ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!

Meanwhile.

Ellyn stumbled slightly, her boots sliding across the scorched ground.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly—panting hard.

The air was thick with heat and ash. The scent of burning dirt clung to her throat like smoke. Her once-pristine royal attire was torn in places, soaked in sweat, dust, and blood that wasn't hers.

Around her, scorched and frozen monster corpses littered the battlefield—lizard-like creatures with fire-coated claws, and beasts twisted by the intense heat of the region. Dozens of them.

And yet...

More were coming.

A fresh wave could be seen through the hazy horizon—red eyes glinting through the shimmering heat.

She grit her teeth.

Even with Absolute Eye, her detection and evasion were starting to slip.

Her mana control and casting speed let her launch spell after spell with minimal delay—but each one chipped away at her core reserves.

Her breath hitched. She could feel the sweat stinging her eyes.

"Syaria..." she whispered, staggering slightly.

The spirit in her necklace spoke immediately.

"I'm here, Princess."

Ellyn clenched her fists tightly around her ice blade.

She stared at the incoming monsters.

"...I can't stop now. If I fall here, no one will even know where I was."

"Then we must act with precision," Syaria said firmly. "No more drawn-out spells. Keep your movement tight. Use ice terrain control—limit their charge paths."

Ellyn exhaled, her lips trembling slightly.

"Alright... one more push. Just one more."

She raised her free hand toward the ground.

The mana circle beneath her feet pulsed faintly. The terrain froze in an arc, creating a gliding field of ice that curved through the path of the incoming monsters.

Her legs were shaking.

But she lowered herself into stance, blade gleaming pale blue in the harsh sun.

"Come at me," she muttered, forcing a smile despite the sweat on her brow.

Ellyn leapt, twisting midair to dodge another blazing strike from the fire lizardman charging her left flank.

But she wasn't fast enough for the second.

A searing impact slammed into her back.

"Kuh—!"

Her small frame was hurled across the scorched field, crashing into the hard, dry earth. Dust and ash burst into the air with the force of her landing.

She coughed violently, her lungs straining for breath.

Her eyes flickered, blurring, colors blending, heat warping her vision. Her body wouldn't move.

Inside her mind…

Ah… so this is how it ends...

I'm really... going to die here?

Hazuki...

She could barely lift her head now, but she saw them—several monsters closing in, claws gleaming, fangs bared.

A final thought crossed her lips.

Looks like… I won't get to marry you after all…

The sky split open.

A brilliant flare ignited above—then another, and another.

From high in the atmosphere, a barrage of burning stars—meteor shower magic—rained down upon the battlefield.

Searing heat and explosive impacts tore through the advancing monsters, obliterating them in bursts of white-hot light.

Ellyn's dimming eyes caught the flicker of magic as the world around her shook.

And then, everything went black.

Meanwhile.

Before Ellyn was attacked…

Hazuki was walking while grumbling with a sour face.

"Damn it… Fifty silver just to drop me this far from the place? And we're still not even close!"

Ridan floated above him lazily, arms behind his head. "Yep. Still a good hike from here."

Hazuki kicked a small rock off the path. "Ugh…"

"…Wanna see something fun?" Ridan grinned. "Countless meteors, lighting up the whole sky like divine wrath? Just channel your best mana, and I'll launch my ancient spell! It's flashy, powerful, and puts modern magic to shame!"

Hazuki raised an eyebrow. "Are you out of your damn mind? What if there's people nearby? What if it's a village or adventurer camp?"

"Hah!? You're the only idiot who'd wander this place without heat protection! Girem dropped you far because he didn't wanna deal with the heat! No one else would be crazy enough to be here!"

Hazuki still looked unsure.

"Just shut up and channel your damn mana already!" Ridan barked.

Hazuki groaned, "Alright, alright! Jeez! What a naggy spirit you are…"

"It's been ages since I used that spell, man!" Ridan grinned wide, eyes glowing. "Let me enjoy it before I go rusty!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Hazuki muttered, standing up and cracking his neck. "But if you blow up some ruins or someone's camp, I'm blaming you."

"Heh… Deal." Ridan's grin stretched wider.

[ Spirit Link – Activate ]

Ridan dove into Hazuki's body with a flicker of light. Hazuki's eyes briefly glowed violet—his stance shifted slightly as the ancient spirit took control.

"Alright!" Ridan's voice echoed through Hazuki's mouth. "Now channel everything you've got! We're gonna light up this whole zone and clean out whatever monsters are crawling nearby!"

Hazuki, still half in control, groaned. "Can't you just do that weird aura thing again? You know—the one that made monsters too scared to come close?"

"Blah blah blah!" Ridan scoffed. "That's no fun! This is better! Besides, you need real combat experience, dammit! You should be thanking me! If it weren't for me, you'd still be that weakling who couldn't even kill a level one slime!"

Hazuki twitched. "...Shit. That actually hurts."

"Good! Let it burn into your pride! Now quit whining and channel your mana! Kekeke!!"

Reluctantly, Hazuki braced his stance and focused his breath. The heat in the air bent slightly around him as a wave of mana rippled outward.

The ground trembled lightly.

Above, the clouds began to churn unnaturally.

Ridan's voice, now thick with excitement, whispered from within him.

