The scales of victory had already begun to tip toward the Spirits's side.
Yoshino had frozen the advancing drones with snow and ice. Izayoi Miku's song had put DEM's soldiers to sleep. The fleet of airships invading Tengu City's airspace had also fallen from the sky through Kotori and her crew's combined efforts.
However, Ellen Mathers had ignored the state of the battle from beginning to end. As DEM's strongest Wizard, she seed to have long since thrown her duties to the back of her mind.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
With a roar like shout, Ellen gripped the laser blade Caledfwlch in her hand and slashed at the hateful blond man before her.
"Hoo…"
The blond man calmly exhaled and swung the laser spear in his hand, lightly blocking the strike.
Boom!
In an instant, a thunderous roar rang out like two teors colliding. Dense magical power exploded, turning into sword rain visible to the naked eye and shooting in all directions, punching holes through the surrounding buildings.
"Ah, what an incredible amount of magical power. But your attacks are too straightforward. I understand you're excited after our long-awaited reunion, but calm down a little, Ellen."
Looking at Ellen's agitated expression, the blond man smiled unconcernedly.
"Shut up!!"
Seeing that infuriating face of his, Ellen's already blazing anger erupted like a volcano. The magical power intensity on her sword surged once more as she launched a fierce assault against the blond man.
Once, twice, three tis, four tis—the collisions of magical power echoed endlessly. Although snow and wind were crossing through the air, the two of them blood within the city like sumr fireworks. Everywhere they passed, whether towering buildings, solid ground, or lives that had already lost the ability to fight, all were equally crushed into dust.
Honestly, if soone saw this scene, they might gain an entirely new understanding of the phrase walking humanoid disaster.
However, faced with that storm like assault, Woodman always managed to accurately grasp Ellen's movents, continuously blocking, dodging, and even counterattacking.
That astonishing reaction speed and ability to respond were probably sothing even Artemisia and Ai Mulian could not keep up with.
That said, Ellen did not feel surprised.
Because standing before her was one of DEM's founding mbers, Elliot Baldwin Woodman.
At the beginning of DEM's establishnt, Westcott had been responsible for the developnt and technical support of most technologies, including Realizers. Elliot, anwhile, had taken those parts and elents, organized and summarized them, and created the combat system currently used by Wizard troops based on traditional magic.
It was precisely because of these two people that DEM had been able to rise rapidly in the fierce market competition.
Strictly speaking, it would not even be too much for Ellen to call Woodman her teacher. If Ellen was the strongest Wizard of the present day, then the man before her was the first artificial Wizard in the world.
At the sa ti, he was also one of the few surviving Magus in the world.
In terms of magical power output, Ellen had the advantage. But in terms of Realizer and Territory operation skill, Woodman was still one step above her.
However, it was precisely because of that that she could pour all her anger onto Woodman without holding back.
"Why!? Why did you betray us!? Elliot!!!!"
Ellen glared at Woodman furiously. Even now, that holand turned into a sea of flas was still a nightmare Ellen could not shake off.
She hated humanity, rejected Spirits, and loathed the world. Only the three Magus who had survived with her at the ti were her sole family in this world.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ellen could risk everything for her compatriots. And that was precisely why Ellen absolutely could not forgive this man who had betrayed her trust.
Looking at the corner of Ellen's eyes, Woodman's face showed a trace of sorrow and helplessness.
"On that point, all I can say is that I am truly sorry. If possible, Karen and I would not have wanted to beco your enemies. Unfortunately, the path you chose ca into conflict with the path we chose."
"Nonsense!"
"It isn't nonsense. The hatred from our village being burned down, the resentnt from our compatriots being killed, and the oath from back then have not vanished from my heart. It's just…"
Woodman said in a low voice,
"If we truly followed Ike's way of doing things, even if we created a new world that could accommodate Magus, how would we be any different from the villains who destroyed our holand?"
"Hmph!"
Ellen let out a disdainful snort. If it had been the old her, perhaps she might have believed a little of his nonsense. But after being influenced by the rather annoying relationship-experience theories of her subordinate, she felt that everything Woodman said was crap.
"You make it sound so nice. At the root of it, didn't you just fall for the Origin Spirit's beauty and abandon your principles for lust? You were like this back in the village too. Whenever you t a pretty upperclassman, you'd start trying to flirt!"
"Pfft…"
Woodman seed not to expect Ellen to dig up his dark history at a ti like this. His expression stiffened, and even his movent to receive the attack slowed by half a beat, nearly allowing Ellen to land a hit.
"…Who did you learn that from? It shouldn't be Ike, right?"
Woodman asked sowhat awkwardly.
"Does that matter? What matters is whether I'm wrong!"
Ellen pressed him aggressively.
In response, Woodman opened his mouth, wanting to refute her, but for a mont, he did not know what to say. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and give up arguing verbally.
"That's true… At this point, debating such things has no aning."
