บท 24: Unveiling Deception
"Kaboom-kaboom."
"Kaboom-kaboom."
As I had swiftly moved away from her at the outset, there was now a considerable distance between us. This posed a significant disadvantage for any swordsman in a confrontation with a mage. Thus, my only recourse was to dodge the relentless onslaught of incoming spells and wait for an opportunity to close the gap.
"Kaboom-kaboom."
"Kaboom-kaboom."
The potency of her spells was astonishingly high, yet she cast them one after another with the ease of tossing pebbles. It was an exceptionally challenging feat for any magician to perform at such a rapid pace. Judging from the expression on her face, I couldn't help but speculate that she might be deliberately restraining her power, seemingly reluctant to dispatch her prey too quickly.
Despite my lingering confusion about this turn of events and her motivations, I understood that dwelling on these thoughts could prove fatal in the midst of battle. Thus, I forced aside these unnecessary musings and focused my mind on evading her relentless magical assaults.
Still, some of her attacks proved exceedingly difficult to evade entirely, and I found myself resorting to deflecting and altering the trajectories of certain explosive spells using my sword aura. It was a taxing and energy-draining maneuver, but with no other viable options at hand, I had little choice but to employ it to survive the encounter.
Explosive bursts of arcane energy continued to fill the air, punctuating our deadly standoff with their fiery crescendos. I deftly weaved and ducked, my every move calculated to evade the relentless onslaught. Beads of perspiration trickled down my forehead, and the strain on my muscles became more pronounced with each passing second.
Evelyn maintained her enigmatic smile, a silent testament to her mastery over this deadly dance. Her spells were formidable, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that she was deliberately holding back her true power. It was a precarious balance, one I couldn't maintain for much longer.
I needed an opening, a chance to close the distance and confront her directly. But stepping onto the treacherous path between us meant traversing a minefield of her destructive spells.
In a brief respite, I spotted an opportunity. A momentary lull in her assault, a split-second hesitation, and I seized the chance. With a burst of agility, I charged forward, zigzagging to confound her aim.
Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise as I closed the gap far faster than she had expected. In one fluid motion, I raised my sword, summoning every ounce of remaining strength to fuel a powerful strike aimed directly at her. The blade gleamed with a surge of unleashed energy as it cleaved through the air, poised to find its mark.
In that fleeting moment, a glimmer of joy flickered across my face as the prospect of imminent victory loomed tantalizingly close. But beneath that fleeting elation, there lingered a shadow of doubt.
And then, reality descended upon me like a heavy shroud. I had been a fool to believe that my adversary, the one who had relentlessly unleashed spells capable of snuffing out a life in an instant, would suddenly offer me a chance without hidden motives. It was a chilling realization that gripped me with clarity – I had unwittingly walked into a perilous trap, and the consequences of my error were about to unravel.
Evelyn's eyes, once widened in surprise, had transformed into an eerie and maniacal smile that could rival even the most sinister of demons. Her amusement was evident as she taunted me.
"Hey! You still haven't answered my question!" she shouted.
With a flourish, she produced something seemingly out of thin air and held it before me. The sight of it caused me to falter mid-attack, my strike missing its mark entirely. In that moment of vulnerability, she swiftly delivered a punishing kick to my abdomen.
"Kuugk!"
The force of her blow was staggering, causing me to kneel and expel a gush of blood.
"Uuuag..." I gasped, the pain splitting through me.
"So, answer me," she demanded, her face twisted into a devilish grin, "Is this what you were looking for?"
My eyes fell upon the object she was holding – the severed head of my adoptive nephew, Renial.
Words failed me, and all that remained was a storm of anger in my eyes and a gnawing guilt in my heart. I couldn't help but blame myself, wondering if I could have changed the outcome, made different choices that might have led to a different fate for Renial. If only I had dealt with the princess before she could harm him, perhaps he could still be alive.
"Are you thinking that if you had dealt with me before I could harm him, he might still be alive?" she taunted. "Then I hate to break it to you, but no matter the choices you made, the end result was always going to be his death. Don't complicate things for yourself," she added with an arrogant laugh.
"What are you saying? Renial was just adopted into our family a few months ago. How could any of this be related to him?" I asked, my mind swamped with confusion and disbelief as I tried to comprehend the revelation. Her words had thrust me into a perplexing puzzle, and I grappled to fathom the connection between Renial and her sinister actions.
"Is she telling me the truth, or is this yet another one of her tricks?" I wondered.
"I'm not tricking you or anything. What I said is the truth. My goal has always been his life, from the very beginning to the end," she replied, as if she had gleaned my innermost thoughts.
"Huh? Your goal was his life? Why? What could you possibly gain from his death?" I queried, my bewilderment evident.
"That's not something a mere mortal should know," she stated with a grave countenance, devoid of any jest.
"Now, I've grown bored of playing with you, so I think I'll make you my meal."
"Huh? What—" I began, but before I could complete my sentence, a searing pain shot through my head, causing my vision to blur and my eyes to cloud over.
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