"Want me to take a look at your growth? I already said I've seen it."
He said that with his mouth, but his gaze directly skipped over Fern's body. After all, that figure, her growth had indeed become a bit too exaggerated. Lately it even made it hard for him to look at her straight on.
As for Ubel, who had already made her stance clear from the start, she simply smiled without speaking, which made him not want to say much either.
Lawine, on the other hand, looked openly aggressive. Kanne scratched her cheek awkwardly instead.
"Sorry, mister. But everyone wants to try against you, so I also want to see for myself. The difference between me and you."
"Kanne?"
Her friend's attitude, completely different from yesterday, made Fern glance sideways. She couldn't help wanting to figure out whether she had misunderstood something.
However... Looking more closely, she discovered that for some reason her friend, Kanne's face, under her gaze slowly showed a trace of shy redness.
At what should have been the decisive moment, the key moment for Ash to face his own growth and prove he could truly stand on his own, the close friend standing beside her strangely felt as if she had switched sides.
Under Fern's stare she looked flustered, her gaze flickering, like... she had done something bad that she felt sorry toward her about.
The more it was like that, the more suspicious it seemed. In the end Fern couldn't hold back. Without another word she stretched out both hands and gently pressed Kanne's cheeks, forcing her to meet her eyes.
Those purple eyes that lacked emotional fluctuation were calm and deep, as if they could see through everything.
"Kanne, why won't you look at me?"
"N-nothing happened! I didn't do anything bad! Re-really! Probably?"
She had originally tried to explain properly, but as she kept talking Kanne gradually lost confidence, so guilty she couldn't look Fern in the eyes.
That made Fern even more certain that something shameful must have happened between those two. She narrowed her eyes and suddenly glared toward Ash from afar, hoping to get a reasonable explanation.
"Fern, now isn't the time to fuss over these trivial things! Stop thinking about weird stuff! Don't hold back, just take advantage of the situation and deal with me however you want!"
The matter about playing with her friend's belly, there was no way he could say something like that out loud. Ash simply pretended he didn't understand her gaze at all, spread his arms, and told them to come at him.
That equally suspicious attitude made Fern want to say something more, but Frieren, who had long been itching to try, could no longer hold herself back. More than ten magic circles appeared around her at the same time.
"No matter what, the one in the wrong must be Ash! Beating him up first definitely won't be wrong!"
Before her words even finished, she had already launched the first attack.
Even though they were supposed to be friends, Frieren showed no mercy. Toward the target not far away, she released the energy of her magic with full force, pouring out like a raging tide.
In an instant Ash stomped on the ground, making the earth to churn, raising countless rock walls around himself for protection.
Seeing that, even though Fern had a thousand questions, she had to temporarily put them aside. Together with Frieren she summoned a large number of magic circles and directly joined the bombardment.
The remaining three hesitated only briefly before instinctively following along, unleashing the simplest and most brutal bombardment.
The surging beams of light came one after another without pause. In the blink of an eye Ash's figure and the surrounding rock walls were completely swallowed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the relentless attack, the bursting light and raging explosions formed an overwhelming bombardment sound. Even those whose hearing was far sharper than ordinary people felt their ears go numb with pain.
The beams of light that shot wildly through the forest tore apart the once peaceful scenery. In just a moment the forest was ravaged beyond recognition. The explosive energy even raised mushroom clouds again and again. Not only the nearby trees, rocks had long since been blasted into dust.
Wave after wave of shockwaves even spread farther away. The trees in the distance couldn't escape either. Under those hurricane-like shockwaves they were all helplessly overturned.
Even the girls themselves, who had chosen the clumsiest yet most effective bombing method, were forced to deploy defenses to avoid being blown away by their own shockwaves.
"Is this... really okay?", Looking toward the distance that could no longer be seen clearly, Kanne couldn't help shouting while raising a shield to protect everyone.
Frieren turned back with a helpless expression.
"What are you talking about? This is only the first phase of wearing him down. I didn't expect that guy to be so arrogant that he'd actually stand there and let us attack. But since that's the case, let's just drain him properly. It's only at times like this that we can narrow the gap a little!"
"Even Lady Frieren says that?", Fern, who didn't really know how strong Frieren actually was but only knew she was very strong, couldn't help glancing sideways when she heard that.
That made Frieren think for a moment before saying, "Although he probably hasn't reached the level of the Demon King, the feeling he gives me... is more troublesome than when we dealt with the Sage of Corruption back then."
"The Sage of Corruption that even the hero party couldn't defeat head-on?"
