Launching a magical water cannon attack that caused an explosion in the air where Agheira was, Aina began preparing to push herself beyond her limits against her opponent. Raizen stepped forward, pressing his palms against the air.
"Irregular atmosphere"
The magic spread across the ground and nearby walls, forming irregular structures that surrounded Espeor like closing fangs. It was not a complete prison, but it limited his angles of movement and made each transformation more costly. The reconstitution would work in the opposite direction of his magic, forcing the Nartheis's body to spend extra energy to reorganize and heal.
"These damned insects"
Espeor tried to change into his slim form, seeking speed to escape, but the delay caused by Raizen's magic was fatal.
"Storm advance"
Takeshi was already in motion, appearing in the blind spot created by the enemy's own mass. He was surrounded by stronger wind and, with an upward strike, tore open the abdomen.
"Wind discharge"
Next, a burst of wind slammed Espeor's body against the structures of Raizen's earth magic, trapping him between Takeshi's physical pressure and magical restraint.
Espeor began to realize he was losing ground. Each new transformation came with a visible cost, and for the first time the high Ranvil level three seemed to be pushed to a real limit in his life.
'How can these insects—no, these humans—push me this far?'
The pressure did not lessen; it became increasingly constant, crushing, leaving no room for recovery. Espeor tried once more to alter his body, flesh rippling irregularly as spikes emerged and retracted without a defined pattern.
'I have to get out'
The ability still worked, but the core could no longer sustain the transitions with the same efficiency. Each change drained more energy than it restored.
"Complete irregular atmosphere"
Raizen completely closed the encirclement. The earth around them rose in successive layers, not as solid walls, but as living structures that readjusted with every movement Espeor made. Whenever Espeor tried to break through in one direction, the ground gave way and reformed elsewhere, forcing his body to remain in an ever-shrinking space.
The reconstitution magic was not used to heal the destroyed earth; it was used to reinforce the terrain's own structure, preventing the spikes from destroying it completely. Behind them, an explosion of wind stronger than before spread through the air, shaking the castle structure that resisted thanks to a barrier magic created by that Nartheis, which had moved everyone to different locations.
"Now it's my turn, my lord"
Takeshi advanced from above, propelled by a concentrated burst of wind beneath his feet. His body spun in the air, the spear aligned with absolute precision. The wind around the blade ceased to be merely an extension of the weapon and became an independent destructive force, compressed to its limit.
"Thrust of the wind king"
The thrust pierced the center of the torso, directly reaching the core. At the moment of impact, Raizen released all the magic accumulated in the ground. The earth closed in, compressing the Nartheis's body from all sides at once, while the reconstitution prevented any emergency regeneration, and inside him the wind from the spear exploded outward.
"Aaaaaahhhhh"
The core cracked before it was even visible, shattering into fragments of unstable energy. The spikes lost their rigidity, breaking apart and falling like coarse ash, and Espeor's body collapsed into itself, unable to maintain any form. Takeshi sat down while Raizen sighed; he turned and saw that Enrico and the girls were holding on, so he dispelled the protection he had created around them to avoid causing too much collateral damage nearby.
"It looks like Aina is about to finish as well"
Aina kept her breathing controlled as she followed every movement of Agheira in the skies through the broken hole in the castle that Agheira had made to escape one of her blows, while she herself stood in the middle of the opening, trying to contain her excitement.
'How should I finish this battle in a way that will impress my sisters and my brothers-in-law?'
While she thought in an almost childish way, her enemy was completely serious. The currents of wind created by Agheira sliced through the air around them; each blade of air tore fragments from the castle, spreading dust and cracks throughout the area.
'This girl seems quite arrogant, so if I land a surprise blow, I can win'
Agheira remained above, slowly circling, wings spread as wind gathered around her body. Now that she was airborne, whenever a water attack hit her, the energy dissipated within seconds due to her wind magic, and even if it connected, regeneration would begin immediately.
'It seems this Nartheis is making a plan; until now she's kept her distance'
This opponent was troublesome, and Aina had already understood that if she continued attacking this way, she would only prolong the confrontation into a battle of endurance, which would certainly lead to her own defeat.
'It seems I can't think too much about surprising my family, but I already have a good idea'
Water began to spread through the opening, first in thin streams emerging from cracks in the walls, then into shallow pools covering the uneven surface, and finally through the air.
'I don't know what she's preparing, but I can't let her hit me'
Agheira reacted by increasing her altitude, staying out of direct range, but the wind created by her own wings began pushing the water upward, which Aina took advantage of by changing it into a dense mist around her.
'She fell right into my plan'
Aina advanced under this cover, her reconstitution magic acting silently. The liquid was not just ordinary water; it constantly reorganized itself, maintaining cohesion even when cut by the wind. Each droplet seemed to adjust, filling empty spaces and adapting to air pressure, and most impressively, Aina began walking on the water in the air at a place where it was impossible for Agheira to see her.
'This is dangerous. I'll have to change my approach—if I can't see her, I won't be able to defeat her'