Chapter 171

“Hmph,” he grunts. “If fire magic won’t work, then I’ll just use the opposite element.” “The opposite element…? Seiya?! You brought an ice bangle with you again, didn’t you?” Since Seiya is a fire-type Hero, he cannot use ice magic, which is why he brought an ice-magic-infused item with him to the Dark Firus battle, but… “Elemental bangles lack magic power, making them nothing more than a makeshift solution. They won’t be of any use to me anymore, though, because after training with Xul Luxu, I’m now able to learn skills which I once couldn’t.” “D-do you mean…?” “I can change my elemental affinity from fire to ice now.” “What?! You can do that?!” There’s no way a fire-type Hero can use ice magic, since it’s the opposite element! I-is he saying he used Xul Luxu’s Conversion move to make that possible?! “Just like Unoporta said, there aren’t many people in the underworld who possess moves suited for battle, but in some cases, training with them can be even more advantageous than training with the gods of the spirit world.” Seiya then snaps his fingers. “Conversion.” Immediately, a snowy aura overflows from Seiya’s body. Cold air brushes against my skin as I stand by his side. Th-there’s no doubt about it! He really changed his element… Wait. “Hold on! Don’t you have to do a handstand and say your name backward to change your element like we did?!” “You don’t need to act like a clown if you use Perfect-Element Conversion.” “Who are you calling a clown?!” Ugh! Why did Cerceus and I have to dance like circus monkeys while Seiya gets to act like a star when he does the move?! It’s not fair! But that’s when I realize something even more important. “S-Seiya…! Uno said our powers would run out of control if either Cerceus or I turned into a demon in a parallel world! Are you okay changing elements like that?!” “No. I’ll lose control of my magic power as well.” “Isn’t that bad?!” I shout. Nevertheless, Seiya continues to extend his arm toward Hydral. Glacial air coalesces in the palm of his hand, materializing into a giant icicle until he swings his arm and launches it at lightning speed. “Ha-ha-ha! Where were you even aiming?” Hydral asks with a cackle as the icicle passes right through the empty space a few meters away from him. “This is what it means to lose control of your magic. While it multiplies your magic attack power, it makes it difficult to aim.” “What?! So you can’t hit him?!” Seiya throws another icicle while we’re talking, but it doesn’t even scratch Hydral! In fact, it goes in the complete opposite direction! “Heh-heh-heh. It does not matter how powerful your attacks are if you cannot hit me.” Hydral begins to gather pure energy in his hands while still floating, as if he decided that Seiya’s attacks were no threat, and before long, it swells into a massive sphere of black flames. “Now, it is time to offer your lives to the Seraph!” A-ack…! He plans on killing us with that! It’s like I’m staring into a black sun! I don’t need to guess what’ll happen if that thing hits us! I’m not sure we’d be okay even if we managed to dodge a direct hit! I instinctively retreat a half step, but Seiya still has his right arm aimed at the dragonewt in the sky. Frigid air once again begins to gather before his hand. W-we’re done for! The icicle could probably cancel out the enemy’s attack if it connected. But judging by what I’ve seen so far…that’s definitely not going to happen! He’s going to miss! Nevertheless, Seiya is showing no signs of attacking just yet. He continues to gather pure energy in his right hand just like Hydral. It looks like he’s putting everything he has into this next icicle! Oh…! He must be waiting until the black sphere gets close enough before firing! That would definitely raise his chances of being able to cancel out the enemy’s attack! I feel like Seiya’s just rolling the dice, trying to hit such a powerful attack with his low-accuracy icicles. Breathing heavily, I turn my gaze to Seiya…and immediately realize my assumption was wrong. The icicle forming before Seiya’s right hand is different from the colossal one he made a few moments ago. It’s a small icicle about the size of his index finger. Countless tiny icicles form in the blink of an eye. Hydral is watching Seiya from the sky, but he seems to have the utmost confidence in his own attack. Not showing the least bit of concern, he gloats: “Your little tricks mean nothing before this attack! Now, burn! Return to the ash from whence you came! Desperate Sphere!” “H-here it comes!!” Cerceus shrieks. Hydral is confident! His attack seems like it’ll be just as powerful as Meteor Strike! Terrified, I instinctively look away, but I suddenly hear the sound of something moving fast against the wind coming from Seiya’s direction. Wh-what the…?! When I look up at the sky, I notice that Hydral has been thrown off balance with the black sphere of fire still swelling over his hands. “Ngh…! You vile heretic…!” Wh-what just happened?! Did Seiya’s attack connect?! When I glance over at Seiya, he’s still in the same pose as before with his right hand aimed at Hydral, but I notice there’s something different. There are far fewer icicles floating in front of his hand. Hydral tries to regain his footing while he groans, but I make sure to focus on Seiya this time to see what happens. Seiya swings his right arm, shooting over a hundred icicles forward as they spread out in the shape of a paper fan. They shoot toward Hydral at blinding speed. While half of them miss and sail right by the enemy, the rest hit him in the head, stomach, arms, and legs! “Gwah…!” Hydral groans in agony once more. When I look closely, I notice that the spots where he was hit are turning pale. It looks like the damage caused him to lose focus because the sphere of black flames shrinks until it vanishes completely. “Y-you will pay for this…!” Hydral’s face twists in rage as he glares at Seiya from the sky, but Seiya directs a piercing glare right back at him. “You simply need to increase your range of fire if aiming proves difficult.” “Seiya…! What was that attack?!” With his right hand still aimed at Hydral, Seiya quietly mutters: “An icicle spread shot: Fenrir Shot.”