Chapter 631 Best Of Both Worlds
"Tch! Just die!"
The Elves bombarded Esme with several shots of attacks, none of them daring to get close to her due to the superior mobility and overall combat experience she possessed.
Still, it wasn't like they were making much progress by keeping their distance.
In fact, they were losing all the same.
Elves were mostly taught Elemental Magic, since it was the most useful kind in overall utility. Of course, Commonplace Magic was also essential, but those were all at the basic level.
Since combat wasn't an essential part of their lives, Elves never really had the need to advance Spells or create a more intricate means of attack-making them amateurish in a sense.
In that regard, they were similar to Dragons.
However, the major difference between the two Races was their disposition towards violence.
Due to their lack of proper understanding of tactics, yet their immense abilities gifted to them by Nature, they were powerful but inexperienced.
As a result, compared to Esme, who was the best of both worlds, they stood no chance.
"Might as well end things now..." The salty breeze whipped through her hair as she gave a confident smirk.
Almost as if she finally snapped, one of the Elves lunged forward, a whirlwind of energy crackling around her fingertips. She held twin daggers and tried to twist and turn to create a swirl of lethal energy as an assault.
Esme sidestepped this attack with ease, the sand beneath her feet shifting as she moved.
With a swift motion, she countered, using wind blades to slice through the air and find their mark with deadly accuracy. Both weapons flew out of her hand, and one more blast of wind fell on her as she tried to regain her footing.
"Ack!" The Elf stumbled back, a surprised expression on her face as she crumpled to the ground.
As the other Elves surged forward, each unleashing their own unique brand of magic, Esme danced between them like a shadow, her movements fluid and precise.
Bolts of lightning crackled through the air, fireballs erupted from the palms of her adversaries, and tendrils of earth reached out to ensnare her, but Esme evaded them all with graceful agility.
It was all pointless.
Upon seeing all of this, the Elves, growing frustrated by her seemingly effortless evasion, redoubled their efforts. Their magic became more erratic and chaotic with each passing moment, and their desperation grew to its limits.
In contrast to them, however, Esme remained unfazed. And then, with a sudden burst of inspiration, she saw her opportunity.
Gathering her magic, Esme called upon the elements around her, summoning forth water and sand from the beach.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent the mixture swirling around the Elves, ensnaring them in a deadly vortex of quicksand. Panic flashed across their faces as they struggled to free themselves, but it was futile.
"L-let us go!"
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"Y-you Half.... You will pay for this!"
Ignoring them, she simply continued her dance to its conclusion.
-ZZZTTZZZ-
With a final flourish, Esme called forth a bolt of lightning from the heavens above, directing its energy down into the swirling mass of sand and water.
The air crackled with electricity as the quicksand solidified, transforming into a smooth, glassy surface beneath the elves' feet, and all around them as well.
In mere moments, the once fierce adversaries were trapped, their forms encased in a shimmering prison of glass.
"And so it concludes..." She murmured, looking at the massive construct of glass that now held all the Elves- both the conscious and unconscious hostage.
"I've always wanted to try that."
***********
"Unbelievable..."
Rey grinned as Gratiana looked at the Half Elf before her. The way she used her Magic, as well as the rest of her Skills, made the Elder forget about her racist disposition for a moment.
"She fights better than anyone I've ever seen."
"Of course." Rey shrugged. "Your people are very limited in many areas. Though, with the bet ending in my favor, I intend to change a lot of things."
"Y-you... we aren't sure the Young Ones killed the Boss!"
"Really? Even after seeing them covered in Entrails, and also witnessing how they fought my ally?" Raising his eyes, Rey directed a look of skepticism at Gratiana.
He already knew she was well aware of the Young Elves' perversion, but her pretense was something he didn't want.
'She should be honest about it. He thought.
"Rey! I know you're watching this, so just come out right now!" Esme's yelling voice interrupted whatever he wanted to say next, so he simply winked at Gratiana and stepped forward.
As he did so, the Magic he used to cloak both himself and Gratiana wore off.
"You got me." He smiled, raising both hands as he approached the Elf who was glaring at him, though playfully. "So did you enjoy yourself?"
"This guy..."
"Come on... admit it." He drew closer, reaching to touch her shoulders, but she swiftly used her staff to knock his hands off.
"Ow..."
Of course, Rey wasn't referring to physical pain. He knew such wouldn't work on Esme, so he placed his hand on his chest and faked being hurt.
"S-so cold..." He even whispered, to which Esme simply shook her head and hid her smile as much as she could.
While they did this, Gratiana went to the Elves, who were stuck in glass, her face depicting nothing short of worry. Esme noticed this and couldn't hold back her smile any longer.
"Just a little..."
"What was that?" Rey drew closer, his ear directly facing her.
"Fine! I enjoyed it a little." She smacked his shoulder with her staff again, and he laughed at it.
"Hehehe!"
As they both approached the prison of glass, Esme and Rey began nudging each other with their shoulders, laughing in the process.
No one would have even guessed that a fight had just gone down.
While this was happening, the Elves seemed to be in a state of both shame and fear, looking at Rey and Esme with understandable apprehension, while they looked at their Elder with humble disappointment in themselves.
Rey already knew the best way to banish the gloomy mood. "Now that this has all been resolved... it appears I owe you all an explanation."