Chapter 35

Perhaps because I cast a high-level spell with my bare hands from the state of circulation.

A little blood is dripping from my left hand, but it should be fine.

More importantly,

I look up at the demon floating in the air, glaring at me.

It seems to have caused quite a ruckus, and I am not at all pleased. I am not pleased, but that is precisely why I should approach this calmly and with certainty. I almost failed due to my passion when I spoke with Maurice.

Even if the demon is the same kind as my mother's enemy, it is not my mother's enemy itself.

Five years ago, the Sleeping Plague King, who spread the epidemic, was defeated by my mother.

"...You're laughing. You seem to be quite proud of your powerful magic."

The female demon, still floating in the air, glared at me with hatred but then showed a gentle smile.

"Could it be that you think you can defeat a demon just because you can use strong magic? Kids are so naive."

The demon, still floating in the air, circled its body with the black mist rising from its entire body, as if toying with it.

I understand what it means. The ability to fly freely is a powerful advantage in itself. In contrast, the levitation spell that humans use for flying is not suitable for battle. It is a spell that lifts objects, and the demon knows that it is far inferior to its flight magic.

No matter how powerful the magic you have, it is meaningless if you cannot hit the target. High-level spells, which are easy to detect at the moment of activation, are not scary at all. That's the point.

If asked how about mid-level or lower spells, the miasma that the demon wraps around its body becomes a problem. Its true nature is a negative magical force. It weakens normal magic and erodes living bodies upon contact.

Moreover, the demon's physical strength and abilities far surpass those of ordinary humans. It would not be shaken by a few hits.

But—so what?

"I know about demons without you telling me. Let's get started."

Holding my magic wand, I said this, and the demon frowned for a moment before baring its fangs in a wide grin.

"You have a bad attitude, kid. I'll rip you open and stuff you back in your own mouth."

As if taking this as a signal, the demon flew to the right. A moment later, the stone pavement where I had been standing was shattered. The demon had fired a miasma bullet.

Since miasma itself weakens magic, it has the characteristic of being extremely strong in a magic duel.

As expected, the demon maintained a certain distance from me while firing bullets. I dodged the miasma bullets by flying to the right and left and rolling on the ground. The demon must know that this is a mage killer.

I fired fireballs through the gaps between the bullets, but the demon did not even try to dodge. It caught fire from a direct hit, but I did not think it would be defeated. The heat from magical flames is not enough. But it would serve as a distraction. I immediately closed the distance.

The demon appeared with a confident smile under the explosion.

"Such magic won't work! Crawl on the ground, you piece of trash!"

The demon spread miasma bullets in a fan shape from its left hand. Each of them contained the destructive power to kill a human.

Moreover, they were fired in a spread pattern. Although they were fired in sequence, each had a different speed. They all hit the ground at the same time.

I activated levitation and flew into the air. The demon, perhaps confident of victory, twisted its lips. A mass of miasma was coiling in its right hand.

Swinging it back and forth—miasma turned into a long blade and swept through the place where I had been. Perfectly. Completely. It was a timing and speed that could not be avoided with levitation.

"—What!?"

But I was not there. I had changed my movement in the air and slipped in. The demon, having lost sight of me after swinging the miasma into a large blade, was struck in the temple by my knee, concentrated with the magic power I had refined in the state of circulation.

The magic power in circulation is of a different quality from normal magic. Because it is a mixture of magic power and life energy, it does not weaken even against the demon's miasma and cannot erode my body.

"What!?"

The demon tried to back away, foaming at the mouth, but I pursued it by kicking in the air.

I deflected the miasma bullets with a magic shield expanded in my left hand and closed the distance without a moment's hesitation. I was within range.

The demon, with wide eyes, extended its claws to block my magic wand.

"Using the air— as a foothold!? What is this guy—!?"

To begin with, I never said I couldn't fight in the air.

Magic circles were deployed on the soles of my feet and back. From there, I activated low-level magic like Magic Shield and Air Blast with fine control for a brief moment.

By combining this with levitation to lift my body, I could use the shield as a foothold or use Air Blast to gain propulsion like a booster.

This is how the top players of BFO achieved free maneuverability in the air and made three-dimensional aerial combat possible.

The excellent point of BFO's operation was that they prepared additional items and martial arts to make this possible for other classes without modifying the techniques developed by players—judging from the demon's reaction, it seems no one else is doing this.

"Unbelievable! Can a human control three spells at the same time!?"

What is the big deal with a few low-level spells?

The demon's claws swung.

I blocked the slash aimed at taking my life with my wand.

The sharp claws passed by my face. I avoided the claws that closed like slicing my head by inserting my wand.

I swung the reverse end of the wand from below. It grazed the demon's side, which barely avoided it. I did not let the distance open. I pressed on.

Swinging, sweeping, blocking, deflecting, thrusting. We clashed and were repelled.

In the fleeting exchange of life, I was probably smiling.

I was incredibly happy. I had the power to fight a demon head-on, right here, right now.

But it is still not enough. Far from enough. Power, speed, and technique.

More. More. More power—!

A creaking sound echoed each time the demon's claws and my magic wand clashed. We crossed and entangled in the air, clashing many times. This wand probably won't last long—

"Ha!"

Perhaps because it did not feel the need to train for close combat as a higher species. The demon's close combat skills were weak. I dodged the claws aimed at me to the right and left, and with the tip of my wand, I struck its head and delivered a powerful blow to its sternum, sending the demon flying. Unlike me, it could not support its body in the air with flight magic.

If it were an ant, it would have been shattered in one blow—but it was not a decisive blow. The demon's endurance is truly remarkable.

But I had anticipated this. I did not give it time to recover. I immediately kicked off the air and pursued it. From above to below. I kicked it down with magic power.

It rolled on the ground.

But, surely—surely. I had no intention of showing mercy to a demon. Just as a mage can continue to cast spells as long as they are conscious, a demon can control miasma as long as it is alive. It was not the kind of opponent that could be captured or interrogated for information.

The wand was already at its limit, so I would use it just once and discard it. Magic circles covered the wand from the part I held to both ends.

"Monster—"

"You're in no position to say that."

We were both—smiling.

"Penetrate."

With the wand as the central axis, a vortex of wind infused with magic power began to swirl. The pressure of the swirling storm was concentrated at the tip.

The 7th Tier Wind Magic Vortex Lance. From directly above the demon, I threw the wand wrapped in a tornado.

It was sucked into the demon's chest without a single deviation.

The storm exploded at a single point, spreading in a ring in the final moment, sweeping the entire square. What remained was the demon, lying on the ground with a large hole in its chest, piercing the square's ground.