"Insects and their arrogance"
Irritated, Espeor altered his body once again, becoming taller and more elongated. The spikes grew in length, piercing the hardened earth and projecting in all directions. The battlefield turned into a deadly tangle, forcing Raizen to raise multiple layers of earth while retreating step by step.
'Restructuring'
Each broken barrier was immediately rebuilt, but the mana cost was high. With a snap of his fingers, he healed Takeshi and restored all of his mana.
"Takeshi, advance"
Raising his palms, several stone pillars rose from the ground, deflecting the incoming spikes. Bringing his hands together, Raizen created a dome around Espeor. A second after it formed, several spikes pierced straight through the dome.
"This won't work on me, insect"
"You talk too much"
Takeshi took advantage of the distraction. Concentrating wind on his feet, he vanished from direct sight and appeared above Espeor, descending with his spear wrapped in extreme rotating air pressure.
"Piercing spear"
The attack struck the top of the Nartheis's body, tearing flesh and spikes at the same time, sending fragments flying in all directions. For an instant, it seemed the blow had been decisive, with the core even leaving the body and falling to the ground.
"What is this?"
Espeor's core pulsed violently. The regeneration was not only physical; the body change redistributed the damage, converting destroyed parts into new structures. The body suddenly grew fat, absorbing the remaining impact and releasing a shockwave that threw Takeshi away.
"Damn, that one hurt"
When he hit the wall, he looked at Raizen, who seemed to be preparing a new spell. Feeling the danger increase, Raizen did not wait and changed the function of the reconstitution magic, using it as a reverse catalyst.
"Young earth bind"
The earth beneath Espeor began to recombine aggressively, restraining his limbs and limiting rapid transformations. It was not a perfect prison, but it reduced the pace of the Nartheis's unique ability.
Espeor roared in silence, forcing his body to change repeatedly to break the restraint, but each transformation became slower. Takeshi stood up, adjusting his posture and once again enveloping his spear in concentrated wind, while Raizen prepared another spell, this time in the palm of his hand.
"Takeshi, follow me"
"Yes, my lord"
The two humans now began to synchronize, constantly pressuring Espeor's limits. With a glance, they moved at the same time, each on a different side.
'Did their speed increase?'
Surprised, Espeor reacted instinctively to the dual movement, his body oscillating between forms as he tried to keep up with both at once. Raizen was pushed back while Takeshi continued forward.
'I have to end this quickly, or my body change—'
The body change was still functioning, but the delay between one transition and another was becoming evident. Spikes projected irregularly, some appearing too late, others breaking upon colliding with the compressed wind surrounding Takeshi's spear.
Dodging the spikes, Takeshi made another advance, this time from the left flank, the spear tip drawing a short and precise arc. Takeshi's eyes turned completely white as he covered his entire body with wind.
"Maximum condensed wind"
The wind condensed more and more, and with each step created constant pressure that began to push the air away and clear the trajectory of new spikes aimed at him.
'This is great. Now I can see the trajectory of his attacks through the wind. I'll have to thank him later'
Spikes launched toward him were deflected before even touching him, diverted by the rotation of mana surrounding the weapon. At the same time, Raizen maintained medium distance, his hands glowing with an unstable mixture of earth and reconstitution magic. His expression was serious, but inside he could not help wanting to sigh.
'Strong opponents make me lazy'
When Espeor tried to fatten his body to increase the impact of a direct charge at Takeshi, the ground beneath his feet partially gave way. Raizen had his finger pointed at the spot where Espeor stepped.
"Weakened density"
Raizen's magic had altered the density of the earth, creating a layer that collapsed and reformed in rapid cycles. The extra weight made the Nartheis sink for a fraction of a second, enough to break the rhythm of the attack. Takeshi lightly raised his fist in the air, celebrating that Raizen's magic worked.
"Good move, my lord"
"Just attack already"
Without wasting any more time, he took advantage of the opening. Takeshi twisted his body and delivered a deep thrust at a specific point on Espeor.
"Internal wind piercing"
The spear pierced through the side of Espeor's torso, tearing flesh and ripping spikes from the inside out. The wind exploded at the point of impact, amplifying the damage and hurling fragments backward. Even so, the Nartheis's core pulsed once more, forcing an aggressive regeneration that grotesquely sealed the wound. Takeshi jumped back and stood beside Raizen.
"It seems this guy can expose his own core, but that must be to use it as healing"
"So, my lord, do you mean he's a Nartheis who risks dying in order not to die?"
"Exactly. It must be some dangerous magic of his, or the leader himself gave it to him"
Raizen was correct in his assumptions, especially the second one, because it was Gideon who used this magic on the Nartheis. The only thing Raizen did not discover was that even the Nartheis himself did not know that Gideon used this magic on him not because he liked him, but because when Espeor was defeated, his power would be transferred to him along with the amount of mana. With curiosity, Raizen looked at Takeshi, surrounded by that wind.
"But tell me, Takeshi, where did you learn this magic that covers your body?"
"That? It's because my young lord Enrico gave me some tips two years ago when he asked to be trained by me"
"So you were the one training him, but you were the one receiving tips?"
"Yes, he's incredible, isn't he? It would be great if he became emperor, don't you think?"
Raizen agreed with Takeshi, but he was certain that Enrico would not want to be emperor. He seemed to want to be as strong as possible, but probably did not want to be tied down by a position.
"I think so too, but it's better to finish this quickly"
"You're right, my lord. Let's deliver the final blow to this Nartheis"
The two prepared to deliver the final strike, just like another person on the left side of the hall. Aina, who until now had been fighting her opponent without looking at the area, now had a smile as she looked at her sisters watching and her future brother-in-law.
"I should finish this soon, since my family is watching me"