Cathelaya's POV:
An instant after the thunder crashed between us, the water hero shot upward. Like a geyser, he launched himself toward me, his strange sword in hand, ready to slash me.
- I've seen that before!
But unlike last time, I manipulate the wind around him to keep it at bay. The water hero's momentum slows, and he immediately shoots down to the ground. Before the hero can hit the plaza, a large amount of water bursts out of the cracks in the ground, softening his fall. He lands on his feet, using the water to move swiftly across the ground.
- Do you think you can escape?
I manipulate the clouds around me to begin launching lightning bolts at him. The lightning bolts miss him by a few centimeters as they collide with the water on the ground. Even though it should electrocute the hero in contact with it, the energy doesn't reach him.
- ... You're quite good at controlling water.
- Thanks for the compliment.
Using the water as small steps, he shoots out in a unique way, while the electrified water remains behind him. The speed and the way he moves make him look like an insect skidding on water.
- But don't think that's all I do.
Before he could say anything, a gust of wind passes between the buildings and hits the water hero in the face. The sudden movement knocks him off balance. He stops abruptly as he slowly backs away.
- Suffer under your own stupidity!
I unleash one of the most powerful bolts I can muster at the disoriented hero. He looks up at the sky for a moment before raising his arm. A large amount of water erupts from beside him, launching itself at the lightning that was falling at full speed, hitting him squarely. The water that hit the lightning turned into steam and spread across the area, creating a smoke screen. I stare suspiciously at the smoke. Although I knew the water didn't stop the lightning, I don't feel like it had hit him. I quickly summon more thunder and strike the area around the hero to make sure I hit him. I watch carefully as I manipulate the wind to clear the scene. To my surprise, the steam doesn't go away. Despite the wind hitting it, it remains motionless in place. A deep bad feeling hits me before I see something blue out of the corner of my eye. With the help of the wind, I dodge the mass of water that was about to hit me and gain distance.
- ...Wow, wasn't that enough?
A disappointed water hero appears in front of me. My eyes nearly pop out of surprise as I watch the water hero fly through the sky just like me. He flashes me a confident smile as we observe each other for a few moments.
- How is it possible that you can fly?
- Who knows.
Taking on a more serious appearance, he leans forward as if he's about to start a race. I quickly manipulate the wind to send him flying, but it doesn't affect him at all. With all his might, he launches himself at me as he continues running through the air. Without fully understanding what he's doing, I move quickly through the air masses while throwing lightning bolts at him. Despite my efforts, just like he did on the ground, he evades all my thunderbolts as he comes toward me.
- Don't think you're such a big deal just because you can fly!
With a circular motion of my hands, the wind begins to spin around me, quickly forming a tornado. Although he previously seemed immovable, he is now easily pulled by the wind.
- You really earn your nickname, Storm Witch!
As if mocking me, he says those words as he spins erratically in the wind.
- Shut up, you fool!
I quickly steer the tornado toward a neighborhood where it quickly uproots the houses in the area. Pieces of buildings spin alongside the hero as the speed increases. The amount of debris only increased with each passing second as the hero somehow dodged it while trying to skate through the air.
- You look like a real skating star right now, water hero. Are you sure you didn't choose the wrong profession?
- If you think I'm any good at this... you haven't seen the professionals.
Noticing him already feeling very dizzy, I manipulate the clouds again to launch a lightning bolt at him. I gather enough energy to make sure he doesn't escape this time.
- Tell me, water hero, what does it feel like to watch helplessly as your city is destroyed in front of you? How does it feel to have everything you love taken away from you? Tell me!
- ... It's a really unpleasant feeling. It's like watching your house blown to pieces after you've thrown a spectacular party. That's why this is where the party ends for you, storm witch.
- ... Oh? What the hell are you talking about? What are you supposed to do while caught in a tornado?
- …It's not a question of what I'll do… it's what I've already done.
- What-?
Before I can finish, the tornado begins to spin strangely. I try to normalize the tornado, but I can't handle it. At some point, the tornado stops obeying me, and the water hero is no longer adrift in it. A large amount of water had entered the tornado before I realized it. The tornado is no longer made of air at all, but of water. The hero stands in front of me as the tornado only grows faster.
