Remelia didn't end it with one attack.
In the time Valerie spent dodging, she'd already corrected her posture and started walking down the corridor to track her.
She pushed her hands to the side, creating heat barriers that blocked off the nearby corridors. She wouldn't let Valerie escape a second time.
Luckily for her, escape wasn't in the plan anymore.
When Valerie returned to the corridor, she was ready for war.
BOOM!
Valerie had abilities very similar to Elvira. Wood was most definitely an element that could take one to the top of the world, however, it couldn't do so on its own.
The element had just as many drawbacks as it did advantages. Unless one could expand it beyond just wood and vines, one wouldn't be able to achieve anything at all.
It was a problem that a lot of the base elements shared. To raise their power beyond the worldly limits imposed on them was vital.
Fire practitioners would attempt to comprehend the concept of rebirth that was associated with fire. They'd try to touch on higher laws like life or death to enhance the element they had an affinity for.
Valerie had yet to expand her element properly, but she'd just recently understood how important it was for her to find other methods to release her power.
With her focus on vitality, Valerie tried to connect to life to create branches and roots that could manipulate the life within other things and become indestructible through the sheer force of their vitality.
It was still a theory, so she didn't have plans to test it in this round of the competition.
However, since Remelia had become a training dummy in her mind, she brought it out anyway.
A new type of root burst forth from the ground below. In essence, it did look the same as the ones she'd summoned before. But, it was coated in a bright green aura that matched Remelia's ambient heat in environmental control.
The moss on the labyrinth walls grew into larger, more dangerous plants. The ground was instantly covered in grass tinged in flames as it came in contact with Remelia's aura.
Valerie struck before the enemy could once again.
She had only summoned a single root, but that meant that her precision control was at another level.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Remelia kept the same nonchalant attitude that she'd maintained thus far, flicking her fingers to throw an even more superheated wave of wind into Valerie.
She survived last time because she dodged. This time, she wouldn't have that opportunity.
It was respectable that she tried at all, but that was it. At the end of the day, Valerie was not her opponent.
Or so she thought.
BANG!
Her heatwave slammed into the singular root that separated it from Valerie.
Instead of moving, Valerie pushed more mana into the construct, absolutely trusting its ability.
And that trust was not misplaced.
With mana at its disposal and Valerie's control directing it, the root became more than just a thick piece of wood.
It absorbed the heat from the air, turning a bright red color like metal. The wood on its surface burned and turned black, but the internal structure refused to be compromised.
WHOOOOOOOSH!
The wind roared as it moved around the root and continued towards Valerie.
The root continued its activities, taking more and more heat into its structure. It created billowing smoke that clouded the entire corridor, but somehow, it managed to stay unbroken.
So, by the time the heatwave reached Valerie, it was nothing more than a brush of cool air, quite a pleasant experience if she had to say.
Remelia's eyes narrowed.
There was a three-step process she always followed.
The first step was the heatwave. Once the other two had been done as well, most enemies would already be gone.
Remelia was never a person who enjoyed battle. She just did it because it was necessary, so she used the simplest and quickest means possible to destroy her enemies.
However, when the three-step process was carried out and the opponent still stood, she became a different person.
Because a person who didn't fall to the three-step process had the potential to be better than her.
People who were better than her weren't allowed to exist.
Remelia stomped her foot on the ground.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The ground turned into a line of geysers that spewed superheated flames into the air.
They rushed towards Valerie, turning the path in front of her into a molten mess.
Valerie moved her arms as if she was pulling something apart.
The root she controlled widened, becoming more like the trunk of a thousand-year-old tree.
She decided to stomp as well, matching Remelia's techniques with her own.
The root charged forward.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
It came in contact with the first geyser. Flames exploded out like liquid, splashing against the ground.
Unlike Remelia, who created the geysers artificially, Valerie's root was connected to the ground.
In terms of superiority, it was definitely above them.
When they collided, the root was given precedence by the earth. It was allowed to push forward and destroy the geyser, while the geyser had no choice but to break under its pressure.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
00:18
BOOM!
One by one, the root destroyed the geysers before they could do a single thing to Valerie. It approached Remelia, who already had her hand out for another attack.
Unfortunately for her, Valerie wasn't planning to let her dominance continue.
The root she'd created was amazing for defense as seen by its ability to trap heat without bursting into flames and ash.
However, how was she supposed to attack?
The basic method of just using it as a blunt weapon seemed to be the most obvious choice, but that was far too limiting.
How did a wood dragon use its element?
The barbaric methods were reserved for young dragons who couldn't understand the more complex ones.
Real wood dragons had techniques that could turn wood into a far greater force.
"Rot."
VOOOOOOOM!
The charred surface of the root peeled off. A rush of wind picked up the ashes and blasted them towards Remelia.
It didn't look like it was powerful, but there was a force contained within that wind that was transferred to every bit of dust and ash that it carried.
Remelia's eyes widened slightly.
There was indeed a way to avoid the three-step process.
That was if the enemy was able to make her feel danger even once.
The only people who had ever struck fear in her heart were people she could never touch no matter how much she grew.
The only people who made her feel danger were those with greater talent, not power.
It was a feeling deep within her lineage, and though it seemed like it would be easy to meet this requirement, it took a lot to make Remelia specifically feel danger.
But, as the rushing wind came closer, that feeling rose to prominence.
Danger.
Valeriehad the capability tomake her feel it too.
And if that was the case, then there was no need for a process anymore.
She just needed to aim for the kill.
No matter what it took to get it.
