Steam explosion.
An explosive phenomenon caused by water being rapidly heated and vaporized.
When water transitions from liquid to gas, its volume expands to nearly 1,700 times its original size.
When a large quantity of water boils all at once during a volcanic eruption, it produces a massive explosion that causes widespread devastation.
What the Red Robe did was something similar.
She could manipulate water, so she compressed it, hurled it toward Rest, and transformed it into steam—triggering the same phenomenon as a steam explosion.
○ ○ ○ "............"
Steam enveloped the area, turning into fog.
The battle was over, and the victor was the Red Robe magician.
Gazing through the hood over her head, she stared at the riverside where Rest had been.
"............"
The Red Robe swept her gaze across the scene, but... Rest was nowhere to be found.
In his place, a massive crater had formed.
Rest was not at the bottom of the crater—had he been buried in the earth, or had he been blown away without a trace?
"......You're not coming?"
Convinced that no counterattack from Rest was forthcoming, the Red Robe turned her eyes toward the forest adjoining the river.
She addressed her words to the "Sky Demon" who was presumably lurking there... but there was no reply.
"Fire."
The surrounding fog condensed into water bullets.
Countless projectiles were launched into the forest, piercing through trees.
There was no reaction from the "Sky Demon"—the Red Robe could not tell whether it had fled or had been felled by the bullets.
"If you're still alive, stay put. If you show yourself, I'll kill you," the Red Robe declared unilaterally. She turned her back on the forest and faced the river again.
She may have appeared wide open, but water spheres floated around her, and if the "Sky Demon" attacked, she would counter immediately.
"I'll freeze the river. This time, cross it."
Those words were directed at the Gaiselle soldiers on the far side of the river.
If this continued... the river would be frozen once more, and the enemy army would be allowed to invade.
A massive amount of mana surged from the Red Robe's body. This time, the river froze from the western side toward the eastern side, forming a bridge.
She had consumed a considerable amount of mana in her battle with Rest... yet she still had enough left to construct a bridge.
"Finally done, were you? You've kept us waiting quite a while."
The bridge completed, nearly five hundred Gaiselle soldiers invaded the Kingdom of Aiwood.
A Gaiselle representative—a man who appeared to be the commander—addressed the Red Robe.
"Because of you, over fifty of my men drowned. How do you intend to make up for this loss?"
"This was not my fault."
"Don't get cocky just because you're a hired magician! You failed to notice the ambushers lying in wait—that was your mistake!"
"............"
Barked at by the middle-aged commander, the Red Robe fell silent.
So there wasn't that deep a bond of trust between them... She sensed a strange distance.
"Hmph... I'll report upstairs that your pay should be reduced. You'll likely face disciplinary action too, so brace yourself."
"I don't care. In the end, everything—"
"Did you say something?"
"It's nothing."
The Red Robe shook her head.
"Forget that—aren't we here to plunder this country? Hurry up and—......?"
The Red Robe stopped mid-sentence.
She looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression, peering through a gap in the fog.
"............?"
"What is it, magician?"
"...Something is coming."
The Red Robe murmured.
Something was approaching. She could feel it descending.
The surrounding temperature was dropping... for a different reason than the ice bridge. The chill deepened, and her breath turned white.
"It's here...!"
"What are you talking about?"
At the very moment the Red Robe braced herself and the middle-aged commander furrowed his brows in bewilderment— "......!"
"Nuaah!?"
A tremendous gust of wind blew down from the sky, and an intensely cold air surged forward like a waterfall.