The black ant monsters attacked us all at once as soon as they spotted us.
“Ayra ! Take care of the kids!”
“Understood.”
Following Kurt’s command, Ayra moved in front of Fine and me. Meanwhile, Kurt, with a sword engulfed in flames, charged into the swarm of black ants. In the middle of the horde, he swung his sword in a wide arc.
“Whirlwind Flame Slash!”
It was essentially a spinning slash. Flames spiraled upward like a tornado from the center around Kurt, engulfing and incinerating the surrounding black ants. With that single move, he was able to defeat more than a dozen ants at once. However—
“Damn it… there’s no end to them!”
No matter how many times he unleashed that technique, the black ants kept coming, one after another, as if they were infinite.
Some that he missed leaped at us, but Ayra quickly cut them down with her sword. However, as the number increased, she couldn’t keep up, and she extended her hands forward, deploying her magic barrier.
A five-sided magical barrier expanded in a chain from her hands, surrounding us. One of the black ants lunged at us, but it collided with an invisible wall and tumbled to the ground. It seemed like a dome-shaped barrier was set up, centered around Ayra . This must be the defensive magic she was known for.
Thanks to her, we were completely protected from the ants’ attacks, but we couldn’t go on the offensive, leaving Kurt to handle everything alone. At this rate, Kurt would eventually be worn down. Even if the ants weren’t particularly strong individually, sheer numbers could overwhelm us.
Isn’t there anything I can do with the magic I’ve been training for the past six months? They may be monsters, but they look like ants. If they have a weakness, fire should be effective. Kurt’s flame sword was working. If I unleash a high-output fire spell, I might be able to incinerate them all at once.
But is it safe to use such a spell in this narrow waterway? The explosion or the raging flames might harm everyone. I could ask Ayra to retreat into her barrier, but there’s another problem.
If I unleash that much fire in this confined space, it could deplete the oxygen, causing suffocation or carbon monoxide poisoning. That would defeat the purpose.
Isn’t there any other way…? But aside from fire, the only other magic I can use is water. Using water to crush the horde would result in the same problem in this narrow space—everyone could drown.
So, do I just have to keep taking them down one by one? It’s frustrating… Having both fire and water magic is useless if I can’t make them work together.
Wait… fire… and water…?
Huh? Could it work?
Suddenly, it felt like a puzzle piece had clicked into place. I think this might work. I immediately turned to Ayra , who was beside me.
“Ayra , could you let me step outside the barrier for just a moment?”
Her eyes widened.
“W-What are you saying!? If you step outside now, you’ll be eaten by the monsters in no time!”
“I’m worried about Kurt’s stamina. I want to support him with magic.”
“S-Support…?”
Ayra looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask, “Are you serious?”
“I heard from Kurt that you can use magic to some extent, but… this is your first time in real combat, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I think I’ll be fine.”
Maybe I said it too casually, because she looked taken aback. But she quickly composed herself.
“I see… Perhaps the seventh-level magic user can see something I cannot…”
“Then—”
“But I won’t undo the barrier.”
“What…?”
Isn’t this the part where you lower the barrier?
“I’m responsible for your safety. I can’t just stand by and watch you put yourself in danger.”
Well, she had a point. If something happened to me, she’d be the one blamed. And I could tell she genuinely cared about my safety. But then she continued.
“But from here, it’s fine.”
“What do you mean?”
Sensing my confusion, she explained.
“The barrier reflects attacks from outside, but magic cast from within can pass through. So, as long as you cast from inside here, there’s no problem.”
Oh, so that’s how it works. That’s convenient. Now I can focus on casting magic without worrying about the surroundings.
“Got it. I’ll support Kurt from here, then.”
I informed her before starting to prepare my magic. I extended my right and left hands, each forming a magical array. I infused them with my magical energy, assigning the right hand fire and the left hand water. Soon, visible fire and water manifested in my palms.
“Wha…?”
Ayra was left speechless, visibly shaken by what she was witnessing.
“You’re simultaneously manifesting… two different elements!?”
Seeing her startled reaction, I wondered if I had done something wrong. Was this some kind of forbidden magic… or something dangerous? I didn’t know much yet, so I could’ve made a mistake. Worried, I asked her.
“Um… should I not have done this?”
“No… it’s not forbidden, but… normally, no one can do this. To have two elements at once is already exceptional, but to use them both at the same time… And they’re opposing elements, fire and water. The fact that they’re not canceling each other out but remaining stable is a miracle…”
Ayra seemed shocked, even fearful. Was I really doing something that extraordinary? For me, it felt natural to use both elements since I had access to them, but…
Either way, since it wasn’t forbidden, I decided to go ahead with my plan.
I began shaping the fire and water in each hand into stable orbs. Then I compressed them, concentrating their magical energy into high-powered fire and water spheres. Now came the tricky part.
I had to combine these opposing elements into one without letting them cancel each other out. I needed to envelop each in a thin layer of magic, like a membrane, to keep them from interacting too early.
I connected the magical arrays, establishing the conditions for the transformation. Then I brought my hands together in front of me, merging the two spheres. For a moment, it seemed like they might burst apart, but they quickly fused into a single orb.
“…I did it!”
“Wha…”
Ayra was wide-eyed with astonishment. Inside the sphere, fire danced wildly, while a mass of water swirled within. It looked like oil and water separating in a chaotic swirl.
I had taken inspiration from Ayra ’s barrier and applied a similar concept to the membrane holding the two elements together. Now I just had to launch it at the horde.
“Kurt! I’m about to fire a spell, so fall back for a moment!”
I shouted into the cave, and Kurt, who had been fighting off the monsters, turned toward me. His eyes widened at the sight of the orb in my hands.
“!? Nero, what the hell is that!?”
“I’ll explain later! Just hurry!”
“O-Okay!”
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Kurt cut down one of the black ants and quickly leaped back.
Good, now I can fire safely.
I aimed at the mass of black ants swarming inside the cave, raised my arms, and released the spell.
The sphere roared as it flew into the middle of the horde. I timed it and shouted in my mind.
Explode!
In that instant, the membrane holding the elements together dissolved, and the fire and water violently reacted, creating an explosion of steam. A brilliant flash followed by a loud blast echoed through the cave.
Screeches filled the air as the black ants writhed in agony. A thick mist, heated by the explosion, spread across the area, obstructing the view.
“What the…?”
Kurt and the others stared in disbelief.
As the mist cleared, the results were laid bare. The countless black ants had all been boiled alive.
“What… just happened…?”
Kurt muttered in shock.
“I combined fire and water magic to cause a steam explosion. Insects are weak to heat, but using fire alone would have been dangerous for us too, so I chose this method to steam them instead. I think I’ll call it ‘Steam Explosion.'”
As I enthusiastically explained, I realized the surrounding silence. It seemed I was the only one excited by the successful spell…
“……”
Kurt and the others stood in stunned silence, staring at the mountain of dead ants.