Remelia didn't end it with one attack.
In the time Valerie spent dodging, she'd already corrected her posture and started walking down the corridor to track her.
She pushed her hands to the side, creating heat barriers that blocked off the nearby corridors. She wouldn't let Valerie escape a second time.
Luckily for her, escape wasn't in the plan anymore.
When Valerie returned to the corridor, she was ready for war.
BOOM!
Valerie had abilities very similar to Elvira. Wood was most definitely an element that could take one to the top of the world, however, it couldn't do so on its own.
The element had just as many drawbacks as it did advantages. Unless one could expand it beyond just wood and vines, one wouldn't be able to achieve anything at all.
It was a problem that a lot of the base elements shared. To raise their power beyond the worldly limits imposed on them was vital.
Fire practitioners would attempt to comprehend the concept of rebirth that was associated with fire. They'd try to touch on higher laws like life or death to enhance the element they had an affinity for.
Valerie had yet to expand her element properly, but she'd just recently understood how important it was for her to find other methods to release her power.
With her focus on vitality, Valerie tried to connect to life to create branches and roots that could manipulate the life within other things and become indestructible through the sheer force of their vitality.
It was still a theory, so she didn't have plans to test it in this round of the competition.
However, since Remelia had become a training dummy in her mind, she brought it out anyway.
A new type of root burst forth from the ground below. In essence, it did look the same as the ones she'd summoned before. But, it was coated in a bright green aura that matched Remelia's ambient heat in environmental control.
The moss on the labyrinth walls grew into larger, more dangerous plants. The ground was instantly covered in grass tinged in flames as it came in contact with Remelia's aura.
Valerie struck before the enemy could once again.
She had only summoned a single root, but that meant that her precision control was at another level.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Remelia kept the same nonchalant attitude that she'd maintained thus far, flicking her fingers to throw an even more superheated wave of wind into Valerie.
She survived last time because she dodged. This time, she wouldn't have that opportunity.
It was respectable that she tried at all, but that was it. At the end of the day, Valerie was not her opponent.
Or so she thought.
BANG!
Her heatwave slammed into the singular root that separated it from Valerie.
Instead of moving, Valerie pushed more mana into the construct, absolutely trusting its ability.
And that trust was not misplaced.
With mana at its disposal and Valerie's control directing it, the root became more than just a thick piece of wood.
It absorbed the heat from the air, turning a bright red color like metal. The wood on its surface burned and turned black, but the internal structure refused to be compromised.
WHOOOOOOOSH!
The wind roared as it moved around the root and continued towards Valerie.
The root continued its activities, taking more and more heat into its structure. It created billowing smoke that clouded the entire corridor, but somehow, it managed to stay unbroken.
So, by the time the heatwave reached Valerie, it was nothing more than a brush of cool air, quite a pleasant experience if she had to say.
Remelia's eyes narrowed.
There was a three-step process she always followed.
The first step was the heatwave. Once the other two had been done as well, most enemies would already be gone.
Remelia was never a person who enjoyed battle. She just did it because it was necessary, so she used the simplest and quickest means possible to destroy her enemies.
However, when the three-step process was carried out and the opponent still stood, she became a different person.
Because a person who didn't fall to the three-step process had the potential to be better than her.
People who were better than her weren't allowed to exist.
Remelia stomped her foot on the ground.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The ground turned into a line of geysers that spewed superheated flames into the air.
They rushed towards Valerie, turning the path in front of her into a molten mess.
Valerie moved her arms as if she was pulling something apart.
The root she controlled widened, becoming more like the trunk of a thousand-year-old tree.
She decided to stomp as well, matching Remelia's techniques with her own.
The root charged forward.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
It came in contact with the first geyser. Flames exploded out like liquid, splashing against the ground.
Unlike Remelia, who created the geysers artificially, Valerie's root was connected to the ground.
In terms of superiority, it was definitely above them.
When they collided, the root was given precedence by the earth. It was allowed to push forward and destroy the geyser, while the geyser had no choice but to break under its pressure.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
00:18
BOOM!
One by one, the root destroyed the geysers before they could do a single thing to Valerie. It approached Remelia, who already had her hand out for another attack.
Unfortunately for her, Valerie wasn't planning to let her dominance continue.
The root she'd created was amazing for defense as seen by its ability to trap heat without bursting into flames and ash.
However, how was she supposed to attack?
The basic method of just using it as a blunt weapon seemed to be the most obvious choice, but that was far too limiting.
How did a wood dragon use its element?
The barbaric methods were reserved for young dragons who couldn't understand the more complex ones.
Real wood dragons had techniques that could turn wood into a far greater force.
"Rot."
VOOOOOOOM!
The charred surface of the root peeled off. A rush of wind picked up the ashes and blasted them towards Remelia.
It didn't look like it was powerful, but there was a force contained within that wind that was transferred to every bit of dust and ash that it carried.
Remelia's eyes widened slightly.
There was indeed a way to avoid the three-step process.
That was if the enemy was able to make her feel danger even once.
The only people who had ever struck fear in her heart were people she could never touch no matter how much she grew.
The only people who made her feel danger were those with greater talent, not power.
It was a feeling deep within her lineage, and though it seemed like it would be easy to meet this requirement, it took a lot to make Remelia specifically feel danger.
But, as the rushing wind came closer, that feeling rose to prominence.
Danger.
Valeriehad the capability tomake her feel it too.
And if that was the case, then there was no need for a process anymore.
She just needed to aim for the kill.
No matter what it took to get it.
