Run.
　Drive.
　Just run.
　It flies backwards through the landscape and runs breathlessly for a hundred meters in less than a few seconds, and then just runs.
　This is still moving at a flowing pace, but at a speed that is impossible for an ordinary person to achieve.
　You keep running without stopping your feet, while your eyes keep moving in all directions to check your surroundings, your nose becomes sensitive to any unusual odors, and your skin becomes sensitive to any sensations.
　The ear that picks up sounds expands its area to pick up sounds other than one's own footsteps.
　When did the sense of using the five senses change from passive to active?
　The act of seeing was active, but when did we decide to actively engage in the act of smelling and feeling?
　I learned to just know because I had to.
　I'm sure that I acquired it from days of fighting with the instructors.
　I've heard that people develop these senses when they're stuck in a crisis environment, and I was one of them.

If you're hard to find or ......, I'd say they're hiding and watching.

　While thinking about such unnecessary things, I searched for Kaido and his friends, but came up empty.
　I thought that if I ran around with all my might and poured out my magic power, the south or Amelia would locate my location and take action from the Kitamiya area, but it's quieter than I thought it would be.
　We went out of our way to take the risk of being ambushed, but we came up with nothing.

"What happens next will depend on whether this decision is made by Kitamiya or Minami.

　This silence is certainly intentional.
　I'm wondering if it was Kitamiya or Minami who created it.
　I put the cigarettes I finished while running into my portable ashtray and looked around, but there was no one around.
　I can imagine several behavioral patterns of what Kaido and the others are going to do after this, but they are all the same as they did before the training.

So the easiest thing would be for us to find them and take them by surprise, but that's difficult.

　If I act on that premise, I'll fall into the hands of Kitamiya and Minami, and I'll get hurt.
　Always assume the worst and aim for the best.
　Acting carelessly against someone who is acting based on that principle will be fatal.
　I scratched my head, half in admiration that you have grown into a troublesome being, and half in sighs at what is to come.

It's easiest to flush them out by brute force, but that would be a bit tricky.

　It would be better to give it your all without worrying about tricks, but avoid poor energy consumption as Minami and Kitamiya seem to be taking countermeasures.
　The best solution would be to cut down the entire area around you and lay your opponent flat in a melee.
　There's no reason why you can't create a storm of offensive and defensive slashes if you wield the mineral tree with all your might.
　Individually, they were still overwhelming.
　It's the most reasonable and quickest strategy I can think of right now, but if you think about it the other way around, your opponent will have read it too.

"We're doing something about it.

　The best way to think about it is to do it while smoking a cigarette, but unfortunately, you are out of cigarettes.
　You can't help but feel the loneliness in your mouth as you give up and watch your surroundings to see if there is anything there.
　As you look around like this, you suddenly pick up a sound that wasn't present in the silence a moment ago.

Is this ...... water noise?

　I can hear the sound of water in the distance, but it's definitely coming from the direction I was going to head.
　It's not a chattering sound, but a dripping sound.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

　I hear a thudding sound of the torrent, as if the dam had released its stored water.
　As I catch it, cold sweat breaks out on my back, and my body immediately assumes a posture of running as fast as it can.
　After a few seconds of running as fast as you can in the opposite direction to the sound, the source of the sound appears.

"Waterboarding!　They're relentless!

　I didn't have time to ask which Warring States period this was, and in the blink of an eye, I could feel the muddy waters closing in on us, so I headed for higher ground to take shelter in a safer place, but...

This idea, Kitamiya!　Hey, that was nasty. You don't want to fight me head on?

　This decision, this strategy.
　Not South .
　Minami's behavior may be unimaginable from his usual behavior and personality, but he is calculating and moves as if his mind has been meticulously calculated.
　On the contrary, Kitamiya has a passionate side, although his character seems to plan and move based on his usual behavior, and this is how he comes up with bold strategies.
　You can see that Kitamiya's energy is supplemented by Minami.
　As if anticipating my actions, the water current interrupts my front as if it had a mind of its own.
　It seems to want to drop me into the water as every route to the higher ground is blocked.

"There's no underwater combat, and neither can they. So, if I go into the ...... water, does that mean I'm frozen?

　If you look for your opponent's intentions while running, the answer will naturally be ice, Kitamiya's specialty in magic.
　It's not impossible to freeze this amount of water in an instant, but it's not impossible.
　But that still makes me feel like it's weak.

That's true, it's tricky, but something about it makes a difference.

　It may seem to others that you are fluent in the water, but you can run faster than the speed of the water, so it's better to think calmly than panic.

"...... high ground. It smells like...

　When you think about it, you start to think that this flow of water is not an attack, but an induction.
　I think a lot of thoughts, considering all the possibilities and why I spent so much magic to do this.
　Is my opponent only attacking me from a distance to keep me from getting to him?
　Sure, I can win face-to-face, but not if they're working together.

But I don't know what to think.

　Although it would be better to head for higher ground to escape from the water, I can understand that they are being read, but I don't think that's the only reason.
　Even if you were to intercept them by holding the high ground, all you have to do is to cut in from the front.
　Then we should start by finding our way out of this groping situation.

What do you have in mind?

　They've disappeared thoroughly and are trying to reduce our strength.
　It's understandable, but considering the percentage of magic consumed and the rate at which it can reduce my strength, they're going to lose money.

"When it comes to ....... It's dangerous to assume things based on assumptions.

　It's just that there's another purpose.
　And if I'm right, your opponent's objective may be surprisingly simple.
　Kick the ground and jump between the pillars, go up, get a clear view, and land at the top of the pillar where you can see the arena below you.



