Turning to the other side, the four people who had just finished deciphering the magic circle, after walking a certain distance, saw heavy rain suddenly falling from the sky. They all pulled up their hoods to prevent the rain from soaking their hair. But they still felt a bit confused. It was sunny just a moment ago, why was it suddenly raining so heavily? And what was with the monster's roar that just came?
"Why is it suddenly raining? It was sunny just now? What strange weather!" A red-haired youth complained a bit, looking at the heavy rain in the sky. "Al, is there any magic that can make the rain stop? It's very inconvenient to move like this, and the surrounding fog is too thick. I can't see anything in front of me."
"There's no such magic, Nagi. But this heavy rain was indeed caused by someone intentionally, it should be related to the roar just now." Tightening his hood, the man called Al frowned as he looked at the thick fog around them. This was clearly some kind of protective measure. It seemed the legend was not wrong. The highest-grade Ice Spirit indeed existed in this place.
"That's true. After all, the magic circle was destroyed by you and Master. As the guardian of the Ice Spirit, they must have noticed the destruction of the magic circle and probably came out to check the situation. The guardian of the Ice Spirit should be very strong, right? I'm a bit curious what kind of monster it is." Nagi said with some anticipation. He loved to duel strong opponents. He hoped this opponent was a formidable one, then their trip would not be in vain.
"Pay attention, Nagi. Haven't you noticed that the surrounding air is getting colder and colder? It seems the fog's purpose is not only to limit our vision but also to freeze all enemies caught in the fog. I guess the monster that roared is about to appear, right?" The swordsman in the team gripped the katana in his hand and frowned, looking around. His senses were telling him something was approaching.
"What monster? What are you talking about, Eishun? Don't forget, our purpose in coming here is to see the legendary highest-grade Ice Spirit, isn't it? I heard that by defeating the Ice Spirit's guardian, you can obtain the Ice Spirit's power. So this guardian should also have ice power, right?" Nagi retorted.
"Hmm, through the sudden heavy rain and the dropping air temperature, the opponent should be able to control the surrounding rainwater and ice to form a protective barrier to freeze all objects within the barrier. Be careful, Nagi. Don't fall into a ditch." A young man in the team said to Nagi.
"Understood, Master. I am the man hailed as the King of Thousand Curses! How could I fall for such a small trap? My purpose in coming here this time is just to find out the true identity of this Ice Spirit. This place has been frozen for thirty years. I am very curious about the true identity of this spirit that has existed here for over thirty years." Nagi waved to the young man. This level of trap had no effect on him; he could easily immunize against it.
"idiot Nagi, what King of Thousand Curses? You only know five or six kinds of magic, and you dropped out of magic school before even graduating, so what are you so proud of? You only cheated on your exams, what's there to be proud of?" Al said to Nagi with a venomous smile. Although this guy had powerful magic, he had no brains at all. But his strength was also very strong, much stronger than himself. Well~ this should be the advantage of being an idiot, right? Intelligence and strength are inversely proportional, aren't they?
"Damn it, Al! What did you say? That look in your eyes, like you're looking at an idiot, is too rude!" Nagi shouted at Al in frustration!
"Oh? You actually saw through it?" Al asked, a bit surprised.
"Well, of course! I'm not an idiot!" Nagi shouted at Al in frustration.
"Oh, Nagi, do you know? People who usually say they are not idiots are actually truly hopeless idiots." Al covered his mouth and chuckled lightly as he said to Nagi, but that smile, no matter how you looked at it, felt full of malice.
"Eh? Is that true?" Nagi said, a bit surprised.
'What an idiot,' the onlookers said. The current scene was like a cunning fox talking to an idiot, with the idiot being completely played by the other party.
"!!! Attention, something is approaching!" The swordsman drew the katana from his waist and said seriously.
As if to respond to his words, the ground vibrated. It seemed to tell them that something huge was approaching them, and a giant shadow also appeared in the fog, running towards them.
"Roar!! You guys! Why disturb someone's slumber! You're seeking death!?" The opponent rushed through the surrounding fog at an extremely fast speed, revealing its form. It was a giant rabbit puppet. Seeing Nagi and the others, it roared at them without explanation, expressing its current rage.
