Chapter 101
The silver arrow that could shatter Midgard approached the ground . As she watched it, Benetnash was already preparing for her next move .
I couldn’t care less what Midgard ends up becoming as a result of this skill .
It was not a lie when she said she felt this way . But at the same time, she had the conviction that this would not happen . It was because Ruphas had Lifthrasir, which could cut through magic . If it was a normal person wielding it, it would be impossible to cut such a huge silver arrow, but the current wielder was not normal . It was Ruphas . Therefore, she will definitely cut it down .
Benetnash was convinced of this . But even if it was her, there was bound to be some kind of opening the moment she cut through the magic . Even if Ruphas understood this, she had no choice but to stop the attack . If she dodged it instead, Midgard would really be blown away .
That very moment would be a good opportunity for Benetnash . The time it would take her to cut the arrow would probably only be a moment, but this would absolutely be a good opportunity for Benetnash . After breaking through her limits, this moment would be like several minutes to her .
She could win—by aiming for that moment when Ruphas was defenseless and launching an all-out attack!
But Benetnash’s expectations were overturned in the next moment . Unbelievably, her sure-kill attack, which used all her magic power, stopped just before the ground . Ruphas stopped it with one hand, completely killing off the momentum .
“What? With just one hand…!?”
“I’m giving it back . ”
Ruphas threw the arrow, while Benetnash evaded it . After missing its target, the arrow pierced through the stratosphere into space and struck a distant planet which was even larger than Midgard . It penetrated the planetary core, utterly destroying it .
The attack was meant so that Benetnash could create an opportunity to catch Ruphas off-guard, but instead, it was Benetnash who was caught off-guard . A momentary stiffness . This was an opening created unconsciously . She was defenseless . It was less than one-tenth of a second in real time, but it would be enough for Ruphas to defeat her opponent . However, Ruphas did not pursue Benetnash, letting the opening slip by .
Was she holding back? Was she leaving some leeway? Or perhaps she was just being complacent? …None of them were right .
Ruphas wanted to show her respect to Benetnash and decided to give her a complete defeat . A complete victory required her to not make any surprise attacks on her opponent . She needed to face her opponent’s full power upfront . Thus, Ruphas allowed Benetnash’s opening to slip by . She did not want a pointless victory by making surprise attacks on an opponent who was off-guard .
Ruphas’ face was turned violently ferocious . Her crimson eyes shone like a flame .
“Benet . I will show you what ‘Mana Transmutation’ is . Rejoice…This is still an experimental skill . I haven’t shown it to anyone yet . ”
Alchemy worked on physical materials, but it was considered impossible to transmute using magic as a base material . To be precise, it was possible to transmute mana into materials, but it was pointless to do so since magic would eventually revert back into mana . This was common sense in alchemy . Anyone who dabbled in alchemy would know it .
But Ruphas now knew that this information was not right . Transmutation using mana as the base material was possible . And proof of this could be found everywhere in the world .
“Transmute—Winter of Wolves !”
At Ruphas’ declaration, the surrounding mana coalesced and stabilized . It then took the forms of wolves and a pack of several hundred wolves charged at Benetnash .
Wolf-shaped magic? It was certainly so . Since magic turned mana into phenomena, it had to be magic . There was nothing surprising about it having the shapes of wolves . After all, there were magic in the forms of birds, beasts, and even humanoids . The Water magic Apsaras was one such example .
What is this? Why does an existence created by mana have its own ego and attack according to its own judgment? This is critically different from my own magic . In fact, these seem more like demons than magic .
Benetnash thought so, but this did not change what she needed to do . It didn’t matter whether it was a demon or magic . She just had to kick all of them into smithereens!
“Do you intend to beat me with just this level of attack!?”
A flash of silver dashed forth and the wolves were defeated one after another . The wolves were slashed apart, losing their forms and reverting to mana . The mana then accumulated behind Ruphas . When all the wolves were defeated, the mana fully accumulated and formed a giant wolf . With a body no less than two hundred meters long, this giant wolf king was even bigger than Aries . It stared at Benetnash and bared its fangs .
“Transmute—The Thing That Shakes The Earth!”