"Oh, you came in the back of the house,

　I look around the arena, which is now flooded with water, and then I look around, but of course I can't see Kaido and the others, but this confirms my prediction.
　I lowered my gaze slightly from the front, wondering if it was possible that they were not.
　I don't think they're going to flood the place so plainly.

"If they're not up there,

　Not to say that the proof is in the water.

In the water.
You're right!

　With a thump, the water at my feet surged at me.
　On top of the wave, Kaido held both swords in his hands and swung them down at the same time.

Oh, it's getting pretty heavy, Kaido!
"Cool look!

　In response, I swing through the mineral tree with one hand and blow Kaido away.
　From the impact in my hand, I realized that the power of the weapon had increased.
　I was going to go after it, but...

Minami-chan, please!

　Before that, the water at his feet had moved and enveloped Kaido and he was back in the water.

"Did you gain the advantage of the earth through feats of strength?

　Slightly cloudy, reducing visibility and preventing it from being located by being in the water.
　Unless it's an underwater monster, no matter how you look at it, its movement is limited unless you're prepared for it to be a land creature human.
　In addition, it is a natural fortress.

A natural fortress as an added bonus.

　Water as an entity has a surprisingly high defensive capacity.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you can do with it.

You can use lightning as well, but of course you have countermeasures in place. It's a bit of a hassle, so why don't you give me a break?

　And over there is not only Kaido, but Kitamiya as well.
　An icy arrow jumps out from the water and flies toward me.

"You thought of it.

　In addition, ice arrows are not the only thing that came out .
　The challenge for Kitamiya and South is close combat.
　Being approached is a problem, but not being able to respond in a pinch is a problem, so I thought that would be an improvement, but Kitamiya has been able to summon a golem?
　There's no shortage of water all around, so there's no shortage of materials.
　Part of the water surface freezes over and takes on a humanoid, or perhaps centaur-like, shape.
　The upper half of the body is in the shape of a man and the lower half is a horse ice golem, five of them.
　Each one has a spear and shield and rushes toward us, freezing part of the water.
　We have a limited foothold here, and I'm a little unsure of my footing when it comes to intercepting them.

Well, of course. Well, of course you have a playback function.

　Since the only original material was water, I tried to cut down one of them, but in no time at all, it was back to normal.

What's more, a shark?

　And while you're distracted by the water, there's something disturbing about the water as well.
　A huge fish bobbing in the water.
　I could only make out its dorsal fin and silhouette, but I could see what looked like a shark.

Can you use this many golems now?　Awesome.

　More than a dozen of them combined.
　I'm frankly impressed that you've been able to master them all this well.
　Gradually, they're perfecting my encirclement.

...... No, that's not all.

　I guess the ice golem is moved by Kitamiya: ......

"Well, earlier Kaido was a decoy.

　I was a little late in noticing it, I thought I saw Kaido coming out of the water, I thought they would be in the water at my feet.

"Amelia's ears are a pain in the ass,

　I've been looking for magic for a while now, but there's no sign of it.
　I wondered how they could locate me in the water with poor visibility, but Amelia's ears were there.
　Real sonar lets you know my position at any time.
　I, on the other hand, have no idea where they are.

Well, watch out.

　In addition, I have to keep my eye on the water and on the surface.
　Cut down a shark that leaps out of the water and deal with a centaur that has taken advantage of the opportunity to charge at you.
　It feels like you're fighting a dungeon monster instead of an opponent.
　At the same time, I'm impressed by the atmosphere that's gradually being pushed, but at the same time I think that I can't afford to be impressed.
　If this continues, it's obvious that you'll be crushed.
　That's what you want to avoid at all costs.
　With limited footholds, you'll be able to sort through the information as you work the centaurs and sharks.
　Kaido and his men are moving through the water and disappearing.
　If I jump into the water to follow them, I'll be iced or fed to the sharks.
　But I can't sit on my hands and wait.
　As long as my attack doesn't reach it, we won't get any wins.

If I could, I'd like to understand more about the other guys' roles before I make my move.

　As far as I can see, it was either Minami, Kitamiya, or Amelia who put out this water.
　But considering the fact that the golem is out like this, it's not Kitamiya.
　The impression of ice may be a misleading description of Kitamiya, but the quality of the magical power that you feel is slightly off, so it's definitely Kitamiya.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're talking about, but I don't think it's a good idea to use it in such a general way.
　In light of these two points, it should be assumed that Amelia, who has a large amount of magical power and is not capable of detailed magical power management, prepared this water.
　South should be focused on maintaining an underwater base.
　I don't understand the roles of the remaining, Katsu and Kaido.
　It's unlikely that they are letting the two of them play in this situation.
　Someone has to be the deciding factor.
　Kitamiya has also been attacking me incessantly since a while ago, but she shows no signs of using her grand magic.



...... Now, it's time to fight back.

　Then let's take the initiative while it's quiet.

"Orector, connect.

　Serious game here too.
　Let the roots of the mineral tree grow in your arms.

A little more diligence, Kitamiya.

　In the blink of an eye, in the blink of an eye, he cut down the sharks and centaurs.

"Well, well, well.

　Flying slashes in all directions.
　With that, the water cracked and the ground was visible for a few moments.

"Come on, Kaido, Minami, Kitamiya, Masaru, and Amelia, let's have fun!

　But there was no one there.
　I smiled my instructor's smile at my companions, who had grown to the point where they couldn't fall over in a moment.

　Word of the Day
　It's not a bad idea to go all out and clash once in a while.