It may have been a conceptual success, but it was a practical failure. What good is slowing time if I'm still moving at the same relative pace to everything else? I take a few minutes to mull over the issue, while I recover from the magic strain of my spell attempt.
Hmm…maybe I can try to nullify that syrupy state around my body only?
After a good rest, and feeling mostly recovered, I restart the time spell and once again try to move – there's the familiar resistance. This time, I imagine the syrupy space 'thinning' around my body as I try to move.
I feel the resistance slowly drop, and eventually I can walk with a little effort. I spend a while getting used to the feeling of altering the thickened spacetime around me, until I can move normally. Finally! This might be useful now.
I drop the time spell and rest again. This spell is crazy draining, even for me. I suspect that I currently can't use it for more than five minutes at a time, from my own frame of reference.
After I recover, I search around for a small rock to throw. I toss the rock as hard as I can at a tree that's across the clearing, using full body enhancement. The second it leaves my hand I apply the slow time spell, and the rock slows to about jogging speed. I crank up the magic power going into the spell, and the rock slows to a crawl. I run ahead of it, then grab it out of the air and drop the time spell. This is definitely practical.
Alright, time to play a little game with Nina.
[Hey, Nina, I'm finished practicing what I wanted to work on. How would you like to pit your bow skills against my new spell in a wager? If you win, we'll have that bath you wanted tonight, and if I win, I'm off the hook.] (Mizuki)
Nina turns around to look at me and smiles wickedly, but I can also sense caution mixed with her anticipation.
[Oh? I like the sound of that. What kind of wager are you suggesting? I have no intention of going easy on you, by the way.] (Nina)
I smile to myself. Yeah, that sounds like Nina.
[Simple. I'll stand right here and won't move my feet from this spot. You get to fire a single arrow at me, and if it can damage me even the slightest bit, we'll call you the winner.] (Mizuki)
I plan to grab that arrow right out of the air – it'll never get a chance to hit me. Nina raises her eyebrows, like 'are you insane?', but she shrugs.
[Suit yourself, Mizuki. I hope you're ready for that bath. Here it comes.] (Nina)
She takes up a bow stance about ten meters from me and nocks an arrow, then she closes her eyes and I sense magic power flowing into the weapon. I don't plan to let it hit me, but I apply max body enhancement just in case. Fearing how fast the arrow may be released, I also activate the time spell at low power.
After a moment, I see Nina's fingers release the bow string and I crank my time spell to the max power that I can currently tolerate. I watch the arrow fly from the bow in slow motion and start making its way towards me – it's about the speed of a paper airplane. Given how slow her other arrows looked by comparison, this one must be absolutely blistering through the air in real time.
The arrow seems to take a path left of me, where it won't hit. Clever…is she trying to loop it around behind me for a back shot? I smirk in the slowed time.
I'm definitely not going to let that happen. I spread out my magic sense in a series of cages instead of the typical web, and I set it to detect any solid matter larger than air molecules. Meanwhile, I continue looking at Nina to avoid tipping my hand.
When I sense that the arrow is a little over a meter from my back, I whip my head around and lean to the side. The arrow slowly glides past me, where my body was a moment ago, and I reach out and grab it. After I have a firm hand on the arrow, I drop my time spell and look up at Nina. Her face is in complete shock.
"Fufufufu…that was truly exceptional, Mizuki! I cannot believe how fast you reacted! You'll have to tell me how you did that." (Nina)
I give her a smug smile. I'm about to make a joke to her, but then I notice she doesn't seem very upset by the outcome. Before I can say anything, she continues with thought communication.
[However, I would never underestimate you again…so, you'll be telling me how you did it from our bath tonight.] (Nina)
She flashes me a wicked smile, and at the same time I feel an enormous release of energy from the arrow I'm holding. Before I can react, an intense explosion sends me flying sideways into the woods, with my body acting like a wrecking ball to all the trees in my path.