On one side, ice; on the other, flame.
One brimming with fervent and abundant fighting spirit, while the other seemed almost devoid of any desire for battle.
To be honest, judging by the state the two were currently displaying, perhaps their Teigu ought to have been swapped.
"That is…"
Unlike Esdeath, who was overflowing with battle intent, Wave at this moment could hardly move.
Just being swept by those chilling green eyes was enough to make his whole body go numb—he had never encountered such overwhelming pressure and presence before.
Kurome was holding up slightly better than Wave, but her face was clearly rather pale as well.
Esdeath wasn't surprised by their reactions, because she understood perfectly well that her opponent's strength was absolutely no less than her own.
That these two could still maintain their will to fight was already quite admirable.
After all, hadn't two of the Three Beasts been unable to even move a muscle in Eblana's presence?
Gazing at the three familiar figures trailing behind Eblana, Esdeath's eyes flickered, but she felt no further emotion.
After all, they could no longer be called human—naturally, they were no longer her subordinates.
In this increasingly tense atmosphere, the Soldiers finally arrived not far from the city gate.
"I didn't expect General Esdeath to have time to come here," Eblana said, wearing a smile that Esdeath had never liked—that artificial grin.
"I thought you'd be waiting for me in the Capital."
The remark was somewhat cutting.
It wasn't that Esdeath was afraid; both of them knew Esdeath would never shy away from a fight, even if the odds were overwhelmingly against her, even if it meant certain death—she would charge ahead without hesitation.
But from a rational standpoint, Esdeath staying in the capital to wait would indeed have been the wisest course of action, and exactly what Minister Honest would have insisted on.
What Eblana implied was that she saw Esdeath as nothing more than a guard dog, muzzled and leashed, no matter how ferocious, still obedient to its master's commands.
"Having already become a treasonous rat rebelling against the nation, it won't do to remain so short-sighted," Esdeath replied with a laugh.
As the saying went, she truly disliked politics, but that didn't mean she was foolish, nor did it mean she was lacking in wit.
Even so, sharp as she was, she wasn't the type to enjoy trading barbs.
She had no patience for further pointless talk—she was already itching for the battle to come.
With a crisp snap of her fingers, a massive ice spike, hundreds of meters long and two to three hundred meters wide, materialized instantly above the Flamechaser Soldiers.
The soldiers, already shaken by Esdeath's appearance, swallowed hard with strained expressions, yet not a hint of panic broke out.
However, Eblana couldn't possibly let the ice spike fall just like that. Even if the soldiers remained calm, the warhorses certainly wouldn't.
Without even needing to glance up at the ice spike, towering indigo flames ignited out of thin air before it.
The astonishing heat made Esdeath's pupils contract sharply, and she promptly raised an ice wall over a hundred meters long in front of the city ramparts.
Without even a moment to melt into water, the ice spike vaporized instantly upon contact with the indigo flames.
Esdeath's intended greeting was effortlessly dissolved, while the unprotected sections of the city wall began to show signs of melting.
"What kind of heat is this!?" Wave exclaimed, his expression turning utterly grave as he regained his senses.
"It seems our compatibility is outrageously poor," Eblana said, her smile unchanging. This level of exertion was hardly enough to make her show strain.
"The highest temperature fire can reach and the lowest temperature ice can achieve are simply not equivalent."
Even if, physically speaking, temperatures weren't compared that way, it didn't stop her from talking a little trash.
Esdeath's smile likewise remained unwavering. "Battles aren't decided by abilities alone."
In truth, she also knew that her Teigu wasn't particularly powerful.
If Najenda—who believed Demon's Extract was the strongest Teigu—heard this, she'd surely exclaim in disbelief.
But the fact was, Demon's Extract was not a powerful Teigu.
Before Esdeath, no one had ever been able to maintain their sanity after consuming it, and even those who lost their minds while using its power had never shown any remarkable feats.
The reason Demon's Extract was considered strong now was, first, because unlike those who had only taken a few sips before, Esdeath had drunk every last drop.
And second... because Esdeath herself was strong enough.
Using a Teigu came with a burden.
For anyone else, Demon's Extract would simply be a 100% fatal poison—even if they survived, they might manage to fling a few ice spikes before collapsing from exhaustion.
Not exactly weak or useless, but compared to Teigus that could amplify their users several times over in various ways, it really wasn't all that exceptional.
Thus, she never believed the Teigu had made her who she was. Instead, she was the one who had made this Teigu the strongest.
Besides...
In terms of Teigu strength alone, Esdeath felt she and Eblana were about evenly matched.
From what she knew of that Dragonblood Teigu, it too was something that couldn't provide its user with any significant amplification.
Dividing one's own power among soldiers—the more given away, the more one's own strength diminished.
What could a weakling do with such a thing? Looking at the empire's history, the decline of the Draco family spoke for itself.
Yes, the same logic applied to this dragoness before her.
It wasn't the Teigus that had made them who they were.
They were born powerful, capable of mastering their Teigus, ignoring all their negative effects, and maximizing their strengths.
"I won't give you any time to prepare," Esdeath said, not waiting for Eblana's reply.
Encased in a sheath of frigid air, she drew the rapier at her waist and launched herself from the city wall with explosive speed, straight toward Eblana.
If facing any other opponent, Esdeath would have waited for them to gather their full strength to stoke her interest. But...
This was an opponent who sent her adrenaline soaring like never before.
Against such a peerless powerhouse in this world, she had no reason to hold back.
The clash of spear and rapier rang out in the next instant.
Lasting not even a moment, the majestic steed beneath Eblana had its organs shattered by the tremendous force, its lifeless body slumping limply to the ground.
"I was rather fond of that horse," Eblana's voice remained soft, her composure only making Esdeath's smile grow more radiant.
"Don't grieve. Once you become my pet, I'll find you any steed you desire. Of course, that's provided you survive."
This wasn't an underestimation—Esdeath simply had no confidence she could hold back and capture someone alive in a duel of this caliber.
"Ah, you believe in the supremacy of strength, don't you?" Eblana's tone took on a note of interest, reciprocating Esdeath's regard.
"Then, as a gesture of reciprocity, I'll take good care of you as well."
"Of course, that's provided you survive."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.