Woodman took a spear stance, and his frivolous smile gradually disappeared.
"—!!"
In an instant, a sense of danger enveloped Ellen's entire body. Her intuition, honed over many years, made her avoid relying on Territory and armor defense. Instead, she imdiately swung her laser blade toward a blind spot outside her vision.
Enormous pressure transmitted through the sword hilt. Ellen gritted her teeth and forcefully shifted the trajectory of that power through brute strength, causing her entire body to uncontrollably retreat through the air.
"Good reaction! Continue."
Without giving Ellen a chance to breathe, Woodman suddenly changed from his previous passive defense style and launched a fierce attack at Ellen, even more aggressive than Ellen had been earlier.
Although Ellen's expression was grave, she did not feel surprised.
Refined, fierce, arrogant—these were the traits most familiar to Elliot. Overcoming the figure who had once swept through everything had been her greatest goal for more than ten years.
Her heartbeat continued to accelerate, and all the blood in her body seed to boil. For the first ti in her life, the excitent of battle appeared at the corner of Ellen's mouth.
"I am the strongest Wizard! Even if my opponent is you, that doesn't change! Elliot!"
Pushing the magical power in her entire body to its limit, Ellen swung her sword at Woodman.
Ellen did not passively fall into defense. Instead, she carried through with her own style, facing the killing intent Woodman sent toward her and baring her fangs without yielding in the slightest.
The sounds of spear and sword colliding exploded continuously in the air. Ellen and Woodman were like two wild beasts fighting to the death. There were no tricks, no tactics, only the purest contest carried out through their respective techniques and strength.
A trace of surprise appeared on Woodman's face.
At first, Woodman still held a slight advantage in their contest. But as ti passed, Ellen gradually grew stronger the longer she fought. Clearly, the dangerous wounds on her body were increasing, yet Woodman felt that fighting her was becoming more and more difficult.
(She really has beco stronger, Ellen.)
Woodman could not help sighing inwardly.
Once upon a ti, the girl before him had been an adorable little brat who could only follow behind them, soone who needed others to look after her in everything. But now, she had beco a Wizard who could fight him on equal terms.
That was not strange. Ever since founding Ratatoskr, Woodman had been forced by his position and various reasons to withdraw to the background. He had neither continued refining his techniques closely, nor deliberately used magic to maintain his youth. Both his spirit and body were no longer what they had been.
Ellen, on the other hand, had continued after his departure, repeating dry and monotonous training alone day after day, polishing every move to its limit until she reached her current level.
If not for using a cheating thod to return to his pri, Woodman would never have been Ellen's match.
In essence, this battle was a sneak attack by soone who could montarily burst out 101 points of strength against soone who could steadily output 100 points of strength.
And even now, Ellen was still absorbing Woodman's techniques and experience during battle, integrating everything she had accumulated over the years, breaking through that 100 point threshold, and gradually reaching the sa realm as him.
Without a doubt, just as she had said, Ellen Mira Mathers was already the strongest Wizard in this world.
Woodman could not help feeling a little emotional.
(If we were still comrades, perhaps I would be very happy.)
"Surrender, Ellen. DEM has already lost. Continuing to fight has no aning."
"It's still too early!"
Ellen stubbornly refuted him.
"As long as I defeat you! As long as I defeat Ratatoskr! DEM hasn't lost! Our ideal hasn't ended!"
As she spoke, platinum white cannon barrels erged from Ellen's back, aiming at Woodman as they gathered enormous magical power.
"You really haven't improved at all in this regard…"
Looking wordlessly at the stubborn Ellen, Woodman seed to finally give up the last bit of hope in his heart and sighed.
He understood that if he could not defeat Ellen here, then from now on, she would be a trendous threat to both Ratatoskr and the Spirits.
And so, as if answering Ellen's challenge, Woodman pointed his spear forward. The component units forming the spear continuously shifted and transford, becoming a giant cannon like Camael.
The difference was that what flowed inside the muzzle was not flas made from spirit power, but magical light condensed to the limit.
Seeing Woodman respond directly to her challenge, excitent appeared in Ellen's eyes.
"Rhongomiant—!?"
However, just as she was about to pull the trigger, a pitch black door suddenly opened behind her, and freezing cold air swept in from the other side.
(A Spirit?!)
Ellen widened her eyes in shock. In her haste, she could only urgently transfer part of the gathered magical power into her protective barrier.
And at the sa ti, Woodman acted.
"Gungnir!"
(Original Author: Kotori's battleship spirit power main cannon is also nad this =.=, Tachibana, would it kill you to think of one more move na?)
Two gorgeous pillars of light collided, instantly dyeing the sky in a phantom white.
Ellen could clearly feel that her certain kill strike was gradually disintegrating and fading beneath Woodman's bombardnt.
"Sorry, Ellen."
Looking at Ellen being swallowed by the light of magical power, Woodman said with a calm expression.
"From the very beginning, I never intended to have a fair duel with you."
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