The ground split apart.
Just like when she fought with Jefrin, Astina overturned all the land around her.
The undead were hit by Astina's magic, unable to respond.
They fell into the fissures and were buried under the overturned earth.
Astina sent them back to the earth where they originally belonged.
The soldiers and Keln Rinsburg, atop the fortress, stared blankly at this spectacle.
They knew Astina was skilled in magic, but they hadn't expected this extent.
A girl, who had just come of age, was dominating the battlefield.
Someone frowned upon witnessing this scene.
"Why is that person here?"
From a mountain, Aryandor narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the battlefield.
Aryandor had thought his side would lead at the beginning of the battle.
It was a natural assumption, given they had initiated a surprise attack.
Daemon bowed his head to Aryandor.
"I apologize. I failed to assess the situation correctly."
Aryandor, hearing Daemon's apology, scanned the battlefield.
"Still, it doesn't seem to be a major variable."
There was no one on the battlefield who could be considered a variable except for Astina.
Perhaps reinforcements would arrive, but that was within Aryandor's expectations.
"It's better for that person to come than others."
Aryandor's strategy was to demonstrate that the Empire couldn't protect Astina.
Unable to target Astina, the Vice Commander directly, they aimed for her territory, the Persia Estate.
However, Astina's direct presence in her estate wasn't entirely bad for Aryandor.
"Are the others moving as planned?"
"Yes, the main force is proceeding as ordered."
Daemon pointed at a bat, with flesh torn in several places, and said,
The main force of the rebels seemed ready to invade at any moment.
However, they had no intention of attacking.
They were merely feigning an attack to prevent reinforcements from reaching Persia.
"Let's change our strategy slightly."
"How would you like to change it?"
Aryandor drew his sword.
"I will go to the battlefield myself."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Astina..."
Philip, the head of the Persia family, gaped at Astina.
He knew his daughter was achieving good results with her magic, but he hadn't expected such power.
His small, delicate daughter was no longer there.
Only an incredible wizard, dominating the battlefield with her dignity, remained.
"You have raised your daughter well."
Keln couldn't hide his admiration.
Surprised and proud, Philip responded,
"Yes, she has grown so much without me realizing."
"This war seems to be turning in our favor, thanks to her."
Keln smiled and extended his hand.
"Everyone, continue the attack! Don't miss the opportunity created by Astina!"
Keln commanded the elementals as he shouted.
The soldiers responded to Keln's call.
They shot arrows and rolled stones.
Astina's setup on the battlefield was bolstered by added force.
Most of the undead fell to Astina's magic, and those who broke through her spells were taken down by the soldiers.
"We can win this...!"
"Trust in Lady Astina!"
As the battle visibly tipped in their favor, the soldiers' morale soared.
However, victory was not yet assured.
From the forest, a massive being emerged.
Astina gazed at this entity.
'Sooner than I expected.'
A Bone Dragon.
With its huge, bony body, it entered the battlefield.
But Astina's thoughts were not on the Bone Dragon.
It was the figure standing on its head.
It was Aryandor.
Aryandor rode the Bone Dragon towards Astina.
"Is this our first face-to-face encounter?"
"I wish I never had to see the face of someone like you."
Aryandor's lips curled up at Astina's words.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Those from the academy are all cheeky."
"Well, it's because of who you are. Educated people have a keen eye for worthlessness."
Astina mocked Aryandor.
Her provocation aimed to keep him from heading elsewhere.
If he went towards the fortress instead of her, it would lead to tremendous sacrifice, so it was better to draw his attention to herself.
"You're more talkative than I heard. Or is this a provocation?"
Aryandor saw through Astina's actions.
Provocation was not her strong suit, revealing an awkwardness in her behavior.
However, even reading this, he did not attack elsewhere.
"Don't worry. You are my target."
With that, Aryandor smiled and touched the head of the Bone Dragon.
"But, if my attack misses and others die, it can't be helped."
As Aryandor spoke, the Bone Dragon inhaled.
The act of opening its mouth and inhaling.
A technique known as a dragon's secret skill.
'Breath.'
Astina recognized it instantly.
Though she had never faced a dragon, she possessed common knowledge about them.
'Do I dodge?'
No, she couldn't.
As Aryandor said, a blind attack would strike the soldiers in the fortress.
She had no choice.
"Then I'll block it..."
"Astina Persia."
Keln called out Astina's name.
"Step back."
As Astina turned around, she saw Keln on a giant bird.
"I'll handle this."
Simultaneously, a green-colored breath emerged from the Bone Dragon's mouth.
Each dragon's breath had a different form.
The Bone Dragon's breath was a poison that melted everything.
"Sylpherion."
Keln didn't need to command; Sylpherion acted on its own.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The green breath, covering the battlefield, approached.
To block the breath, Sylpherion wrapped the battlefield in wind.
