Chapter 237.2. Facing The Shadow

“Ku!”
[Box Change]
It’s quite a powerful attack. 
I use a magic trick to avoid taking too much damage from this attack. 
The power of magic activates, and a box with a question mark pattern envelops me.
The man’s fist smashes through the box, but the contents of the shattered box have disappeared.
“What’s this?”
The man lifts his head with a puzzled expression, and just a bit behind him, a box with a question mark pattern appears, then splits open to reveal Miu.
“It’s a magic trick that changes locations. Did you enjoy it?”
Miu swiftly moves her feet across the ground as if sweeping them, closing the distance between the man and her, and then swing the hammer from below.
The hammer, surrounded by a wall of wind, pierces through, approaching the man, but he stands still without attempting to evade.
I wonder why, but as the hammer comes to a halt right in front of the man, I understand why.
“It’s useless. As I said, you can’t even scratch me.”
“An amusing magic trick, indeed. But how about this?”
[Soul Awakening]
[Plasma Bird I]
[Hexagon Attack]
-Linked-
[Plasma Hexagon]
A rapid barrage of attacks enveloped in plasma assails the man. I strike diagonally from the right, target his torso from the left, aim for his feet with another blow, thrust forward, spin around, then jump and deliver a downward strike from above.
All 6 consecutive attacks are executed instantly, bearing down on the man to defeat him.
“Hmph! You do have some interesting techniques!”
[Scales Turn]
With a smile resembling that of a battle beast, the man lightly swings his arm.
With just that motion, Miu’s high-speed, plasma-infused 6-hit barrage effortlessly gets deflected as if sliding off an incredibly smooth surface.
It’s as if there’s some smooth barrier, deflecting attacks from above, targeting the torso, striking the feet, delivering a thrust, and even a powerful downward strike from above.
“Understand the difference in power?”
The unmoving man asks with a confident grin.
What an infuriating guy! I pout my lips and furrow my brow in annoyance. What kind of defense mechanism is he using?
“OORRAAAAA!”
He pulls his fist back, putting force into his hips, and transitions to an attack.
With a sharp slicing sound, I think, his fist approaches right before my eyes.
Slightly tilting my head, I narrowly dodge his approaching fist, then scoop it up from below as it passes by.
Next, his left fist comes at me, but I shift my body to the side and grab hold of his arm.
[One-Shoulder Throw]
Using the skills of a fighter, I half-rotate my body to throw the enemy over my shoulder.
However, before the man’s body embeds into the ground, he stops dead in mid-air.
“Well done!”
He grabs Miu’s arm, lifts it, and tries to slam me into the ground once more.
“Not this time!”
I lift the arm I’m holding, twisting it around his body, then rotate my own body, slamming my knee into his abdomen as if delivering a kick.
[Over Head Throw]
With a swift body rotation, I throw the man. But before his body hits the ground, he stops in mid-air again, as if halted in mid-flight like a stone thrown by a catapult.
“Hey, hey, you’re quite skilled, aren’t you, chibi?”
The man landed on the ground, readjusting his posture with an intrigued expression. 
“What’s going on? What happened to that?”
“You wouldn’t mind telling me the trick behind it, would you?” 
“Well, who knows?”
Trying a watery attack, Miu shrugged her shoulders in a pretending manner. 
Unable to find a breakthrough, she decided to change her approach.
“Alright then, I’ll showcase a variety of spells!”
“Oh, entertain me.”
Observing the grinning man intently, Miu pondered her counterstrategy. Concentrating magical power into her hands, she prepared for the next attack.
Thunder had no effect. So, an attack of the opposite attribute should work.
[Soul Awakening]
[Icicle Bird I]
[Gaia Bird I]
-Linked-
[Icicle Gaia]
Formed from rock and covered in icy armor, a bird emerged from a magic circle drawn in front of his palm. 
The [Icicle Gaia] is larger than Miu due to its growth with frigid air, soaring into the sky, leaving behind crystalline snowflakes, and moving at high speed in a straight line.
“Quite the versatile chibi!”
However, the man remained unfazed, crossing his arms and standing still. He didn’t even attempt to counter the [Icicle Gaia] as it approached.
Then, just like before, the [Icicle Gaia] stopped mid-air and exploded in a massive burst a mist of cold air spread, obscuring the view. 
Within the fog, he furrowed his brows.
Perhaps, she hadn’t inflicted any damage. Could it be that only All-Powerful attacks worked?
No, Miu had felt the impact of [One-Shoulder Throw] and [Over Head Throw]. She should deal some damage. There must be some trick to it.
Could this skill create invisible defensive barriers in the air?
“You’ve realized the difference in power, haven’t you? Well then, let’s go with my attack!”
“You can keep up that relaxed attitude if you want.”
“That’s just not interesting!”
As the mist thickened, the man’s voice echoed. Simultaneously, something struck Miu from the side while she was in the fog.
“Huh?”
Without any warning, the intense blow sent Miu flying.