Kamaku unleashed more fireballs, but surrounding him were a dozen or more discharge points.
Spiritual veins stretched throughout the heavens, each with massive cavities at the end of them.
The series of tubes and holes encircled the Doomquill Condor. Each opening was like the muzzle of a gun whose express purpose was downing the bird.
“?!”
Kamaku must have sensed the amount of spiritual power flowing around it, because it flapped its wings in a desperate attempt to reposition itself, releasing a screen of fireballs in its wake.
“It’s no use.”
But it failed to shake the encirclement.
Jupiter moved the bypasses at will and chased the bird. In an instant, the discharge points found their target and encircled it once again. And then—
“Pierce.”
—a blaze of pure-black lightning rumbled through the sky. Dozens of bolts struck from point-blank range.
Jupiter’s bolts of darkness passed through the bypasses, came out the discharge points, and fried the Doomquill Condor, turning it into barbecued chicken.
“Is that enough, Kyouichirou?”
“…Not yet. Don’t stop until that thing’s been turned into light particles and disappears.”
“Okay.”
The charcoal-blackened chicken had been exposed to an incredible midair beating. It was pecking at death’s door.
But it wasn’t dead yet.
The fact that it was still in the sky taking the hits was proof of that.
If it was still alive after everything Jupiter had put it through, it could only mean that it was using its recovery skill. This was similar to the one Szilard had used—it transmuted thermal energy.
The bird converted its body with flames and used that to mend its wounds. It was a desperate yet miraculous move. If I remember correctly, the description from the game mentioned that it healed its HP, as well as boosting its thermal powers and resistance.
Talk about a pain in the ass. A buff, a heal, and a boost to resistance all in one move. A real bargain deal.
The astral skills Kamaku used weren’t that high-level, but they were enough to withstand Jupiter’s onslaught.
Slowly, parts of Kamaku’s body began to burn with purple flame as it transformed into energy. It would soon scorch its whole body until it was as good as new, just like a phoenix.
“This isn’t good,” I said. “It’s raising its resistance to thermal energy.”
“It’s okay. My dark bolts aren’t like normal lightning. The secondary effect should kick in soon.”
Mere moments later, the meaning behind her words became clear.
“Kry…?”
All of a sudden, the Doomquill Condor began coughing up purple blood.
It wasn’t caused by damage from the lightning, either. Its insides were being torn apart.
“…My dark bolts have two properties. They strike with both electricity and a poisonous miasma. Even if it could survive the lightning, there’s no running from the poison that’s destroying it from the inside.”
It was nothing less than a death sentence.
Even if the bird turned its entire body into flame, there was no changing the original blueprint of its existence. That blueprint was how it returned its body to normal after turning it into flame. But the dark bolt’s miasma would tear that blueprint to shreds from the bottom up.
Even if the powerful black lightning bolts weren’t enough to finish a foe, the accumulation of poison in its body would be enough to tear it apart… Jupiter had a truly devilish ability.
“KRYYYYYYYYY!”
Kamaku emitted a piercing screech as it writhed violently in the sky.
It would be no exaggeration to call this its death knell. The dark bolts rained down on it without ceasing as the miasma began to rot it from the inside. Its death was only a matter of time…
“Kyou! The birdy’s coming this way!”
The first to notice it was Haruka. The radiant star pointed a finger up at the large bird whose figure seemed to be getting bigger with each passing second.
It’s not falling…is it? It’s trying to make it look like it is, but the way its muscles are moving is too dynamic.
It was clear—it was dive-bombing us… It was going for one final suicidal strike.
“Haruka, intercept it. Make sure it doesn’t get too close.”
“Okey-doke!” she responded, relaxed as ever as she fixed up her Azure Skies formation.
The six copies of Azure Skies created a blade vortex around the area where Kamaku was most likely to fall.
If the bird were to dive into that death swirl for even an instant, it would surely be turned into ground chicken.
But it had no other options left. No other directions it could go.
The black lightning bolts continued their assault. Soon they would snuff out the bird’s very life.
Fall and you’re dead. Run away and you’re dead. So, what’s it gonna be, Kamaku?
“……”
The Doomquill Condor glared at us with a sharp glint in its eyes.
It had chosen to fall.
The massive bird wreathed itself in flame and dove into the tornado of blades.
The violent slashing of Haruka’s swords nullified the flames’ regenerative ability and began to cut the avian lord of the fifteenth floor apart.
Its wings were clipped.
Its feet were severed.
Its torso was sliced open, exposing its organs. The pitch-black lightning began piercing its innards.
Once Kamaku’s head had been cut clean off its body, I knew it was over.
Its body, torn apart by the hurricane of blades and the rain of black lightning bolts, fell to the ground.
As it landed, I realized that, large as the bird had been, all that remained of it above us now was its head.
Sorry, bird. I didn’t want it to end so gruesomely. Hate us all you wa—
“KRYYY!”
Wait…huh?
“Did that bird’s head just squawk at us?”
But before Jupiter could even answer, the unthinkable happened.
Kamaku, now reduced to only a head, opened its beak. It was radiating red heat.
This head really thinks it’s gonna—?
“Get away from me, Jupiter. I’ll block its attack!”
“Okay.”
The small girl hustled down from my back.
Good. That’s good. Just leave the rest to me.
Kamaku’s beak opened wide. It had only one chance to fire something off before it hit the ground, and this was it.
I stood in front of its line of fire and activated Fourth Field.
All right, birdy, fire away. I’ll block your attack and then this’ll all be over.
So, c’mon, shoot. C’mon—!
“……”
But Kamaku didn’t launch its fireball.
Its head became perfectly still—beak open and at the ready—as it collided with the ground.
It hit with such an impact that bits of brain went flying in all directions before it bounced and—
…It bounced?!
—the impact from slamming into the ground caused the position of its head to shift ever so slightly, altering the trajectory of its fireballs.
But I was stuck in Fourth Field, unable to move.
This thing was tenacious and full of loathing. It had plunged into mortal peril, all for this one chance. It had made it through the blade tornado, survived the barrage of black bolts, and bypassed my defenses for one final attack.
“Run, Jupiter!”
I yelled to no avail. My words were blocked by the law of the fourth dimension.
In the brief moment before it expired, the bird set its sights on the girl’s back as she ran, aimed its beak, and—
“KRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”
—let its fireball fly.