A huge spherical barrier formed, and the breath enveloped this barrier.
"Sigh..."
However, the attack was not over yet.
Aryandor raised his sword and charged towards the barrier.
It was as if he was slicing through the shield that blocked the breath.
"Anti Gravity."
Astina cast her magic.
Anti-gravity.
Aryandor's body, flying towards the shield, was repelled into the air.
Aryandor, floating in mid-air, curled his lips and raised his left hand, the one not holding the sword.
"Time Back."
He used time magic.
Aryandor's body, previously floating, vanished in an instant.
"Huh?"
He reappeared at the same spot where he had been slicing the shield before.
Time regression.
He had used time magic to change his position.
As Astina was caught off guard, Aryandor adopted a horizontal slashing stance.
"Northern Swordsmanship."
A blue flame, symbolizing the North, enveloped Aryandor's sword.
"Blue Flame."
Aryandor swung his sword horizontally.
The blue flame on his sword flew towards the shield, covering it along with the breath.
"What..."
Keln was shocked to see the sword energy.
The Northern Swordsmanship was a technique passed down through the Lucarion family.
It was impossible for Aryandor to know it.
But the current situation was more pressing.
"The Northern sword energy is blue, but it burns everything, even wind."
As soon as Aryandor spoke, fire began consuming the wind.
The shield was eroded by fire, creating a hole, through which the Bone Dragon's breath leaked.
"I'll block it."
Astina quickly manipulated her mana.
"Anti Gravity Shield."
She created an anti-gravity field near the breached shield.
Before the breath's energy dissipated, she judged it more efficient to push it away.
Astina's magic repelled the breath and blue flames covering the shield into the air.
Aryandor, back on the Bone Dragon, looked at Keln and Astina struggling to block the attacks and laughed.
"Aren't you struggling too much from the start?"
Astina stared at Aryandor.
She knew he was a magic swordsman, but was taken aback to see him using Northern Swordsmanship.
How was he able to use that technique?
Yet, her surprise didn't stop there.
Aryandor raised his sword again.
"Royal Swordsmanship."
This time, a golden wave enveloped his sword.
It was a technique passed down among Royal knights.
The sword energy he wielded was indistinguishable in its finesse.
"What..."
Following the Northern Swordsmanship, now the Royal Swordsmanship.
Ordinary swordsmen learn one swordsmanship and refine it until death.
While it's not unheard of for swordsmen to learn multiple techniques, Aryandor was in a different league.
The techniques he used were not easily learned, and there were few who could teach them.
The Northern Swordsmanship, for instance, was known only to the Lucarion family, the guardians of the North, and the Royal Swordsmanship was a technique passed down to the top knight of the Empire.
Astina was incredulous at Aryandor's ease with such swordsmanship.
'This isn't the time to worry about that.'
She shook her head and moved her mana again.
She had to block the attack.
The problem was that she didn't know which technique he would use next.
Even with a single swordsmanship style, there are multiple techniques.
But with multiple swordsmanship styles in play, devising a counter-strategy was impossible.
Seeing Astina's confusion, Keln quickly spoke.
"Block it as before. Think of the next move."
They didn't know whether the enemy would target their rear or themselves.
The only option was to block the whole area.
Astina looked down.
The soldiers were beginning to falter as Keln and Astina were distracted.
If they lost focus, victory was far from reach, let alone holding their ground.
But...
"I understand."
She couldn't come up with a counter-strategy.
At the academy, besides Locke and Yeniel, she had never faced anyone with outstanding swordsmanship.
She had no choice but to rely on Keln, who was more experienced.
"Sylpherion."
As Keln was about to create another shield,
Aryandor attempted to strike down with his sword.
"Imperi..."
However, his sword did not descend.
Aryandor, holding his sword, suddenly stopped mid-strike and shifted his gaze.
He then scoffed.
"They're coming too quickly."
With that, Aryandor kicked off the Bone Dragon and leaped into the air.
"Huh?"
Astina's eyes widened at Aryandor's sudden action.
Then, a voice reached her ears.
"Bite."
Along with the voice, a tremendous wind swept by her side.
A massive dragon covered in red scales.
This dragon swept past Astina and lunged at the Bone Dragon.
"…?"
The suddenly appearing Red Dragon bit the neck of the Bone Dragon and forced it to the ground.
Thud!!!!
Though smaller in size than the Bone Dragon, the Red Dragon's velocity enabled it to pin its opponent to the ground.
"Dragons…?"
Dragons were creatures hostile to humans.
While the Bone Dragon, being a product of necromancy, obeyed human commands, other dragons did not.
Dragons, who would typically scoff at humans fighting each other, had joined the fray.
While Astina's thoughts were racing,
"Gravity."
A voice came from the sky.
It was Cromwell, the mentor who had taught her psychokinesis.
