Peace Hunter

On the ground floor of the academy's central building which housed the cafeteria.

Queen Kayana kept her magic staff aimed at Duke Remy, unleashing a gravity magic attack from it. Duke Remy instantly dodged the moment she pointed the staff at him, knowing she was targeting him with her gravity magic. Since Queen Kayana's gravity magic was invisible to the naked eye, Duke Remy could not afford to wait until the attack became visible before trying to evade it; he had to dodge the instant she aimed her staff at him. However, while the magic was invisible to normal sight, it could be perceived by those capable of seeing magical auras or those sensitive to them. Thus, even though the magic could not be seen normally, certain individuals could still dodge or counter it.

After Duke Remy dodged, the floor where he had been standing suddenly shattered and caved in, as if crushed by immense pressure.

"That magic of yours is truly troublesome," Duke Remy remarked.

He then prepared to make a move; crouching down, he pointed his right hand toward the floor and touched the ground beneath him.

~Plant Magic - Plant Creation Magic: Iron Wood Tree~

Moments after he touched the floor, a massive tree suddenly materialized before him. Once the giant tree appeared, Duke Remy pointed his right hand toward Queen Kayana.

~Plant Magic: Hundreds of Iron Wood Swords~

A sword suddenly shot out from the trunk of the tree he had created, hurtling rapidly toward Queen Kayana. However, Queen Kayana reacted swiftly to the sword hurtling toward her. She instantly pointed her magic staff at the weapon, causing it to crash hard against the floor; yet, the sword did not shatter, sustaining only minor damage.

Moments later, another sword emerged from the tree trunk. It shot toward Queen Kayana, but she managed to halt it. Initially, the swords came one by one, but soon they began to launch in great numbers. Dozens, even hundreds of swords surged toward Queen Kayana simultaneously. Seeing this, she quickly struck the base of her staff against the floor.

~Gravity Magic: Omnidirectional Gravity Shield~

The incoming swords suddenly plummeted, crashing violently against the floor the moment they drew near Queen Kayana. Even as those swords fell, others continued to emerge from the tree Duke Remy had conjured and shoot toward her. Yet, these new sword also crashed to the ground as soon as they came within close range. The same fate befell every subsequent wave of swords; they all fell to the floor upon approaching Queen Kayana. The onslaught continued until the tree Duke Remy had created began to vanish, its power depleted by the constant generation of these projectiles.

Ultimately, the entire assault was in vain, as not a single sword managed to injure or even touch Queen Kayana; every one of them fell to the ground the moment it drew near her. The swords now lay scattered on the floor before Queen Kayana. She appeared to be examining them; despite having struck the floor with great force, they had sustained only minor damage and remained completely intact. Queen Kayana then walked over to the scattered swords. She began to touch and handle them with her left hand, while her right hand still held her magic staff, its base resting against the floor.

Meanwhile, as Queen Kayana held the swords scattered across the floor, numerous sharp-tipped tree trunks suddenly emerged from behind her sprouting from the ceiling, walls, and floor in her rear. These trunks writhed and shot rapidly toward her. Queen Kayana remained motionless; she kept her hands on the swords before her, paying no heed to the trunks closing in from behind. The trunks were now mere moments away from striking her, yet before they could land a blow, they suddenly crashed heavily onto the floor. Their tips shattered upon impact, leaving behind only the motionless lower sections. Even as the trunks behind her smashed into the ground and splintered, Queen Kayana did not turn around, remaining focused on the swords in front of her.

A short distance ahead, Duke Remy appeared slightly taken aback by Queen Kayana's actions.

"As expected of the kingdom's most powerful mage, not a single attack I launched managed to wound you. You even handled an assault from behind without so much as turning your head. You are truly magnificent, Your Majesty," Duke Remy said.

"I have absolutely no need for your praise, Lord Remy," Queen Kayana replied, continuing to hold and touch the swords scattered across the floor.

"I was truly unlucky to have to face you first. I had been certain that you were still somewhere between the sixth and ninth floors, so I went straight to the fifth floor to pursue Lord Louis and Lady Arlet. I intended to kill them both right then and there, but they managed to escape all the way to this floor. Then, just as I was on the verge of killing them, you and Sir Oliver arrived to rescue them. My attempt to kill them failed, truly unlucky," said Duke Remy.

"I was previously on the 8th floor, chatting with Sir Oliver and the knights accompanying me about the attacks occurring across the San Fulgen Kingdom including here at the academy. While we were talking, I sensed an unpleasant aura coming from the floors below. It wasn't just me; Sir Oliver sensed it too. We immediately rushed downstairs to investigate. At first, I felt the aura on the 5th floor, but it shifted down to the 1st floor. Lord Oliver and I made our way all the way down to the 1st floor, passing through the ruined levels."

"When we reached the 2nd floor and were preparing to descend to the 1st through the wreckage, we saw Lord Louis and Lady Arlet being stabbed by someone. Lord Oliver quickly moved to save them. I immediately attacked the assailant with my gravity magic. Observing the individual, I concluded that the unpleasant aura I had sensed was coming from that person and that person was you, Lord Remy. That aura was clearly emanating from your body, which is currently shrouded in black tree-like growths. It was mingling with your natural aura, which is why I remarked earlier that your presence felt slightly different," Queen Kayana said.

As she spoke, Queen Kayana continued to touch the wooden swords scattered on the floor.

"I see. So, this technique emits an unpleasant aura that allowed you and Sir Oliver to track me down. I had assumed it was merely a coincidence when you both suddenly appeared to rescue Lord Louis and Lady Arlet. It seems, however, that it was due to my own oversight; I wasn't aware the technique gave off such an aura, as this was my first time using it. I am still getting used to it," Duke Remy replied.

