Ugh!

A fireball looms in front of me.
I manage to avoid it by flying off to the side.
No, I couldn't avoid it completely.
The fireball slightly snatches my leg, sending a dull pain through it.
But ignoring the pain, I put strength into my leg and kick the ground of the labyrinth.

Even though it was only snatched, it's a super-difficult demonic beast phoenix flame.
Normally, it might not be surprising if this would have made my legs useless.
However, I'm currently hardening my body with homemade fire-resistant magic tools.
It's not a problem if it's just a painful scratch.
This time, the magic tool is really helping me.
Still, I couldn't continue to rely on that magic tool in the future.

A magic tool is a tool and has a life span.
In other words, there is a limit to how long they can protect my body from the flames of the Phoenix.
And no matter how many magic tools you have, if you get hit by a Phoenix fireball, there's nothing you can do about it.
I'm sure that if you use it in conjunction with Lila's healing magic, you may be able to prevent the fireball to some extent, but even that has a limit.

...... That was more pressure on me than I had imagined.

''RA─────A!''

Whoa!

It seems that the current situation of fighting without using magic detection has made me more nervous and naïve than I imagined.
I've been analyzing the current situation while just barely avoiding the next fireball by kicking the wall and flying through the air.

Currently, I was not using my magic detection, but instead was using my chi to lightly strengthen my body to escape Phoenix's attacks.

I couldn't activate magic detection, which required a complicated process, in the period between the time I attacked Phoenix and the time Phoenix released the fireball.
Fortunately, he had come to fight the Phoenix and apparently magic detection was not very useful.
In fact, it is safe to say that magic detection is not a good match for the Phoenix, which attacks from outside the detection range.

......, but it seems that the fact that magic detection, which always told me of the dangers around me, was not activated was a burden on me more than I had imagined.

''RA ───A!''

Ugh!

As I jumped forward with all my might to avoid Phoenix's fireball, the pain I felt reminded me of the value of magic detection.
Until now, I had been avoiding attacks with a thin layer of skin.
But now, I've taken an exaggerated move.
Because of the lack of magic detection, it's hard to know if the attack is really being avoided, and you have to exaggerate your body to the point where it's unnecessary.

"Ha, ha, ha.

...... And as a result, I was feeling more physically and emotionally exhausted than I had ever imagined.

I'm not sure how much time I've earned, or how much more time I have left to earn.
But even so, my fighting spirit never disappeared from my mind.

''Area Heal!''

With Laila's dignified voice, the wound disappears from my body and my fatigue recovers a bit.
Considering my current state of fatigue, that might be only a comforting effect physically.

But that "Area Heal" was an effective mental fatigue medicine.

Phoenix was honestly too incompatible an enemy for me.
It seemed far more troublesome than the pre-mutation Hydra.

But even so, I was more full of fighting spirit than when I fought Hydra during the Sword of Lightning era.

The presence of my friends behind me, that's what inspires me.
So I smiled and grabbed the dagger I always held in my hand instead of the melting great sword I threw away after it got in the way.

"Raust, back off!

It was at that moment that Zeke's shout echoed.
The moment I heard those words, I reflexively understood that Armia's magic was ready.
I didn't realize it was because I had no sense of time during the battle, but it seemed that quite a bit of time had already passed.
For a moment I felt a sense of relief as I understood that I seemed to have managed to do my part.

'RA────A!'

Huh!

But the next moment I realized something and my face turned stern.

...... I wasn't the only one who noticed Aamir's magic.

The earliest Phoenix did not have any interest in me at all.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.
Seeing that, I was convinced of something.

I don't know if it's because the magic is almost complete and Phoenix's magic detection was noticed, or if it's another factor.
But even if he didn't know why, Phoenix was definitely aware of Armia's magic.

''RA───────A!''

Phoenix gives an angry roar to Armia.
Apparently, Phoenix has noticed the trump card he has been hiding at the last minute.

...... This is a win-win.

But I understood that, and I smiled at that.
I laughed, convinced that victory was impossible to shake.

Because the means Phoenix had taken, it was the worst bad move of all.

