Littleroot Versus Stonefield

“—and let us hope this will be another championship to go down in the annals of history!

“Now, it is with great honor that I present to you our final match of the evening:

“Nora Littleroot… versus… Arthur Stonefield!”

The crowd erupts with deafening applause as Athur descends from the sky atop his Black Dragon. Between the gale from its wings and the tremble of the earth as the dragon lands—I can barely keep myself standing upright.

Arthur’s going all out right from the start. Guess he really wants to prove me wrong, huh? Well…

The feeling’s mutual.

Arthur smiles. “I do hope all that talk before wasn’t just bluster. After all, I’d hate for our audience to leave disappointed."

His summon is massive, taking up an enormous amount of the arena despite being a relatively young dragon. Everything about it seems optimized for killing. Coming face to face with such a terrifying beast, I’m hit with a whirlwind of emotions.

“Squee?”

But with Pudding by my side, I know that no matter what happens, everything will turn out alright. It’s time to show Arthur—show everybody—the true strength of our bond. A glimpse at a better future, where humans and monsters cast aside age-old rivalries and live together in harmony. After everything Pudding and I have gone through, we refuse to let our dream end here!

I kneel and gently pat him.

“Squee!”

I feed him a fistful of herbs, and as he begins to morph, I pull out my wand, preparing to cast my strongest spell. I shoot Arthur one final glare informing him of our resolve.

His dragon roars, and Arthur returns my glare with one of his own. His eyes finally open, revealing piercing purple irises mirroring his dragon’s, as the facade of effortless charm melts away, replaced by a smile far more honest—one brimming with anticipation.

“So… are you ready, little witch?”

“Let the match…”

The dragon’s throat burns bright. Heat washes over me as it charges up a devastating flamethrower.

Pudding grows almost as tall as Arthur’s dragon, his body turning water-aspected and opaque, leaving Arthur and me unable to see each other.

I didn’t have time to properly learn any of the 3rd Order magic schools. So instead, I poured everything into mastering a single spell—with a little help from a fellow outcast.

Try blocking this one, Arthur.

“Solidify… Revolve…”

“…Begin!” Super Grandpa shouts.

“Dragon Fire!” Arthur roars.

FWOOOOOSH!

A ruinous jet of blue flame engulfs Pudding. He shields me from the inferno, but his watery body rapidly evaporates, shrinking by the second.

He won’t last long.

Luckily…

“Earth Magic—”

…he bought me all the time I needed!

“HEARTBREAKER!”

KRKISHHHHH!

Pudding opens a gap in his body for the rapidly spinning stone spear.

It tears straight through the dragon’s left eye and rips into the side of its head.

With a pained roar, the dragon halts its attack.

I was aiming for the center, hoping to end the match immediately, but I knew landing a direct hit while firing blind was a long shot. And Heartbreaker takes far too much time and mana for me to get away with casting it twice.

I’m in for a brutal slog now… but partially blinding the dragon should still give us a huge advantage.

Caught off guard, Arthur frantically works to sear the dragon’s wound shut with fire magic.

Seizing on the dragon’s disorientation, I use wind magic to fly towards Arthur. He flings massive fireballs at me, but he’s too occupied with his dragon to aim precisely. I dodge his attacks and fire back with several boulders, but as expected, they have no effect on either Arthur’s shield or his dragon.

Pudding climbs up the dragon’s leg and onto its back. I use my slingshot to fling a few herbs his way, and he grows once more.

Our chance to defeat his dragon is gone…

…But thankfully, we don’t need to.

I soar past Arthur and hammer him with close-range wind blasts. If we can just separate Arthur from his dragon and knock him out, the match is ours.

Arthur turtles behind his shield, enduring every blast, then flashes me a terrifying glare.

Unfortunately, taking him out is a lot easier said than done.

Pudding rapidly fires acid shots at him—

“Dragon Magic—”

—but they fail to pierce his defensive aura.

“—Flame Breath!”

I counter with a torrent of water from my wand. The two attacks collide, neither giving an inch…

…but I need to avoid a battle of attrition. He has way too much mana for me to compete.

I dodge out of the way. The crowd screams as the fierce blue flames roar toward them, only to crash harmlessly against the barrier. Gosh, that thing is sturdy.

Suddenly the flames pull back and widen—

Arthur bursts through them and unleashes a mighty slash, his blade overflowing with offensive aura.

