A Genius Boy Who Was Exiled From His Family Home for “Not Being Able To Use Magic” Becomes a Witch’s Apprentice and Masters All Magic in the Right Way. This Is How You Use Your Magic, You Know?

Chapter 49. Magical Monsters

The sudden appearance of the phantom species of demon, Cerberus.

Against this opponent, the three took a simple tactic.

Hermes took the vanguard, Sara the center, and Katia the rear.

First, Hermes, with his close combat ability, took on Cerberus’s attacks from the front.

Then, while Katia grasped the situation, she disrupted Cerberus with ghost soldiers from [Soteira Trivia].

Sara played the support role. Using [Theur Gy] and [Ars Paulina], she defended against Cerberus’s powerful attacks and provided support as insurance in case of injury.

And then, while Hermes created an opening, he relentlessly struck with what was likely the only effective blow, [Hlidskjalf].

It would be Hermes and the others’ victory if they could push through. If not, someone would fall, and they would lose.

With limited means of attack, this was the only and best formation.

The battle began under such judgment—

“Ugh…”

“!”

“No good…”

—Naturally, Hermes and the others were at a disadvantage.

All three were giving their all. Their coordination was flawless, their communication and synchronization seemed almost telepathic, far beyond what could be expected from an improvised three-man cell.

However, despite Hermes deflecting attacks, Katia disrupting, and Sara defending—

“I can’t find an opening…!”

Finally, they were barely holding their own, if at all.

Since they weren’t receiving attacks, there was no chance to launch powerful moves.

Although they tried to sneak into blind spots, they immediately gave up.

Because—Cerberus had three heads.

These three worked together, covering each other’s blind spots, and turning what was already a perfect maneuver into an even more flawless one.

Furthermore, this monster had been targeting only Hermes since earlier.

It knew, it realized. It was aware that only Hermes could deliver an effective blow.

Therefore, judging that as long as Hermes was fully engaged in defense, there was no losing move, and indeed, that strategy was proving successful. Whether instinctively sensed or calculated, it was a threat, a terrifyingly sharp-witted creature.

The foreleg that had rendered Aster incapacitated in a single blow was closing in.

“──”

It couldn’t be avoided at this rate with incredible speed.

Hermes, making a split-second decision, immediately imbued his left leg with magical bullets. Leveraging explosive propulsion, he somehow managed to escape the effective range.

Even then, the claws barely grazed his cheek, and he felt another wave of cold sweat.

To top it off, there was this.

The defense of an unscathed body even against the unleashed power of spell inscriptions, coupled with advanced intelligence.

Moreover, above all, this creature—simply put, its physical abilities were extraordinarily high.

Even with Sara’s defense and Katia’s disruption, Hermes could only evade by fully utilizing [Mistle Teinn] for high-speed maneuvering. Perhaps this creature was an individual specialized to an extreme degree in physical abilities.

This was the “phantom species,” standing at the pinnacle of magical monsters.

Against its incredible performance, Hermes and the others could only defend. Without the opportunity to launch significant attacks, their magical power alone was being depleted one-sidedly—

(Calm down)

Suppressing panic, they seized a brief moment amidst the onslaught.

Glancing at the two supporters lightly, both of them, like Hermes, were calmly watching him.

Their eyes still held belief in their victory.

Grateful.

Once again, Hermes glanced at the Cerberus before him.

A fearsome creature. Utilizing abilities befitting a phantom species to the fullest, and using its intelligence to crush any chance of victory for them.

But—

“…Using our heads is our specialty, after all.”

With that declaration, the offense and defense resumed.

The content remained the same as before. Hermes and the others struggle to fend off Cerberus’s fierce attacks. But after a while, at a certain moment—

“…We can do this.”

Suddenly. Just as one might think Hermes muttered that he simultaneously made the magic bullets behind him disappear.

“My eyes overlook all creation, my pupils are fountains, my head is an offering, know my rank as the pinnacle!.”

He sang. The only magic that could damage Cerberus.

Feeling the surge of magic power, Cerberus began attacking Hermes with even greater vigor than before.

Bloodline magic was an extremely advanced form of magic. While Hermes could handle multiple bloodline magics, handling multiple bloodline magics ‘simultaneously’ was currently impossible.

Thus, at this moment, he couldn’t use [Mistle Teinn]. With his high-speed movement restricted by magical bullets, there was no way to fend off Cerberus’s onslaught—

—at least until this moment.

“Whoa!?”

Cerberus let out a cry resembling astonishment.

It was understandable. Hermes, who had noticeably slowed down his movements from before, barely evaded all of Cerberus’s attacks with the smallest possible movements.

And then.

“Spell Reenactment—[Hlidskjalf]!”

