The practice arena on the second basement level was reminiscent of a fighting pit enclosed by a massive iron cage.
The walls, built from ash-gray bricks, were scorched here and there with traces of magic, and the floor was covered in gray earth that sent up fine dust with every step.
Magic spheres hanging from the ceiling gave off a soft white light, illuminating the rough-hewn space.
Beyond the iron bars, Evan sat in his wheelchair on the opposite side, strangely still.
“What should we do, Mr. Taesan? This is really my first time battling another person…!”
Yustia stamped her feet in place, unable to keep still.
Her cheeks were flushed red, not with tension, but anticipation.
“Calm down. This is my first time doing anything called a battle, period. We just have to do it like when we trained with Whisper before, right? Coordinate our breathing like we did then.”
“R-right? Are you ready? Mr. Taesan, if they fire magic from over there, I’ll put up a shield right away. Or I can cast Acceleration and… Ah, what do I do? What should I do first?”
She looked completely flustered.
I chuckled and gave a shrug.
“Let’s just see what they do first. I want to know what they’re counting on.”
It was then.
The air on the opposite side rippled strangely.
Evan gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly.
The faint light of the spirit circling around him suddenly flared with intensity and began wrapping around his body like living armor.
Wuuung—
With a low vibration, the light covered Evan’s gaunt upper body, then flowed down toward the empty legs of his trousers.
As the particles of light clung together and took shape, the pant legs that had been hanging in the air filled out tautly.
And then, Evan stood up.
Clank.
It sounded like machinery locking into place.
Evan kicked away from the wheelchair and planted both feet firmly on the ground.
Prosthetic legs made of spirit light shone with a white radiance as they pressed against the floor.
He lightly shook out the legs of light that had become part of his body.
Tap, tap. The sound of dust rising was crisp.
At last, vitality returned to his pale face.
“Hoo……”
Evan drew in a deep breath and lifted his head.
“Yustia. Are you ready?”
“Yeah! Let’s start! Mr. Taesan, please!”
Her eyes were filled with trust.
But my own feet did not move so easily.
My opponent was a scrawny boy who had been relying on a wheelchair.
Even if he had wrapped himself in a spirit and risen to his feet, his bony limbs kept catching my eye.
The thought of kicking him with all my strength or driving a fist into him made my mind recoil.
‘Damn it, what the hell is this?’
I awkwardly took a stance.
It was a half-baked posture, closer to defense than attack.
It was then.
Evan kicked off the ground.
Kwaaang—!
With a roar, dust exploded upward.
His legs of light slammed into the floor at terrifying speed.
“……Huh?”
Startled, I crossed my arms.
Thud!
A heavy impact dug into my guard.
Pain, as if my bones were ringing, traveled up my forearms.
“Krgh……!”
I groaned as I staggered backward.
It was far heavier than I had expected.
Evan did not stop.
He twisted his body in midair and drove down a fist wrapped in spirit light.
“Don’t let your guard down, Mr. Taesan!”
His voice struck my ears.
“I’d be troubled if you went easy on me, Mr. Taesan.”
He lightly bounced in place, loosening up.
“These legs are sturdier than they look. They’re prosthetics reinforced with mana, so they’re probably harder than most steel.”
His gaze overflowed with confidence.
As if to say he had no need for pity.
I shook out my aching arms and chuckled.
Right. That guy, too, was desperately trying to survive in his own way.
Going easy on him here would be an insult.
“……That’s a relief.”
I lowered my stance and clenched my fists.
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Kwaaang!
Explosive propulsion.
Before the arena’s dust could even rise, I was already right in front of Evan.
I thrust out my fist.
Wuuung—
I threw the punch, but Evan did not dodge.
No, he did not even seem to intend to.
His eyes stared unwaveringly at my fist.
Thwack!
A heavy sensation traveled through my knuckles.
It had landed cleanly.
“Got him!”
Yustia’s cheer rang out.
But what my hand touched was not solid flesh.
Shuaaak—
As if I had cut through mist, my fist passed straight through Evan’s chest.
“……Huh?”
There had been a feeling of impact, yet there was no substance.
The place my fist had touched scattered like smoke, then gathered again in the empty air beyond his back.
Evan’s body rippled translucently.
Like a ghost allowing physical blows to pass right through.
“As expected… I thought that would happen.”
Evan’s scattered upper body regained its form, and his voice sounded dreamlike, as though echoing from within fog.
“No matter how destructive it is, in the end, it’s only physical force. From the moment I heard you were a human summon, I expected the compatibility to be in my favor.”
