Chapter 14: The Indignant Drakas, The Suspicious Elias
Despite the initial surprise when confronting Drakas’s minions, General Genevieve had managed to fend them off with her contracted beast, minimizing her energy expenditure. However, the prolonged battle had still significantly drained her mental energy. With her mental reserves depleted, she couldn’t fully mobilize energy through her Thaumaturge Sigil to activate her most powerful techniques at their maximum potential.
Fortunately, Drakas had expended even more energy than she had when summoning and controlling his vast army of Dark Creatures. The sheer number of minions he commanded required constant mental focus and energy manipulation, leaving him more exhausted than his opponent. Otherwise, she would have suffered greatly during their confrontation, potentially losing the advantage she had maintained throughout their battle.
Additionally, employing her holy attribute spell put an even greater strain on her already taxed mental energy. The golden particles that infused her flames required precise control and tremendous concentration to maintain. That was why she only used the Holy Flame attacks sparingly on Drakas, carefully timing each usage to ensure maximum damage while conserving her remaining strength. Each strike had to count, as she couldn’t afford to waste even a single opportunity.
Now, when facing the Evil Spirit Drakas, she continued employing the same calculated tactics. She waited patiently for openings in his defense, only unleashing her Holy Flame Sword when the perfect opportunity presented itself during their deadly exchanges. The golden fire would surge forth with devastating precision, aimed at vital points that would inflict the most damage to his ethereal form.
Despite successfully killing Evil Spirit Drakas multiple times, each death requiring a significant expenditure of her precious mental energy, he always regenerated with that insufferable smirk on his face. His rapid resurrection negated her efforts, causing her to gradually lose the initial advantage she had worked so hard to maintain. The battle was becoming a war of attrition, and she knew her reserves were running dangerously low.
Even so, General Genevieve refused to surrender to despair. Her mind raced as she formulated a desperate strategy. She had already thought about a solution during their exchange, analyzing his patterns and searching for any weakness she could exploit. Although the plan forming in her mind was incredibly risky, potentially leaving her vulnerable if it failed, she was willing to bet everything on it for the slim chance that it might work. The alternative was a prolonged battle as her energy reserves depleted, making her lose her advantage over time.
While Genevieve was locked in mortal combat with Drakas, their powers clashing in spectacular displays of light and darkness, her contracted beast suddenly rejoined the fray. The Blazing Phoenix, its feathers shimmering with intense heat, had successfully vanquished the countless spectral figures summoned by Drakas. The ethereal army that had threatened to overwhelm them lay scattered and dissipating into wisps of dark energy.
Meanwhile, Drakas’s eyes narrowed with irritation as he observed the unscathed Blazing Phoenix that had survived his carefully prepared summons. The creature’s resilience exceeded his calculations. With a casual yet forceful wave of his ethereal hands, he channeled dark energy into a massive blast that sent the Blazing Phoenix tumbling through the air, its wings struggling to maintain flight as it was hurled into the distance.
However, that momentary distraction was exactly what Genevieve had been waiting for.