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Chapter 128. Acrobatics

"Don't hold back." 

"I'm not planning to."

The closest location to the dueling spot was an indoor training ground, but we declined the teacher's suggestion and chose the outdoor training grounds instead. The teacher looked confused... but the reason would be clear once the duel started. Hilalda told me not to hold back, but her Grimoire, [Gabriel], is not something that could be used with any leniency. Naturally, I would have to fight seriously... well, I won't use my trump card.

"Now, the duel between second-year rank 3 Hilalda Miesis and second-year rank 2 Theodore Anthem will begin. May you both fight fairly, and never forget the pride of a knight."

The sensei, who is also the referee, says something... but in our duel, fighting fairly and the pride of a knight don’t matter anymore. The winner is the one who remains standing until the end, and the loser is the one who can't get up.

"Begin!" 

"[Gabriel]" 

"[Yaldabaoth]"

With the signal to start, Hilalda's [Gabriel] and my [Yaldabaoth] collide. Given Hilalda's personality, I expected her to go for a quick finish, so I deployed my Grimoire right from the start, and as expected, she unleashed [Gabriel] at full power. Hilalda's Grimoire, [Gabriel], reflects her black-and-white personality, with clear offensive and defensive capabilities. Its form is a mass of water, which she can freely transform into weapons or shields. In the past, Hilalda's fighting style had been to use the defensive-offensive Grimoire to focus entirely on offense, while attacking with the spear she held in her hand, but this time, she transformed a water orb into a spear and attacked with it in her hand.

"Changed your fighting style?" 

"It's not just about the number of moves anymore." 

"That's for sure."

Hilalda, using [Gabriel] to automatically attack with a water spear while also launching fierce attacks herself, now feels like she's waiting for the perfect moment to strike with sharpened killing intent. As I deflect Hilalda’s thrusts with [Yaldabaoth], I'm trying to figure out how to counterattack when she steps back and activates a spell. As I quickly read the effect from the magic circle, I realized... it’s a spell that generates water.

"Huh?"

A spell that releases water... it's an upgraded version of the water gun magic kids use for play. As a utility magic, it’s entirely useless for attacking, something ordinary citizens use for practical purposes. Even though I’m confused by such a ridiculous spell... Hilalda has a Grimoire that can turn it into a powerful tool.

"[Gabriel]!" 

"Are you kidding me!?"

[Gabriel] was supposed to be a Grimoire that controls water orbs when summoned... but now it seems she can control all types of water? No one told me this!

[You're such a fool... [Gabriel] can control any water... the water summoned by the Grimoire is just a part of it.]

Why didn’t anyone tell me that earlier!? A simple utility magic like water release is turning into a nightmare, potentially becoming a weapon. What’s worse, because Hilalda is so skilled as a mage, she’s able to release water with the force and volume of a fire truck’s hose, not the little spritzes that ordinary people produce. Even when I dodge it, the water doesn’t seep into the ground but instead stops mid-air and continues to accumulate above.

[How interesting... [Gabriel] used rivers and rain for attacks before, but combining it with a spell created by humans for daily life makes it far more deadly. Humans' ingenuity should not be underestimated.]

"Why do you sound a little happy about that!?" 

"Talking during battle? How enviable it is to have that much leisure!"

This is bad... Hilalda stopped using a normal spear because she’s now controlling [Gabriel] with one hand and using the other to release water. If it were just [Gabriel], I could completely shut her down using [Yaldabaoth]’s magic absorption ability, but with all this water being released in waves, I can’t keep up. If I rush in while leaving the water there, there’s nowhere to dodge and I’ll be hit.

[Hehe... use my wings.]

"No thanks!" 

[But there’s no time to hesitate, is there?]

Damn... avoiding that water on a flat surface is getting tough. If I use [Lucifer] to walk through the air, I could dodge more attacks, but realistically, exposing my second Grimoire in front of a crowd is far too dangerous.

[If you just grow wings and walk through the air, you can claim it's just magic.]

"Yeah... I’ll do that!"

I really didn’t want to use it, but for some reason, I really don’t want to lose here!

"[Lucifer]!" 

"Ah, finally taking it seriously, huh?"

Twelve shining wings appear behind me. The crowd that had gathered is now staring in awe at the divine wings on my back, but Hilalda doesn’t care about that and continues releasing more water. I flap my wings and jump, standing in mid-air.

"Huh?"

Hilalda, who predicted where I would land and fired a water spear at that spot, freezes when she sees me standing in the air. Before she can recover her composure, I kick off the air and begin running. Thanks to [Lucifer], I'm not flying—I'm walking through the air. Of course, I can run or stop whenever I want. Hilalda, who regained her focus faster than I anticipated, immediately manipulates a large amount of water and aims it at me, dashing toward me in mid-air, but I dodge by kicking off the air. There is no concept of up or down in the sky... I run with my head facing the ground, evading Hilalda’s water attacks.

[You’re like an acrobat.]

"Shut up."

The way I’m spinning and running through the air may seem like acrobatics, but... unless it’s a move Hilalda couldn’t have predicted, I wouldn’t be able to dodge all that water.

"Ugh!?"

Water, in the form of spears and swords, comes crashing toward me, but I dodge it with my fluid movements. Sometimes I let gravity pull me down, other times I jump upwards, walking horizontally or slowly ascending like climbing stairs. The thing about unpredictable movements is that they’re impossible to catch. What I’m aiming for... is the opening created by Hilalda’s frustration at her attacks missing.

"...Got it!" 

"Dammit!?"

Frustrated by the attacks failing, Hilalda attempts to use all the water she’s controlled to launch an area attack. I kick off the air and accelerate toward her, who is below me. No matter how much water she controls, her speed isn't impressive. In that brief opening, I close in and swing [Yaldabaoth].