One hundred giant Phantom Knights were annihilated in an instant.
Apart from the first Phantom Knight that briefly touched our magical wall, none of them managed to approach us. They simply crumbled under our relentless magical bombardment.
"Confirming enemy monster annihilation!"
On the scorched ground, heated by the fallen magic, all the Phantom Knights were destroyed.
A scout surveying the area reported loudly.
"No moving monsters in sight—!"
"…"
Although there were no more monsters heading towards us, I remained standing with my arms crossed, a serious expression on my face. The other heroes and soldiers also maintained their combat stances, staying alert.
These creatures were an upgraded version of the Living Armor legion from Stage 1. In other words, just as the Living Armors fused to become the boss monster Phantom Knight in Stage 1,
Clink, clank...
The armor fragments of the fallen Phantom Knights began to quiver and swirl, ascending into the sky.
Massive amounts of armor fragments swirled above the Black Lake, forming a steel hurricane. At the center, the ghosts that had emerged from the Phantom Knights' bodies fused into one.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
A gigantic, intricately designed suit of armor came together in midair.
Chainmail wrapped around the ghost's body, forming a shape, and then plate mail pieces were added on top.
Finally, a massive helmet was placed on its head, complete with tall horns as helmet decorations.
The Lord of Armors, the Phantom King, finished merging in midair and slowly descended to the ground.
Boom...!
The enormous weight caused the area to ripple and shake. Trees around the lake toppled over in rows, and everyone in the vicinity was momentarily lifted off the ground.
"Unbelievable...?!"
I gaped at the sheer weight and size of the Phantom King. Heroes, seasoned soldiers, and even the new volunteer soldiers gawked in shock. The cloak of chains fluttered behind it, a massive flail in one hand and a large round shield in the other. Blue flames flickered inside the helmet, glowing like eyes in the darkness.
Roar—!
An incomprehensible, distorted roar echoed from the helmet.
The Phantom King was about five times the size of a regular Phantom Knight. Its thickness and girth were beyond precise calculation.
The King of Flies and the Black Dragon, both colossal monsters we had faced recently, were incomprehensible in their enormity, but this steel giant was equally formidable. It was colossal...!
"...It's not right to say this about a monster, but."
Standing behind me, Kellibey muttered softly.
"It's pretty cool, isn't it...?"
"Right? The fusion was pretty impressive..."
Moreover, it wasn't just any fusion.
The Phantom Knight, a fusion of Living Armors, had now fused further to become the Phantom King, a fusion of fusions. In other words.
"It's the result of a great fusion...!"
"Whoa..."
Several heroes muttered in awe. Beside me, Evangeline was exasperated.
"Is now the time to be admiring the enemy monster?!"
Well, the enemy is the enemy, but we can still appreciate the aesthetics...
'And more importantly.'
We have the confidence to defeat it...!
"Alright, don't be scared! It's the same as the Phantom Knights earlier! We'll bombard it with magical attacks!"
The Phantom King boasts near immunity to physical attacks, but its magical defense is still weak. This is an inherent weakness of the Living Armor lineage.
Normally, its massive health would allow it to withstand magical attacks to some extent, but...
"Junior!"
We have the ultimate debuffer on our side!
"Use [Elemental Disassembly]!"
"Geez, I'm really working hard today, huh...!"
"That's what mages do! Now, give it a big shot—!"
Despite grumbling, Junior effortlessly unleashed her ultimate skill, [Elemental Disassembly].
Boom!
A sound like shattering space echoed, and in the next moment, the Phantom King's magical defense was torn apart. It was already weak against magic, and now its resistance was reduced to practically nothing.
What happens when you hit it with magical attacks in this state?
"It hurts a lot—!"
At my shout, the mages and various artifacts began bombarding the Phantom King.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The body of the enormous steel giant began to crumble in places.
The Phantom King, despite its colossal size, moved incredibly slowly. Coupled with the [Cowering] Dark Event I had applied, its speed was further reduced.
Moreover, I had instructed the initial attacks to target its legs.
Boom! Crack! Crash!
The sound of metal breaking echoed as the Phantom King's leg armor shattered.
'Good, if we can bring it down...'
If the giant falls, we can pummel it relentlessly until it recovers its stance!
However, the Phantom King didn't let its legs be destroyed so easily.
Roar...!
It let out a long roar and began disassembling armor from other parts of its body to reinforce its leg armor.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The upper body armor shrank in real-time, transforming and reinforcing the leg armor. The massive Phantom King, which had been staggering under the magical onslaught, regained its balance.
Thud...! Thud...! Thud...!
Despite being pummeled by magical attacks, it continued to march toward us, one slow step at a time.
'Tougher than I thought.'
Watching it steadily approach, I pondered.
We could theoretically maintain a safe distance and hunt it slowly. However, the Phantom King could repair its damaged parts given enough time, prolonging the battle.
'But there's no need for that.'
We have many prepared measures.
I nodded and turned around. I saw three heroes and three captured monsters, all equipped with new gear.
"Alright, let's test the new equipment."
Zenith and Rosetta, equipped with [Oath of Protection] and [Oath of Healing].
Hannibal, equipped with [Mountain Spirit's Axe].
