Let me say this first: I don’t really like fighting.

So, in the end, I never once found combat itself to be enjoyable.

But I did have talent—something I gained thanks to Ivy, so maybe it should be called an acquired talent.

Ivy and I are connected by our souls.

It’s the same principle as when I tamed Sanshita and Icicle.

But this soul link, or whatever you want to call it, exists on a much deeper, more fundamental level than mere taming.

That’s why I can use her power.

But relying solely on her strength wasn’t an option.

I had to learn to fight properly on my own, using only my own power.

It was probably a feeling similar to a child growing independent from their parent.

And so, I trained—to fight with my own strength alone—.

“Mii?”

Perched on my shoulder, Ivy gazed at me.

Perhaps worried about me, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

I tapped her chin gently with my finger before setting her down on the ground.

Then, offering her a reassuring smile, I spoke.

“Don’t worry. I’ve gotten stronger too. So… just watch from there, Ivy.”

“—Mii!”

Ivy nodded firmly, bringing her hands together in front of her in a prayer-like gesture.

She had her own battle against the Demon King ahead of her.

If possible, I wanted to defeat Quattro on my own without exhausting her.

“Well then… shall we begin?”

I turned my gaze toward Quattro, who stood a short distance away.

His combat abilities were unknown.

The only thing I had seen was that Wailing Flash—the black beam he had fired earlier.

Judging from the fact that he relied on projectile attacks, he was likely a long-range fighter.

If that was the case, our battle would come down to a clash of magic.

“Light Javelin.”

“Wailing Flash.”

I launched a spear of light, stronger than Light Arrow.

Once again, he defended against it with Wailing Flash.

However, unlike before, our spells collided and exploded closer to Quattro’s side.

If that’s the case, I should use a more powerful spell to force him to reveal his hand.

“Light Stake.”

A symbol of the light-aligned god who was once crucified in the heavens—this was a holy stake of light.

Seeing the projectiles, which were even faster and more powerful than Light Javelin, Quattro raised not just his index finger, but his middle finger as well.

“Lament of the Wailing Flash.”

The new spell he unleashed was a noticeably larger black light, even more immense than the previous Wailing Flash.

As our spells clashed, their full power erupted, causing an explosion.

The blast wind grazed my cheek, and the strong gusts sent my bangs flying upward.

“—This isn’t getting anywhere.”

With those words, Quattro reached into his pocket.

A faint sound echoed—crack—like stepping on thin ice.

His form vanished into the darkness, disappearing completely.

Tracking him with my eyes was impossible.

So, I shut my eyes and sharpened my senses.

—There!

I wrapped my fist in light magic and swung, striking what had seemed to be empty air.

“…What?!”

Quattro had teleported, intending to launch an attack from my blind spot, but my punch landed square on his face, sending him flying backward.

Most likely, his strategy revolved around using teleportation to maintain distance while repeatedly launching magic attacks—a war of attrition.

I couldn’t use teleportation myself, so I had to rely on sensing his presence and magical energy to turn the fight into a whack-a-mole game.

On top of that, he could afford to fail multiple times, but I could only afford one mistake—otherwise, I’d suffer a severe counterattack. Quite the game balance.

If that’s the case.

What I needed to do was simple—

Don’t give Quattro the chance to teleport.

Keep up a relentless assault.

Rush, rush, rush!

I swung my right fist, then pivoted to strike with the back of my hand.

Without losing momentum, I spun and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending him airborne.

Clasping my hands together, I brought them down with all my might.

Quattro crashed into the ground, embedding himself in it.

Without hesitation, I followed up with another attack.

“Pile Light Arrow—loaded.”

Like rings for a ring toss, multiple Light Arrows wrapped around my arms.

I dove down toward Quattro.

At the moment of impact, I unleashed the Pile Light Arrows.

All but one of them shot forward, aligning with my fist’s trajectory.

Only one, however, fired inward—to accelerate my punch even further.

BOOOOOOM!!

The explosion ripped through the ground, sending debris flying like a landslide.

“Hah… haah…”

Compared to my previous Pile Light Arrow, its power had increased dramatically.

Back then, I had taken down Icicle in a single strike.

Now, the power had at least tripled.

On top of that, the speed boost from Light Arrow and the additional strength from magical body reinforcement were also factors.

Purely in terms of destructive force, it had to be far more than three times stronger than before.

The smoke turned my vision a hazy brown, obscuring everything.

I focused my hearing to read the situation, picking up the distant sound of clashing swords.

It seemed that Rey was also engaged in battle—with that horned demon called Belial.

I had no time to check on them, but I silently wished them good luck.

Just as I thought that, the smoke began to clear.

'…Yeah, I didn’t think that would be enough to finish him off.'

Emerging from the clearing haze was Quattro, his clothing in tatters.

His body bore numerous scrapes, and the area around his abdomen was exposed—the high-heat Pile Light Arrow had burned through his clothes.

At the moment of impact, there should have been a gaping hole in his body, but it looked like he had healed it instantly.

Now, only his pale skin was visible.

Quattro staggered forward, trembling slightly.

Then, doubling over, his body quivered as if holding something back.

“…Hah… haha… Ahahahaha!!”

As he straightened up, he let out a mad, hysterical laugh.

And then—

“To think it would come to this… I guess I’ll have to get serious.”