"Right. So don't worry about what will happen to him. What you should worry about is how troublesome it would be if he fought seriously. Because he doesn't want to lose, but neither do I!"
While saying that, the corner of Frieren's mouth curved into a smile.
With that carefree smile she continued pouring out firepower, wanting nothing more than to win against him at least once.
———
The girls looked as if they were marching to defeat the Demon King. Even the two First-Class Mages acting as examiners in the distance felt dizzy watching it.
But...
"Lord Ash is really sly," said Sense, who was watching from the sidelines, unable to help softly sighing.
From different angles she could clearly see that not long after the chaotic magical bombardment began, a rather strange fluctuation of mana had appeared on the battlefield.
And its direction was completely opposite to where Frieren and the others were.
That was precisely the unique trace left by high-speed movement magic.
However, because their own side's magical attacks were too chaotic, from Frieren's perspective it was extremely difficult to notice that trace within the messy surging mana and the dust filling the sky.
Especially since Ash had deliberately put on a show at the start, raising rock walls as cover.
Of course, in truth that was merely a cautious behavior. When facing high-speed movement magic for the first time, even a mage like Frieren would find it difficult to react. It might even slice someone's throat the moment they met. It could be called the perfect first-encounter kill.
Because high-speed movement magic was almost like cheating. It could easily exceed the speed of sound like teleportation, yet it wouldn't cause a sonic boom, nor even stir wind. It was practically a skill made for assassins.
Its only flaw was that when powerful mages or monsters released mana in vigilance, it could interfere with the magic's operation.
Since it was she who had handed over this spell, Lawine knew he understood its weakness, which was why she hadn't used it to sneak attack him. Ash would definitely stay alert against it.
But now... Frieren and the others had not noticed at all that Ash had already slipped away silently. They were still pouring firepower at the original spot.
Only after Frieren, Fern, and the others had grown somewhat tired did they finally stop attacking.
"How strange. Ash's personality isn't the kind that would just let—", Frieren hadn't finished speaking when a hand suddenly pressed against the back of her neck.
Then a familiar voice followed.
"Let you attack like this, right?"
"?"
They hadn't sensed any mana reaction beforehand. Only when her neck was grabbed did that strange fluctuation suddenly appear.
Frieren's voice abruptly stopped. Her eyes widened unconsciously, and with a somewhat unwilling and gloomy expression she slowly raised both hands.
Fern noticed something was wrong and turned around in shock, preparing to attack.
But... The moment she turned, the hand already reaching toward her was wrapped in purple lightning.
With only a light touch—
BANG!
A crisp sound rang out as the semi-transparent magical shield that had appeared beside her was instantly crushed.
The next moment the lightning automatically faded, and that large hand rested on her collarbone, lightly gripping her neck.
Fern's movement froze instantly, her face full of disbelief.
"Why is my..."
"That kind of defense made to deal with magic won't block my magic. Against an opponent like me you should pay more attention to keeping distance. Frieren, Fern... checkmate."
Holding one person in each hand, a smile naturally appeared on Ash's face.
"No! I'm still here!"
After a brief moment of surprise, Lawine suddenly slammed her hand downward. The ground instantly froze and the ice quickly spread toward Ash's feet.
However...
The spreading frost curved around him as if automatically avoiding him. It didn't freeze even his heels, and instead directly froze the innocent trees behind him.
'Damn... the difference in mana is too big. I can't freeze him at all!', Seeing this, Lawine clicked her tongue despite having expected it.
But countless transparent blades suddenly shot toward him like raindrops.
However—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several pale blue shields formed from defensive magic stood firm. The transparent blades struck them, scattering countless sparks, but all attacks were easily blocked.
Instead, the scattered aftershocks sliced the trees that had just been frozen earlier into several pieces, leaving them pitifully scattered across the ground as wood.
"Give it up, Ubel. Your imagination limits the power of your magic. Your specialty can't cut through defensive magic."
Ash looked helplessly at the girl rushing toward him while constantly swinging her wand.
"True. But, what about this!"
The corner of Ubel's mouth curled upward.
While running she suddenly used flight magic to leap high into the air, then dove straight toward the ground.
The weapon in her hand, shining with cold light, half wand, half trident, stabbed directly toward the top of his head.
"Mass attacks are indeed the weakness of defensive magic. But I don't think something with that level of mass can break through it."
He didn't even bother looking at the outcome he believed was certain. Turning his head, he prepared to deal with Lawine first, who was still firing ice arrows at him in a final attempt.
However... The moment he looked away, the sound of footsteps stepping on a shield came from above.