I dodge the slash and the wave of energy it releases, but Arthur spins mid-air and slams me with his shield, sending me flying into a wall. I struggle to get up, the wind knocked wind out of me.

“Tail Smash!”

The dragon swings its gigantic tail around the arena, and Arthur jumps on top, catching a ride.

If I try to block the tail, I’m toast—but if I try to dodge, Arthur’s going to slash me! Is the match really already—

“Squee!”

I look up to see Pudding falling toward me, having leapt from the dragon’s back.

I quickly slingshot him some growth and hardening herbs, and he crashes to the ground.

THUD!

Blocking their assault just in time.

Arthur races back up the dragon’s tail as Pudding fires massive acid shots, but—

“Dragon Magic: Gale Wing!”

Arthur leaps over the barrage and lands on his dragon’s back.

Separating them isn’t working. We need to restrict their movement.

I feed Pudding a softening herb and hop inside. He takes off rolling around the arena while I pelt the dragon’s feet and joints with sticky shots, gradually gumming up its movements while we dodge fire, claws, and tail strikes. By sticking to its blind side, Pudding can stay one step ahead of everything of every attack.

Arthur is another story.

His attacks are far more precise, forcing me to burn through mana blocking a barrage of fire, explosions, and slashes with defensive earth magic.

Eventually, slowing the dragon any further starts costing more mana than it’s worth.

Time to switch tactics.

I shrink Pudding down, then use wind magic to sling us beneath the dragon and fly up behind Arthur.

I toss Pudding at Arthur. He tries to bat him away with his shield—but Pudding sticks to it thanks to the adhesive herb I fed him.

Before Arthur can react, Pudding squeezes through a gap in his armor and catches a growth herb I sling him, then rapidly expands. The slippery slime causes Arthur to lose grip of his sword and shield before eventually trapping his entire body—other than his head.

I blast toward Arthur, ready to hit him point-blank with a full force earth spell. Even against his incredible defensive aura, a shot to the head should knock him out cold.

But then he starts chanting.

An explosion spell?!

“Pudding!”

Pudding springs free and leaps into my arms. We barely escape the blast—only to find Arthur’s burned away all the slime coating him.

“You’d do well to remember you’re not the only one who can cast wandless magic.”

Arthur drops down to retrieve his sword and shield.

While he does, Pudding and I race toward the dragon’s head to take out its remaining eye. We catch it by surprise, but our attacks splatter harmlessly against a transparent membrane—apparently, the dragon’s insane armoring extends even to its eyes.

Running low on mana, and having done everything I can to limit the dragon, it’s time for my final plan.

Just as Arthur returns to the dragon’s back, I leap off, landing on the ground and firing off a large cloud of dirt to block Arthur’s view. I start chanting the incantation for Heartbreaker.

“I don’t think so!”

He immediately charges his sword and slashes, sending a massive wave of energy tearing toward us.

He took the bait.

Wind erupts beneath us as I finish casting my actual spell, sending us hurtling straight toward the attack. We pop out of the cloud, Pudding enlarged and rapidly vibrating as I pour mana into him.

“Slime Magic: Shock Absorb!”

We catch Arthur’s attack—

“Slime Magic: Counter Impact Burst!”

—and throw it right back at him!

He raises his shield and floods it with enough mana to shrug off the attack, however just as he lowers it—

“Pocket sand!”

I splash him in the eyes.

“Argh!”

Arthur reels back, dropping his sword and shield as he clutches his face.

It’s time to end this!

I blast toward him with everything I’ve got. Every bit of training, every trial, every hardship—it’s all led up to this! Time to show him the true power of our bond!

This one’s for Petra, you jerk!

Take—

“Ghk!”

Arthur catches me by the neck, floods his arm with mana, and hurls Pudding and me into the side of the arena. I channel as much defensive aura as I can, but the impact still hits like a hammer as I slam into the barrier and plummet several meters to the ground.

I try to get up, but my body’s not responding. When I look up, Arthur’s already washed the sand from his eyes with water magic and is glaring down at us with contempt.

“And that’s why a true summoner hones all their senses. Trains tirelessly to cover all their weaknesses. Strives every day toward achieving perfection.”

Arthur scoffs.

“You’re no true summoner. You’re a child. You regularly get ahead of yourself in battle. You employ juvenile tricks and shortcuts. You treat your summon like a pet. It’s disgusting. I won’t deny your talent. I’ll acknowledge that your twisted affinity for monsters has allowed you to tap into a strength the rest of us haven’t. But it doesn’t change the fact I’ve proven my path superior. And if you’re a summoner of your word, your days of spreading your perverse views are over.”