"Let me show this world what real ancient magic looks like…"

Ridan's voice rang out with unnatural power, his chant flowing in a language lost to time. The wind stilled. The air grew heavy. Ancient sigils burned across the sky.

"Yes! Yes! More mana, Hazuki! Don't hold back—it's not like you'll run dry anyway!"

"Yeah, yeah... just use whatever you want," Hazuki muttered casually.

"Alright!!" Ridan's voice cracked with glee. "Activate!!"

Hazuki raised his arm.

The sky—darkened.

Clouds twisted violently as if fleeing from something divine.

The first meteor fell.

Then hundreds.

Then thousands.

A storm of light and flame crashed from above.

Each impact shook the land for miles. Bursts of fire, explosions of molten rock, screams of monsters too far to see—yet close enough to hear their death cries—echoed across the sky.

Hazuki's body radiated mana—more than enough to fuel the ancient spell. Not a drop of strain showed on his face.

Inside, Ridan howled with joy.

"Feel it, Hazuki!! This is the true form of magic! The original spell! Cast from memory, not some watered-down scroll or mana-circle nonsense!"

He floated out of Hazuki's body mid-cast, eyes gleaming as he stared at the burning sky.

"No kiddo in this world could pull this off! Bwahaha!! This is the power of the strongest wizard! The greatest ancient spirit! Genius among geniuses!"

Hazuki stretched his arms lazily, watching the meteor shower.

"Yeah yeah. Kinda pretty though."

Ridan swirled in delight. "Experience raining straight into your soul! Mmhm! Delicious!!"

Hazuki raised an eyebrow.

"…You're getting way too into this."

"It's pretty, right!!" Ridan spun in the air with smug delight. "Behold the great Ridan-sama!! The genius of ancient magic! Master of destruction! Supreme overlord of style!! Now Hazuki—kneel! Bow down to me, mortal!"

Hazuki blinked. "Huh? No way! I'm not kneeling to a floating pervert orb."

"Ceh! No fun." Ridan deflated mid-spin. "Can't even enjoy a little dramatic worship these days..."

"Yeah yeah..." Hazuki yawned. "...Hmm? Wait a sec."

Ridan tilted. "What now?"

Hazuki's eyes widened. "What if that spell you launched... actually destroyed the Fire Grun herb!?"

Ridan floated mid-air, blinking. "Hah!? You think that weak plant can be wiped out by my magic!?"

Hazuki's voice cracked. "You just dropped METEORS from the SKY!! With that kind of blast radius, anything's toast!!"

"Tsk, you don't understand." Ridan waved him off. "Fire Grun grows in extreme environments. Volcanoes, lava fields, dragon dens. A couple of rocks from the sky won't even singe it!"

Hazuki squatted, clenching both hands on his head in despair. "Ughhh!! All because of you!! What if it's all dust now!? What if I have to walk five more days just to find another spot!?"

"Hey hey hey!" Ridan raised both invisible hands. "Don't blame the genius! I said I wanted to kill monsters, not incinerate flowers!"

Hazuki looked up with a dead stare. "It was your spell."

"It was your mana."

They both paused.

A soft breeze blew past the scorched hills ahead. Smoke still curling gently upward.

Ridan coughed. "...So uh. Want to... go check if the herb's still there?"

Hazuki stood up slowly, dusted his pants, and walked forward with the deadest of expressions.

After walking for an hour through the scorched field of half-melted boulders and crispy monster limbs…

"See!? No Fire Grun yet!!" Hazuki shouted, flailing his arms. "We've been walking forever! And not a single herb!"

"Hah!? You don't even know what a Fire Grun looks like!!" Ridan barked back, puffed up like a floating balloon of wounded pride.

"Shit!! Now we have to go deeper! That's more time wasted!!" Hazuki groaned, dragging his boots through soot-stained dirt. "I swear, this is your fault!"

"Just walk, man! It's not like you get tired!"

Hazuki sighed loudly. "Ughhh..."

Then he stopped.

His eyes locked on a small figure in the distance. Lying motionless on the blackened ground.

A child?

No—a girl.

Nearby, the scorched earth was littered with monster corpses. Some torn, others sliced clean. Not one of them whole. Blood, ash, and remnants of battle painted the entire area like a broken mosaic.

Hazuki's face paled. "...Shit. SHIT!! This is all your fault, Ridan!!"

"Wha—ME!?"

"I'm going to jail!! I'm going to jail!!! I murdered a kid with a meteor spell!!" Hazuki staggered back, hand gripping his hair in panic. "Oh crap, oh crap oh crap—this is capital punishment, man!!"

"N-Now hold on a second!" Ridan hovered, eyes darting nervously. "W-We don't know she's dead! Maybe she's just sleeping? Kids do that, right!?"

"C-Check her! Maybe she's still alive! CPR or healing or whatever! Quick before someone else shows up!"

Hazuki bolted toward her and skidded to a stop beside the body.

Small frame. Ash on her cheeks. Her dress slightly singed—but intact. Not a single visible injury.

He leaned in, heart pounding. "...Oi...kid...?"

Ridan floated closer. "Anything?"

Hazuki gently reached out.

"...She's breathing," Hazuki whispered. Then immediately slapped his forehead. "Oh thank God..."

"T-That's good! That's good!!" Ridan spun with relief. "Though... who the hell is she?"

Hazuki stared at her face.

Something about her looked familiar.

Too familiar.

( End Of Chapter )