- I'm so sorry I stole your tornado, but like you said yourself, I can't allow you to destroy my home any more than you already have. So I need you to die here.
Before I could respond, the debris from the tornado is thrown into the eye of the tornado. A shower of debris and parts of buildings rain down on me as if it were raining houses.
- You think you'll beat me with that? Dream on!
With great skill, I fly through the debris, dodging any debris that landed in my path. The debris I couldn't repel is sent flying by the gusts of wind. In a few seconds, I'm already on top of the tornado, which is slowly beginning to fade away. I look down before looking up again. There stands the water hero, an orb hovering over his shoulder.
- You'll need more than that to kill me, water hero.
I glare at him fiercely, while the hero gives me a cold, harsh look. He sighs for a moment before speaking.
- I'm sorry, Storm Witch, but my victory condition has already manifested. You can't beat me right now.
- Victory condition? What nonsense are you talking about?
I glare at him with hostility, while he glares back with the same hostility.
- Now that Nere's back at me, my victory is assured... You know? Even though I had the job of hero, I never took my role too seriously. I never dedicated myself to training. I preferred to be on the streets getting to know my people and finding new concubines for my harem. Only when I saw the heroic figure of the Fire Hero did I realize I had to take things seriously if I wanted to protect what I loved.
- What the hell are you babbling about-?
Before I could finish, a drop of water had fallen on my face. Surprise took my words away as I looked up at the clouds I was controlling. After that small drop, many others began to fall. That in itself wasn't so strange; what was strange about them was their strength. Like stones, ice fell onto my skin. The pain throughout my body soon overwhelmed me. The sensation of each drop tearing at my skin and crushing my bones only grew stronger.
- Whoo...
In a desperate measure, I raised a small wind barrier over my body that deflected the raindrops. I breathed a sigh of relief only to realize the hero was no longer there. I start looking for him in panic, only to find a large sword of water heading for my neck. Desperately, I move through the air to dodge it, but I'm immediately assaulted by raindrops again. Panicking, I try to get out of its reach, but it always catches me.
- What's wrong, witch? Weren't you going to take everything I held most dear?
With a voice filled with resentment, the hero follows me closely, his strange sword in hand. I launch a gust of wind at him, but it's useless. I can't repel it before he lunges at me again. I manipulate the wind to get out of range of his sword. Although the raindrops tear at my skin, I manage to avoid the deadly attack... or so it was supposed to be.
- Ku...
The sword, which I had dodged, suddenly lengthens out of nowhere, striking and piercing me all the way down my side. Although I manage to escape its reach after the cut, I spit out blood with a spit while I put up a wind barrier against the rain. The burning pain in my side barely lets me manage my composure. Blood flows slowly from the wound as I use one hand to try to stop the bleeding. The hero looks at me as a huge water dragon forms around him, ready to devour me as it opens its jaws.
- Ready to pay for all the damage you've done to Mim?
The desperate situation leaves me shocked; I never thought the water hero would corner me like this. But I can't help but smile at the situation. A hearty laugh involuntarily escapes my throat as I stare back at the hero in front of me. He seems surprised by my sudden fit of laughter.
- Good... Good! That's how I like it! I haven't had a battle like this since my youth.
I reach my hands to the sky as I defiantly stare at the water hero in front of me. Before he could say anything, a huge thunderclap falls between us and strikes me in the side that had been cut, scorching the wound and closing it in the process.
- But what....?
The hero is shocked by the events, but not by the fact that I cauterized my wound. The lightning that cauterizes my wound doesn't hit the ground, but instead draws itself across the sky. The lightning slowly takes the form of a tiger almost as large as the dragon the hero made.
- Do you know, hero, what they called me in my youth almost 200 years ago?
The lightning I'd been saving emerges in the form of a tiger and stands by my side. I honestly didn't think I'd have to resort to this technique again. I take a battle stance as I face the hero of water.
- The great tiger of light.