"Oh? It seems this must be the legendary guardian of the Ice Spirit? I didn't expect it to be a rabbit, and it looks quite strong. I heard that if you defeat you, you can gain the power of the Ice Spirit. Is that true!?" Nagi said excitedly, shielding himself from the howling wind.
"Hmph! You can try! Human! Now tell me, what is the purpose of you coming here!?" She deliberately deepened her voice with spiritual power to make herself sound serious. After all, her original voice, besides being comical, was just comical and couldn't convey seriousness.
"According to rumors, this place suddenly turned into a world of ice and snow thirty years ago. Adventurers explored it and discovered the Ice Spirit sleeping here. Legend says that by defeating the guardian of the spirit, one can meet the Ice Spirit and obtain its power. So, we came here guided by the locals."
"Then we found a hidden magic circle at the entrance of the valley and realized it was created to protect this secret realm. Through our exploration, we also deciphered the magic circle and discovered the true nature of this place, which is why we came here. Then we saw you appear." Nagi concisely explained to Shiina how they came to be there.
'So they are people who came here because of the rumors? I didn't expect this news to still be circulating after more than a decade. I should have erased the memories of those adventurers who came here and then let them go. And why do I feel like I've seen these people somewhere before? Where could it be?'
Shiina thought with some confusion. In the thirty years she had been guarding Yoshino, Shiina had forgotten many things. The clearest memories she had now were only of the worlds she had experienced with Yoshino, but the memories Yoshino had previously shared with her were almost forgotten. She only had vague impressions.
'Are these people the protagonists of this world? But that's not right? I should have an impression of something like this, but I have no information about these guys at all.'
"Originally, I just wanted to see what the legendary Ice Spirit looked like. But now, before seeing the Ice Spirit, I probably still need to defeat its guardian. So now, I must defeat you." Nagi said to Shiina, his fingers twitching and his neck twisting, full of fighting spirit.
"...It seems a battle is unavoidable? Then let me see your strength!" After speaking, she unleashed spiritual power throughout her body, erupting in a massive shockwave that made the others instinctively shield their eyes. But Nagi was not surprised by the spiritual power Shiina unleashed; instead, he frowned in confusion.
"It just feels different from what I imagined. All of you, don't intervene. Let me test her." Nagi said, stopping his companions who were about to act.
"...Alright then, it's not too formidable an opponent anyway. Remember not to hit too hard. Our goal this time is just to observe the truth of the spirit, not to cause trouble. We don't want to anger the highest-ranking Ice Spirit." Al said to Nagi, as that guy always fought without restraint. It would be bad if he accidentally hit too hard.
"I know, I also want to know a few things." Nagi said to Al. "It seems this place is hiding some secrets."
"He saw through it. Shiina isn't even using the spiritual power from the guardian; she's entirely using her own spiritual power. She'll probably be completely defeated after just a few rounds." Zadkiel, hidden in the shadows, watched Shiina fighting Nagi and shook her head helplessly. Knowing that Yoshino was about to awaken, and to avoid any accidents, she wasn't using Yoshino's spiritual power but her own, which wasn't very strong, to deal with Nagi. There was no chance of winning at all.
"While I know you're doing this to help the guardian awaken faster, it also puts you in a dangerous situation. Even if the opponent has no ill will, this is not a kind Magical World. Even good people in this Magical World are accustomed to killing, so accidentally harming you is very normal." Zadkiel thought, looking at Nagi, who was engrossed in the joy of battle.
"I hope you can hold on. Although you are a personality born from the guardian's spiritual power, it's unimaginable what problems might arise if you are killed. I hope you can use the guardian's power to counterattack midway. If it really comes to it, I will personally intervene." Zadkiel said solemnly. Even if this person was truly the protagonist of the world, she would still eliminate her.
However, no one noticed that Yoshino, inside the ice coffin on Shiina's back, frowned slightly. Her right index finger began to tremble faintly, and as Shiina gradually fell into a disadvantage, her movements became more pronounced.
'Shiina...'
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