The next wave of magical soldiers reached the third floor far more quickly than the previous one. Unlike the Water Soldiers, they did not need to climb.
They were Wind Soldiers—one of the few soldier-type spells Katerina knew that possessed the ability to fly. And unlike the "mere" ten Water Soldiers she had just defeated, this new force consisted of twenty Wind Soldiers.
Each one wielded a sword made of pure, intangible wind.
These weapons granted the otherwise normal-sized magical soldiers exceptional cutting power. Moreover, because their blades were composed of invisible and intangible wind, they were extraordinarily difficult to parry using conventional weapons.
Fortunately, just like the flames that formed the bodies of Fire Soldiers and their variants, the wind composing their bodies possessed a semi-solid consistency. That meant they were not immune to physical attacks.
The moment they arrived, all twenty Wind Soldiers charged at once.
"Wooden Claws," Katerina chanted, preparing herself for their assault.
Their ability to fly not only allowed them to ascend the fortress with incredible speed, but also made them remarkably agile and maneuverable in combat.
However, even with their numerical advantage and freedom of movement in three dimensions, Katerina remained both faster and more agile.
She slipped through their attacks with graceful precision.
Although she suffered a handful of minor scratches, the maid's sharp wooden claws were capable of destroying each Wind Soldier in a single strike.
As a result, their numbers quickly dwindled.
Twenty became nineteen.
Nineteen became eighteen.
Before long, the force had been cut in half, dropping from twenty soldiers to only ten.
Yet the moment she destroyed the eleventh Wind Soldier, another suddenly appeared where the staircase connecting the second and third floors had once been.
More importantly, it was carrying a different type of soldier in its arms.
A word escaped Katerina's lips—a word entirely unsuited to the queen's personal maid.
"Shit!"
An instant later, a blinding flash erupted.
The intense light caught the lynx beastkin completely off guard.
It was so brilliant that even her half-closed eyes were unable to withstand it.
She was blinded!
The source of that overwhelming glare was a Light Soldier.
Katerina had been taken by surprise because she had completely overlooked this possibility.
She had assumed she would be able to eliminate any Light Soldier long before it managed to reach the third floor.
The reason she had failed to consider that Wind Soldiers might transport other soldiers directly upward using their flight capabilities was simple:
Their physical strength was atrocious.
While Wind Soldiers possessed the greatest cutting potential among the soldiers representing the six original elemental types, they also possessed the least physical strength.
Being roughly the size of a normal human, a Wind Soldier could barely lift a stone weighing eight hundred grams—and even that would require considerable effort.
Practically every type of magical soldier weighed more than that.
Theoretically, however, there were two exceptions.
The first was the Fire Soldier.
Although the flames composing their bodies possessed a far more solid consistency than ordinary fire, they still weighed exactly the same as natural flames.
In other words, they were so light that their weight was almost imperceptible.
Fortunately, even though Fire Soldiers were light enough to be carried by Wind Soldiers, doing so would be highly impractical.
The reason was simple.
The wind composing a Wind Soldier could potentially extinguish a Fire Soldier completely—or at the very least weaken it significantly.
The second exception, however, suffered from no such compatibility issues.
The Light Soldiers.
They were literally weightless. Furthermore, they neither harmed nor were harmed by Wind Soldiers in any meaningful way.
And their special ability was exceptionally useful.
By channeling light through their weapons, they could produce blinding flashes capable of temporarily robbing opponents of their sight.
In a situation like this, that ability was devastating. After all, magical soldiers did not require vision in order to fight. Which meant the risk of friendly fire was effectively nonexistent.
Despite her temporary blindness, Katerina reacted immediately.
She dashed toward the location where she had last seen the Light Soldier.
On the way, she eliminated two Wind Soldiers that happened to stand in her path.
Her goal was simple:
Destroy the Light Soldier before it could reposition itself.
Unfortunately, when her claws struck, they carved deep grooves into the wall of her own fortress.
The Light Soldier was no longer there. It had already moved.
This was bad.
Thanks to her extraordinarily sharp senses, Katerina could easily track the positions of the Wind Soldiers through the sounds produced by their bodies and wind-forged swords.
The Light Soldiers, however, were a completely different matter.
They were too light to generate any distinctive sound. Light possessed no scent. And she could not even rely on mana perception. Once magical soldiers were created, they emitted no detectable mana unless their creator was actively repairing them.
Which meant that, at least for the moment, the Light Soldier had effectively vanished from Katerina's awareness.
Even though she was blinded at that moment, Katerina could still feel that the Light Soldier was keeping the flash emitted by its sword constantly active. This meant that even when her vision eventually returned, she would still be forced to fight with her eyes closed unless she eliminated it first.
