Kaito barely managed to dodge the wind spears flying toward him. His flight control was still clumsy.
Nyssara noticed and didn't let the opportunity slip by. She launched another barrage of spears, one after another, not giving him a moment to breathe.
Kaito dodged them by a hair. Some grazed him, leaving shallow cuts.
As he tried to close the distance, Nyssara kept her altitude, rising higher and higher, casting magic nonstop.
But then, she noticed it.
Something had changed.
The man in front of her, who had struggled to dodge, was now doing it easily. He moved naturally, as if her attacks were nothing but harmless gusts.
She needed a new strategy.
Nyssara raised both hands above her head. The air began swirling around her, condensing into a large rotating sphere of wind.
She threw it at Kaito, who dodged, but the moment it passed by, it exploded, blasting him forward.
And right in that direction, more spears were waiting.
Kaito barely avoided being impaled.
Nyssara repeated the sequence: spears, wind sphere, explosion, pressure. Over and over, trying to wear him down.
But she was the one running out of mana.
Meanwhile, her enemy acted like nothing was happening.
Frowning, Nyssara prepared her last resort.
She conjured a wind sphere much larger than the others. She didn't throw it immediately. Instead, she compressed it until it was no bigger than her own fist. Then, she hurled it above Kaito and snapped her fingers.
The air around her distorted.
All the wind flowed downward with brutal force.
Kaito, lacking real flight experience, was dragged by the downdraft and crashed into the ground, creating a crater.
Nyssara slowly descended.
She looked around. Only corpses. Her guards, her people… less than a third were still standing.
She clenched her teeth and raised her voice.
"Stop or I'll kill your Lord!"
But the beast girl only gave her a cold smile… and kept fighting.
Just as Nyssara was about to attack her, a voice whispered in her right ear.
Far too close.
"Who did you say you were going to kill?"
She didn't even have time to turn.
A brutal blow struck her from behind, launching her into the city wall. The wall collapsed from the impact.
From the rubble, Nyssara slowly stood up.
What was that...?
She had been sure that man was stronger in the air. He dodged her attacks with ease. That's why she brought him to the ground, thinking he'd be at a disadvantage.
But she had been completely wrong.
She attacked again. This time, he didn't need to move much. Just enough to dodge. As if he was watching her in slow motion.
She looked around. Corpses. Ruins. Only a handful of soldiers still standing, fighting the cat girl… and losing.
There was no other choice.
She raised her arms again.
The air began to swirl violently. Pieces of the ruined wall, branches, stones, and bodies were dragged into the current. The wind roared, forming a chaotic vortex.
But then, she saw him.
He was standing just a few meters away. Unmoving. Unscathed. He didn't budge an inch despite the violent winds.
Then, he took one step.
Just one.
And he was already in front of her.
He grabbed her by the neck. Without hesitation, he slammed her into the ground with full force.
The entire tornado collapsed. The wind stopped spinning. The debris and bodies simply fell straight down, as if gravity had suddenly returned.
Nyssara barely saw the man's face before losing consciousness.
---
"You took a while" Koneko said as he arrived.
"Well, it was my first time using wings. If she hadn't decided to fight on the ground, it would've been a battle of attrition," Kaito shrugged.
In truth, he already knew everything about Nyssara's fighting style thanks to Sonya. He could've beaten her from the start, but...
While listening to the description of her style, something came to mind.
Demons have wings.
He asked Koneko how she summoned hers, and by copying her… his own appeared. He had no idea he had them, but once he felt them, flying came naturally.
Of course, without practice, they were still hard to use.
So he thought Nyssara would be a good opponent for aerial training.
Ignoring the chaos that would soon break out in the city due to the disappearance of its leader, Kaito simply carried Nyssara to his territory's prison.
Hours later, Silver arrived.
On his back was another dark elf, similar to Sonya and Nyssara. He set her down gently in front of Kaito.
"Is that her?" Kaito asked.
Silver nodded.
"Ryselle. Lady of the city of Veldris."
"Good," Kaito said.
"How was the fight?"
"Easy," Silver replied proudly.
"We were lucky," he added.
"Lucky?"
"Most of their soldiers were as strong as us, but our regeneration gave us the edge. When we captured their leader, they surrendered to protect her. Seems like they really respect her."
"And her magic?"
"Fire," Silver replied.
Kaito nodded. That's why he had sent the Hellhounds and kobolds to that city. According to Sonya, Ryselle was just and serious, someone respected by her subordinates.
Kaito picked her up and placed her in the cage next to Nyssara.
With both of them imprisoned, he took a moment to observe.
The three sisters shared the same hair color, eyes, and facial features. But where Sonya gave off a sense of maturity and reliability, Ryselle looked serious and noble, with a high ponytail that emphasized her martial aura.
Nyssara, in contrast, had softer, smaller features. More adorable. More fragile. Though she still had a noble air. She was also shorter than her sisters.
There was one thing the three had in common: curvy hourglass figures.
While observing, he felt a cold stare on his back.
"Kaito," a flat voice said.
He turned, surprised.
"Koneko? Since when have you been here?"
"For a moment," she replied with no expression.
Despite her blank tone, Kaito sensed some irritation. He knew her well enough to know how to respond.
He stepped closer, patted her head, and gave her a gentle rub.
"Don't worry. You're cuter."
Koneko didn't reply, but she didn't resist either. She even seemed to enjoy it.
Until a faint sound interrupted.
"They're awake," she murmured.
Kaito noticed it too. He turned.
The two dark elves were staring at him intently, trying to read his face.
"Are you going to kill us?" Ryselle asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Nyssara simply stared in silence.
"Of course not. If I wanted that, you'd already be dead. You're alive for a reason."
Kaito smiled at them. He was hoping to gain a bit of trust, but what he got instead was...
"You… beast!" Nyssara screamed, covering her chest with both arms, "You want our bodies, don't you?!"
Kaito was stunned for a second.
How did she even come to that conclusion...?
"No, no! I never said that..."
"Then what do you want?"
"It's simple. I want you to work for me."
"Work?"
Ryselle frowned.
"Exactly. You'll continue ruling your cities, but you'll report to me instead of the elven king."
"So… everything stays the same?"
"Not quite. I'll provide resources to improve them. I need to strengthen my territory."
"And you expect us to believe that? Just like that?"
"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. I'll say this clearly: I want an answer now. Will you work for me… or die?"
They both went silent.
Ryselle was the first to speak.
"I accept."
Nyssara's eyes widened. Kaito too.
"The weak serve the strong. That's how it's always been. You beat me. Do whatever you want with me."
Kaito smiled and turned to Nyssara.
"And you?"
"I… uh…"
Pale, she gave a slight nod.
"Alright."
Kaito clapped once, breaking the tension.
"Perfect. Then… welcome to my territory."
He opened the cage, letting them out.
"What do you want us to do now?"
"I'll be leaving soon. Sonya will explain the rest. For now, return to your cities and calm your people."
"Sister?"
"Elder sister?"
They spoke at the same time.
And just then, Sonya stepped out from the shadows, appearing in front of them without making a sound.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)