Chapter 22 (2/2)

In order to avoid that, Ellie slightly lowered the speed of her dancing through the sky.

While kicking invisible walls of air, Ellie splendidly avoided it.

Even while I continued to constantly send sh.e.l.ls of earth, they were completely avoided, and she shortened the distance with me little by little.

(⸺She can avoid pretty well. She's just like an acrobat.)

I was watching Ellie's amazing dodging, but my thought was cold to a surprising extent.

(⸺Then it'd be fine if I made a wall.)

While evacuating backwards, I earnestly rose the floor, transformed it, and made an earth wall to keep Ellie in check.

”⸺Chi!”

She avoided the earth wall created in front of her, and dodged the earth sh.e.l.ls that I released in the gap.

I didn't even graze her.

(But, this is fine.)

Ellie is unable to approach me because of the earth sh.e.l.ls and the earth wall, and the situation is at a stalemate.

However, I can't let my guard down for even a second.

If I stop my barrage, Ellie will approach me.

”⸺Fuu!”

Ellie kept calmly evading my attacks.

The avoided lumps of earth disintegrated in the air, and in a flash, Ellie slashed with her knife.

(……I guess it's about time.)

However, the situation wouldn't stay like this.

”⸺s.h.i.+!”

Ellie's kick accelerated by her wind magic broke through my earth wall.

”⸺Ha!”

The storm around Ellie sent my lumps of earth flying.

It's fragments scatter in the air.

As time pa.s.sed, their numbers increased.

My weapons gathered in Ellie's surroundings⸺

Then, I said.

”⸺I'm raising the pace, Ellie.”

(How far can she last?)

It doubled from before.

Indeed, twice the clumps of earth appeared in every direction from Ellie.

”⸺Ga!”

Ellie shook her knife, and manipulated the wind to knock down all the objects near her.

⸺However, unlike up until now, I didn't let her.

”……Next.”

A wall of earth.

Up until now, I brought them out one by one, but⸺

(⸺Four of them.)

⸺Gangangangan!

”⸺Uu!”

Earth walls appeared simultaneously at Ellie's left, right, top, and bottom.

They overlapped each other, and pushed out as if to pulverize anything that existed in that s.p.a.ce.

Naturally, if she doesn't evade that⸺she'll die.

An emotion finally floated onto Ellie's face⸺it was impatience.

”⸺Aah!”

Instead of destroying the walls, she kicked them to get some distance, and somehow managed to escape from that prison.

However⸺

”⸺Then, next.”

Beyond that, more lumps of earth were waiting.

Thirty of them.

I gradually increased their numbers.

The distance from her to me is still ten meters.

Ellie barely approached me at all.

……It's only natural, because I attacked her so that she could only evade in a direction in I permitted her to.

(Unexpectedly, she didn't have that much real strength. I'll end it already.)

Looking at Ellie who's already breathing on her shoulders, I thought that.

⸺Pachiri.

At the same time as when I snap, all the lumps of earth concentrated on Ellie.

With all 360 degrees blocked, there's no escape route for her.

However, at the moment they hit Ellie.

”⸻Uuuuu.”

*Girari* When I thought that her eyes turned red, she released overwhelming magic power.

”⸺⸺Gaaaaaaaa!”

”⸻!!!⸺Ah!”

Ellie's roar echoed across the training ground.

All of the lumps of earth that were aiming at Ellie were blown away.

”⸺s.h.i.+t!”

My vision was blocked by dust.

(⸺c.r.a.p! My vision!)

I can only accurately use magic within the range of my vision⸺!

In order to derive a way to deal with this, my head turned with enough force to burn my brain.

(If Ellie attacks me within this dust, will my defenses make it? No, it's impossible! The activation of my magic won't make it!

Then should I protect myself with earth magic in the area I can see? ⸺No, that's even worse! It'd be a temporary measure, but when the wall gets destroyed it'd become close combat! Ellie, who can use wind magic to accelerate herself would have the advantage!)

I crossed my arms in front of my body, and prepare myself for Ellie's attack.

(⸺Then, I have no choice but to……!)

……However.

She didn't come.

Ellie, didn't come.

”……Ellie?”

To the attack that never came, I released my stance.

”⸺This time, it's Ed's win.”

Arisa's voice echoed in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

In front of me when my vision recovered, was Ellie who fainted from using up all her magic power.

”This was good for my first time letting someone fall down on their own……”

I, who concentrated on the battle so much that I forgot to breath, 'Haa',exhaled, and laid on my back right there.

Arisa, who watched Ellie and Edgar's match, was surprised by Ellie's complete change.

The moment the fight began, unlike Ellie up until then, her temperament became rough, and she attacked Ed.

”Black Iron WolfDiwolf⸺huh?”

Beastmen.

A race whose ancestors are said to have accepted the blood of majuus.

Because of that there are many who have the traits of beasts, and it's said they're good at using magic.

Among them is are the Black Iron Wolves who possess a high affinity with the wind attribute.

Ellie certainly mastered those characteristics.

”A genius……”

Her appearance was about the same as her age, yet that dexterity.

She thought……she was a genius.

The fact that she herself had a level of talent that surpa.s.sed genius⸺she left that aside for now.

”More than that……”

Arisa noticed.

Ellie's eyes.

They were eyes coagulated with dark despair and hatred.

⸺They were just like Arisa's eyes, when she despaired, before she met Edgar.

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