"Whose movents are you imitating!"
Count Granat's voice trembled with rage.
Linie looked at him expressionlessly and answered briefly, "A fairly capable warrior."
"I specialize in [Comprehension Magic]. I can morize the flow of mana inside soone's body while they move, then reproduce their techniques."
Seeing the count's emotional reaction, she added another sentence.
"What? Do you know this technique?"
Know it?
He knew it far too well.
Count Granat raised the greatsword in his hand, an overwhelming pressure gathering around the blade. He no longer cared about tactics or swordsmanship. With a furious roar, he hacked toward Linie.
Again.
And again.
Without holding back in the slightest.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two greatswords collided repeatedly, sparks flying everywhere. The deafening crashes echoed across the battlefield.
Though his attacks lacked finesse, the sheer force of his will managed to hold her back.
Linie couldn't understand why the man before her had suddenly gone mad. But she knew one thing.
This kind of explosive montum wouldn't last long.
Whenever Lady Aura found a capable warrior in the past, she would always make Linie fight them for entertainnt. Not only fight them, but imitate their own techniques while doing so.
Dying to one's own martial arts was amusing, wasn't it?
Lady Aura always said that while laughing beautifully.
Linie didn't understand it, but she respected it.
Besides, she occasionally found it a little entertaining too.
After all, the way those warriors lost their minds at the end was genuinely funny.
Just like now.
Boom!
The two swords slamd into each other again before separating instantly.
Seeing that her opponent intended to overwhelm her through sheer montum, Linie stopped restricting herself to the greatsword.
She rapidly summoned daggers and hurled them toward Stark, stopping his charge. Then she produced a one-handed sword and thrust it toward Count Granat with unstoppable force.
A one-handed sword was far more agile than a greatsword.
Slash!
The blade pierced straight through the count's shoulder and nailed him to a massive tree.
Count Granat let out a pained roar.
Already covered in wounds, he had now completely lost the ability to move.
Linie had no interest in continuing the assault. She stopped and reached for the sword to pull it free.
"Hm?"
The demon girl glanced expressionlessly at the sword in her hand, then looked back at the powerless Count Granat.
One of his hands was gripping the blade tightly, desperately preventing her from drawing it out. The edge sliced open his palm, yet he refused to let go.
Linie fell silent.
She released the sword.
"You think my mana can only create one weapon?"
"Heh... of course I know demons can do anything."
Blood trickled from Count Granat's lips as he let out a miserable laugh.
"But a certain boy once told this too... demons are even better at looking down on others."
Before the sentence had even finished, a [Kunai Shuriken] suddenly appeared in Count Granat's hand.
He thrust it toward the demon girl's head with incredible speed.
Linie snorted disdainfully.
She casually raised a hand and blocked it. The shuriken was caught effortlessly between her fingers. Though it stopped re inches from her forehead, it failed to injure her.
Such a move was laughable.
"Heh. Don't tell you actually thought—"
At that mont, a blinding flash erupted from the shuriken.
Linie's vision instantly turned white.
She imdiately realized sothing was wrong.
She had been blinded!
"Boy, now!"
At Count Granat's shout, Stark—who had been waiting for this exact opportunity—did not waste the rare chance to get close.
He swung his battle axe, a sharp crimson light flashing through his eyes.
[Lightning Strike]
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the heavens.
The demon girl was split cleanly in half.
Still trapped in her regret over being blinded, Linie suddenly felt her body shatter apart.
"What is happening—"
"Impossible—"
"I've never failed before—"
Black magic particles slowly dispersed into the air.
Clink.
A kunai shuriken fell onto the grass.
Count Granat pulled the sword from his shoulder and slid down the tree, collapsing to the ground. He had exhausted all his strength.
Stark wasn't in much better condition.
The boy leaned heavily against his battle axe, his legs so weak he could barely stand.
If Shane hadn't prepared that [Flashbang] for them in advance, the two of them might not have been able to defeat Linie at all.
On the other side of the castle, Fern and Lugner's battle was still ongoing.
The destruction caused by their magic had long since reduced the entire room to rubble. The two mages fought from indoors to outdoors, then from the ruins up onto the rooftops.
In the end, Fern seized the advantageous position atop a tower, attacking from above and instantly gaining the upper hand.
Lugner's calm composure gradually turned into nervousness.
"Why—"
"There's an overwhelming gap between this little girl and , but—"
"So fast—"
"No technique at all. Just pure numbers."
"Who in the world teaches mages like this?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens of magic circles instantly ford around Fern.
Blinding beams of magic intertwined into a dense, airtight net as they rained down upon Lugner.
For the first ti, Lugner chose to retreat.
BOOM!
Another watchtower was flattened.
At that mont, while retreating, Lugner caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye.
It was the countess, who had just returned to the battlefield and was hurrying toward the garden.
In a flash, he appeared before her.
"Madam, your timing is impeccable."
"Ah!"
He moved too quickly.
The countess had no ti to react before Lugner seized her by the throat and lifted her into the air.
Fern's eyes widened instantly.
Every magic circle around her vanished at once.
Seeing her reaction, Lugner curled his lips into a smug smile.
Among demons, he considered himself especially skilled at learning from humans.
Particularly when it ca to manipulating human psychology.
"I believe I don't need to explain further. If you want her to live, then—"
Slash!
While Lugner was threatening Fern, the countess suddenly summoned a staff despite being strangled.
She aid the magic at herself.
A narrow but concentrated beam of magic pierced through her abdon, then continued through Lugner behind her as well.
The sudden reversal ca too abruptly.
Lugner had never expected it.
In pain, he instinctively loosened his grip, and the countess fell from the sky, blood spilling from her body.
At that exact mont, Fern moved at lightning speed.
A massive beam of magic shot downward from above, blasting through Lugner's entire upper body.
With utter disbelief written across his face, Lugner dissolved into a cloud of magic particles.
After delivering the final blow, Fern didn't spare him another glance.
She imdiately cast [Flight Magic] and rushed toward the falling countess, catching her just before she hit the ground.
The two rolled together across the grass.
"Madam! Are you alright?"
Blood stained the countess's lips as she pressed both hands against her wound and shook her head.
"It's nothing serious. Don't cry, child."
Fern's lips trembled.
"Why would you do that?"
Seeing the guilt and worry filling Fern's eyes, the countess forced a gentle smile onto her face.
"Only lies co from a demon's mouth."
"Even if you surrendered, he wouldn't spare any of us. Why would a wolf care whether sheep live or die? To them, it's rely the difference between killing one sheep or two."
"My son died protecting this city. As his mother, how could I disgrace his resolve?"
"This was my own choice, child. Don't bla yourself for it."
Fern's emotions beca indescribably complicated.
"Madam... Graf Granat Domain will definitely be alright."
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