Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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  "H-how d-dare you……!" Evie stuttered in rage, before a wave of stifling heat burst out from her, the air around her shimmering violently as she glared at me with immense hatred in her eyes.

  Pretty intense heat, but……she's weaker than Maie was, not to mention vastly less experienced. I know all too well how costly lack of experience can be, I've learnt that the hard way.

  "I'm not impressed……if that was just for show, it was a pitiful display, it won't mean anything unless you attack," I stated, returning her glare fiercely, before adding, "To everyone else, stand down……don't throw your lives away meaninglessly. At this point, you should have seen enough to realize that attacking me is a pointless endeavor……the only one who stands a chance is the Fire Sage, and I certainly can't complain if you assist her, but attacking me on your own in futility while she sits on the sidelines like a coward……well, you'll never kill me like that."

  "I……I have heard enough from you!" Screamed Evie, as she shot towards me rapidly, flames blazing all around her, "You will suffer a torturous, agonizingly painful death at my hands!"

  Right as she began to close in on me, she suddenly teleported, but the instant she vanished from my sight, I burst out a powerful shockwave of wind, my ears twitching as I heard an alarmed yelp above me.

  I swiftly swung my spear up and across, as she flew back to avoid it, her eyes widening in shock as a wide, shallow cut appeared just below her boobs, despite my spear having failed to make contact.

  Tonbokiri, this spear doesn't have to make contact to inflict damage, so long as the blade is within three inches of my target when I swing it. Looks like she doesn't know that……figures that Sant would send pursuers after me without even giving them the details of my capabilities.

  I then slashed my weapon to the left as a couple more Fairies appeared in my peripheral, slicing them in half before they could attack me. I then quickly glanced at the ground……looks like most of them excluding the Fairies had lost the will the fight, and instead looked confused and conflicted.

  And the rest all looked uncertain……despite their fierce loyalty and lack of capacity for dishonesty and deceit, they can't deny the facts that they've literally experienced with their lives on the line, all it takes is a little common sense.

  They can be blinded by loyalty sometimes, but they aren't that dense……Evie's tactics during this fight, which she confirmed were upon Sant's commands, resemble the tactics that were used during the attack in the Rustlands, as well as on the recon mission to Abyss that failed so spectacularly.

  In the Rustlands, the Elemental Sages were commanded to stay out of the fray, and instead stay by the gates, where it was far less dangerous and risky, while the weaker ones were made to lead the charge. Not to mention that the Fairies were put at the greatest risk by serving as the decoy at the beginning of the attack.

  And on that recon mission, Esta was the only one who was commanded to withdraw, and since she was the only one with significantly above average powers in that group, it was obvious why she'd been recalled while the others were allowed to die. If this was a military, then we probably couldn't complain.

  But the Laus Domain isn't a military……the vast majority of its citizens knew nothing but peace until recently. Ever since our floating island was brought back down to remerge with the planet, we've been overwhelmed by what's felt like non-stop violence. And now, finally, they have a moment to stop and process everything that's happened.

  "Stand down, Evie……you can't defeat me, continuing this will only result in more avoidable deaths. Is that really what you want?" I inquired, deciding to try and persuade her one last time.

  I know how abnormally loyal the Fairies are, but even so, if there's even the tiniest, remote possibility that I can crack that exterior……

  "I do not care what happens to any of us! All that matters is that I do not fail Lord Laus!" She screamed in response, before zipping towards me as the flames all around her intensified.

  I wonder, what'll happen to the Fairies if Sant ceases to exist? With Elves, Halflings and Dwarves, pretty much everyone has ambition and objectives, be it something minor like learning horticulture or something grander like becoming the strongest, but the Fairies are different……I've never met a Fairy that has any serious aspirations besides serving Sant.

  I evaded as Evie attacked again, flinging her fist towards my midsection with a roar……they do feel emotion though, but only when Sant is involved somehow, if he's got nothing to do with something, they usually remain indifferent. The more I insult Sant, the angrier she gets……and the angrier she gets, the easier it becomes for me to read her moves.

  As she then flew up and swooped down towards me with a look of pure spite and hatred, I easily dodged her again and elicited a cry of agony from her as I swung my spear across with a flick of my wrist, slashing off her right leg from below the knee and slicing through most of her left leg, which was hanging by a thread……a thick, bloody thread.

  "You don't look so good……last chance to stand down," I warned her, as I pointed my spear in her direction.

  "How dare you……I do not need my legs in order to kill you!" She snapped in response, before letting out an excruciating scream as she tore off her left leg and used her flames to stop the bleeding.

  Woah……okay, that was pretty hardcore, but she's looking more than a little dazed right now, the pain must have been overwhelming. But considering the situation, I'm not going to be so nice as to give her time to recover.

  I swiftly shot towards her while swirling the air around her, before rapidly compressing it, creating a heavy spiral, with enough force to keep her from moving, effectively paralyzing her……you know how walking forward can be really difficult when there's a heavy wind blowing towards you? Imagine that about ten times more intense, and from every single direction instead of just one.

  Oh, and the best part……she's unlikely to be able to breathe in her current predicament. However, I won't be waiting for her to suffocate……I'm putting an end to this right now! Right as I closed in and began to slash down at her, she suddenly vanished, managing to activate a teleportation spell just in time.

  I quickly reacted by blasting out another windy shockwave in case she'd teleported close to me in a blind spot, before rapidly scanning my surroundings……there she is! A few meters straight above where she'd been a second ago.

  I fired out an intense blast of wind up at her, which she quickly began to defend with a barrier, but it barely lasted a second, the intensity of my attack shattering her barrier and striking her, breaking her right forearm with a loud crunch and eliciting a scream of pain from her.

  She let out a furious yell as she flung down a massive fireball at me, rapidly blazing towards me. Right as it closed in on me, I swung my spear straight up, slicing the flames in half before they could touch me.

  I then zipped up towards her through the gap I'd created, as the two halves of the fireball plummeted down towards the ground, one hitting the fortress and setting it ablaze, while the other struck the remaining members of the pursuit, some managing to evade but many weren't so lucky, getting burnt to a crisp in a matter of seconds.

  "I have had enough of your resistance, die already!" She screamed, blasting down a barrage of flames towards me.

  I was expecting her to do something like that……so I'd been charging up some wind in my mouth, from where Mana output is strongest. I fired out an immense wind blast while charging rapidly swirling wind onto the blade of my spear, channeling my Mana into it.

  The wind blast easily extinguished her flames, the force of my attack continuing upwards and knocking her off balance as she got sent zipping straight up into the air with no control, struggling to regain her bearings.

  "Why, you-!" She began to exclaim in fury.

  "It's over," I interrupted her coldly, as I swung my spear up towards her, slicing her vertically in half before she could react.

  And a second later, the swirling wind I'd added on to the slashing shockwave tore the two halves of her body apart, as the shockwave carried on upwards until it split the clouds, a scattering of stars appearing from behind them and dimly lighting up the surroundings as her blood and chunks of her body raining down past me, splattering onto the pure white snow……

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