After obtaining the Sprig of G'Hanir, Andreas hadn't yet found the time to trim or carve it.
From its exterior, the sprig looked no different from an ordinary branch. Only by holding it personally could one feel the surging, primordial nature energy contained within. These natural forces, transformed through Andreas's conversion, had gradually become a unique power that only he could command.
In truth, Azshara didn't need to issue a warning. The moment she entered a combat state, the terrifying pressure that instinctively radiated from her triggered the highest level of alarm bells in Andreas's mind. Although that vast, ocean-like aura was currently calm and restrained, Andreas didn't dare lower his guard for a single second.
If Andreas's memory served him correctly, Azshara was the most powerful being among all mortals in Azeroth in the current era—and perhaps even among those ten thousand years into the future.
Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, Andreas mobilized the energy within his body into a highly active state. "Your Majesty, please begin."
Once Andreas was ready, Azshara lifted her chin with a cold, detached expression. "Then you shall make the first move. Consider this my final courtesy to you."
"Then I shall be so bold!"
Shadow energy erupted from his hands, and within a single second, it assimilated the Sprig of G'Hanir, which possessed excellent energy absorption and conductivity. The branch, which originally displayed the normal hues of a plant, suddenly turned a dark purple that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Watching with a complex mix of emotions, Leticia was startled by this sudden transformation. What kind of eerie power is this?
"Hmph~" Azshara let out a light snort. "Shadow energy, as expected. Has Elune finally decided to show her hidden cards?"
The massive disparity in strength left Andreas no room to hold back. He immediately mobilized a large amount of Shadow energy and, amplified by the Sprig of G'Hanir, launched a formless mental shock locked onto Azshara.
"Mind Blast!"
Azshara, the direct target of the spell, felt a slight dizziness in her head. However, after a mere fraction of a second, she relied on her formidable willpower to shake off the effects of the Mind Blast.
Andreas hadn't expected this move to have a significant effect on Azshara; at best, it was a distraction. Seizing the moment of her distraction, Andreas thrust the thick end of the Sprig of G'Hanir into the ground of the outdoor training field. Mutated nature energy immediately surged into the earth.
Amidst slight tremors, a dozen deep purple vines burst from the ground, tightly surrounding Azshara in the center.
"Oh?" Azshara looked at the thick vines with interest. Due to the enhancement from the Sprig of G'Hanir and Andreas's improved mastery over his own power, these Shadow Vines were several times thicker than before.
The writhing vines could now be controlled freely by Andreas. Receiving their master's command, the cluster of vines launched a seamless barrage of lashes toward Azshara in a timed sequence.
The moment the vines reached her, a thin-looking arcane defense barrier manifested around Azshara's body without any warning. When the Shadow Vines struck the arcane barrier, the seemingly fragile protection proved incredibly resilient. No matter how the vines lashed out, the arcane barrier did not shatter instantly as Leticia had expected.
Azshara's expression became somewhat peculiar as she endured the attack. As the caster of the spell, she could feel her arcane barrier being eroded by the strange power attached to the vines.
"I see. The direct destructive power of Shadow energy isn't strong, but its penetrative force against the spirit and physical matter is extraordinary."
If it were anyone else, even if they could block the physical lashes of the vines, the corrosive effect of the Shadow energy would eventually eat through their defensive barrier. But to Azshara, whose strength far exceeded Andreas's, this was meaningless.
With two fingers flickering with a faint blue light pressed together, Azshara made a casual horizontal sweeping motion. The Shadow Vines, which had been flaunting their power just moments ago, stopped all movement as if a pause button had been pressed.
Under Leticia's confused gaze, the base of every vine near the ground began to slide sideways. Then, like falling jade pillars, they all crashed to the ground simultaneously.
Boom~
Before the dust raised by the falling vines could settle, Andreas aimed his right hand at Azshara. A dark star suddenly ignited above the Queen's head. After this dark star took shape, it rapidly transformed, shining dim starlight downward. The mutated Starfire spell struck Azshara's protective barrier once again.
Because this was a direct magical attack, the corrosive effect of the Shadow energy was even more apparent. Even Leticia could see the arcane barrier rapidly turning from blue to black, appearing as though it were about to be overwhelmed.
"Heh~ well done. You've shown me quite a few new things that were hard to come by before."
Blinking out of the spell's range, Azshara waved her hand to dispel the heavily eroded arcane shield. "One minute."
Her golden eyes gazed at Andreas without a trace of emotion. "Continue. This counts as nothing more than a warm-up for me. If this is the extent of your skill, I can only express my disappointment."
A drop of sweat rolled down Andreas's forehead. He tugged at the corner of his mouth to force a stiff smile. "It certainly won't be that simple."
He raised the Sprig of G'Hanir high toward the sky, his robes fluttering violently under the surging energy. "Starfall!"
Countless deep purple meteors, like precision-guided missiles, launched consecutive attacks at Azshara under Andreas's strained control.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The continuous explosions echoing through the training ground startled Vashj, who had just returned to the palace with her squad. The direction of the training grounds? Could it be...
The wide-area Starfall quickly obscured the training field with thick dust. Leticia, watching from the sidelines, couldn't even see if the sustained bombardment of Shadow stars was having any effect.
Andreas, still maintaining the spell, received feedback through his magic. Not a single one of the meteors formed by the spell had hit its target. Ignoring the restriction that prevented Blink from being used consecutively, Azshara moved effortlessly across the field, perfectly evading every meteor aimed at her.
"One and a half minutes, little Druid. The courtesy ends here. I am making my move. Do you intend to keep maintaining this spell?"
Her leisurely voice drifted out from behind the veil of dust. Suddenly, Andreas's body instinctively sent him a high-energy warning.
Without time to think, he threw himself to the left in a desperate roll. A beam of pure arcane light struck the spot where he had been standing just a fraction of a second later.
"Good reaction."
An explosive force suddenly erupted from the center of the dust, violently clearing it away. Queen Azshara, completely untarnished, stepped gracefully toward the center of the field.
"Final minute. I'm getting serious now. Let me see if you can still come up with interesting spells while facing a lethal threat."
"Arcane Missiles—Volley."
A sky full of small arcane missiles filled the air above the training field. Under Queen Azshara's control, these lightning-fast, simple spells retaliated against Andreas with an overwhelming bombardment.