A frozen phenomenon recreated by the Sefirah of the Kabbalah. Astrology had been used to further strengthen its effect, and a curse had been interspersed throughout. An icy magic of the water element, the product of three separate magic systems interwoven with one another.
In addition to the frozen shards it created, it would also follow the trails left by the moisture it summoned, imprisoning its target in an mysterious, frozen barrier.
Adding in the fact that it also carried a curse, this was a most vicious magic. With the added effect of the curse, simply breaking the ice itself was insufficient to escape its grasp. Yes, this was cursed ice. As long as you did not destroy the curse itself, the ice would never melt, nor would it ever shatter.
Finally, something worked… Suimei thought to himself as he watched his enemy.
Actually, it would have been far stranger for it to not have worked. Despite the fact that he was extremely surprised to see that the Mazoku had not itself been frozen, he had nevertheless expected as much when he had enacted this spell.
Even if the Mazoku possessed some sort of abnormal magic immunity, even if the power of his spell, unable to resonate with the stars, had weakened, this was still a two-layered ice magic. Escaping this frozen prison would prove unnaturally arduous.
…The adventurer suddenly patted Suimei on the shoulder.
“What’s this? So you can use two elements! That’s pretty impressive!”
“Well, something of this level…”
“Don’t be modest. I’m really seeing you in a new light here!”
“Eh, no…”
That really wasn’t anything special. Suimei was left in a strange mood. The adventurer called out to his companions—
“Alright! Let’s do it now! It can’t move, so let’s give it all we’ve got!”
Suddenly.
“—□□□□□□!”
The Mazoku roared at the heavens.
The howl of a cornered beast.
A piercing cry. Just like that, the Mazoku gave voice to its hatred, the sound ringing in the ears of all those around.
At the same time, its mana levels started to soar, it having seemingly drawn on every last one of its hidden reserves. This caused a dark, dense, foul cloud of power to gather around its body.
What? Mana? N-no, this is—
While Suimei tried to put his finger on the familiar air of dark energy that had begun to overflow, the adventurer called out loudly.
“C-crap! The ice is going to break!”
“Hmm?”
Suimei interrupted his train of thought and turned to the adventurer. The adventurer seemed afraid of the power the Mazoku was now displaying. The joyous expression formerly adorning his face had turned anxious once again.
Suimei, on the other hand, was as calm as ever.
“Why?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? That’s the power of a Mazoku when it’s serious, you know?! It’s going to break that ice with ease!”
“Well, no, that’s not going to happen. It doesn’t matter how much struggles, it’s not going to be able to break those icicles,” Suimei replied calmly.
“Not going to break you say? What kind of leisurely things are you saying?! Look!”
” ‘Look’…?”
His gaze followed the direction the adventurer’s finger pointed in.
There was the Mazoku, the same as before. What was, however, drastically different were the deep cracks running through the cursed ice binding it.
“Huh…? Wait, oi oi oi! You’ve gotta be kidding me?! That’s a curse! A hex! How can it possibly break like that?!”
“Why are you only surprised now?”
“Nonononono, how could anyone remain calm after seeing that?!”
Suimei was practically screaming, the scene unveiling itself before his eyes had so blown away any notion of common sense. He continued to watch.
What the hell is going on? The cursed ice is really breaking… This is insane.
—The type of magic known as hexes weren’t simply curses. Hexes were a specific technique belonging to the curse system of modern magic. Briefly described, they did not use feelings of resentment as a foundation, but were rather entirely artificial, manufactured from beginning to end.