Nia moved like a shadow, her twin daggers striking from every angle, but no matter how she attacked, Artoria blocked effortlessly.
Her skill, "Instinct", allowed her to perceive the best course of action in battle without conscious thought.
Even after succumbing to darkness, her instincts, though slightly dulled, remained powerful enough to counter Nia's every move.
"If this is all you have," Artoria said, her grip tightening on her sword, "then your defeat is inevitable."
She had not moved an inch from her starting position.
Nia gritted her teeth, sensing the vast gap between them.
Her speed meant nothing. She needed to rely on magic.
The elves were natural-born spellcasters. The Forest Elves specialized in nature magic, while the Night Elves wielded the power of darkness.
Raising her staff, Nia traced a pentagram in the air.
Black mist erupted, swallowing the battlefield in absolute darkness.
Even Ryuu, who had been watching from the sidelines, was engulfed.
But he only smirked.
"A distraction? Cute. But pointless."
His clairvoyance allowed him to see through the void, and Artoria—relying purely on her hearing—stood ready.
Nia held her breath, her silent footsteps weaving behind Artoria.
This was her moment—
She lunged.
Clang!
A violent clash rang out as Artoria blocked the strike mid-air.
Nia's eyes widened.
How?!
Artoria countered with a swift slash, forcing Nia to retreat. But now her position was known.
No matter how she moved, Artoria pursued relentlessly, pushing her into a corner.
The Night Elf queen was now covered in cuts, breathing heavily.
"Damn it... if I can't beat her physically, then I'll outsmart her."
Summoning her magic, Nia split into five identical clones.
Her strategy was simple: distract Artoria while the real body struck the fatal blow.
But Artoria remained unfazed.
"Clones? Cute. But pointless."
Artoria had faced Hundred-Faced Hassan before.
This?
This was nothing.
She gathered pure, dark magic, sending out a shockwave that dispelled the black mist entirely.
The battlefield was clear once more.
Nia's five figures were now completely exposed.
"You think illusions will work on me?" Artoria smirked.
"Tch... the fight isn't over yet!" Nia bluffed, though fear was creeping into her voice.
Her instincts screamed at her—if Artoria used her ultimate attack, she would die.
Nia raised her staff, summoning all the dark magic she had left.
"Lord of the Night," she whispered. "Lend me your strength!"
A shadowy aura formed around her—
But Artoria had already raised her sword.
"Ex—"
Nia's heart stopped.
No, no, no—
"Calibur Morgan!!"
A pillar of darkness erupted from Artoria's blade, swallowing everything in its path.
This was death.
Nia couldn't block it.
She couldn't survive it.
Her body moved on instinct, activating space magic—
And she vanished.
---
Ryuu watched the empty battlefield with mild amusement.
"Using spatial teleportation to flee?" He scoffed.
"How naïve."
Artoria sheathed her sword, scowling. "Dishonorable coward."
Ryuu, however, was unbothered.
"If she ran, she'll return. She's still the Night Elf Queen—she wouldn't abandon her people."
A cold glint flashed in his golden eyes.
"If she refuses to return, then I'll make her."
He turned to Artoria.
"Destroy their camp."
Artoria smirked.
"Understood, Master."
Raising Excalibur Morgan once more, pure destruction gathered at its tip—
A torrent of darkness surged toward the Night Elf encampment.
"WAIT!!!"
A desperate voice rang through the air.
Ryuu turned.
Nia stood behind him, battered and bleeding.
Her right arm was broken, her clothes in tatters. She had barely survived the teleportation.
Even so, she was here.
She had chosen to return.
"Interesting..."
"Please!" Nia dropped to her knees. "Spare my people! You can do whatever you want to me—just don't hurt them!"
Ryuu remained silent.
Then—he snapped his fingers.
The destruction ceased.
The Night Elf camp remained untouched.
Nia gasped.
She turned, expecting to see a wasteland, expecting to see her people dead.
But—
Her soldiers were fine.
They were laughing, patrolling the camp as if nothing had happened.
"No... no, that's impossible... I saw them die."
Nia's eyes trembled.
Slowly, realization dawned upon her.
"...It was an illusion?"
She looked up at Ryuu, horror creeping into her veins.
"You... you tricked me."
Ryuu smirked. "Took you long enough."
She had never left the tent.
The moment she tried to teleport, his Mangekyō Sharingan activated—trapping her in an illusion.
In that world, she had watched her people die, felt her own powerlessness.
She had broken, believing the illusion to be reality.
And now?
Now, she had no choice but to surrender.
"Shall we fight again?" Ryuu asked, amused.
Nia lowered her head.
"...No."
She dropped her weapons.
"The Night Elves submit to the Demon King."
Ryuu grinned.
Exactly as planned.
He stepped forward, tilting her chin up.
Tears mixed with dirt streaked her pale face, her crimson eyes burning with humiliation and defeat.
"You made the right choice, Nia," Ryuu whispered.
Her lips quivered.
She hated this.
Hated that she had lost.
Hated that she had no choice.
But most of all…
She hated that this man—this Demon King—had completely broken her.
===
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