"
Flame muttered as he casually raised his arm and constructed magic.
It flowed as naturally as breathing, forming magic while lifting his arm without any tension. And it wasn't a simple magic.
Even for a pro like Ayaka, the extraordinary magical power flowed smoothly, as if it had its own will. Any ordinary magician would require considerable concentration to use it, but Flame did it effortlessly.
And as Ayaka closed the distance between herself and Flame, Flame's coat suddenly flashed brightly in the darkness.
Whoosh! Along with the blinding light, Ayaka felt the illusion of intense heat engulfing her.
(Truly, magic that's like a monster!)
What intervened between Flame and Ayaka was a wall of flames.
As evident from the name "Flame," the man in front of them was a magician who used fire magic. His flames easily melted even iron and shattered the magical barrier they had constructed.
Ayaka and her team had been unable to counter these flames and had been scattered.
However, even though it was magic created by sorcery, fire was still fire.
There was a way to deal with it.
In sync with Flame's magic, the members of the Anti-Demon Special Forces who had been waiting in the darkness completed a magic they had prepared.
—'Amagoshi's Barrier.'
The swirling torrent swallowed Flame.
"金生水" (jīn shēng shuǐ/kinsei mizu). Gold generates water. A magic based on the fundamental concept of the Five Elements. But modern magic was not practiced solely as an antiquated technique. The true essence of modern magicians lay in incorporating the pinnacle of modern science without compromising its mystique.
Rather than creating something from nothing, it was far more efficient to use what already existed. Magic was no exception. In fact, many forms of magic had their origins in natural science-based interpretations. This included alchemy that broke down elements and rearranged them, rainmaking rituals by kindling fire, and the Five Elements philosophy.
Today's high humidity, precipitation probability, and the ample water already pooled from fire hydrants. By intentionally creating events that past sorcerers had to wait for, the effect of magic was amplified many times over.
As a result, they were able to crush the flames created by Flame from above with a torrent of rain, like a waterfall. This wasn't for protection; it was a barrier to contain the target.
"—Huh?"
The volume of rain, heated by the flames, swelled many times over, and a water vapor explosion occurred. However, even this was held in check by the 'Amagoshi Barrier,' which directed the impact exclusively towards Flame.
"Haaaa!"
At that moment, Ayaka charged in.
Wrapped around her wrist was a bracelet made by connecting specially processed amber.
Amber, a type of gemstone, differed significantly in essence from other gemstones. Gemstones have always been used in magic due to their charm, rarity, and the strength of their existence, a tradition that continued into modern times.
However, amber occupied a unique position among them. It originated from the fossilization of sap over many years, which made it fundamentally different from other gemstones as it wasn't entirely mineral in origin.
In other words, amber was originally born from life.
Therefore, in addition to its mystique as a beautiful inanimate object, amber concealed a strong power to interfere with life itself.
And the magic that Ayaka employed involved generating various wavelengths and manipulating wave-based sorcery.
No matter how monstrous the magic she faced, whether protected by magical barriers or enhanced physically, it was humans who wielded it.
With about seventy percent of the human body comprised of water, it made them vulnerable to the impact of waves. Moreover, both their bodies and magic could be disrupted by the wave-like magical forces from external sources.
Amber enhanced this wave-based sorcery to make it more effective against life.
Ayaka infused magic into the amber bracelet on her wrist and struck the wave-based sorcery into the 'Amagoshi's Barrier.'
The 'Amagoshi's Barrier,' which was almost akin to being underwater, efficiently transmitted the waves to the atmosphere rather than striking them into the air. Moreover, the personnel of the Anti-Demon Special Forces maintaining the barrier adjusted it in such a way that the waves were refracted in all directions, concentrating the impact in a single direction and denying the target any escape routes.
It was truly a killing move.
And then, an additional finishing touch was about to be added. It came from a woman with greater magical power than Ayaka, positioned behind her.
Isumi Tsukiko, her black hair floating in the night, channeled her magic into certain mechanisms attached to various parts of her body.
In an instant, with a clattering sound, dull metallic fragments flew out from the gaps in Tsukiko's clothing. They immediately combined, revealing their true form in Tsukiko's hand in an instant.
A dull-colored shining spear with golden lines mixed within, reflecting the light of city lamps. Upon closer inspection, they could see intricate magical inscriptions engraved on its handle and blade.
The magical device that Tsukiko embedded in her body, the 'Kinraisou.' Forged from the fantasy metal created through alchemy, using the horn of a sacrificed male goat born on the night of the new moon and offered as a sacrifice on the night of the full moon, it was the pinnacle of weaponry.
Tsukiko imbued the Kinraisou with magic. Golden sparks quietly, yet powerfully, scattered from its tip.
Throughout history and across cultures, goats had a deep connection with thunder. Thunder represented the wrath of gods and was essentially considered a god by ancient humans. Thus, goats were used as sacrifices and raised on altars.
In Greek mythology, Amalthea, the foster mother of Zeus, offered Zeus a goat's horn, and among certain Chinese minorities, it was believed that the head of the sacrificed goat was used on the anvil of the thunder god.
In Norse mythology, Thor, famous as the god of thunder, drew his chariot pulled by two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.
Even in different cultural contexts, this relationship was often seen, likely because something about goats, as creatures that lived on the earth, climbed mountains, and had majestic horns, attracted thunder to them.
Tsukiko, too, had been captivated by the magic of thunder since birth. Although she was struck by lightning when she was young, she survived it unscathed by unconsciously harmonizing with the magic of lightning using her own magical power.
Taking a step forward, she controlled her magic.
With the intensity of a lightning strike, gracefully as a maiden, and solemnly as if hosting a god within her.
Tsukiko constructed her magic and brandished the Kinraisou. The gold color brilliantly dyed the night.
And then,
"'Tensen Shinsou'"
As she muttered those words, she released it.
Boom! The Kinraisou transformed into lightning itself. With thunderous roars that tore through the darkness, leaving behind afterglows and shockwaves, the spear soared straight toward the 'Amagoshi's Barrier.'
The collision occurred with a resounding flash of white light.
The asphalt was shattered by the lightning, and the 'Amagoshi's Barrier' that had been containing Flame was blown away like a light drizzle.
"You still pack quite a punch, as always!"
Ayaka, who had already distanced herself from Flame, said while making sure not to be blasted away by the shockwaves.
In the previous battle, Tsukiko had been asked by Ayaka to restrain her power so Flame wouldn't be killed, and the plan had not been executed perfectly. But this time, it was an unrelenting blow.
They said magic was for those with talent, but Ayaka always thought it was mere sophistry whenever she saw Tsukiko's magic.
This was the miracle of a magician loved by the gods.
She might have been jealous when she was young, but now, not even a trace of such emotions crossed her mind.
Rather, if they were fighting side by side, she couldn't ask for a more reliable childhood friend.
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