The Water Magician

“Ryo-san, you lost. Accept your defeat.”

Such were Kinme's words, but they barely reached Ryo's ears.

(I was wearing Ice Armor Mist, and yet I was easily pierced. No, my robe was pierced in the first place... It should have repelled magic attacks. Does that mean it's all meaningless against Kinme-san's magic? More importantly, I'm starting to feel dazed from the lack of blood... I can't move my body... At this rate, I won't be able to use the potion in my pocket.)

His body was pierced by stone spears, and he was losing a lot of blood...

He understood his situation.

Even that brought him some relief.

If he understood the situation, solutions would come to mind.

(The ice container that holds the potion was created by me... which means I don’t need to open it with my hands. I completely forgot about that. Right, and potions contain water... H₂O, so perhaps as a water attribute mage, I can manipulate it freely?)

People tend to think more clearly when they are cornered.

(The stone spears piercing my body... I need to apply the potion after pulling them out. Pull them out? The ones near the surface can be severed, and the ones penetrating my body can be shattered and expelled with Abrasive Jet. I’m already controlling the blood that has flowed out, and the blood flowing inside me is also under control. Alright, I'm ready.)

Ryo nodded inwardly.

Then, he thought everything through.

Sever the stone spears.

Shatter the stone spears and expel them.

Return the blood to the bloodstream...

Control the potion.

Stand up.

He completed everything in an instant.

“Revival!”

Ryo declared.

Before him stood a slightly surprised Kinme.

“As expected of Ryo-san, but the problem isn't solved yet.”

Once again, Ryo floated in the air.

When a person’s feet aren’t on the ground, they can’t dodge attacks.

Well, that’s how it is, usually.

“Water Jet Thruster!”

He expelled water, dodging the stone spears that tried to skewer him.

In his hand was Murakumo, which had formed a blade.

Clang.

Kinme's barrier that she generated in front deflected Murakumo.

“Flying through the air by expelling water? That's amazing!”

Kinme nodded as she watched Ryo spouting water and floating in the air.

“And even after losing so much blood, your movements aren't sluggish. Wait? There's no blood spilling onto the ground?”

“Because I’m a water attribute mage.”

“You can manipulate blood too? Hmm, I've seen various water attribute mages, but none could do that!”

“Eh? Other water attribute mages can't control their own blood?”

“They shouldn't be able to, right? If they could, they could manipulate the blood of their opponents... for example, they could make it pierce from within their bodies.”

“No, that's difficult. I can only control the blood of those I've scrutinized multiple times... In other words, I can only manipulate the blood of those I’ve examined with magic before, but not of others.”

“Really? You didn’t have to be so honest and reveal your hand.”

“Ah…”

Kinme laughed, while Ryo stared blankly, realizing he had made a total blunder.

Yes, there was no need to teach her so naively.

Just making her think “there might be” could have been a form of intimidation... that was a way to construct the fight.

“That was a blunder.”

“Indeed, it was a blunder.”

Kinme agreed with Ryo’s words.

The next moment.

Ryo crouched instinctively.

Something swept across above his head.

He realized that it was Kinme, now behind him, swinging a sword she had pulled out from somewhere, only after escaping wide with the Water Jet Thruster.

“I couldn’t see the movement.”

No, it was beyond that level.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

This was not a fight within the speed realm Ryo knew.

(I’ve fought demons and non-human beings, but this surpasses all of them. That was probably a perfect instantaneous teleportation. From space to space... Yes, I remember Marlin-san, the red demon, using teleportation. I’ve experienced it a few times. But that was... instantaneous transport... so it’s appropriate to call it teleportation. Manipulating gravity and teleporting... that’s really troublesome. Yes, Mr. Einstein said that gravity is a distortion of space. So it’s understandable that the demons who can manipulate gravity are also skilled at interfering with space. Even so, among them, teleportation is the most profound...)