291 - - king of flowers

In no time at all, the ground was covered with a freezing cold air, which was close to our feet.

It was a sight that made one doubt one's eyes, but it was unmistakably the Ice Spirit Tree's Upper Branch Technique itself.

Unbelievably, the master of the labyrinth had chanted without a trace the magic technique that should have been attained through hard study.

But if it was an attack from a monster, Thor could nullify it.

--

The ice disappears in an instant, and a moment later one of the grim faces contorts its mouth.

A moment later, a strange feeling of discomfort washes over Thor.

Thor, puzzled by the sensation as if his body had been forcibly moved, lets out an unintentional cry of surprise at the situation before him.

"What!

The ice, which was supposed to have been erased, was now close by, as if nothing had happened.

Thor instantly understood the meaning of this unbelievable sight.

There is no doubt that the disappearance of the ice has triggered the "retrogression".

However, the effect itself has been restored as if nothing had happened (・・・・・・).

As far as Thor knows, there is only one magic trick that can do such a thing.

And just now, the monster's eerie movement, imitating Yuril.

The exact same move was unleashed right after that.

And the strange sensation that Thor felt after using the Retrograde.

Usually, when he uses it on himself, he is not surprised because he knows what to expect.

However, when it is used by someone other than himself, it is understandable that he is confused by the slight discrepancy that arises.

There is only one conclusion that can be drawn from these snags.

Perhaps, has been .

But even if we understand what has happened, it is not an immediate solution.

The absolute freezing chi is relentlessly closing the distance.

"But it will buy us some time. "But it will buy us some time..." "You got it, Ram.

With these words, Thor once again activated his .

A different face turned its white eyes and moved its mouth slightly.

An unfamiliar feeling of discomfort arises, and again the gray ice that should have disappeared immediately appears.

There it goes again.

But that too is quickly canceled out.

It seems to be a waste of magic power and the number of times it has been used, but even so, it seems to have created a delay of a few seconds.

And that short time was enough for him to perform a new magic move.

"O Lord of the Tree of Life! Protect it!

With a dignified cry, a film of clear water appeared around Thor and the others.

The protective membrane instantly expanded in a semicircle, covering everyone from above their heads as if to protect them.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of creeping ice enveloped the wall of water in a single breath.

Immediately, the surface of the water film is frozen by the gray ice.

But against the perfect defense, no cold air seems to be able to get inside.

Kugase and Sora look at each other and let out an exaggerated breath of relief.

"Wow, what a surprise!

"That was a hair's breadth away. That's just what I'd expect from you, Ram-chan.

The young waterman's shoulders relaxed as if relieved by the call.

Thor and the others were saved by Rummella's top water-based defensive magic.

"This is not the time to relax! What are you going to do from here?

At Kikiriri's suggestion, Thor quickly checks the situation.

The water membrane is even larger than the one he had seen earlier in the nest of the treasure ants, and it seems that all of them are safely protected.

However, the surface of the water film is now covered with gray ice, and visibility is uncertain.

Razzel, who had both of his swords on his shoulders, nods and thrusts his blades out, perhaps noticing Thor's gaze.

At the same time as the sound of the ice breaking up, a small peephole appeared in the water film.

"Oh, it's frozen over there too. It's all frozen over there, too. Isn't that something bad!

Kugase, who had forced his way into the hole from the side of Thor, shouted impatiently.

The roots at the foot of the labyrinth were completely covered with ice, but in the center of its face, in the middle of its petals, a dangerous change had occurred.

A large oval-shaped object, which was only at the tip earlier, was now sticking out halfway.

Moreover, the direction of the object was exactly in this direction.

"Sola, can you stop it?

"Yes, wait for me!"

The girl who appeared at the call lifts her wand lightly to increase her magical power.

While everyone is silent and watching, suddenly, without warning, a large oval is shot out...

Just as it entered a few dozen steps in front of the girl, it suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"You did it, Sora!"

The twins alternately tap Sola on the shoulder as the object stops moving.

Yuril, who had been observing the monster's movement next to her, saw the girl's smile wince in pain, and then opened his mouth.

"It seems that they target objects away from the body, but do not mimic them."

"There doesn't seem to be a film of water on it, so I guess it's just a case of targeting the main body."

"Yeah, and they're not singing either."

As Thor and Yuril are talking, Licori, who was playing the , interjects.

Kugase turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Is it possible that he's going to imitate our magic?

"Yes, that's a strong possibility. It's better not to use magic tricks carelessly."

"Then we are in trouble. How are we going to beat that thing?

"I guess we'll just have to go steady."

The key to Thor and his team's attack has so far been Yuril.

Now that he has been blocked, they will have no choice but to use weapons in melee combat.

"Yuril, please continue to keep him frozen. If he moves around, we have no chance to win. The vanguard will just hang on to him and keep cutting him down. Sora, you'll have to use your flying weapons..."

Tor!

What's going on?

Thor interrupted his instructions when Moe, who had been flashing a ring over his head, suddenly raised his voice.

The child with purple eyes rolled back in his head, pointed at his feet, and continued speaking.　

I've got a bad feeling about this.

"Look, the end of his arm!"

At Razzel's sharp cry, Thor turns his gaze out the small window for a moment.

From the elbow down, the labyrinth master's tentacles should have been undulating.

But as the swordsman had said, there had been a change in that part of the body.

The tips of the tentacles had somehow disappeared into the ground.

"Get off of me!

Thor jumps back, immediately taking Moo in his arms.

A breath later, a pillar-like object emerges from the ground with tremendous force, piercing through the rocks.

It was a tentacle as thick as a child's torso.

A part of the monster's arm, which was headed toward the ceiling with such force, broke through the water membrane and shattered into pieces.

The monster's arm breaks through the water membrane and shatters into pieces.

Thor turns around to see the entrance to the labyrinth, as the master of the labyrinth has dug his way through the ground to attack.

His jaw tightens involuntarily.

If the passage had collapsed due to the monster's attack, it could be restored to its original state with , so in fact, he should be able to retreat at any time.

But now, new tentacles were covering the piles of rocks.

An oval object stuck above the entrance.

Numerous tentacles had already broken through the skin and completely sealed the entrance.

Thor frowns slightly at the resemblance to the swamp witch.

"Like a seed. I didn't mean to underestimate it, but it's more troublesome than I expected.

Muttering this, Thor turns his gaze once again to the monster that looms in the center of the plaza.

In the center of its eerie flower-like face, another seed has begun to appear.

Exhaling slowly, Thor lifts his sword.

The curtain rises on a deadly battle.