Set down from Shiomi's embrace, Aesc clutched her palm, her hat tilted askew as she staggered a few steps.
Vivian, who had just led the reinforcements to the front lines, gasped in shock at the clear figure emerging from the scattered snow dust.
"Aesc?!"
She rushed over.
"And the Sage? But you weren't—"
Shiomi swiftly shed his long robe, tossing it into Vivian's hands to reveal more agile attire: short-sleeved shirt and long trousers.
"Help me take my clothes. Then keep your kin in formation—don't advance any further." Shiomi rolled his shoulders. "Next is Aesc's combat training session. If you barge in, I can't guarantee I won't accidentally hit you."
Vivian glanced at Aesc, who gripped her wand tightly and stood ready for battle. She nodded silently.
"Aesc, don't push yourself."
Only after Vivian stepped back did Aesc ask, "How should we fight?"
After all, she hadn't anticipated facing these dangerous Moss alone with Shiomi.
"Don't worry. I'll test them first." Shiomi extended his hand, and a vermilion magic spear materialized in his grasp.
"A spear?" Aesc froze.
"I'll explain later." Shiomi smiled, then shot forward like an arrow toward the Moss within striking distance.
A powerful magical energy radiated from him, undoubtedly drawing the Moss's attention. As he entered their midst, they began to writhe, long, sharp claws suddenly sprouting from their bodies and pressing down from above.
The attack was swift, but Shiomi merely sidestepped it. He then swung his spear in a downward strike; the crimson blade severed one claw, yet there was no satisfying impact.
The Moss attacking him seemed unaffected, extending a second claw to sweep in from the side.
As he dodged this second strike, other Moss continued to attack Shiomi in the same manner.
Their bodies, composed of black mist, lacked substance, rendering weapons like bows ineffective. Instead, projectiles capable of producing flames or explosions proved effective in hindering them.
Even the cursed crimson spear couldn't land a pure physical hit; instead, it risked missing entirely. Not only that, Shiomi confirmed something else: these calamities, once fairies, showed no fear of the spear's curse.
After all, these creatures were curses incarnate themselves.
"Then—"
Shiomi flashed to the outer edge of the Moss group, adjusting his grip on the spear.
This was the distant past, 6000 years ago—the Lostbelt.
The True Ether in the air had not dissipated, unchanged from the Age of Gods, greatly easing Shiomi's reservations about wielding Magecraft.
"Piercing heaven and earth, a thunder that approaches steadily...『Wild Thunder』!"
A blue thunderbolt, starkly contrasted with the crimson spear, surged toward the Moss.
The Moss, unwilling to sit and wait for death, instinctively gathered Curse Mana, shaping it into a colossal sphere of Mana and hurling it as Magecraft.
The two forces were not on the same level. The lightning mercilessly tore through the Mana sphere, pierced some of the Moss, and shredded their bodies. Those struck fatally writhed and dissolved.
At that moment, Shiomi retreated back near Aesc.
"Magic attacks really are the only thing that works." He turned to Aesc. "This is your specialty."
"Ah… right…!"
Aesc quickly snapped back to her senses.
Shiomi's flawless spearwork, his fluid movement, and the Magecraft that complemented it—when woven together into a single rhythm, his combat form was so natural and complete that Aesc found herself entranced. She almost forgot this was supposed to be her very first battle.
How I wish I could fight alongside someone like him, she thought to herself.
No distractions, no distractions.
Shaking her head, Aesc raised her wand high.
Above the Moss, a vast Water Mirror took form, spreading across the battlefield and enveloping over a hundred of the creatures at once.
The surge of Mana from the spell was instantly noticed. The Moss all shifted their focus to her, launching a concentrated attack.
"Life Barrier."
A wall of runes flared into being, intercepting the curse-laden strikes before they could reach her.
Just a single glance exchanged with Shiomi filled Aesc with courage. The nervous tension she had carried into her first battle vanished in an instant, replaced only with the confidence of one who had completed Grand Magecraft.
"Rain of purification, pour down upon the earth!"
An unseasonal downpour cascaded from the sky. Every drop fell sharp as a blade, each one infused with pure Mana.
The Moss were pierced through, their bodies riddled and torn before they began to writhe and dissolve away.
Seeing this, Aesc's face lit up with delight, thinking the battle had ended—
—but the remnants of the Moss suddenly drew together, fusing in an instant into a single massive creature, three or four times larger than the rest.
Its orange-red eyes flared with a dreadful light.
"So that's how it is." Shiomi spoke calmly, spreading his hands as the structure of Primordial Runes settled into place.
The Moss were both a swarm and an individual. When facing annihilation, their instinct for survival had driven them to merge into a stronger form.
Those burning eyes carried a curse that fell upon any living thing they could see.
Primordial Runes VI: Rune of Curse Reversal
The Moss, curses incarnate, had no reason to fear a curse turned back. Still, Shiomi used the rune to keep its power from falling on Aesc and the fairies of the Rain Clan.
"Hit it with purifying Magecraft. Give it everything you've got!" Shiomi maintained the rune and smiled as he urged her on.
Aesc nodded firmly. Standing at his side, Mana surged through every circuit in her body, flowing into her wand.
It was more magic than she had ever tried to control at once. Her hand trembled—but then Shiomi's own hand settled over hers, steadying her grip.
"Stay calm. Match my breathing. Adjust the flow of Mana with my rhythm."
His voice was quiet and steady, his Mana radiating a warmth that soothed the burden straining her Magic Circuits.
The giant Moss's body suddenly split open, a dozen long tentacles lashing toward them. Yet they all fell short—the closest only scraping the ground near Aesc's feet.
Wrapped in the force of the runes, the tentacles had lost their aim.
The division of its attacks clearly had a limit. The massive body wavered, the earth trembling beneath it, before it faltered and stopped altogether.
Aesc's spell pierced its body clean through. Unable to hold its form, the giant Moss shuddered and slowly dissolved into the wind.
"Well done, Aesc. You lived up to it."
Shiomi caught her as her legs gave way.
"Mm… but I'm still nowhere near your level. So… please, teach me how to fight."
Aesc smiled, proud yet shy, and whispered her wish.