A few moments before the great battle got underway, the battlefield had been cordoned off by a barrier. The greatest of the great would fight each other in this zone, and those of lesser ability would be pulverized into ash if they so much as approached the site.
Above the battlefield, the one-on-one fight between Milim—one of Frey’s own Big Four—and Torun had grown so intense, no one could do a thing to stop them. The aerial battle between these two champions was proceeding faster than the speed of sound, leaving the Heaven Fliers and the Milim Guard with no choice but to step back so they didn’t get caught up in it. The same was true for the flying insectoids serving under Torun; they had scattered as well, their formation falling into disarray.
The sky battle was thus left for these two titans to settle, but that would soon prove a terrible mistake. An overhead view of the battle would make it plainly obvious that one side’s forces were starting to dwindle in number.
“Ee-hee-hee-hee! You are weak. Only good at fleeing!” said Torun.
Frey was on the offensive at first. But after her signature claw strikes kept being evaded, she found herself defending instead. She did successfully attack a few times, but none of those strikes meant much to Torun; they posed no threat to him. If this was Frey’s full effort, he felt assured that this foe offered no challenge at all apart from her speed. Of course, that didn’t mean Torun would let his guard down around her, which was one reason why this battle was dragging on for so long…but he was starting to think it was time to end it.
That was why he made that remark, but Frey merely laughed it off.
“Oh, is that how you see it? I’ll have to thank you, then.”
“What?”
Torun tilted his head, unsure of what she meant. Frey clearly was the cornered one, but for some reason, she had a breezy smile on her face.
“Thank you for being such a fool, that is.”
“What did you say?”
“What do you think is the most important element in battle, hmm?”
“Speed.”
“You’re right on that count, actually. But…”
Frey agreed with him—speed was the most important factor. At the same time, though, there was something even more vital to remember. Something based not on physical ability, but on intellect. In other words, the way someone fought. When two fighters at the same level clash with each other, the outcome is greatly affected by whether they consciously think about their battle approach. The status of this battle proved that well.
From the moment her first strike was dodged, Frey knew this would be an extended battle. She thought it key to sap her enemy’s stamina without burning through her own along the way, so she took an approach that maximized efficiency. The tactic was adopted not only by her, but all the troops under her. She was working to give her side an advantage, in other words, by getting the enemy forces torn up in the shock waves from her and Torun’s battle. Using the power of someone like Torun to drive his own allies to destruction was an innovative, intelligent move from Frey. This was indeed the true nature of the sly, crafty Sky Queen.
The smile on her face finally made Torun realize what was happening.
“What…?! You aimed for this from the start…”
“Did I? Well, who can say?”
“Cocky little… But as long as you can’t even scratch me, I will win the day!”
The enraged Torun turned up the speed once more, advancing upon Frey. But that, too, was exactly what she expected from him. Torun’s ever-changing aerial attacks were so tricky, it was impossible for even a demon lord seed-class fighter to catch them—but it was a different story for Frey. After a few repetitions, she began to recognize the patterns to the point that she could read Torun’s initial speed to predict where the next attack was coming from. Some of the very strongest could move around in complete disregard of the laws of physics, so it was dangerous to assume too much, but Frey had already confirmed that Torun was bound by the laws of this key world.
That was why she felt safe to tell him:
“Assumptions can be dangerous things, you know. I’m kind of a wimp, so it takes me a while to be sure about something.”
She had just finished saying that when Torun reached the exact position she anticipated he would be in. The next thing Torun noticed was the pain from a claw piercing his chest-area exoskeleton. It had a metallic sheen he’d always been proud of, but the exoskeleton wasn’t as strong as his alionium fists. Adamantite would be enough to penetrate it…as had just been proven.
“…Huh?”
Torun was shocked. But it was already too late. He struggled as best he could to resist, but none of his skills were activating. The moment he was in Frey’s claws, the battle had already been decided.
Inside Torun’s now-shredded chest was a magicore, a vital part of all insectors. It was firmly within Frey’s talons.
“So…goodbye, then.”
The core shattered into a million brilliant pieces…and that was the moment of Torun’s death.
Lucia and Claire offered Frey their congratulations.
“Great work, Lady Frey.”
“Yes, it was so amazing. Now we can fully commit to the sweep-up.”
“Right,” Frey replied, gracefully nodding. “I’m tired, of course, but this battle is going to last a decent while longer. I don’t think I have time to rest, either.”
She looked across the battlefield. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a few of her companions, all struggling.
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