Jörmungandr, equipped with [Shell of the Old God].
The Banshee Legion Commander, equipped with [Heavenly Voice]. The Dullahan Legion Commander, equipped with [Wait and See]...
"...But how exactly are we supposed to fight with these?"
The Banshee Legion Commander sang in a beautiful soprano tone.
Since wearing the [Heavenly Voice] mask, her voice had changed. She used to cry mournfully all the time, but now she sang sweetly. While it was pleasant to the ears, her already gloomy expression became even more melancholic. It seemed her identity as a "crying monster," the banshee, was somewhat shaken.
"...I appreciate the equipment, but what am I supposed to do with this boomerang..."
The Dullahan Legion Commander stuttered in confusion. He couldn't see the connection between himself and a boomerang.
"I have it all figured out. You'll understand once we get into the real battle."
While pondering which equipment to test first, Hannibal eagerly raised his hand.
"Me! Let me go first, Your Highness!"
"Oh... I like your enthusiasm, Hannibal."
In fact, while the other pieces of equipment needed to be used directly in combat, Hannibal's [Mountain Spirit's Axe] could be tested without any risk. It was the right choice to test it first.
With a slightly flushed face, Hannibal unbuckled the small hand axe from his belt, removing the leather sheath from its blade.
"Here I go!"
He lightly tossed the hand axe into a prepared bucket of water.
Splash...!
The hand axe sank to the bottom of the bucket.
The activation condition for [Mountain Spirit's Axe] was to "drop" the item somewhere.
Three random spirits would appear to retrieve it, and one of the three could be summoned into reality. It could be done once a day, with the duration of the summon depending on the spirit.
'A daily random draw! I love it!'
No gamer dislikes a free draw!
With high expectations, Hannibal and I eagerly peered into the bucket. So, what kind of spirit will appear-?!
Flash!
A dazzling light shot up from the bucket.
First, it was... purple!
'An SR-grade spirit?!'
That means a high-grade spirit! This is a good start!
Flash!
Next came... a golden light!
'Holy moly! An SSR-grade spirit?!'
A top-tier spirit! This first draw is a jackpot...
Flash-!
And then.
An even thicker, gigantic pillar of rainbow light shot up...!
"What the...?!"
I had never seen this color before, could it be?!
"This, this spirit is...?"
Hannibal gasped in shock.
Swoosh!
Three spirits rose from the bucket.
First, a high-grade water spirit. Then, a top-tier wind spirit. And...
"...Hehe."
Laughing behind a veil made of ice, an ice dancer.
Everyone was stunned by the overwhelming presence of this spirit. Hannibal, in particular, looked close to fainting.
The dancer handed the hand axe back to Hannibal with a graceful motion. Hannibal, trembling, took the axe and spoke the spirit's name.
"I-Ice Spirit King...! I thought it was just a legend...!"
...No way. Is it really a Spirit King?
Did Hannibal just draw a limited character on the first day?!
'Hey, Hannibal! Don't use up all your luck on the first day! Be careful of accidents today!'
While I was thinking like a gamer, the Ice Spirit King gently sent the other two spirits back and circled around Hannibal once.
Terrified, Hannibal looked at me and shouted.
"What do I do, Your Highness?!"
"...What do you mean what do you do."
I pointed toward the slowly approaching Phantom King.
"Ask her to beat up that guy."
"Ah, got it..."
Hannibal nervously gestured and explained to the Ice Spirit King.
"Fly over there... to that armored monster... and give it a good beating... possible?"
Hannibal made punching gestures with his fists.
Giggling, the Ice Spirit King nodded and smoothly flew through the air toward the Phantom King.
She circled around the Phantom King once lightly and then...
"Huff."
She blew a white breath towards the Phantom King's legs.
Instantly, the legs of the steel giant froze.
Roar...?!
The Phantom King struggled to move, but its enormous legs were stuck to the ground, frozen white.
After immobilizing the Phantom King, the Ice Spirit King swam through the air back to Hannibal.
She kissed Hannibal lightly on the forehead, whispered something, and then disappeared into the air.
Hannibal, standing there with his mouth slightly open, murmured in a daze.
"She's gone..."
"Seems the summon duration for a Spirit King is really short."
But she did use an attack skill before leaving.
Thanks to that, the Phantom King was immobilized, and our magical bombardment hit it full force. The monster's terrifying roars echoed as its armor shattered.
"Well done, Hannibal."
Praising Hannibal's amazing luck, I asked.
"So, what did the Spirit King whisper to you before leaving? I'm curious."
Spirits typically don't speak, but a Spirit King might. I was curious about what she had said to Hannibal.
"She said... 'Call me often.'"
Swallowing dryly, Hannibal looked around nervously and whispered to me.
"'Because soon, by your world's standards, we'll never be able to see each other again.'"
"...What?"
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
Never see each other again?
"The spirit realm is a place detached from the flow of time. The spirits there live in the past, present, and future simultaneously. They know everything that has happened and will happen."
Hannibal explained to me, swallowing hard.
"But... what does she mean by we'll never see each other again?"
"..."
I pressed my lips together.
Spirits know the future.
And the Spirit King already knows that, by our world's standards, we won't be able to see each other in the near future.
What... does this mean?