When the lava greatsword appeared, the temperature in the field, which had been suppressed by ice tornadoes and frost Chi, significantly rose. The ice layers that covered Aya's feet melted and evaporated in a short time.
"This one's a bit tricky to deal with. Fire against ice, but can't melt the ice... Just kidding." Tiran clicked her tongue, discarded the broken sword, and gripped the only weapon left in both hands. After reconfiguring and strengthening her Chi, the sky-blue flames transformed the ordinary one-handed sword into a huge sword almost the size of a calamity branch. Gripping it gave off an aura similar to a warship slashing.
Lacking the skill attributes to make use of it — though Tiran wanted to say that, in all honesty, even after the weapon turned into a two-handed sword, she wasn't quite adept at using it. Perhaps the mercenary leader could handle it better, but she could only treat the two-handed sword like a one-handed sword.
"Forget it, I'll just hack my way through!" Facing off against Aya about ten meters away, Tiran observed her opponent's stance and searched for an opening while curiously wondering what Aya, who was currently full of fighting spirit, was thinking.
Listen to the pact?
"Maid outfit! Maid outfit! Maid outfit!"
...Is that all that's on your mind?
"What do you mean, that's all on my mind?" The connection through the pact made Aya notice Tiran's slight movements. She stood straight, waved the large sword in her hand discontentedly, "You won't understand the embarrassment of wearing a maid outfit unless you try it for yourself... especially the one Mimi modified!"
"There's an opening!"
"Tiran, you rogue!"
Tiran, as a lady, couldn't let go of such a good opportunity. In the moment Aya retorted, Tiran locked eyes with her and unleashed an explosive acceleration, sweeping her giant sword in one fluid motion.
Thanks to Aya being a Holy Rank, even though Tiran's movements were lightning-fast, they could still be discerned by opponents at the same level of combat prowess. The clash of the swords' high-temperature and extreme cold edges erupted steam violently, shrouding the view in a mist.
The sound of slicing through the air came from the right side. Aya instinctively dodged to the side, dispelled the hidden blade in the mist strengthened by Chi, and scattered the surrounding steam with a swordwind.
"Tch, evasive, are we?"
Tiran sighed with a hint of regret in her heart, yet her hands did not pause. After carving a smooth arc with her sword, she swiftly followed up with another strike.
The disadvantage of the giant sword was that it was too cumbersome when enemies breached its range. The "calamity branch," a large Magic, was designed from the beginning by the developers to deliver a decisive blow rather than being used as a true giant sword by certain individuals with strong magical power.
In other words, against opponents whose abilities were inferior to hers, this tool was an effective weapon; a burning lava greatsword swung haphazardly may instill fear in an opponent matched in power and speed, but against Tiran, who was equal in all aspects and specialized in swordsmanship, Aya's large sword actually became a weakness.
"Bothersome!" Under duress, Aya unleashed a heavy downward cleave, and upon the giant sword's impact, precise magical chains released high-density fire elemental energy, resulting in a massive explosion that scattered indiscriminate flames, once again disorienting both combatants momentarily.
Of course, the impact of such an explosion on both individuals was merely momentary. Tiran quickly leaped upward to escape the blaze, unfurled her wings to maintain her position in the air, and searched for Aya, only to be greeted by dark thunderclouds looming overhead.
The thunderbolt crushed down like a heavy hammer, striking Tiran hard even though she had just taken flight. Despite her Frost Chi protection, she was momentarily stunned by the unexpected blow.
Meanwhile, Aya, who had prepared this combination attack, remained in place after unleashing the lava greatsword, raising her right hand skyward. A giant storm spear, elongated to five meters, materialized, with a spiraling airflow forming a semitransparent blue shaft aimed at Tiran.
Grand Magic·Verdict of the Storm King.
"My apologies, Lady Tiran, but this is the end!" With the victory declaration, the storm spear thrust directly at the anticipated trajectory of Tiran.
However... Do you think this lady didn't anticipate your Magic combo?
Although the daze from being struck by the thunderbolt prevented her from mounting a precise defense, Tiran maintained awareness in midair. Unable to strike precisely with her blade, she opted for all-around slashing attacks.
In an instant, her Frost Chi reserves were compressed and emptied, the output valve disengaged. Tiran imagined everything happening in her body, thinking that if an ordinary knight dared to play like this, they would've reached a point of desperation where they could never use Chi again. However, the deity had mentioned that her body was different from ordinary humans in this world, both in resilience and limits, so occasionally indulging in such maneuvers wouldn’t hurt.
"Hey, the Chi's not all depleted, right?"
After releasing the storm spear towards Tiran, Aya was about to strike the Princess, who was seemingly defenseless, when a full-body ice sphere suddenly appeared around her. If it were an ordinary ice sphere, it wouldn't withstand the impact of a Grand Magic level attack. However, the sheer concentration of energy indicated otherwise.
It seemed like all the Chi had condensed into crystal-like substantial ice?
If used for attack, the kind of sword qi she had previously employed, equivalent to a forty-meter long blade, could be recklessly wielded without hesitation, slashing dozens or even hundreds of times in a row.
"If it's at this level, the storm spear won't pierce through, and with a spherical shield, it'll just bounce off... Oh no, I'm doomed!"
The field barrier had already been breached!
The current time was getting late, but Juno could afford to sleep in due to her rotating day off. Moreover, Sullivan's suggestion made her sleep even deeper, needing no worry about the maid awakening until Sullivan removed the suggestion.
In the maids' dormitory, Sullivan sat on Ellie's bed, now occupied by a maid sleeping soundly without any suspicion.
Of course, she wasn't pondering strange things but was completely engrossed in contemplating how to achieve her goal using illusion magic.
After all, they were still in the castle, and apart from Vera, who had disappeared to watch the show, the only one who could assist her was Johannes, hidden in the secluded garden behind the castle.
"Looks like I'll have to rely on myself..." Sullivan sighed, massaging her temples.
"Hey, were you looking down on me just now?" came Johannes' inquiry through the tiny magical array on her earring.
Ignoring the protests of a certain Theurg, Sullivan continued her contemplation. Infiltrating the kitchen or similar areas to utilize food as a medium for illusion magic might be able to hallucinate the Queen, but extracting her from there would prove exceptionally difficult.
In terms of combat power, she was definitely the one being hung up and beaten.
Then, what about casting an illusion on the other people in the castle? By using the kitchen's illusion magic as an intermediary, it should be possible to make everyone come into contact, but considering there were two Holy Ranks included, the mental power required, even if her illusion technique could reduce conventional power loss, was completely insufficient.
