Chapter 196: The Showdown
Chapter 196: The Showdown
Mari tore through her opponent's mana storm with her bare fists as she checked on Elza and Irina’s condition.
The two were sweeping away their former fairy comrades with a level of power incomparable to when they had fought her. It was clear they had received strength from Jaejin.
The fierce flames of Purgatorial Fire Elza unleashed intercepted the annoying Sprites flitting about with incredible precision, causing zero damage to the surrounding buildings.
Meanwhile, Irina used gentle breezes to catch and protect the falling fairies while simultaneously launching sharp blades of wind at the Spriggan lunging toward Elza.
"How dare you betray Lord Oberon! And what is this power? Did you sell your souls to a filthy demon?!"
One male fairy, clutching a bleeding arm while casting curative magic, barked at the two in a fit of rage. They simply smirked as if it were nothing.
"I just realized I’d been serving the wrong person all this time. Don't resent us too much. You wouldn't understand anyway."
As Elza snapped her fingers, a pillar of fire erupted, engulfing the man's body.
The gap between the two women and their former comrades was now so vast that Elza could precisely control the intensity to ensure he wouldn't actually die.
"Ah... my lower abdomen is already aching. I feel like finishing this quickly and going to get my reward."
"Agreed. Want to bet on who gets the bigger reward?"
Listening to their conversation from afar, Mari felt a pang of envy. She was jealous that some people got to have a relationship as soon as they met, while she hadn't even reunited with him yet.
However, knowing that the other companions would be in danger the moment she left her post, she suppressed her desires and faced the next spirit coming her way.
The Leshy approaching with a long wooden staff had the appearance of a dignified man in his early forties. He exuded a heavy pressure that made it feel as if he alone existed in another world.
A sense of crisis told her she would lose the moment she let her guard down, but she wasn't overly worried. Jaejin was safe. That single fact put her mind at ease, allowing her to give her all.
Mari lowered her stance and concentrated. As she gathered strength for a single explosive sprint, she appeared to be in a defenseless state full of openings.
Not missing the opportunity, the Leshy swung his staff, unleashing a blunt wave of fighting spirit. Just then, vines flying from behind Mari wrapped around her to protect her.
The three layers of vines were destroyed one by one by the fighting spirit, but the final layer managed to hold on until the very end.
Spirits do not cooperate easily. Because they are independent and prideful, most fought alone, or at best in pairs.
Thanks to that, Mari and Nia were able to struggle through the situation even when it was just the two of them, holding out until the rest of the party arrived.
And that minor difference became the perfect opening to take down an opponent who would normally have required a life-or-death battle.
Mari’s legs contracted like springs, and she kicked off the ground with the force of her thigh muscles.
An instant strike, flying at the speed of light. The Leshy hardened his bark-like skin and swung his staff with all his might, but Mari’s punch, backed by accumulated power, overwhelmed everything.
His prized staff snapped in two, and her punch exploded into his defenseless abdomen. His hardened skin shattered, his bones crushed, and the man was sent flying, crashing into the wall of a nearby house.
Seeing an elder taken down in a single blow sent a significant shock through Oberon’s subordinates who were watching.
Realizing it was no time to worry about pride, they began to unleash magic in swarms.
Ice accompanied by storms and lightning wreathed in flames filled the sky, reminiscent of a natural disaster.
"This is a bit of a crisis..."
Mari regretted knocking the elder out in one blow to intimidate them; she hadn't expected them to cooperate like this.
As she coated her body in fighting spirit to intercept the attack, she suddenly realized an existence with overwhelming magical power was standing behind her.
"Do not worry. I can block this much. Dispel."
A tall woman with turquoise hair, standing nearly two meters tall, made a gesture. The incoming spells vanished instantly, as if wiped away by an eraser.
There were not many people who could use a technique that required outclassing the opponent's magic against high-ranking spirits.
"The Queen..."
Nia, recognizing her face immediately, muttered. Titania, the Fairy Queen, had stepped forward with her vassals to resolve the chaotic situation.
"It has been a long time, Nia. The last time I saw you was before you attended the council, was it not?"
"I'm here too~ You two aren't mad at me, are you...?"
Melia waved her hand with a somewhat awkward smile from behind Titania.
Though it wasn't her fault, she felt responsible for Jaejin being kidnapped and had to gauge Mari and Nia’s reactions.
"Since Dad seems safe, I'll forgive you."
Jaejin, who was still inside Shade’s Veil, was being protected by the safest means possible, even if it wasn't intentional. So, there was nothing to complain about.
By now, Sheryl had also come outside and joined Elza’s side. Seeing the Queen’s appearance, Oberon’s inner circle wavered, unable to continue their offensive.
On paper, their power was evenly matched. In reality, Titania’s side was at a slight disadvantage, yet those overwhelmed by her momentum could not easily step forward.
"Is it alright for the Queen to step in?"
"Hmm, I certainly had my doubts, but I felt that a better opportunity than this would never come."
If they could just get Jaejin away, they would surely be able to crush the opposition next time. However, Titania’s instincts were screaming that she must not miss the opportunity tonight.
Whether that was a subconscious realization based on rational judgment or simply the result of being swept away by emotion, she didn't know. But one thing was certain.
"And if you were to get hurt, would that child not be sad?"