Queen Kayana remained silent after hearing Duke Remy's words. She appeared to still be touching the wooden swords lying on the floor.

"I am truly unlucky; I had intended to kill you after successfully killing Lord Louis and Lady Arlet. Instead, I failed to kill either of them, and now you know my plan as well."

"But I suppose that isn't a problem; since Lord Louis and Lady Arlet are already severely injured, killing them both later will be easy. For now, I had better switch my target. I shall kill you right here, Your Majesty the Queen," said Duke Remy.

Then, Duke Remy suddenly clapped his hands together forcefully.

~Plant Magic + Dark Magic: Hell of Dark Forest~

Immediately, a vast number of pitch-black tree trunks erupted all around the area, emerging from the ceiling, walls, and floor. These trunks then shot rapidly toward Queen Kayana to attack her. Queen Kayana showed no reaction as the trunks hurtled toward her from every direction; she did not even react to their sudden appearance. She simply continued touching the wooden swords scattered on the floor, one by one.

The black trunks, racing toward Queen Kayana from all sides, closed the distance rapidly. Yet, just as they were about to strike her, they suddenly plummeted, slamming hard against the floor. Every trunk attacking her crashed down the moment it drew near, shattering upon impact. However, the shattered fragments slowly began to regenerate. These trunks differed from the ones that had attacked her previously, those earlier ones had ceased moving or been completely destroyed, unable to recover, after striking the floor with such force. Once the tree trunks had recovered, they merely swayed back and forth, no longer attacking Queen Kayana. Meanwhile, having launched an assault using the trunks that had sprouted across the floor, Duke Remy stood motionless, watching Queen Kayana as she touched the wooden swords scattered on the ground.

"I cannot be reckless in my attack on Her Majesty. Right now, she appears to be protected by some form of gravity magic. Consequently, any attack approaching her suddenly crashes to the floor, as if crushed by an immense weight."

"The trunks I am using might be able to regenerate after shattering against the floor while approaching Her Majesty, but they do so by consuming my mana. If they keep breaking and regenerating, my mana could eventually run dry. Therefore, I must not be rash in using them to attack Her Majesty," Duke Remy thought.

As Duke Remy stood lost in thought, Queen Kayana finished touching all the wooden swords on the floor. She then rose to her feet and turned her gaze toward Duke Remy.

"Lord Remy, I would like to ask you something; a thought has just crossed my mind," Queen Kayana said.

"What is it you wish to ask, Your Majesty?" Duke Remy inquired.

"You were previously at the academy's tournament arena, located on the top floor before you decided to head to the fifth floor to pursue Lord Louis and Lady Arlet. I recall that there were still many people in the arena when I left; Lord Neil and Lord Dylan, along with their wives, were still present there at that time. I would like to ask you: what did you do to the people in the academy's tournament arena before you left to pursue Lord Louis and Lady Arlet?" asked Queen Kayana.

Duke Remy fell silent upon hearing Queen Kayana's question. However, the silence lasted only a moment before he began to answer.

"Ah, regarding that... before I went to the fifth floor to pursue Lord Louis and Lady Arlet, my companions and I first attacked everyone in the tournament arena. I also attacked Lord Neil and Lord Dylan, along with their wives. I do not know their condition following the attack, though; it is possible they are all dead," Duke Remy said.

Queen Kayana fixed a sharp gaze upon Duke Remy.

"Your companions? If I recall correctly, you arrived at the academy accompanied by Lady Arnett, Sir Dayne, Vyn, and several of your own knights. So, they joined in attacking the people in the arena as well. That implies you likely transformed those companions of yours into demons. Hmm... I see," Queen Kayana remarked.

With that, Queen Kayana raised her magic staff and swiftly swung it toward Duke Remy with her right hand, wielding it much like a sword.

~Gravity Magic: Great Gravity Slash~

Instantly, Duke Remy along with several tree trunks positioned before Queen Kayana and around him was violently hurled backward, slamming hard against the wall behind them. The tree trunks shattered upon impact with the wall. Duke Remy, however, appeared unscathed; he showed no signs of injury, and the tree-like matter enveloping his body remained intact. Yet, he was rendered immobile, pinned fast against the wall he had struck. It was not just Duke Remy; the tree trunks that had hit the wall were likewise immobilized, stuck fast against the surface. It felt as though they were being crushed by an immense weight, pinning them against the wall and rendering them unable to move.

"That attack was incredibly fast. If I hadn't been wearing this wooden armor, I would have been gravely injured or perhaps even killed instantly by that blow," Duke Remy thought.

He then looked toward Queen Kayana, who was slowly approaching him. As she walked, the wooden swords scattered across the floor which she had previously touched began to stir. One by one, they stirred into motion until every single one was active, hovering in the air and circling the Queen. There were countless swords surrounding her likely numbering in the hundreds.

After walking for a short while, Queen Kayana came to a halt. She stopped moving, even though a considerable distance still separated her from Duke Remy. She then raised her left hand and began to speak to him.

"Attacking those within the tournament arena; commanding demons and people to assault the entire San Fulgen Kingdom, including this academy; plotting the assassination of myself and the entire San Lucia family; and transforming Lady Harriet, Lady Claret, and even my husband into demons. It wasn't just them—you have turned countless others into demons as well. And there are likely many more evil deeds you have committed."

"For all of this, you must pay with your life, Lord Remy," Queen Kayana declared.

With those words, she thrust her left hand forward, aiming directly at Duke Remy where he remained pinned against the wall.

~Gravity Magic: Gravity Marionette~

The hundreds of wooden swords circling Queen Kayana instantly shot forward, hurtling toward Duke Remy. Then, Duke Remy's body began to be pierced by the wooden swords aimed at him.

-To be continued

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