Chapter 35: The Tea Leaves of War
The distance between the trolls and the group had narrowed to about ten meters. Liora stepped forward, raising her staff as she cast her spell: *Fruitstorm Barrage*.
Fruits the size of hand grenades—resembling oranges, lemons, and apples—launched like rockets, exploding violently upon impact with the trolls' bodies.
The explosions tore through their flesh, causing chunks of meat to fly off, but the trolls pressed on, their regenerative abilities swiftly restoring the lost parts.
Before the smoke from the explosions could clear, Liora calmly swung her staff again. She was fully aware that her initial attack wouldn't be enough to finish the trolls—it was merely a distraction.
Her real plan was already in motion. With precision, she invoked her next spell: *Dreamleaf Cascade*. Instantly, tea leaves and sakura petals rained down from the sky like a serene storm.
Each leaf and petal released a toxic gas that took immediate effect, hypnotizing the trolls and driving them into a frenzied madness. Suddenly, the trolls stopped running.
Some began hugging each other tightly, others strangled one another, and a few simply stood motionless, staring blankly into space. Not a single troll escaped the effects of the poisonous gas.
Amidst this bizarre spectacle, Liora didn't hesitate. She launched her final attack: *Maple Blade Cyclone*. A massive maple leaf, as large as a 20-inch wheel, materialized in the air. Its edges were razor-sharp, akin to blades or samurai swords.
The leaf began spinning rapidly, transforming into a cyclone-like vortex that moved with missile-like speed and precision. It darted toward the trolls, slicing cleanly through their necks one by one.
Like soda bottle caps being popped off in rapid succession, the trolls' heads flew off their shoulders. None of them escaped the lethal maple blade's wrath.
All who witnessed the scene were left awestruck, frozen in silence. Mouths hung open, eyes wide with disbelief. The official recap for Liora was staggering: twenty trolls annihilated cleanly and spectacularly—all alone, in under five minutes.