If they died or were injured, Jaejin would be grieved. While Titania also wanted to see Jaejin’s teary-eyed face, she decided it didn't necessarily have to be out of sorrow.
"Because Dad would be sad... that's the most reassuring reason."
"It seems you've become quite close with the Master, Your Highness."
"A-Ah, no... it's not exactly like that... but is it not the duty of a superior to soothe the feelings of a subordinate? Haha..."
The Queen smiled somewhat awkwardly, yet happily. A conversation bound by the common thread of Jaejin was more refreshing and exhilarating than her dull and tedious relationship with her husband.
Titania pushed aside her lingering anxiety and adjusted the battlefield so that those participating in the fight would not be hurt. Even though they were fighting now, they were still her people.
She led the battle with as few injuries as possible, strictly utilizing magic nullification.
Feeling impatient as they were gradually being pushed back, the Gnome Elder grew furious and began to urge his subordinates.
"What are you all doing?! You can't even stop a rebel army made of mere wenches...!"
He was terrified that if Oberon intervened now, the fallout would hit him as well.
Fearing what punishment he might receive if he couldn't at least show some results, he began to squeeze out the mana within his body.
As the Gnome Elder placed his hands on the ground, the terrain bent like taffy and the earth surged upward.
The wave of earth, which swept through the outskirts of the city, was not magic, so even Titania could not dispel it.
"How dare you involve civilians...!"
Mari once again became a flash of light, charging toward the rampaging Gnome.
The moment her fist, coated in fighting spirit, was about to strike the elder-level fairy—Clang! The sound of fighting spirit clashing against fighting spirit rang out.
Between her fist and the elder, who should have been knocked away in one blow like Elder Leshy, was a sword wreathed in an ominous aura.
"An excellent strike, half-elf. You are the best among those stiff-necked white knife-ears."
At the swordsman's praise, Mari felt the strongest survival instinct she had ever experienced and leaped back to create distance.
The dark-skinned swordsman had long, pointed ears just like Mari’s. She almost let her guard down because of the all-too-familiar energy.
"A dark elf. Now I understand why you're so strong."
"Call me Kerax. Consider this a reward for letting me get serious for the first time in a while."
The ones who had driven the elves out of the Fairy Kingdom were none other than their own kin, differing only in skin color.
Mari, having no intention of discussing the ancient past, scanned the figures who had joined the struggling defense force. There were at least five others on the same level as the elder she had just knocked out.
As powerhouses like Undine, Ariel, and the Dullahan stepped to the front, the tide of battle shifted abruptly. Only Titania remained unfazed, calmly waiting for his appearance.
"Please buy me a little more time. I have a rough idea of what that item your companion possesses is."
At Titania’s request, Mari and Nia decided to trust her judgment and continue the fight.
In any case, retreating now would only expose Jaejin’s identity and make it impossible to clean up the mess.
It was obvious that it would be better to end everything here and now. Thus, the battle of clashing fighting spirits began once more.
Among them, the battle between Mari, a half-elf of wood elf descent, and Kerax, the dark elf swordsman, was the most conspicuous.
In the blink of an eye, Mari closed a ten-meter gap and threw a punch. It was a strike that rendered the reach of a sword useless, but he was not lacking in speed either.
Clang! The dark elf parried the precisely aimed punch with a slash and immediately thrust his sword toward Mari, whose momentum had carried her forward.
She narrowly dodged by twisting her head, but a shallow laceration opened on her cheek, and blood splattered.
Using her awkward dodging posture to her advantage, she dropped her hands to the floor and delivered a kick. Kerax blocked it with a small shield on his left arm and was knocked into the air.
Seeing this, Mari corrected her stance and sprinted again. Running faster than the airborne Kerax, she delivered a full-powered strike as he landed.
Boom! A sound like a cannon blast echoed, and thick smoke spread everywhere. Mari emerged from the slowly settling smoke.
'There was no sense of impact.'
With the certainty that she hadn't dealt any damage, Mari backed away, only for a terrifyingly sharp slash to fly toward her.
Mari parried the invisible attacks with jabs as best she could, but she couldn't help the minor wounds appearing on her limbs.
"Ugh... that hurts..."
Mari groaned at the pain from attacks that would have severed her limbs had they been any deeper.
She wished she were in peak condition, but it couldn't be helped. This was a fight that had started because of them.
"As expected, slashes won't take you down. Then I have no choice but to cut you directly...!"
Just as Mari had approached him to punch, Kerax also charged with explosive speed, thrusting his arm forward from his side.
The blade traced a beautiful semi-circular arc. Realizing she must not try to block it, Mari leaped into the air to dodge the sword.
Not missing the opening, Kerax used the momentum of his arm to spin around and thrust his sword again.
Clang-clang-clang! Mari barely blocked the thrusts with the heels of her boots before spinning backward and landing on the ground.
Kerax performed a series of continuous thrusts with an unreadable point of impact, his wrist hidden behind his shield.
Mari’s appearance as she narrowly dodged or blocked them all seemed like an even match, but in reality, she was entirely on the defensive.
"You dodge well, half-breed. But your lower guard is open."
A variation mixed into the standard Highlander swordsmanship. As Mari grew accustomed to responding to the thrusts, a front kick slammed into her abdomen.
It was the moment the direction of the match was decided.