He picks up his shield and sheathes his sword.

“You are nothing more than a pebble in the road to me. I have far greater enemies to conquer. I’ll see to it I graduate more powerful than any other summoner in this academy’s history, and use the skills I hone and unparalleled summon fate’s handed to me to finally take our war with the monsters back to their domain. I’ll lay waste to every last one of them and usher in a world where no other child ever has to shed tears over losing their parents to monsters ever again.”

…

I can’t help but chuckle and cough up a bit of blood. “That’s nice and all—”

I grab Pudding—still incapacitated from our monster magic—and finally manage to push myself back to my feet.

”—but save the speeches until after you’ve won.”

Arthur’s eyes narrow. “Not knowing when to quit. Another sign of immaturity.”

“You’re one to talk. Kill until there are no more threats left to our safety? Sounds like something a child would come up with. Does that extend to other beasts too? How about the people in other kingdoms? What about whoever might live beyond our lands? Well, me and Pudding? We fight for everyone.”

“Squee!”

“Mock us all you want. Knock us down as many times as you must. It’s nothing we haven’t dealt with our entire lives—and we’re still standing. You’re the pebble in the road, Stonefield.”

“Squee!”

“Me and Pudding refuse to give up until we’ve achieved our dream! And guess what?! The first step to that is—”

Pudding and I glare at Arthur as I point my wand at him.

“Taking.

“You.

“Dow—”

FWOOM!

In a flash, a summoner circle appears beneath me and Pudding, and a massive pillar of light shoots into the sky, enveloping us.

This feeling… it goes beyond even what I felt when I first contracted Pudding. Our thoughts and feelings are perfectly in sync, our souls so intertwined it’s like we’re one in the same. I feel Pudding’s love wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I’ve never felt so invigorated!

I look down and find my body composed entirely of slime. Just like my hat whenever Pudding touches it, the inside of my uniform has shifted to that same purple hue.

It’s strange. I still have my glasses on, but my vision’s gone so blurry. And yet, the mana flowing through our world… I can see it now. I can feel it so much more vividly.

Is this how Pudding sees the world?

I create a small flame with my finger. Channeling mana through my body is no harder than using my wand.

I tuck my wand into my satchel and grab an herb to see if it’ll work on me, choosing a relatively harmless one—increased elasticity. Sure enough, I’m able to stretch my arm to the ground.

What…what even in this?

Something calls out to me. A name. But unlike when I discover new monster magic, it’s coming from somewhere deeper. From something more… primordial.

Huh.

That’s what it’s called?

I didn’t know that was even a—

Meh, I can figure it out later.

As the pillar of light fades, I know what I must do. And that’s—

The crowd gasps.

—strike a pose!

After all, it’s not every day a girl gets to reveal ancient summoner magic! Gotta keep things entertaining for the crowd!

“Summoner Magic: Soul Unison!”

“What?!” Arthur shouts.

The crowd erupts into chatter, unable to comprehend what they’re seeing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see just one person in the entire arena taking this well—Super Grandpa—wearing the happiest grin I’ve ever seen in my life.

No matter. As great as I feel, I’m still low on mana and have an opponent to defeat.

My mind races through all the ways I could use my new form, along with the various herbs and spells at my disposal, but nothing seems like it’d work. Is there really no way I can still—

I glance at the slingshot Lucas gave me… and can’t help but smile.

Thanks, buddy. I owe you one.

Arthur snaps out of his shock, and raises his guard. “What the hell are you?”

“I am Nora.”

I gobble up all the bounciness herbs in my satchel, as well as a few elasticity herbs.

“Half apex predator.”

I slip off my gloves, socks, and shoes.

“Half cutie patootie.”

I stretch my arms around the dragon’s hind legs and pull myself back to the arena wall.

“Hear me roar.”

BOING!

I let go, slingshotting myself at a speed unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

I slam into the opposite wall.

And yet, it doesn’t hurt.

BOING!

I go flying in a random direction—even faster this time.

BOING!

Phew! The barrier held after I crashed into it—meaning my plan’s all good to go!

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

Each time I bounce, I get a better feeling for how to position my body to change my trajectory. What’s more, I keep getting faster with each bounce! Arthur and his dragon try to retaliate, but they can hardly even keep up with me, let alone land an attack on me.

Hm… I wonder if—

BOING! BOING!

