"Interesting...your Spellcasting range is very similar to mine. Well, except that I can’t cast blue flames, I never even considered the possibility. Before this, I thought I was the only one with combined Attribute Spells," Remarked Lumena in fascination.

"I was hoping you’d have come up with some combined Attribute Spells that I haven’t thought of, so that we’d have more options. Oh, well...let’s focus on our Skills and Soul Weapons instead. Magic Eater might be worth trying out against him, though there’s no way to tell how effective it’ll be until I try it out," I sighed wistfully.

"And my Soul Weapon will probably be useless against this thing," She responded wearily.

"What if you and I just burn down the entire space with blue flames?" Chimed in Izzy.

"And bury ourselves in a wave of molten rock? Not the most appealing idea, that," I pointed out dryly.

"I’d imagine that the core shouldn’t be too far away...with Slimes, removing their cores is enough to kill them. And think about it, with this Plasmuk thing, all the sludge we’ve seen has been connected. The humanoid figures emerged over cracked spots in the ground, and the layer of glimmering sludge that’s coating the entire space is all connected too. It’s likely that any sludge that’s disconnected from the main mass, and subsequently the creature’s core, won’t be able to move or anything," Surmised Lumena thoughtfully, after mulling it over.

"Yeah, there’s a good chance that that’s the case. But the problem is the size of the core, as well as its precise location. If it’s really the size of a grain of sand, our chances of locating it are next to impossible. It’s most likely buried somewhere underground, and he probably has the ability to move it to a different spot if we do happen to get close to finding it," I sighed as I furrowed my brow, trying to think of a solution as I took another puff from Lumena’s Soul Weapon.

Of course it was never going to be that easy to figure this out...this is a Monster so powerful that he fought the Demon King to a standstill, making him significantly more powerful than Izzy.

"What if we just convince him to expose his core? If we point out that the thrill of putting his life at more of a risk will make the experience even more enjoyable, he just might do it," Suggested Izzy, as I exhaled the smoke through my nostrils and handed the pipe back to Lumena.

"That...might actually work," I responded in bemusement.

"It does sound plausible. It’s not the best plan, but at least it’s something," Sighed Lumena, laying down on the ground as she took another puff and added, "You know, as gross as this sludge is, it’s actually kinda comfortable."

"Yeah, it’s a bit bouncy, and it’s not sticky or slimy," Nodded Izzy in agreement, as she poked at the layer of glowing gelatinous sludge coating the ground beneath her.

They’re...not wrong.

"Alright, let’s decide how to use our remaining time before we have to fight Plasmuk. Here’s what I suggest...let’s strategize for a while longer, and then have something to eat before resting in order to recover our energy. After we’ve adequately rested, let’s get back to strategizing with the time we have remaining after that," I suggested, as I sat down on the ground.

"Fine by me," Shrugged Lumena indifferently.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Added Izzy with a thumbs up.

Looks like we’re in agreement. I also plan to use my rest time to go into my Pocket Dimension and train in activating my Soul Weapon Ascension...I can use my Light Attribute to suppress my fatigue for a short while, I’ll use that if I’m tired afterwards.

I do intend to rest for at least a couple of hours, but Soul Weapon Ascension training is pretty tiring, so it might not be enough. Still, I’ll give it a shot...if it increases our chances of victory even a little bit, it’ll be worth it...

...

...

"Hey, wake up. Izzy, wake up...it’s almost time," I remarked, as I shook her shoulder. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Hm...? Oh, hey, Larrk...good morning," She yawned sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eye as she yawned again.

"You sure are carefree, aren’t you? Can’t believe you could sleep so soundly in a situation like that," Chimed in Lumena in bemusement.

"I feel like I’m full of energy now...huh? It kinda smells like sweat in here," Frowned Izzy, sniffing around with a scrunched up look on her face.

I was a bit sweaty after training inside my Pocket Dimension, but once I came out, I used my Water Magic to clean myself, splashing a large ball of water onto me and then extracting the moisture on my body and clothes. Her senses are scary strong.

"We’re about five minutes away from having to fight now. Or rather, we’ve got five minutes left before we die," Sighed Lumena, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Yeah, probably. Still, if I’m gonna die here, I’ll at least try to put up a fight before I do. Let’s go all out right from the start, just as planned," I remarked, standing up and stretching to loosen myself up.

"All out, huh? Strange...it feels like I’m forgetting something," Muttered Lumena, an uncertain look on her face.

Hm? I wonder...

"Let’s see here...," I trailed off as I placed my hand on her head.

"Hey, what do you think you’re-...?" She began with a frown, before trailing off as a dark mist flowed out of her head, her eyes widening slightly.

"Looks like someone placed a Dark Spell in your mind, it felt like some kind of memory manipulation, nothing too complex but still."

"Oh, not exactly...I did this to myself. When I became a slave, I suppressed a small part of my memory. Because of that, I never fought at full power for the bastard that enslaved me. It’s not like he’d know about an ability that I myself had no memory of. Okay, then...I’m just a tiny bit more optimistic about this now," She remarked with a slight gleam in her eyes, before chanting as Plasmuk reappeared, the humanoid form coming into shape a few meters ahead of us, "Soul Weapon Ascension: Queen of the Clouds!"

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