Chapter 34

With the cherry blossom petals dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Having decided on the plan, I succinctly conveyed the method to Shuna.

Upon hearing it, she widened her eyes in surprise.

"Y-You can do that!?"

"Yeah, it might be hard to believe..."

"...No. If it's Zeros' word, I can believe it."

In Shuna's eyes, a strong resolve was evident.

"Thank you, Shuna. I'll give the signal, so please be ready!"

"Got it!"

After that, I ran towards the Ironclad Bear to buy some time.

"Raaaaaah!"

In response to my approach, the Ironclad Bear swung its powerful arm down.

It was a blow that could deal significant damage to me.

"Parry—"

I attempted a normal parry, but a sudden premonition of failure swept over me.

It was the same chill I felt when hit by the Dark Lock Dark Ball.

"—Then!"

Switching tactics, I decided to deflect the attack rather than parry it.

As intended, the deflection was successful.

(Unlike in the Dark Sorcerer battle, there's no one to dodge into. There's no need to force a parry.)

Still, I couldn't keep this up forever.

If I continued to easily dodge attacks, the Ironclad Bear might target Shuna or the injured party members.

I needed to make it believe it couldn't take its eyes off me.

In other words—

"Raaaaaah!"

"—Mist Slash"

Kiiin!

With a roar, the Ironclad Bear swung its powerful arm down again.

I activated [Mist Slash] and deflected the attack.

This technique works not only against magical attacks like the Dark Lock Dark Ball but also against physical attacks.

Compared to flying magic, it's easier to use and can deal some damage with the slash itself, making it a two-for-one deal.

Moreover, in the current situation, it has a third benefit: it can draw the Ironclad Bear's hate towards me.

"Grrr"

"Good, keep your eyes on me."

Despite its groans of pain, the Ironclad Bear continued to attack.

I was fending off these attacks.

"Zeros! The first enchantment is done!"

"Great, good job!"

Shuna reported that the dark attribute enchantment was complete.

Understanding that this was the right moment to hit it with a Dark Missile, I gave another instruction.

"Next, please apply the holy attribute enchantment!"

"Okay!"

Shuna nodded and infused the area with pure white light.

I smiled, watching the scene over my shoulder.

(Yes, this is the true value of Sacred Enchantment.)

---

[Sacred Enchantment].

This is a magic skill implemented some time after the release of "Cleone."

While it is effective against certain monsters like undead, it didn't increase base power compared to other attribute enchantments, so it was initially considered a dud skill.

In that sense, Shuna's initial impression of the skill when we first met wasn't entirely wrong.

However, after a certain application method was discovered, its evaluation completely changed.

This method involved simultaneously applying the dark and holy attributes.

The dark and holy attributes have opposing properties, and in most cases, the more powerful attribute would overwhelm the other.

However, if both attributes were of exactly the same quality and quantity, they would not fuse but instead cause a massive explosion due to their opposition.

A vivid memory came to my mind: the massive explosion that occurred when Shuna's Sacred Missile pierced through the Dark Sorcerer's Dark Lock Dark Ball.

In other words, this is a high-level technique that intentionally triggers that phenomenon.

The timing for activation is extremely critical, and one mistake could result in us being caught in the explosion.

But with Shuna and me—

The magic bullet floating in Shuna's hand began to flicker between black and white.

Just as the speed reached its peak, I leaped back and shouted.

"Now, Shuna!"

"Okay! Here I goooooo!"

The destructive cannonball was released.

It flew straight towards the Ironclad Bear and struck its abdomen.

"......Grrr?"

Just as the Ironclad Bear let out a confused growl—

BOOOOM!!!

An unearthly roar echoed as the flickering magic bullet exploded.

The destructive magic power was unleashed, violently shaking the air and the ground.

The explosion created a spherical hole in the Ironclad Bear's hard torso and blew the rest of its body to pieces.

"R-Raaaaa..."

The only part that remained intact was the head.

Even with just its head, the Ironclad Bear let out a final cry.

But it was only for a moment, and the Ironclad Bear soon lost its strength and closed its eyes.

[Experience gained. Level up by 3]

[6 stat points gained]

The level-up sound rang out.

I nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, it worked."

This was the ultimate magic skill that created a massive amount of energy by simultaneously applying the dark and holy attributes.

Due to its overwhelming destructive power, this technique was named:

[Heavenly Dark Burst]

As the name suggests, it is a single strike that can create a void-like destructive force at the point of impact.

The MP consumption is doubled due to the application of two attributes, but the damage is also doubled due to the explosive reaction.

Moreover, the 130% damage after the 30% increase from the dark attribute is further doubled, resulting in 260% damage.

(Thinking about it again, it's an incredible ultimate move...)

What's even more terrifying is that this technique still has potential.

When the Dark Enchantment skill reaches its maximum level, an additional 50% MP consumption results in a 100% increase in power.

During the use of Heavenly Dark Burst, the power is naturally doubled from there.

In other words, the final result is 400% power for 200% MP consumption.

Truly, it is the ultimate one-hit kill.

For a while after this method was discovered, [Emblem of Magic] became the most popular, and many players even started new accounts to use it.

(That's why I wanted this skill. Without Sacred Enchantment, it will take some time to do what Shuna can do, but I can start improving my skill proficiency now.)

In any case, this is why Shuna was able to defeat the Ironclad Bear with a single strike.

Satisfied with the result, I smiled and announced to Shuna and the others.

"Alright everyone, we've successfully defeated it..."

"......(stunned silence)"

However, unlike me, the adventurer party members and Shuna herself, who had just used the Heavenly Dark Burst, were frozen in shock.

(It will take a while for Shuna and the others to snap out of it.)

Facing this scene, I had such thoughts.

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