Ruphas laughed eerily as the god-eating wolf opened its maw .
And roared .
The unspeakable wolf’s roar became a wave of destructive energy that swallowed Benetnash . Her entire body was torn in an instant and an enormous amount of blood flowed . Only Benetnash could have endured it without losing any of her body parts . If it had been anyone else, there would not even be any bones left .
“Gah…ha, ah…”
However, she finally reached her limit and fell to her knees on the ground . Her heartbeats were annoying, her fingers were shaking, and her vision was becoming blurred . She understood what this meant .
Ah, I have reached my limit . If possible, I want to make one final blow . But it seems I only have enough power left to make a full-power attack .
As she thought this…Benetnash laughed involuntarily .
Oh, it’s the same . It’s the same situation as the last time .
It was like this two hundred years ago . She was cornered to the point where she had to gamble it all with one final attack in an attempt to reverse the situation . At that time, some boring people got in the way, but it was different this time . Benetnash put all her remaining power into her right arm and looked straight at her nemesis .
“…Let’s go, Mafahl . Let’s end it with this attack . ”
“…Oh, yes . Come on then, Benet . ”
She spoke the same line as before . Ruphas understood and replied in the same manner . That beckoning gesture was also the same as last time, making it both hateful and endearing .
Now then, the stage that I longed for is right before me . The continuation of that day is finally here .
Benetnash’s expression distorted in delight as her eyes burned with a deep red color .
“—Oh!”
Regardless of victory or defeat, this would be the end!
By burning even her life-force, Benetnash’s attack was like a meteor . She charged straight at Ruphas at her maximum velocity, faster than anything she had ever been able to reach even in her several hundred years of existence .
On the other hand, Ruphas also went straight ahead . She decided against using feints and raised her right arm to receive the attack upfront .
Their arms crossed and fresh blood danced between them .
The one bleeding was…Ruphas . Benetnash’s all-out attack tore into her shoulder, leaving behind a wound that was not shallow . But unfortunately, even though it was not shallow, the wound was not deep enough either . Although she was bleeding profusely, the wound did not reach her bone . Ruphas could easily recover from a wound of this extent .
On the other hand, Ruphas’ sword had pierced Benetnash’s heart . The sword served as a plug, preventing excessive bleeding . However, anyone could see that it was a fatal wound .
In other words…the victor had been determined . Benetnash could not defeat Ruphas . She was relieved . After realizing this fact, Benetnash smiled with a sense of self-ridicule .
“—Still couldn’t reach you, huh?”
In her heart, she felt that it was frustrating and mortifying . After all, it was the first time ever in her life that she had a goal and the first time she ever had a rival . Yet in the end, she still could not surpass her even once . Until her final moments, she was only ever chasing after Ruphas’ back . With a plop, her arms dropped down as her body lost its strength .
“…Are you satisfied? Benet . ”
“Don’t be a fool . Losing is the worst . All that remains is a lingering attachment . ”
Her eyes could not see anymore, yet strangely, she could hear Ruphas’ hateful voice clearly .
Are you satisfied with this?
As always, it showed how much leeway she always had . But that was the kind of person Ruphas was . If Benetnash got angry over it every time, there would be no end to it .
“…Ah, but…I feel like my heart has gained closure . It’s not bad . ”
“You just said that it was the worst . ”
“Shut up . ”
She collapsed as her legs lost their strength . However, her body was embraced by Ruphas . Benetnash no longer had the strength to push her away, so she simply entrusted herself to Ruphas .
It seems my vitality is ending here .
She had a lingering attachment, but there was no regret . This was a battle in which all possible outcomes were accepted, a fight that she yearned for . And it had finally been realized . The result was disappointing, but she certainly felt that she was alive right at that moment .
So…yeah, it wasn’t bad .
Although it was only for a short while, the time that had stopped for her finally began to flow again . Even if it was just for a few moments…it was still more fulfilling than the two hundred years that she spent in stagnation .
“Mafahl…Did you know that this would happen?”
“Yeah, didn’t I say it before? That I will definitely return . ”
“Hmph…Stupid…You made me wait too long!”
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