◇
After leaving Daluane, Fuuka and I headed north.
When we spotted the approaching swarm of magic beasts coming south, I sent a telepathic update to Selma-san.
'We will make contact with the first wave in about five minutes. Distance is fifteen hundred meters north-northwest from Daluane.'
'Understood. Hart, how are the movements of the magic beast swarm? Are they still all heading toward Daluane?'
Selma-san responded to my telepathy and then called out to Hart-san—who was scouting separately—to get a clearer picture of the situation.
'As expected, some of the magic beasts are changing course toward nearby villages. I can reach that group in time, so I will intercept them here.'
'Thank you. As we discussed earlier, the front-line engagement is entrusted to the three of you. Feel free to go all out. Even if some slip through, we will absolutely prevent any damage to the town, so do not worry.'
Right before combat with the magic beasts began, Selma-san once again gave us permission to fight freely.
Her tone was the same as always.
Lately I had felt like Selma-san's attitude toward me had been somewhat distant, but perhaps I had been overthinking it.
Considering everything that happened at her family home, it would be strange if she were not feeling emotionally raw.
"Fuuka, as planned—we go big from the start. Cut down every surviving magic beast!"
When I called out to Fuuka beside me, she nodded once with her usual unchanging expression.
"I'm very good at that sort of thing. Leave it to me."
After confirming Fuuka's response, I approached the oncoming swarm of magic beasts while constructing a spell formula in my mind.
Once the formula was complete, I spoke with ki infused in my voice.
"—Release Seal, Culmination."
My words and the ki circulating through my body swept away whatever had been binding me.
For the opening strike, I wanted something flashy that could wipe out a wide area all at once.
Among the attacks I know, the one best suited for this is the continuous bombardment Sion from Amuntsāsu performed against a dragon swarm in the Leglif territory.
Explaining the mechanism is simple.
It only looked like explosions were chaining and spreading outward because he had activated Super Explosion repeatedly in an instant.
Even though Sion's spell formula construction is fast, firing off that many special-grade spells in such a short time should be impossible for a human brain to handle.
Under normal circumstances, it is outright impossible.
What makes it possible is likely his unique ability, Time Regression.
I do not know exactly how he interprets that ability to enable spamming special-grade spells, but if it is possible, then I should be able to recreate it through an expanded interpretation of my own ability…
When I deeply understood my unique ability—Gravity Manipulation—I realized something.
Gravity can interfere with time…
Of course, it cannot do things like time travel or stopping time completely.
"—Time Dilation, Inflation."
What I realized and developed from that is stretching my own time.
In short, everything appears to move in slow motion.
There are several restrictions on using this, so I cannot keep it active constantly. But when the conditions are met, the advantage it provides is immeasurable.
This time, I am channeling that advantage into spell formula construction.
"—Super Explosion + Chain Explode Chain!"
Each time I complete a spell formula, I activate Super Explosion.
To everyone else, however, it should feel like a massive number of Super Explosions are going off in an extremely short time.
A torrent of explosions assaults the swarm of magic beasts.
"Not done yet! Thousand-Blade Tornado Cyclone!"
While continuing to spam Super Explosion, I also activate the wind-based special-grade spell Thousand-Blade Tornado Cyclone that I had been constructing in parallel—extending its range as far as possible.
After adjusting my perceived time back to match everyone else's and looking forward, I see the first wave of the magic beast swarm reduced to utter devastation.
"Phew… Taking a short break. I'll leave the stragglers to you, Fuuka."
"…You said flashy, but did you really need to go this far?"
When I turn around to ask Fuuka to handle cleanup, she is staring at me with half-lidded eyes.
Fuuka is usually so laid-back and indifferent, yet even she felt compelled to comment this time.
Yeah, I think I overdid it too.
"Well, this is my way of encouraging my disciples. I had to go all out."
"If anything, that might make them shrink back instead… Anyway, I'll go take care of the leftovers. You rest, Orun."
Leaving behind a slightly exasperated comment, Fuuka drew her sword from its sheath and dashed toward the remaining magic beasts.
'Orun-san, we've arrived at the labyrinth! We are beginning the conquest now!'
While I watched Fuuka's dance-like beautiful combat and considered our next move, Sophia's voice echoed in my mind.
I had really wanted to say "Don't push yourselves" or "If it gets too tough, come back right away."
But my disciples surely already know that.
So the words I can give them right now are—
'Yeah. Understood. I pray for your success. You can conquer this labyrinth. Do not worry about the surface—just focus everything on the conquest!'
'Yes! Heading in now!'