As she dodged the relentless attacks of the remaining nine Wind Soldiers, Katerina considered her options.
'I could use Branch Porcupine to eliminate every soldier in this room, but the mana cost would be considerable, and I still need that mana for my final strategy. That spell consumes far too much mana. I can't risk not having enough left when the time comes…'
At the same time, she heard additional soldiers climbing toward her position.
They were getting close.
And from the scent carried through the fortress, she immediately realized what they were.
Earth Soldiers.
A large number of them.
"So seems I have no choice but to continue with what I already have!" Katerina told herself in a calm yet confident voice.
Without using any additional spells and still unable to see, the maid continued weaving through the enemy attacks, eliminating the magical soldiers one by one.
But despite her extraordinary senses and deadly speed, this was by no means easy. Especially because only a few seconds later, a platoon of thirty Earth Soldiers reached the third floor.
Katerina detected them immediately. The heavy scent of earth filled the air as they arrived.
Even so, the beastkin maid continued dancing with almost animalistic grace among the attacks of the thirty-nine magical soldiers now assaulting her simultaneously.
Most of their strikes failed to connect.
However, unlike before, a small portion of those attacks did manage to land. And these wounds were no longer minor scratches. Several cuts carved into her body with enough force to draw blood.
Yet Katerina continued her deadly dance.
For a full thirty seconds she fought without sight, weaving between blades and attacks, managing throughout that entire half-minute to avoid any injury severe enough to end the match.
Outside the fortress, Caesar watched everything.
A confident expression rested on his face—not arrogant, but undeniably assured.
Given the situation, it would not have been surprising if he had already begun considering the battle won.
Through the connection he shared with his magical soldiers, he knew that his opponent was both wounded and blinded.
Furthermore, in addition to the thirty-nine soldiers already surrounding her, another forty or so were climbing toward her position.
And beyond that, both his mana reserves and the size of his army remained overwhelmingly abundant.
Many commanders standing in Caesar's place would have already convinced themselves that victory was guaranteed.
But the Hero of Leore was different.
He had not declared victory.
Not yet.
After all, he had not seen enough of his opponent to make such a claim.
More specifically, his attention remained fixed on the leaves covering the roofs of the fortress. They now glowed with an intense brilliance and radiated a color remarkably similar to sunlight itself.
It was obvious.
There was still something Katerina had yet to reveal.
How could he possibly assume he had already won?
Standing beside Caesar were six enormous Earth Soldiers.
Their shields appeared even sturdier than those carried by the two gigantic guards from earlier.
"Come on, Lady Katerina. Show me the pride of one who protects the ruler of this kingdom!" the Roman legend declared in a commanding, regal voice.
"It isn't over yet, is it?"
Nine minutes had passed since the beginning of the match.
Suddenly, heat engulfed Katerina.
The temperature inside the Fortress of Trees rapidly climbed until it reached nearly forty degrees Celsius. A bead of sweat rolled down her face and fell to the wooden floor below.
That single drop was the signal she had been waiting for.
Everything was ready.
Ducking beneath two invisible blades swung by the Wind Soldiers, the maid placed one hand against the floor.
Instantly, a hole opened beneath her feet. Not only through the floor of the third story, but through the second floor as well.
The lynx beastkin immediately dropped through the opening. She fell all the way to the first floor before landing gracefully.
Finally able to "open" her eyes again, she quickly assessed her surroundings. She found herself encircled by another thirty or so Earth Soldiers. But Katerina had no intention of wasting time dealing with them individually.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she sprinted toward the exit.
Her Wooden Claws flashed through the air. Every soldier that stood in her way was reduced to dust before it could even react.
At the same time, the massive gate of the fortress slowly opened.
Katerina passed through it without hesitation.
Of course, the moment she stepped outside, she found herself facing Caesar's army of more than two thousand magical soldiers.
Yet there was not the slightest trace of fear on the maid's face. Only a calm, unwavering confidence that seemed stronger than ever before.
And in a voice overflowing with confidence, Katerina exclaimed,
"ENERGY OF NATURE!!!"
Suddenly, all the leaves that had grown across the rooftops of the Fortress of Trees—and which were now glowing brilliantly—broke free and rose into the air above it.
The six enormous Earth Soldiers immediately moved to shield the dictator.
At the same time, the countless leaves began spinning at incredible speed, forming a gigantic circle in the sky.
At the center of that circle, all the solar energy the magical leaves had accumulated began to gather.
Then, accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, a colossal beam of sunlight the color of dawn erupted from its center.