Whoosh—!
Only the sound of empty wind slicing through the air struck my ears.
Every time I threw a punch, Evan’s form rippled and scattered like a mirage.
I had definitely hit him.
Even the sound of bone and flesh bursting apart had been vivid, yet in the next moment my fist passed through emptily, as if stirring fog.
“Damn it, does this make any sense?”
Breathing hard, I retreated.
Evan circled around me like a ghost, repeatedly scattering and gathering.
His shining prosthetic leg kicked my shin, then vanished like smoke before my fist could reach him.
It was one-sided mockery.
“My lady! What do we do? None of his attacks are working!”
Yurika shouted, stamping her feet.
Her eyes were trembling.
Yustia bit her lip and gripped the arena railing tightly.
“I did think it would be difficult if we ran into a special summon type.”
A deep crease formed between her brows.
“But I didn’t expect the matchup to be this bad.”
“Even so, ordinary summons beat special summons all the time, don’t they? Even if physical attacks don’t work, shouldn’t he be able to damage him with mana?”
Yurika cried out in frustration.
“That’s true. Normally, yes. But Mr. Taesan can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Even ordinary summons possess at least a small amount of mana by nature, so they can damage spirits to some extent. If you strike with mana loaded into your fist, even a spiritual body will take damage.”
She shook her head and looked at me.
“But Mr. Taesan has no mana at all. Zero point zero zero.”
Just as she said, my fists were nothing but lumps of pure physical force.
Tin-can fists without even the slightest trace of mana mixed in.
If the opponent had a physical body, they had enough power to crush even rock, but what stood before me now was a formless ghost.
Just as you could not beat the wind to death with your fists, my attacks could not reach Evan.
“Then… there’s no way?”
“Acceleration!”
With Yustia’s shout, my body grew as light as a feather.
As though the wind were at my back, my speed surged dramatically.
I whipped around Evan like a storm and drove my fists out.
Shuaaak! Shuaaak!
But the result was the same.
My fists only cut through empty air, brushing past Evan’s smoke-like body.
“Kh!”
Frustration choked my breath.
What use was speed, no matter how great, if I could not hit him?
Evan smiled leisurely and circled me as though mocking my futile swings.
His shining prosthetic leg came in, aiming for my side.
Thwack!
Along with a dull impact, burning pain surged through my flank.
“Urgh……!”
I could have dodged, but I did not.
No, I must not.
The very instant Evan’s attack took on substance and touched my body.
The moment his attack dug into my flesh was the only point where he and I were physically connected.
‘Now.’
Kuuung—!
With a thunderous roar, the entire arena shook.
The solid dirt floor crumpled like paper, and a massive shockwave spread in every direction.
Dust surged up like an explosion, obscuring my vision.
“Ugh!”
In that instant, I heard Evan let out a short groan.
His body, which had been scattering like smoke, was swept up by the shockwave and staggered.
As though the vibration transmitted through the floor had struck his spiritual body, Evan’s face twisted in pain, and he fell back onto his rear.
“That’s it! Mr. Taesan!”
Yustia shouted, her eyes flashing.
“If direct attacks won’t work, pressure him with the terrain! Shockwaves go beyond physical force and shake space itself!”
Her words cleared my mind in a flash.
Kwaaang! Kwakwaang! Kwarurung!
Each time I took a step, the arena rang out.
Shockwaves that overturned the floor surged like tidal waves and swallowed Evan.
His smoke-like form was disrupted and twisted.
The vibrations shaking the ground seemed to forcibly grant substance to his spiritual body.
“Krgh…!”
Evan staggered backward.
Driven by the impact, his shining prosthetic legs scraped against the floor, scattering sparks.
He tried to disperse his body again, but the relentless bursts of sound bound him in place.
“Now! Get him!”
Yustia’s shout struck my ears.
‘Time to end this.’
I spread my arms wide.
Ripping through the air, I clapped my palms together.
Cra-aack!
With an immense roar, the air screamed and burst apart.
A shockwave that broke the sound barrier slammed into Evan head-on like a giant cannon.
“Aaaagh!”
With Evan’s scream, the spirit light wrapped around him was torn to shreds.
His body floated up into the air, then tumbled backward like a puppet with its strings cut.
The shining prosthetic legs shattered, and the spiritual body that had covered him was forcibly ripped away, scattering into the air.
His true body crashed to the floor in the form of a gaunt, powerless boy.
Thud.
Amid the dust, Evan trembled as he gasped for breath.
His eyes were stained with terror and shock.