In the instant he shifted his gaze, Ubel had clearly changed her attack pattern mid-air. Like a nimble gymnast she grabbed the edge of the defensive shield, flipped her body in the air, and bypassed the defense.
Then, in the lightning-fast moment before landing, the trident flashing with cold light stabbed straight toward the center of his back.
But just before it could touch him, a strange gravity suddenly bound her entire body without warning.
Her landing trajectory changed abruptly. Her eyes widened, and after stumbling briefly she ended up collapsing on the ground on all fours.
"Ah... was I discovered?", Ubel tilted her head with an innocent expression.
"I think you'd better give up on the idea of revenge sooner. A close-combat mage like you is exactly the kind I counter. Also..."
He glanced at the girl still lying nearby, then looked toward the two people in the distance with a hint of helplessness.
Kanne, who was skilled at controlling water, had greatly reduced combat power in a dry environment. Using ordinary attack magic couldn't break defensive magic, so she simply gave up resisting.
Lawine, an ice mage, lacked Kanne's assistance. The ice she generated directly wasn't very effective, and likewise couldn't break defensive magic.
After trying for a short while, although Lawine's face was full of unwillingness, she was forced to give up as well.
The girls' grand counterattack came to a turning point when the two main forces, Frieren and Fern, were captured.
And just like that, it ended in an extremely anticlimactic way.
———
Even until the very end, Fern couldn't understand why she had lost.
That made her somewhat unwilling to accept the defeat.
Frieren, who had stopped resisting after being grabbed by the neck and accepted the loss despite her own unwillingness, couldn't help laughing.
"A loss is a loss. Although Ash not fighting head-on is a bit lacking in adult grace, if this were real combat you can't demand that the enemy duel you face to face, right?"
"That's true. I'm sorry, Lord Ash. I actually thought about lecturing you when we got back," Fern lowered her head toward him in shame and apology.
'You were actually planning to lecture me later?'
Ash couldn't help but complain a little in his heart. But on the surface, to maintain an adult's dignity, he simply smiled and reached out to pat her head.
"It's fine. After all, you're originally still a child. Being willful once in a while is even cuter~"
"I'm not a child!"
Although she had just apologized, the moment he said that Fern puffed her cheeks like a pufferfish.
Frieren, meanwhile, walked toward the distance. As she passed him she showed a smile.
"Next time... we won't fall for your tricks."
"There's going to be a next time?"
"Of course. Look forward to it~"
"I don't really want to look forward to that."
Using such a tricky method was also something Ash had no choice about.
If he truly sparred with them and accidentally injured someone, that wouldn't be good. As orthodox mages, their physical strength simply wasn't great.
Laufen trained her body like a warrior to withstand the burden of high-speed movement magic, but their bodies were completely those of mages.
Under such circumstances, breaking defensive magic was simple for him. The real problem was avoiding hitting too hard and causing irreparable consequences.
Of course he also knew Frieren still had some hidden trick she hadn't used. But this clearly wasn't a life-or-death fight, so there was no need to go that far.
After the anticlimactic battle ended, Kanne and Lawine soon left together with Fern and Frieren.
But beside him another familiar voice sounded again, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Isn't anyone going to worry about me?"
"Rather than worrying about you, I'm more curious why you're still lying on the ground instead of getting up."
Ash looked down. The girl with the side ponytail, Ubel, was still lying on the ground, staring at him with a smile that had unclear meaning.
He sighed helplessly.
"Are you plotting something again?"
"I just wanted you to help me up. And if possible... could you let me punch you once?"
"If it's helping you up, that's not really a problem."
He directly ignored the second half of the sentence. Bending his knees slightly, he reached out a hand toward the ground.
The moment Ubel grabbed his hand and used the leverage to stand up, she let her body lean forward.
Stopping just before colliding with him, she tiptoed slightly, raised her face close to his, and stared at him with those distinctive dead-fish eyes.
With a meaningful smile she whispered softly, "You stingy guy."
"Say whatever you want. Aren't you going back to meet up with your team?"
"Since it's almost over anyway, how about wandering outside with you instead? After all, I hate being bored the most."
The girl who had been staring at him from up close just now suddenly threw his hand away without mercy.
Like a moody stray cat, she stretched lazily beside him.
And when Ash showed no intention of paying attention to her, she simply walked ahead with her hands behind her back without turning around.
"After observing carefully, I realized, you're definitely still hiding something you never told me, right?"
"Why would I tell everything to someone who wants to kill me?"
"How could that be~ I just want to return the humiliation to you. Or is it that you don't trust me?"
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