In that very instant, theTrees Fortress burst into flames. The structure collapsed inward, crushing the soldiers that had remained trapped inside.
Even before the beam collided with Caesar's army, every Water Soldier within its path was instantly vaporized. In addition, a large number of Earth Soldiers began to melt.
The reason was simple. The temperature of the beam was equivalent to that of the sun's photosphere—approximately five thousand five hundred degrees Celsius.
And the moment the beam struck Caesar's forces, a massive explosion engulfed practically the entire arena.
Only the protective barrier surrounding the battlefield prevented the spectators from being caught in the blast.
The detonation kicked up such an enormous quantity of dust and debris that, for several long seconds, the audience could no longer see what was happening inside the arena.
But eventually the dust settled.
And when it did, the battlefield looked completely different from before.
Almost the entire arena floor had been transformed into a gigantic crater that extended all the way down to the indestructible foundation beneath it.
The only remaining ground was a relatively narrow ring running along the outer edge of the arena.
It was upon this circular strip of land that the two combatants and the referee, Pinusal, now stood.
Naturally, each occupied a different side of the arena.
Virtually all of Caesar's army had been completely annihilated. Only one of the six giant soldiers that had been protecting him remained. Even then, the giant had not escaped unscathed. The entire left side of its body had melted away, while its enormous shield was heavily damaged and partially liquefied.
Behind that final guardian, still mounted upon his Horse Golem, sat Caesar.
Completely unharmed.
The only reason neither he nor his mount had been incinerated by the attack was because he had activated a Fire Resistance spell in time, protecting both himself and the golem from the devastating heat.
On the opposite side of the arena stood Katerina.
However, she looked very different from her usual self.
Now, her hands were no longer the only parts of her body covered in wood.
First, she had dropped onto all fours.
Then, nearly her entire body became encased in a suit of wooden armor that had completely replaced her maid uniform. To call the armor beastly would have been an understatement. Its helmet resembled the head of a predatory canine, complete with eyes crafted from green amber. All four of her limbs were now protected by hardened wood, and at the end of each limb extended five razor-sharp claws.
"So you've decided to use it…" Sequoria murmured, a small and gentle smile appearing on her face.
Meanwhile, Lucas's eyes shone with overwhelming excitement.
His throat had gone dry from witnessing the incredible attack Katerina had just unleashed. For that reason, he found himself unable to say anything.
And honestly, that suited him just fine.
He had the feeling that this match was rapidly approaching its conclusion.And he would never have forgiven himself if he missed even a single moment of its finale.
The spell Katerina was now using was called Natural Predator.
She considered it her strongest spell.
Although Energy of Nature possessed greater raw destructive power, Natural Predator enhanced every single one of her physical attributes to an extraordinary degree.
It increased her strength to the point that she surpassed even Aislyra.
It boosted her speed until it rivaled Fortore's.
It dramatically improved her defenses as well, which was how she had survived her own devastating attack.
And finally, it amplified all five of her senses.
Overall, it was a far more practical and versatile spell.
However, it came with some drawbacks.
The first was that it made her mindset while using that spell was far more similar to that of a predator stalking prey.
The second—and, from Katerina's perspective, the more serious flaw—was that activating the spell completely destroyed whatever clothing she happened to be wearing.
That was why Katerina hated using it.
Destroying her maid uniform was, in her eyes, a great dishonor for the personal maid of Queen Alberia.
But considering the caliber of her opponent and the fact that she wanted to claim this victory for her queen, her pride no longer mattered.
Suddenly, Katerina appeared directly in front of Caesar's final remaining giant soldier.
She had moved so quickly that, to almost everyone watching, it looked as though she had teleported.
With a single strike, the predator destroyed it.
With that final obstacle removed, every last defense Caesar possessed had vanished. There was no possibility that he could create additional magical soldiers before her next attack landed. And there was certainly no chance of him avoiding an attack moving at such incredible speed.
The predator could already taste victory.
So, with one final movement, Katerina swung one of her clawed "paws" toward her opponent.
But ten minutes had passed since the battle began.
And ten minutes had also passed since Caesar had spoken the word: "Veni."
Now, with absolute certainty in his voice, before Katerina's claws could reach him, the Roman general uttered a third word.
"Vici."
Katerina's claws struck the Hero.
Yet neither Caesar nor his armor suffered the slightest damage.
Shock spread throughout the arena.
The spectators stared in disbelief.
But above all, Katerina herself was stunned.
Yet, in truth, there was no reason to be surprised.
After all, Gaius Julius Caesar had come to this match and watched his opponent fight for a full ten minutes—it was obvious that the only thing left was victory.