Chapter 31: Chaos?

"Not bad. Its power is already comparable to a standard magic blast."

The most basic way of using magic is to release magical energy like a shell or projectile. But the Sitri family's water-based magic lets one manipulate water, imbuing it with magic until it's no weaker than a typical magic blast—and because water can take any shape, you can freely mold it into all sorts of forms.

"Controlling water… No wonder the Sitri clan is among the top pure-blood devils and even produced a Maou,"

Hikaru mused.

Achieving this level of mastery in such a short period was probably beyond even Sona's expectations.

"Est, watch what I can do for you."

Feeling affectionate, Hikaru finished his training and approached Est, who was watching anime. He demonstrated his newly acquired water-manipulation magic, shaping the water into Est's favorite cartoon characters, then into various foods. Though they only had the shape, Hikaru's skill in the arts was very high—aside from color mismatches, the forms were remarkably lifelike. When he converted the water to a jelly-like consistency, Est even tried taking a bite, but of course it tasted like plain water.

"Haha, there's real jelly in the fridge. Go have some of that,"

Hikaru teased, ruffling Est's hair as she padded off to the refrigerator.

While Est was nibbling on jelly, Hikaru received a message on his phone. The sender was Koneko, accompanied by a sticker of a crying cat. At once, he knew why: she must have just finished watching the Edgerunners anime. With so many shows nowadays ending on a bright note, Edgerunners blindsides viewers with a painful twist in the final episode. It certainly leaves people reeling. Koneko would likely be moping for at least a week.

…

Three days slipped by quietly.

In that time, aside from a quick hello from Yayoi, nothing unusual happened. Hikaru focused on honing his various abilities, successfully pushing his immortal qi to a new threshold.

In the High School DxD setting, each mythical faction measures power differently, and there's only sparse information on senjutsu. Because he couldn't train in truly advanced senjutsu, Hikaru simply boosted his "life flame." As a result, his body and mind advanced to the next level. Immortal qi not only strengthens the body and nourishes the spirit, but also unleashes a person's latent potential, much like in martial-arts films.

Essentially, Hikaru converted latent power into actual strength. His skin, muscles, bones, organs, blood, and brain all underwent a transformation. His five senses were so keen that even hushed conversation outside his soundproof apartment reached his ears. The result was so dramatic that even he found it staggering—clearly, he'd underestimated immortal qi.

The only downside was that he hadn't gained any powerful, large-scale attack spells. But that didn't matter too much. He mentally gauged his current state, imagining a fight against the heads of major magic associations in the Campione! world—aside from not having quite as much combat experience, he wouldn't be outclassed. Put differently, he had ascended to the Campione! setting's mortal pinnacle, the "Holy Knight" rank, at only sixteen years old. Even in Campione!, that was unique.

Still, Hikaru felt no prideful conceit. With his abilities, it was only natural.

…

Nighttime.

They were nearly out of groceries, so Hikaru took Est to the largest supermarket in Kuoh Town. Despite his newfound power, his day-to-day nutritional needs had soared, so they filled the cart with pricey ingredients. Money wasn't an issue, and on top of that, Sona's generous payment for the recent job could cover fifty years of an ordinary family's expenses. He also tossed in plenty of snacks Est liked.

Just as they were heading toward the exit, a sudden uproar broke out nearby. Instead of leaving, the crowd came stampeding back into the store.

"Help! Somebody help!"

"Murder! There's a murderer!"

Panic and screams filled the air. A faint smell of blood drifted on the breeze. Those chasing the fleeing shoppers were ghouls displaying their kagune.

~~~

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