A Mysterious Enemy - Part 2

Just when she thought the fight was getting interesting, everything turned boring again. Naige ran in circles around the wizard, dodging the roots or, on some occasions, cutting those that posed a greater threat. But she never had a chance to get close to her opponent.

In fact, she was only wearing herself out and getting annoyed by feeling like she wasn't having a real battle. Furthermore, the wizard kept summoning the same magic, all the while sporting a contemptuous smile as if that power alone would be enough to stop her. Therefore, she wanted to wipe that smile off his face as quickly as possible.

Naige knew that wizards tended to devote themselves to their magic and venerate it as if it were divine. Sometimes, they had an excess of that conviction, maybe the wizard in front of her was like that. But that arrogance was nothing her blade couldn't cut through, she thought.

"What's the matter, princess?" the wizard inquired. "You weren't going to beat me with that little thing there?"

Despite the taunt, Naige remained calm and said, "Why all this interest in me?"

"Interest?" he laughed with surprise. "No, I have no interest in you, princess. I just hate people like you."

Naige kept her focus on the roots, making sure none of them reached her, as they had before. Though it might seem like weak magic to most earth elementalists, it was tiresome to have to cut and dodge all the simultaneous attacks, not to mention annoying. She also couldn't find an opportunity to get close to the wizard to finally use her saber and put an end to this boring battle.

"Curious, I don't remember ever doing anything to you before, for you to hate me this much," she said after noticing that the new roots were taking longer than usual to reappear.

Upon hearing her words, the wizard didn't take long to respond, appearing somewhat disturbed, "I hate people like you, princess. All of you nobility have everything you desire. You receive all the luxury on a silver platter. You're surrounded by people to pamper you, to entertain you in the worst possible way, or protect you as if you were deities, just like your little dog over there." He referred to Jiro. "Do you know where all that luxury comes from, princess? It comes from the people you exploit. They starve to serve your feasts. They are left in misery while you amass your wealth. For these people, whom you don't consider worthy, only a detestable life remains. That's why I hate you! I hate how disgusting this world is. And you nobility are its worst impurities."

"And what will you do about it? Are you just another of these lunatics claiming to be altruistic with a desire to destroy the world for a 'greater good'?"

"No," the wizard replied with an indifferent smile. "I will simply aid those who will destroy it. That will be enough for me."

His words sounded as sincere as they were senseless, and he genuinely seemed to believe what he said, Naige thought. "Help those who will destroy?" She pondered the meaning of this particular statement, but quickly refocused on the wizard. After all, she just wanted to keep him distracted while attempting to gather any information that might be relevant.

However, something more interesting happened there. While the wizard spoke, his emotions became turbulent, interfering with the actions of the roots. It was no secret that magic was inherently linked to the mental state of the person who invoked it, so Naige wanted to use this moment to her advantage and further unsettle her opponent's mind. So she continued, "Will what you're doing now change anything? Even if I die here, everything you hate will still exist, won't it?"

"So what? You nobles are just scum! They need to be eliminated for this world to change. That will be my vengeance."

As Naige had suspected, he was a madman. In the end, such people always sought some form of revenge to alleviate some past trauma. It didn't matter, her plan had worked as she had wanted. The wizard didn't move much, perhaps to maintain control over the remaining magic. With him disturbed, the roots that had always prevented her from getting closer were no longer as effective.

Naige waited until she saw the opportunity she wanted. It didn't take long for the roots to start spiraling out of control, making them easier to attack. She spun her body to the side and cut one of them. Then, she moved toward the wizard, swinging her saber in both directions to cut down the roots that appeared in her path. The wind carried them away like dust. She continued, "So, that's it. You're just another of these crazies seeking revenge, after all."

"Crazy? You're mistaken, princess!" the wizard retorted with aggression. His eyes gleamed coldly, and the aura in his hands became more intense, changing from green to a dark red.

Naige didn't pay much attention to the wizard's transformation. She simply smiled because her plan was working better than she had hoped.

She had already noticed one thing: the wizard always summoned five or seven roots at the same time. Each one reached three meters in length and had a timer to replace the one that was destroyed. He also didn't have good control over all of them, attacking with only two or three simultaneously. This seemed to be the limit of his magic, if he had one.

A mage's mana was not infinite. Even if he had a large amount of it, it would eventually run out. Naige just needed to force him to keep using his ordinary powers and take advantage when the wizard was more exhausted to finally triumph over him.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened with his magic. Naige stopped moving instantly. Then, her entire body felt a shiver under her skin, as if all her dormant instincts were waking up at that moment, urging her to get away from that wizard.

"I will give you a taste of my power, princess! One you will never forget," he whispered, and three magic circles appeared in front of the wizard. Their colors were vibrant, alternating between green, red, and gold.

Naige felt the ground under her feet tremble. As she leaped away from there, she looked down and was amazed. This time, several roots sprouted at once, varying in size and thickness. Some of them looked more like tree trunks, with smaller branches and thick foliage.

However, that wasn't the most astonishing part because some of the roots were burning in flames that not even a strong gust of wind could extinguish. The wizard also didn't seem to have much control over them, as they spread across the road, blending with the forest.