YM778.TV Chapter 36: Seventh Rank
The result was something far more destructive and powerful than I had anticipated.
\'So, you claim to possess a spell even more potent than the Falling Star?\'
"Yeah, that\'s right."
\'What a peculiar claim, boy! How could you possibly surpass the power of a falling star?!\'
It\'s a fair question from Raikou Douji.
If I didn\'t know about magic, I\'d think the same. If I hadn\'t mastered the basics of "Attribute Change," I would have thought the same.
But "Attribute Change" has more to it.
"Attribute Change" allows the combination of basic attributes to create "Composite Attributes." Without knowing that, I wouldn\'t have imagined creating a spell stronger than "Nagareboshi."
The first "Composite Attribute" I used was the "Explosion" attribute, a combination of "Wind" and "Fire." By weaving just two "Silveit Threads" together, the spell\'s power increased about 30 times. Of course, the mana consumption also skyrocketed.
"I really don\'t want to use this spell. Honestly, I\'ve never fully used it before. I got scared and stopped halfway."
It was an insight. A spell born from a single question.
\'You\'re going to challenge me with an incomplete spell, boy?!\'
"No, it\'s not incomplete. It\'s finished. But the power of this spell is so immense that even I don\'t know the extent of the destruction it could cause."
During my practice with Composite Attributes, as a magic user and someone who worked in printing in my previous life, I naturally arrived at a fundamental question.
What would happen if I combined a third attribute?
The inevitability of that question came from the fact that printing only uses three colors—or four, to be precise.
The primary colors, just three colors, can be combined to recreate any color. And when you combine all three, you get black, which absorbs everything.
So then.
It\'s only natural to wonder what would happen if I combined not just three but more attributes.
\'Haha! Have you lost your mind, boy?! A spell that you can\'t control is worthless! It\'s just a party trick! Do you think you can kill me with that?!\'
At that moment, Raikou Douji kicked off the ground and lunged at me, accompanied by a burst of electricity!
I extended my "Silveit Threads" as I watched.
Seven threads in total. Two of them are allocated to "Physical Enhancement."
That\'s enough. That\'s all I need.
"Hey, Raikou Douji. Are you ready to die?"
As Raikou Douji closed in, I stepped forward.
Fear still grips me. But my anger is even stronger.
\'Ready to die?! Life and death are two sides of the same coin! Living is already preparation for death!\'
"Oh, really...?"
He seems to have a unique perspective on life.
"Then, no regrets, okay? Because the countdown to your death has already started."
I extended five threads simultaneously, but Raikou Douji kicked off the ground to evade my magic. However, without the "True Eye," he couldn\'t avoid all the "Silveit Threads."
One thread managed to entangle Raikou Douji.
Its Attribute Change: Fire.
Four remaining.
\'I have no regrets in my way of life! I simply move forward!!\'
As we exchanged words that seemed to slightly connect yet didn\'t, I stepped forward again. The two weeks of training with my father weren\'t just for swordsmanship. I also trained in hand-to-hand combat.
\'You\'re daring to approach me now?!\'
But I didn\'t allow Raikou Douji to touch me, narrowly avoiding him and slipping behind his back. Then, I extended the "Silveit Threads" again. To prevent my escape, Raikou Douji charged his right foot with lightning and kicked off the ground.
As Raikou Douji rushed at me with the speed of a lightning strike, I misjudged the aim of my "Silveit Threads."
Two threads missed, while two entwined around Raikou Douji.
Two remaining.
\'You\'ve let your guard down, boy!\'
Raikou Douji grabbed me and lifted me up.
So, I asked.
"Hey, Raikou Douji."
\'Are you begging for your life now?\'
"Did you really think you could hold onto me?"
At such close range, there\'s no way I could miss with my "Silveit Threads."
Seeing my confident smile, Raikou Douji instinctively let go of me.
\'…!!\'
He kicked off the ground to distance himself.
But it was futile. Everything he did was pointless.
My "Silveit Threads" had already ensnared Raikou Douji.
"The countdown just hit zero."
In that instant, the world warped around Raikou Douji.
The light twisted as if a powerful gravitational field had formed.
"I want you to die regretting that you messed with us."
\'Wha-what is this…?!\'
There are five basic attributes.
When all of them are combined, what happens?
"Consume him, Oborozuki (Hazy Moon)!!"
The answer was right before my eyes.
\'What is this?! What kind of spell is this?!\'
In a flash, a jet-black sphere materialized in Raikou Douji\'s abdomen.
And it began to devour him!
\'I-I can\'t escape…! I can\'t use any magic!! Why is this happening?!\'
Of course, it doesn\'t just swallow him.
His body is disintegrated, breaking down into tiny particles that are sucked into the sphere.
When the five attributes are combined, they form the Composite Attribute: "Night."
It\'s a void attribute that unilaterally consumes everything. It requires 810,000 times the mana of a basic attribute spell, but… well, as a Seventh Rank, that\'s no problem for me.
"That\'s why I told you."
As the black sphere was covered by what was once his body, it looked like a faintly glowing moon behind a veil of clouds, hence the name "Oborozuki (Hazy Moon)." I named it.
"I said I would exorcise you no matter what."
When I first used this spell, I was so shocked by its power that I stopped the spell halfway.
So, I didn\'t know that the victim couldn\'t use magic once caught, but now I\'m glad I found out.
\'Impossible! Impossible!! Impossible!!!\'
Raikou Douji now had less than 10% of his body left.
There\'s no way he could escape from this.
\'That I, could lose to a human… lose to a boy… it\'s impossible!\'
"No. You\'re wrong."
\'…What?\'
"Raikou Douji, you lost to me."
With my final words, Raikou Douji completely vanished from this world.
That was the end of the Sixth Rank monster who had buried hundreds of exorcists.
…What a tough opponent.
Definitely the strongest I\'ve faced so far.
I had to throw everything I had at him to exorcise him.
"Which means… I won."
But that\'s what matters.
I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky.
The Christmas Eve sky was so clear that you could easily see Santa flying through the crisp twilight, and my breath turned white as it disappeared into the air.
"I need to call Mom and the others. But first, I need to do something about Oborozuki… or maybe I should just let it be?"
I noticed that the black sphere was evaporating, shrinking as if it were being consumed.
It seems there\'s nothing to worry about if I just leave it alone.
As I watched this, I suddenly heard a woman\'s voice shouting from a distance.
\'No, it can\'t be! Raikou Douji-sama! Raikou Douji-sama can\'t lose to a human!!\'
Emerging from the shadows was the female oni.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about her.
I reformed my "Silveit Threads" and sent them flying toward the oni.
From here on out, there\'s not much more to say.
I\'ll just add that it didn\'t take long for everything to be over.