If at all possible, I wanted to avoid a direct confrontation with Serie. Not because I was afraid of losing, but because I would rather learn from her than simply copy her powers.
Serie, of course, knew nothing of my intentions. To her, I was simply the most interesting "creature" she had encountered in centuries.
"You've been observing my body since we met," she said, her voice light. "Gathering information in some way I don't understand, I presume?"
"..."
"Well? Would you care for a match?"
She said it so casually, as if inviting me to a game of cards. She had no idea what she was up against.
But her intent was clear. It seemed a fight was unavoidable. So be it. Since she was the one who initiated this, I would not hold back. Much.
With an internal sigh, I summoned a throne of stone from the ground behind me, then immediately shattered it with my greatsword. The fragments flew through the air, embedding themselves in the blade.
Serie watched, her interest piqued.
"Endo Armament: Activate"
"Pseudo-Endo: Sandalphon Halvanhelev"
I pointed the tip of my blade at the smiling elf.
….
Tap.
Takson closed his holy book. The last of the wounded guards was now stable.
"Thank you," the guard captain said, bowing deeply. "Thank you for your help."
The area around them was a mess of shattered stone and splintered wood. The demon had been powerful, even stronger than the Zera simulation, but Takson's experience had given him the edge. He had exploited the demon's arrogance, its contempt for humans, and had emerged victorious.
"Please, forgive our earlier behavior," the captain said. He was the same man who had thrown Takson out of the guardhouse when he had tried to warn them of the attack.
"Haha, don't worry about it," Takson said, waving it off. "It's all in the past."
"That may be, but..." The captain hesitated. "The city lord wishes to reward you for your service. He has requested your presence at the manor."
Takson stroked his chin, considering the offer. "I don't have time right now. I need to find my teacher."
"Your teacher... is she the one who fought the demons outside the city?" the captain asked, his eyes wide with awe.
They had all seen it. The crimson sky, the flashes of light, the effortless slaughter. A single being, holding off an entire army.
"That's her," Takson said, a swell of pride in his chest. If you praise my teacher, you're a brother to me.
"Then it's all the more reason to come!" the captain insisted. "The lord wishes to thank her as well. If you are her student, that will make things much easier."
"You'll have to ask her," Takson said with a shrug. "She might just say no."
"At the very least, please extend the invitation."
BOOM!
Suddenly, a pillar of platinum-gold energy shot into the sky, and the ground trembled again.
"What's happening now?!" the captain yelled, grabbing a nearby guard.
The guards, who had just begun to relax, were now on high alert again.
But Takson was different. He stared at the pillar of light, his expression one of pure shock.
He recognized that energy.
Teacher's!
Teacher, what in the world is going on over there?!
….
The battle began without a word.
I closed the distance in an instant, appearing directly in front of Serie. A battle between mages was a contest of speed and counters, a high-stakes game of rock-paper-scissors where the loser was instantly obliterated.
But I had no intention of playing that game with the master of all magic.
I chose the way of the warrior.
"Not bad," Serie commented, her face alight with amusement as the massive blade of Halvanhelev descended upon her. "You know how to target my weakness."
"But magic is not just for attacking."
With a flick of her wrist, a dozen different defensive spells materialized in front of her, a layered wall of pure mana. But my blade tore through them as if they were tissue paper. For the first time, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Serie's face.
"Now this is interesting," she purred, her smile widening.
A magic circle flared to life at my feet. A column of dark red fire erupted, engulfing me completely. Serie watched the inferno, slowly backing away, waiting.
As expected, a moment later, a fireball shot out of the flames, aimed directly at her.
A massive hand of stone erupted from the ground, snatching the fireball from the air. A golem, tall as a house, pulled itself from the earth. It crushed the fireball between its massive hands, arcs of purple lightning crackling between its palms.
Boom!
A golden sphere burst from the golem's grip, shooting high into the air. It was me, unharmed. I swung Halvanhelev, sending two massive blades of golden energy hurtling downwards, one at the golem, the other at Serie.
The golem's defensive wards were useless. The energy blade sliced it cleanly in two, and it crumbled into a pile of mud.
The other blade shot towards Serie, who sidestepped it with casual grace.
The attack continued, carving the top clean off a small mountain in the distance.
Serie's expression was now one of pure, unadulterated excitement. She hadn't even begun to use her truly ancient, esoteric spells. A battle that ended too quickly was no fun at all. And I was not disappointing her.
"Come," she said, her voice filled with a hungry glee. "Show me what you can do."
….
"Takson-niichan, are you finished with your business?"
"Yeah." Takson crouched down and gently ruffled Flamme's orange hair.
"Where's Stell-neechan?"
"Teacher... she, uh, still has some things to take care of."
"You mean that weird, colorful sky over there?" Flamme pointed towards the horizon, where the sky was flashing with a chaotic display of light. The distant sound of explosions and the faint trembling of the ground were like a constant firework show.
The city's inhabitants were terrified. They could only imagine the devastation if a battle of that magnitude were to move within their walls.
"Yeah," Takson said, his voice filled with a quiet confidence. "But we have to trust her."
"Because Teacher... is the strongest."
….
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