A rain of light struck directly.

Cerberus roared in agony. Apart from the first blow, Hermes finally landed a decent hit.

“──El!”

Upon confirming the success of the attack, Katia called out to him.

“…We can do this, right?”

“Yes, sorry for the wait.”

In response to her question, Hermes nodded.

“I anticipated its attacks. It’s time to counterattack.”

“Wooooon!!”

Perhaps fueled by anger from taking a blow, Cerberus resumed its charge with a high-pitched howl.

And just like before, Hermes continued to dodge without using [Mistle Teinn].

Sensing Cerberus’s astonishment, Hermes continued his evasion even though his mobility had drastically decreased compared to before.

However, he could still dodge attacks because, as he had just stated, he ‘anticipated’ them.

Based on the movements of Cerberus accumulated within him through his actions so far. Predicting, responding, and sometimes even guiding to accurately evade the attacks outside of their range.

Observing the target, analyzing, and formulating appropriate responses to improve.

That was precisely what he had been doing with magic all along. It was Hermes’s specialty.

If his movements couldn’t keep up, then he should predict.

If he couldn’t react after seeing it, then he should avoid it before seeing it.

If he would inevitably be hit, he should lead the opponent and twist the future.

Don’t underestimate us for using our heads—such thinking was naïve.

“Woooo!!”

Hermes’s [Hlidskjalf] struck Cerberus one after another.

However, even with his strongest magic, the damage inflicted on Cerberus, boasting extraordinary physical strength, was minimal.

Therefore, they were finally evenly matched. It was now a matter of attrition.

Would Cerberus’s stamina run out first and collapse?

Or would their magical power and concentration run out first, leaving them vulnerable to a fatal blow?

Of course, they had no intention of losing. Because the accumulation of steady progress was also Hermes’s specialty.

They rekindled their determination and focused even more on increasing the rotation rate of their magic.

Just as Hermes was about to unleash even more beams than before—

“!”

Cerberus stepped back.

It was the first action taken since the beginning of the battle. But— it only favored them.

The range of [Hlidskjalf] was still more than enough. In fact, if Cerberus didn’t attack, it would be an easy target.

Seizing the opportunity but remaining cautious, Hermes adjusted the aim of his magic and prepared to strike down—

“──Ggggggg──────”

Cerberus cried out.

The source of the cry was the head with a silvery central eye.

It was different from its previous cries. It felt strange, unsettling, discordant.

As if to prove such a premonition, silver light appeared around that head and poured down onto its body.

—All the wounds Cerberus had suffered were healed.

“…………Huh”

It was too much.

It was too clear and cruel—a scene of despair.

The results of the dozens of beams they had desperately fired. The healing of Cerberus’s wounds, a clear sign that victory was slipping away, now returned to its original state of awe-inspiring, jet-black fur.

“──[Hlidskjalf]!”

Hermes’s judgment was swift.

If that was the case, he wouldn’t give it a chance. From now on, he would keep firing without allowing it to recover.

Driven by such thoughts, he unleashed the largest rain of light he had ever done.

But.

“──Goooooo◇◇◇◇◇nnnn────”

Next, the head with the right bronze eye cried out.

Simultaneously, a red translucent barrier was deployed overhead.

It completely blocked the rain of light.

“──”

“……No way”

“That’s… impossible…”

Even Katia and Sara, who had believed in victory until now, couldn’t help but pale at this outcome.

Even Hermes, for a moment, blanked out in the face of this seemingly surreal sight.

And then, before the three of them.

The last head, with the left golden eye, opened its mouth.

—Monsters were magical creatures. Superior individuals among monsters sometimes used their own magic.

For Hermes, who had seen many monsters in the labyrinth, it was common sense.

Therefore, it was natural for him to consider the possibility that Cerberus could use magic.

But he hadn’t taken it into account tactically.

Why?

Because if it did, they would absolutely have no chance of winning.

If this creature, which had already overwhelmed them with its raw physical abilities, also used powerful magic—

—At that point, they would understand that no matter how they struggled, their chances of winning would be zero.

So, they deliberately ignored it.

Rather than worrying about a situation where defeat was certain, it was more constructive to focus on increasing the possibility of winning in a situation where victory was possible.

Thinking like that, they stubbornly stuck to the possibility that ‘Cerberus wouldn’t use magic’ and concentrated on analysis and ingenuity under the bet.

And now.

Hermes and the others lost even that fundamental bet.

“──Gaaaaaa■■■■■■────nnnn”

Mocking them as if to laugh at their misfortune, the last head cried out, and tremendous magical power gathered, rising as if to burst.

As if it were a counterattack after being relentlessly attacked from above until now, it burst high into the sky.

—And lightning enveloped Hermes and the others.