Between Phoenix and Armia, there was Zeke-san and Narsena.
If Phoenix had noticed Armia's magic a few minutes ago, things might have been different.
However, no matter how desperately he was going to unleash his fireball now, Phoenix wouldn't be able to attack Aarmia.
Before that, Aamir's magic would surely be completed.

In other words, the means of attack that Phoenix took was like a waste of time.

And one more thing, Phoenix had made a big oversight.
Perhaps Phoenix, whose mind was full of Armia, didn't notice that oversight.

With that assurance, I opened my mouth as I ran towards the large sword I had thrown down while running away.

''You've completely forgotten the first time I slashed you: ......

Currently Phoenix is not paying attention to me as if I'm not paying attention to him.
However, it was an error of judgment that should never have been made.

Even though I was about to pick up the large sword, Phoenix didn't notice that.
Despite the fact that I cut so deeply at the beginning of the battle, Phoenix seems to have already forgotten about it.

That I am the one who can hurt Phoenix.

In response to that, I lifted the great sword, feeling dismayed.
The blade of the great sword had melted and become round.
The sword's blade would probably be quite fragile.

But it could withstand the flaming armor if only once more.

Having decided that, I strengthened my body with magic and ki, held the hilt in my reverse hand and raised the great sword.

''Raaah!''

And in the next moment, I threw the great sword at Phoenix.
A great sword flying towards itself.

''RA────A!''

Phoenix noticed this just before he was about to release the fireball.
Phoenix gave up on releasing the fireball and twisted his body, trying to avoid it somehow.

...... But that action was only too late at the earliest.

''RAAAAAAAA!''

In the next moment, the great sword pierced deep into Phoenix's body, causing Phoenix to let out a heartbreaking scream.

''Water Spirit God bless me!

It was then that Aarmia's magic was completed.
As if in response to Aarmia's last chant, a large amount of water appeared and covered Phoenix's body.
Normal water would not be able to peel off Phoenix's flaming armor, which was super hot.
It would evaporate before that.

But that water produced by Aamir's magic wasn't just a massive amount of water.
It obliterates the armor of fire that would normally vaporize the water in an instant.

''RA─────AA!''

Phoenix flailed as he tried to shake the water away from his body, but his actions were of no consequence.
A few tens of seconds later, the armor of fire that had covered Phoenix's body was obliterated.

And the sight after the flaming armor disappeared, we were sure of our victory.

''RAaaa.''

No matter how powerful their flaming armor was, a super-difficult demonic beast was not an easy opponent to deal with, so much so that you could be sure of victory just by shutting it down.
Ultra-difficult demonic beasts are beings that one should be wary of until the very end.
...... but even if he thought so, Phoenix's condition was so ragged that he could be sure that he would not lose from here.

Underneath the flaming armor, Phoenix's exposed body was carved with two large wounds.
They were the wounds I had inflicted on him at the beginning of the battle and right before I stripped off the armor.
I hadn't noticed it because Phoenix was wearing flaming armor, but Phoenix had already suffered deep wounds.
It was also called super regeneration, a wound that even Phoenix, who had the ability to regenerate beyond normal super-difficulty demonic beasts, couldn't heal.

Even so, just a few moments ago, Phoenix had released a fireball and was fighting desperately.
But it seems that Phoenix has reached its limit.
I realized that when I saw that Phoenix couldn't even release the fireball anymore.

"It would be cruel to let it linger.

I wonder if he thought the same thing as I did, Zeke-san, who had the magic sword in his hand, muttered that and walked towards Phoenix.
He must be trying to put a stop to Phoenix.
At the sight of that, I was convinced that this was Phoenix's last.

The time it took to get to this point, that would normally be considered an awfully short period of time.
But perhaps because I'd been attracting the Phoenix for so long, my body was filled with fatigue.
But this would be the end of our defeat of the Phoenix.

So I almost let my mind wander to ......


rAAAAAa──────aA!


.........?


...... But the next moment Phoenix blew up Zeke-san with the whole magic sword, and I was left standing in a daze at the sight of him.


............ Huh?