"[Water Serpent]"
Water spheres materialized around the figure in the red robe. Their surfaces burst, and the water lashed out like snakes.
To meet the incoming water attack, Rest cast his own spell.
"[Flame Wall]!"
Rest conjured a wall of flames.
The serpentine tendrils extending from the water spheres were burned away, instantly turning into steam.
"Too naive."
But... the attack wasn't over.
Rather than dissipating, the evaporated water condensed into a giant serpent and coiled around Rest.
"H-Hot... ["
Windstorm]!"
Rest groaned at the heat emanating from the scalding steam.
He hastily cast a wind spell, blowing away the swirling steam.
"I see... you have the ability to manipulate water, don't you!?"
A brief exchange, but Rest saw through his opponent's ability.
The enemy had frozen the river, attacked with water, and was even controlling the steam.
This was no ordinary water-element magic.
Rest himself could release water and freeze rivers, but he couldn't manipulate the steam created from evaporation.
"The ability to manipulate the molecule known as 'water'... It's a miracle impossible with magic. That's your cheat ability, isn't it?"
"..."
The red-robed figure with the inverted pentagram didn't answer the probing question.
While observing Rest through the hood, he calmly composed his next attack.
"Water Beast!"
"!"
This time, the water formed the shape of a large fish.
A water monstrosity about three meters long... Rest recognized its streamlined form.
"Shark... No, it's an orca...!"
"Bite them."
"SHAAAAAAAR!"
Three water orcas appeared.
They swam through the air as if it were the sea, opening their huge mouths and attacking with ferocious fangs.
The torn air surged with a roar, like the cry of a beast.
(Burning it would only turn it into steam. In that case, I just need to completely erase the water itself...!)
"Star Eater!"
Rest created a black sphere in his palm.
It was a Dark Star that absorbed and swallowed everything in this world.
The water orcas were sucked into the black sphere and completely vanished from the world.
"That's...!"
Amaterasu!
The Red Robe let out a surprised gasp, but Rest immediately launched a follow-up attack.
He absorbed the surrounding sunlight into his Dark Star and fired it back as a concentrated solar laser.
It was the very same finishing blow that had once defeated Sabnock, the master of the demon realm.
"Water Mirror."
Yet, that fatal strike was blocked.
Several films of water spread out in front of the Red Robe.
The solar laser was diffused by the water, transforming into nothing more than brilliant, harmless light.
"No way, you've got to be kidding me...!"
Rest groaned.
To think he could pull off something like this with just water.
They say mastering one thing leads to mastery of many, but Rest had never imagined someone could fight this effectively by mastering only the single element of water.
"Water Serpent!"
"Thunder Cannon!"
"Water Beast!"
"Thunder Storm!"
The Red Robe manipulated the water and attacked.
Rest fired off a spell in retaliation.
If Rest blocked the Red Robe's water with wind or fire, the Red Robe would block Rest's magic with nothing but water in return.
It was less a proper back-and-forth and more of a muddy stalemate.
The inconclusive magical exchange continued.
"This is... I'm in a pinch...!"
(The weakness of water is lightning, but even that was being defended against normally... just what could I do to beat it?)
Water conducted electricity well... that was a common belief originating from games and the like, but it had many pitfalls.
If water conducted electricity, then lightning strikes would be dispersed by water.
Not to mention, there was also the claim that pure water did not conduct electricity. It wasn't as simple as thinking that lightning could defeat water.
(Then, I should take it into close combat... no, that wouldn't work either.)
If he carelessly closed the distance, he didn't know what might happen.
If the Red Robe could control the moisture inside the human body... it would be over.
There was no such sign at the moment, but there was the possibility that it was simply out of range.
(Even so, at this rate... no, I have infinite mana, so I won't be steadily losing ground; rather, I should wait for him to run out of mana...?)
"Master!"
"!"
A sharp voice.
It was the voice of the "Sky Demon" who had accompanied him this far.
Just as he tensed up for something, a blade came flying through the air.
"Guh...!"
The blade pierced Rest... but it didn't.
Before he knew it, there was an armored soldier behind Rest.
The blade pierced the soldier's neck, and the soldier dropped the sword he had raised.
"That was close...!?"
That was close. I almost got my back slashed.
The fallen soldier... a Gaiselle Empire soldier was soaked through.
I figured a soldier must have fallen into the river while trying to cross the ice bridge and swum over.
(Me, of all people—distracted by the red robe and failing to notice... Without the Sky Demon, I might have been killed...!)
"It's over."
A chilling voice echoed.
Though it was quiet, it struck my eardrums with surprising force.
"Kh...!"
I snapped my attention back to the red robe, and a water sphere was hurled before Rest's eyes.
Was that [Water Sphere], a low-level water magic? Even as I thought that, the surface of the water rippled violently.
"[Apocalyptic Water Beast]"
The water that had been compressed to its limit burst.
The immense volume of water instantly turned to steam and exploded, engulfing Rest in a pure white blast.
————————————————————— The second volume of the book goes on sale on January 30th.
Also, the first volume of the manga adaptation of "Mob Priest" is now on sale.
I sincerely thank you all for your support.