I bounce past Arthur and fling a fireball at him, but miss. I try once more, this time off by only a hair.

Okay, I think I’ve got it now! Here we go—

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

I nail him with a fireball. Cut his face with a shard of earth. Knock him backwards with a surge of water. Knock him the other direction with a gust of wind. I’ve got the precision down, but playtime’s over. I don’t need any of this magic—all I’ve gotta do is one thing!

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

I pick up so much speed that I might as well be invisible to him. His eyes dart around as his body turns every which way, sword drawn, desperately trying to track me. But just as he turns his head and finally sets his eyes on me—

BOING!

I slam my fist into his head and send him flying through the air like a ragdoll.

“Grk!”

Even with all the defensive aura he can muster, he takes major damage—but I’m far from done.

BOING!

Quick thinker that he is, Arthur turtles up against a wall, greatly limiting the number of angles I can attack him from. He dumps vast quantities of mana into pushing all four martial auras to their absolute limit. He's going all in on a counterattack—but I won’t give him the chance!

BOING! BOING!

I crash down on him from above, knocking him forward.

BOING!

“You—”

By the time he’s turned around to slash where I just was, I’ve already banked off the arena wall.

I hurtle along its curved edge and come right back around toward him, slamming into his side. As I do, I grab him and grind him against the wall at full speed. His sword flies from his hand, but he manages to wedge his shield between himself and the wall.

His dragon launches a jet of fire at us and, by some insane luck, nearly hits us—but it pulls back its attack just before impact.

Was it worried about hurting Arthur?

The dragon roars in frustration.

Arthur snaps. “Just hit her alread—”

I toss him, and he goes ragdolling into the wall again.

CLANG!

His shield cracks.

He tumbles to the ground but manages to land on his feet. Arthur’s face twists with frustration, but his eyes burn with resolve.

“I refuse to lose here!”

An absurd amount of mana gathers in front of Arthur’s hands, condensing into an impossibly black sphere crackling with destructive energy as he takes aim at me.

“Dragon Magic: Calamity—”

BOING!

A wave of dread washes over me.

It’s too late to change course.

I can feel it deep in my stomach. If that magic hits me, I won’t just lose. I could—

Arthur stops himself—and the spell instantly unravels.

Guilt flashes across his face, and he hastily shifts his stance.

“Dragon Magic: Flame Breath!”

The blast nearly catches me point-blank, but at the last second, I rotate my body midair, narrowly slipping beneath it before slamming into Arthur’s legs. I grab him as I bounce and toss him through the air.

“Argh!”

BOING!

His dragon cries out, helpless to do anything but watch. Overwhelmed and having sustained too much damage, all Arthur can do now is hide behind his shield and focus on maintaining his defensive aura—but it’s not enough.

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

With each successive blow, the crack in his shield spreads until finally—

BOING-KRAKSHH!

His shield shatters, and he’s sent tumbling through the air in the center of the arena—I’ve finally broken through his defenses!

Nearly out of mana, I’ve done it just in time!

BOING! BOING!

I bounce all the way up to the very top of the barrier, ricocheting off of it and crashing back down toward Arthur. I throw every last drop of mana I have left into bolstering my attack, propelling myself not with martial aura or wind magic—but through something entirely new.

“SLIME MAGIC: FALLING—

I crash into Arthur, my body blazing with mana.

STAR!”

An enormous explosion of dust erupts into the air.

Through the dust, Arthur’s dragon lets out one final roar before its shadow fades away.

My body has returned to normal. Pudding rests in one arm as I struggle to stay on my feet, completely out of mana…

But it no longer matters.

Arthur lies on the ground, knocked out cold.

Standing over him, I raise my fist to the sky, Pudding perched atop it.

“Squee!”

The crowd erupts into an applause louder than anything I’ve ever heard before.

Super Grandpa shouts with excitement. “Hailing from the very outskirts of our kingdom, this summoner came out of nowhere, yet quickly rose through our ranks! Wielding all four schools of magic, she’s shown no need for wands or incantations! And by her side through it all, her steadfast companion, Pudding—a Blue Slime more formidable than anyone thought possible!

“Known to many as the little witch who loves slimes just a little too much—give a warm round of applause to our new top-ranked first-year and Rising Stars Tournament champion:

“Nora Littleroot!”

The crowd roars once more, and I let out a victory cry.

“Gyaoooooo!”

Pudding imitates me.

“Squeeeeee!”