~ I have added this Fanfic to my Patreon. If you'd like to read advanced chapters, feel free to check it out!
~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions
<><><><><><><>
"Yeah...time to do some shopping." he muttered as he opened the Store. He'd earned enough Yen cutting through the Black Mages to afford a new trinket to deal with this. A few minutes later, he was wearing a belt that maintained his body temperature at a slightly warm one regardless of the temperature around him. He didn't want to risk possibly getting frostbite and gangrene, thank you very much! Granted, it would do exactly jack squat against ice spells or fire spells, but not freezing his privates off was the main goal here!
He still had plans for them, after all!
Now inured to the icy-cold waves of air emanating from the (presumptive) boss room, Issei debated with himself for a moment before deactivating [Sapphire Blade] and drawing out his [Bloodmetal Gladius] in its place. There was a time and a place for training his weaker skills, and staring down a floor boss wasn't one of them.
Advancing into the room, the sheer amount of ice and snow made the Sekiryūtei shiver. If he hadn't thought to buy the [Belt of Temperate Temperature], he'd have either been an ice cube already or at the very least going numb all over, which would have not helped in any kind of fight. Zidane Tribal was earning his respect all over again for fighting with pure willpower in these conditions!
...ding...ding...
Pausing in the middle of the ballroom-sized room, Issei cocked his head to the side at the sound of a bell chiming. Looking around, he narrowed his eyes at the high gallerys of ice that surrounded him. The Black Waltz had appeared from a height in the game, so that wasn't likely to change here...
...ding...ding...
"Why aren't you dead? This cold snap of mine should have frozen you down to your very bones." a chilly voice asked from his front. Issei turned and held himself ready as his enemy finally showed itself atop a large menhir of ice. With a pair of dark purple wings emerged from its hunched back, the Black Waltz was actually shorter than Issei himself was. The pointed hat atop its head was tied near the point and it wore a pair of trousers with a snowflake symbol on each leg. Clasped in its right hand was a golden bell, dangling from a red string. This was its casting device.
Black Waltz #1 LV17
[Winged Black Mage of the Blizzard]
"Yeah sorry, but I'm here to take you down." Issei said, pointing his gladius at the boss.
"You can try..." the Black Waltz replied before ringing its bell again.
...ding...ding...
"[Fireball]!" Issei shouted, firing a spell off immediately. The fiery projectile arced up towards the Black Waltz, who shook his bell at it.
"Blizzard!" the Black Mage replied coolly, sending an equally large ice crystal at the approaching spell, cancelling it out. Taking flight, the boss hovered next to his former pedestal and started to cast a spell.
"Ice Giant, Sealion, come before me!" the Black Waltz chanted. In an explosion of ice, the massive form of his summoned monster appeared in the place of the large ice crystal, an immense giant seal made of ice. With a bone mask resembling a walrus' face, a pair of large wings with razor-sharp icicle-feathers and two tails, Sealion roared proudly as it appeared.
Sealion LV18
[Beast of the Tundra]
"Go, Sealion! Freeze him to death!" Black Waltz #1 ordered.
"Aw hell." Issei grimaced beneath his helmet. This was exactly like in the boss battle. Attacking Sealion first was pointless, because the Black Waltz would just use Blizzard to heal it. That meant that he had to deal with the flying menace first.
"[Burning Bomb]!" Issei pointed both of his weapons at the Black Waltz, firing off a pair of fireballs at his enemy. They detonated when they drew near to the boss, bathing him in flames that made it shriek in pain.
"Curse you! Fire!" the automaton cursed before casting a spell at him while the Sealion launched a Blizzard at him at the same time.
Dodging both the fireball and icicle, the Sekiryūtei started to run forward towards the Black Waltz. Hopefully if he managed to kill the summoner, the summon would vanish. If not, then at least he'd be down to a single threat.
Channelling MP into his legs, Issei leapt up with a shout, closing on the Black Waltz in an instant, making the slitted white eyes of the cloth golem widen in shock.
"Let's take you down to earth!" Issei growled before lashing out with a kick that spun the Black Waltz around so its wings faced him. He then used [Magic Weapon Reinforcement] on his weapons and cut off both wings with a pair of strong downward strokes, sending the spellcaster tumbling to the ground.
Issei used the Boss's tumbling form as a springboard as it fell (and not incidentally launching it into the ground with even more force) to alter direction towards Sealion. Even as the massive construct drew back a wing to slice at him, the soaring boy drew back an arm and shouted, "[Power Strike]!"
The glow around Issei's right-hand weapon redoubled in strength and when he sliced down with his [Bloodmetal Gladius], it left a long crevasse down the front of Sealion. It also had the effect of nullifying a great degree of Issei's momentum, allowing him to flip around the underside of the Sealion's chest and slide down the back of its tail
"Whoo! What a rush!" the Gamer cheered as he leapt away from Sealion's body before he reached the thrashing tails and started running towards where the Black Waltz had crash landed and was currently struggling to its feet, seething with anger.
"You...you...!" it seemed so angry that words failed it.
"Yes?" Issei asked faux-innocently.
"Raaaaaggghhh!" the Black Waltz roared, sending a spell, which looked to be the upgraded version of the basic Fire spell, Fira, at Issei. Rather than a flaming ball, the spell manifested as a raging stream of fire that instantly melted and boiled the ice and snow in and around its path.
<><><><><><><>
~ If you like the story, please leave a review!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power
Stones]
~ (Soon +50) Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Anshufanfic