City of Rafgal, Southern Border of the Scathlan Kingdom, Northern Continent.
"Ventus Gladius!"
(Wind Blades!)
As I dashed forward, gripping my sword Seraphis, dozens of Wind Blades rained wildly upon Dragnel's body. That was my wind magic.
Right here... right now... I will definitely take down that despicable man.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dust swirled in the air as the Wind Blades struck the ground. And within that cloud of dust, I slipped inside, hiding behind it to thrust my Seraphis into Dragnel's body.
But—
Dragnel swung his sword sideways with immense force. The sheer power of his swing created a surge in the air, blowing away the surrounding dust. And in that instant, his figure became clear to my eyes.
He didn't have a single scratch from the Wind Blades that had rained down upon him so ferociously.
"This is exciting! So exciting, Miss Elf! Hahahahaha...!"
Dragnel roared in excitement, as if he was actually enjoying my attacks. He was just as insane as Lilith!
I leaped forward and charged at him with Seraphis, swinging my sword down from above, aiming straight for his head. But he blocked my attack with his massive sword. Instantly, I jumped back and dashed around him.
He grinned at me, and then—
In the blink of an eye, his body was right in front of me, his right hand raising his sword overhead.
He's so fast!
This makes no sense, especially considering the sheer size of the black sword in his right hand.
Dragnel's massive sword was called Excidium, a weapon symbolizing destruction itself. The blade alone was nearly two meters long, with a width of about 40 cm, tapering sharply to its tip. Its hilt was roughly half a meter long.
And this madman was swinging that enormous sword with just one hand. Just how strong is he?!
It was said that Excidium was forged from the fang of the Demon Dragon, Altrox—the Dragon King who was cursed and fell into darkness. A greedy and ruthless dragon, the very embodiment of catastrophe for the entire continent.
Yet, despite the weight of Excidium, Dragnel could match my speed—even though I was fully utilizing the magic of my Wind Cloak. No... he might actually be faster than me.
This is absurd!
Dragnel continued to swing Excidium at me relentlessly. Meanwhile, I kept maneuvering with my Wind Cloak, evading his relentless assault.
To be honest, I was completely cornered by his rampage.
"What's wrong, Miss Elf? Have you given up? Why do you keep hopping around like a rabbit!?"
How arrogant and conceited this demon was.
Then, as Dragnel swung Excidium sideways, aiming for my neck, I ducked low to avoid his strike, touching the ground with my left hand and chanting a spell.
"Sugens Terra!"
(Quicksand!)
With my incantation, the ground beneath Dragnel's feet turned soft. In an instant, it swallowed his legs. The moment I finished casting, I leaped away from him.
Dragnel, startled by the shifting ground, stabbed his sword forcefully into the earth before him. Using the sheer strength of his arms, he lifted his entire body into the air and flipped forward.
The moment his feet found solid ground again, he swung his sword powerfully toward me.
And then—
The black sword suddenly extended, as if lunging to devour me.
"Maceria Lapidea!"
(Stone Wall!)
I quickly cast my magic, raising a massive Stone Wall before me.
Boom!
A deafening impact rang out as Dragnel's bizarre sword struck my Stone Wall. But in an instant, my wall was shattered by his blade.
And through the haze of dust left by my ruined wall, our eyes locked in a fierce gaze. A faint smile played on Dragnel's lips. Without hesitation, he sprinted forward and leaped at me.
"Ventum Tormenti!"
(Wind Cannon!)
Reacting swiftly to his sudden attack, I conjured a massive sphere of wind magic and hurled it at Dragnel. The force of my magic sent him flying backward.
Yet, Dragnel quickly regained his balance. Once more, he swung his sword from afar.
And again, his blade extended, striking at me from a distance.
Like a massive black whip, Excidium lashed out wildly. I deflected its attacks with Stone Walls and Wind Cannons, while occasionally evading with swift, long jumps.
This is a battle of endurance!
This fight will be decided by who can last the longest—whether it's my magic or Dragnel's stamina.
From our battle so far, I had realized that Dragnel was a fighter who relied entirely on his physical prowess and swordplay. That meant he was a Demon of the Swordmaster class.
But unlike typical Swordmasters, Dragnel possessed the Beast-Taming skill.
The same skill that Lilith had.
However, unlike Lilith—who naturally had Beast-Taming since she was a Dark-Mage—Dragnel was a Swordmaster. It was ridiculous for someone like him to have such a skill.
The real problem was that if this turned into a battle of endurance, I had no chance of winning against a monster as absurd as Dragnel.
I had to bet everything on a single, decisive spell. The strongest and fastest magic in my arsenal.
"Ignis Vita!"
(Flame of Life!)
Raising my hand skyward, I conjured multiple massive fireballs in the air—then sent them hurtling straight at Dragnel.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted as my fire magic rained down upon him.
Then, while sprinting forward, I released the magic within my sword Seraphis, drawing upon the mana in the surroundings to unleash my strongest long-range attack.
"This kind of attack is meaningless to me, Miss Elf!"
Dragnel swung his sword, dispersing the flames that threatened to consume him.
"Radices Vitae!"
(Roots of Life!)
At my command, massive roots burst forth from beneath Dragnel's feet, coiling tightly around his legs, arms, and body.
For a moment, he shouldn't be able to move.
Even if it was only for an instant—that instant was all I needed to end this battle.
"What are you planning, Miss Elf?!"
Dragnel shouted at me.
And I responded by chanting my spell.
"O Magna Elf, Uriel! Princeps præsens prædator qui custodit terram. Da mihi hastam judicii. Ut æstuáris inimícum coram me."
(O Great Elf, Uriel! Ruler of the elves who guard the earth. Grant me your spear of judgment. To incinerate the enemy before me.)
Along with my incantation, the clouds in the sky darkened. Darkness engulfed the entire battlefield. And behind those black clouds, lightning struck fiercely.
Then...
Slowly, the bolts of lightning gathered, forming a massive spear. A colossal spear that would shoot through the sky as fast as lightning. A spear that would destroy and incinerate any foe that stood in its way.
"Wahahahaha... this is amazing! This is truly incredible! I've never seen such powerful magic before. This is extraordinary, Miss Elf. You surpass every elf I've ever faced!"
The man kept spewing nonsense. But right now... this very moment... I would put an end to all his nonsense.
"Varja!"
With my shout, the lightning spear in the sky shot forward at incredible speed toward Dragnel.
And then—
Duuuaaaaarrrr!
The deafening explosion roared, shaking the entire battlefield. The wind howled and surged violently due to the force of my 'Varja' spell.
This was the end of the man who had killed my father... my family... and destroyed my kingdom.
I have avenged you, Father... Mother... Lucia...
A faint sense of relief slowly filled the heart that had long been burdened with pain and sorrow.
And as my body collapsed from exhaustion, having drained all my mana, the entire battlefield fell into utter silence...
In fear...
In awe...
***
"That was an incredible spell! Was that Aella's magic? This is truly astonishing! The ground trembled violently, and even the air surged fiercely due to the explosion of that spell.
But... what about Aella's condition? Is she okay? A spell like that must have consumed an enormous amount of mana.
The next episode is titled 'The Silent Scream.' Don't forget to read it... Bye!"
—Estella Lightheart