The battlefield was now covered in electricity, with sounds like thunder resounding constantly. These sounds were accompanied by flashes of light, making the whole scene terrible for the eyes. If this had been coming from a tv screen, there would definitely have been complaints made to whoever ran the program. As proof, every spectator other than Rami and I had to cover their eyes to shield themselves from the bright flashes.
“Gwaaargh! It... It’s too briiiight!” Charles wailed.
“Like the wrath of a god of thunder,” Graham murmured. “Don’t look at it directly!”
“I see. So she’s telling us to sense the fight with all our senses instead of just relying on sight. Rion’s pretty demanding too, isn’t she?” Edgar commented.
“Huh? Is she really saying that?” Perona asked.
“As expected, Edgar-sama! What keen powers of observation!” Axe exclaimed.
I don’t know why he’s reading so deeply into it, but I’m pretty sure Rion’s not trying to send any kind of message. Right now, all she needs to do is win against Dorothy; that’s it. The flashing lightning is probably a ploy to attack Dorothy’s sight during the swirl of battle. No matter how strong someone is, as long as they’re humanoid, their eyes won’t be able to take intense flashing lights for very long. It’s a very simple method, but robbing someone’s sight will definitely work even on stronger opponents.
Despite this, as rare exceptions, Rami and I were able to view the battle directly.
Heh! I brought sunglasses because I figured this would happen. As for Rami-chan...
“Ooohhh! The tension between them is maxed out!” Rami exclaimed. “Yeah, that’s some good electricity being let out here. A true electric parade!”
I wasn’t sure how to react, so I stayed silent. How can she look at all that directly without any help? Are the eyes of a Lightning Dragon King special or something? Or is it some kind of skill? Even the Light Dragon King would find this too bright. Hrm, what a mystery.
“Sorry to interrupt you while you’re watching and putting out ‘vibes,’ Rami-chan, but isn’t this too bright for you?”
“Huh? Why? I mean, you’re doing fine too, Kelvin— Wait, what’s with those funny glasses? They’re hilarious! Are you trying to be fashionable or something? Seriously?!” Rami said excitedly.
Huh? What’s wrong with you? Who doesn’t think sunglasses are cool? Oh...wait, no, I’m getting riled up too. Am I being influenced by Rami-chan?
“More importantly, let’s just focus on those two. Look, anybody can see them now,” said Rami.
“Grr...”
It definitely felt like she was changing the subject, but she was right that the intensely flashing battle had calmed down in terms of both light and sound. Every once in a while sparks of electricity crackled through the air, but it was at a level where nobody would have trouble watching.
Did the fight end already? No way; can’t be.
“As expected, Thee-chan. I thought all my attacks landed, but it looks like you did a good job blocking,” said Rion.
“Oh no, you’re wrong, Rion-san,” Dorothy replied. “Your attacks did land squarely. Your timing was perfect, as was your aim. Everything found its mark.”
After that exchange, I finally got a picture of the whole situation. The first thing that I saw was darkness. The floor was burned completely black, likely because of all that intense flashing.
I wonder how much lightning fell and how much of it actually hit. We’re going to have to fix the flooring in a hurry. Ah, actually, there’s something more pressing...
“Even so, none of it damaged me,” Dorothy continued. “I did not guard. I exposed an opening and fell into your trap. And yet, I suffered no damage.”
Rion didn’t say anything in reply. I could now see them standing on the charred floor. The floor was nearly totally destroyed, and yet neither side seemed to have taken any damage. They looked so fresh I almost doubted that they were actually inside all that flashing. The result had me breathe a sigh of relief—or not. It would’ve been a mistake if I had.
“Well, I kind of expected this, but...Dorothy really is ridiculous. What kind of stats does she have?”
“If you’re that curious, why don’t you try using Analyze Eye? Not that I think that would do anything,” said Serge.
I didn’t need her prompting. I’d already tried looking at Dorothy’s stats, figuring there was nothing to lose. These were the results:
Dorothiara - 1339 years old - Female - Divine Pillar - Time Mage
Level: Hey
Title: Grim Reaper
HP: Don’t
MP: Look at my stats
Strength: Without permission
Endurance: I’ll send you
Agility: Flying, got it?
Magic: This is
Luck: Extra
Skills: Space
Passive Effects: .
Don’t just say you had extra space! I mean, she named me personally?! W-Wait...if I think about it calmly, I’m the only one with a high enough Analyze Eye level here. This is only a guess, but she must have used Disguise to change her stats display to make that message. I thought the skill only allowed you to change the numbers. Who could’ve guessed it could be used like that? You’re a funny girl, Dorothy!
“I’m going to be honest, Rion-san,” said Dorothy. “I was thinking it would be okay to admit defeat if your attack just now had dealt me at least some damage. I did this intending to put Kelvin down, so I hadn’t expected all this to happen.”
“But I didn’t do any damage,” said Rion.
“No, you didn’t,” Dorothy confirmed. “That means it is impossible for me to lose. At the same time, it means you have no way to win. So...”
While I was in my own head, the mood of the fight had turned serious. This was a huge change from earlier. The difference in temperature was so intense, it felt like I’d catch a cold.
“Please, Rion-san, just forfeit,” Dorothy requested.
Rion paused for a moment. “Are you joking?”
“No, I’m not. The result has generally been set in stone now; there isn’t much left to decide. How to make you lose, how best to gently handle the results of me winning this objection match— Oh, don’t worry. No matter what happens, I won’t be cruel to you. I could never hurt you, Rion-san. Even if you don’t surrender, I’ll make you lose without harming you. And even if you lose this match, I’ll still allow you to marry Kelvin-san. Please, be at ease.”
Dorothy had a gentle expression plastered on her face as she spoke. It was obvious from her face and her words that she wanted to give Rion some assurance. However, it was obvious that would only have the opposite effect. Rion was fighting seriously to try and win against a god. Just trying to keep up appearances would only rub her the wrong way.
Or so I think. But how will Rion actually respond?
“You’re very kind, Thee-chan,” said Rion after a pause.
“Huh?” both Dorothy and I responded in harmony.
Wait. Seriously, wait. Yes, that response was unexpected, but why did Dorothy react the same way?
“Oh...um...” Dorothy said, lost as to how to react.
“You’re trying to rile me up to draw even more strength out of me, aren’t you?” Rion asked. “Heroes always grow stronger at the eleventh hour. It’s a common development in stories. Did Fuu-chan teach you this?”
Silence reigned as both Dorothy and Serge immediately averted their eyes.
You two...
“Thank you for thinking of me,” said Rion. “But reality isn’t so convenient. If people could become stronger so suddenly, no one would ever have any trouble. What’s actually important is how much effort someone puts into effective training. And, well...how much they’ve prepared for battle, I guess?”
Dorothy let out an alarmed noise. Immediately after that, the lightning that Rion was clad in changed. She was now enveloped in a complex web of green and purple currents, something not even I had ever seen.
Seriously, what is that? Some sort of improvement on Superconductive Lightning? It feels like something completely different from the Red Magic Rion’s used up until now. Huh...