In front of an enemy, even the slightest sign of weakness could become a fatal flaw.
"In that case, I'll just lower the temperature even more."
Wes Elwin had already seen through Gildarts' forced bravado. With a casual wave of his hand, the surrounding temperature plummeted again. The air itself condensed into countless razor-sharp ice blades. In an environment like this, an ordinary person wouldn't even be able to open their eyes, let alone breathe.
No matter how powerful a mage Gildarts was, he was still made of flesh and blood.
And he had just suffered severe trauma — not only losing his left hand and left leg, but also sustaining damage to part of his internal organs.
How could it possibly be as unaffected as he claimed?
"Don't go saying I'm playing dirty."
Wes Elwin's voice drifted through the raging blizzard, carrying a faint sneer, as though mocking Gildarts' helplessness.
A surge of anger rose in Gildarts' chest, yet there was nothing he could say in response.
He knew full well that against an enemy, anything goes. Still, when facing an opponent like Wes Elwin, a trace of frustration inevitably crept into his heart.
He raised his head and looked toward the strangely out-of-place dark cloud hanging in the sky. All around it, the heavens were clear and blue — only this area was shrouded in thick clouds and heavy snow.
All of it was the result of Wes Elwin's magic.
Gildarts quickly began calculating.
[If I can destroy that cloud, the blizzard will stop.]
But the cloud hung so high in the sky that even with his abilities, reaching it would be difficult.
After gauging the distance, Gildarts realized that even jumping with all his strength, he still wouldn't reach that height.
[But maintaining magic of this scale must consume an enormous amount of power.]
A spark of joy flickered in his heart. He had absolute confidence in his own reserves of magic power.
A new plan took shape in his mind: as long as he kept attacking Wes Elwin and forced him to burn through his magic, even the most powerful spell would eventually dissipate.
With that, Gildarts focused all his attention on Wes Elwin, the flames of battle reigniting in his eyes.
He spread his right palm and slammed it hard against the ground. A terrifying force erupted from it, and a deep fissure instantly split the earth beneath his hand.
"BOOM!"
The structure of the labyrinth began to collapse. The entire ground lost its support and started caving in.
Seizing the opportunity, Gildarts shot forward like an unstoppable arrow, charging straight toward Wes Elwin's position.
Wes Elwin immediately swung his wand. The surrounding natural elements answered his call — rocks, ice, snow, and broken branches rose into the air, converging into a surging mass of power that rushed toward Gildarts.
These elements continued to gather, growing in number and density, until they formed an enormous, constantly rotating sphere, sealing Gildarts inside.
But Gildarts was not to be underestimated either.
With another thunderous roar, the sphere suddenly burst apart, scattering fragments everywhere as his figure emerged from the choking dust.
At that moment, a cold beam of light suddenly shot out from the darkness, aimed straight at Gildarts.
"Flash Freeze Ray!"
Wes Elwin's voice echoed through the wind and snow.
Gildarts was already prepared. He swung his right hand and activated Crush Magic, easily neutralizing the freezing beam.
But this was only the beginning.
Dozens of freezing rays followed in rapid succession — most aimed directly at Gildarts, while others scattered around the area.
Once again, Gildarts used Crush Magic, effortlessly blocking the beams targeting him.
[Why do these attacks feel so weak this time?]
However, he quickly realized that Wes's true objective was not merely to attack him, but to use those rays to further lower the temperature of the area, making the battle environment even more unfavorable for him.
The snowstorm grew increasingly fierce. Howling winds mixed with swirling snowflakes, making it almost impossible for Gildarts to keep his eyes open.
The white mist he exhaled quickly froze into frost in the freezing wind. Every breath of icy air that entered his lungs brought with it a burning pain.
This bit of pain was something he could endure without issue.
But after being heavily injured, having lost part of his internal organs, his stamina and magic power were being consumed far faster than before.
He had originally planned to return to the guild and rest properly for a while, to adapt to this broken body of his. He never expected to run into a powerful enemy at such a time.
What he never imagined was that Tenrou Island would actually be under attack — and by such a formidable opponent.
Wes, who knew everything, certainly wouldn't go easy on him just because he was injured. Every strike was delivered with full force.
Under the cover of the blizzard, several vines silently stretched toward Gildarts's ankles, their sharp barbs piercing straight through his boots.
Just as these vines were about to succeed, they were unexpectedly shattered into fragments by Gildarts's Crush Magic.
Having tasted blood, the vines grew even more frenzied, spreading wildly and launching relentless attacks.
Gildarts focused his mind and completely eradicated every vine that came near him.
"So it really is useless."
These vines were nothing more than a test from Wes. He was trying to use the environment and magical plants to restrict Gildarts's movements.
"Your little tricks won't work on me."
Gildarts knew he could no longer remain on the defensive. He took a deep breath and began circulating all of his magic power at full force.
As his magic power surged, a powerful light began to flicker around him.
Seeing this, Wes didn't dare lower his guard either. He swung his wand even faster, continuously unleashing various magical attacks in an attempt to suppress Gildarts.
Gildarts suddenly stomped the ground and shot into the air, rocketing toward Wes like a missile.
While flying, he deftly dodged Wes' attacks, searching for the perfect opportunity to counter — his goal was close-quarters combat.
When the distance had closed enough, he concentrated his magic into his fist and let out a thunderous roar:
"Crush Evil, Manifest Justice — One Soul!"
This punch carried the full might of Gildarts. Wes, fully aware of its terrifying power, didn't dare take it head-on.
He swiftly cast "Apparition" and dodged away.
Gildarts's blow slammed into the ground with a deafening impact. The tremendous force tore through the air, disintegrating everything in its path and creating a vacuum zone over a hundred meters long.
The raging air currents churned violently, and the surrounding trees and ground were reduced to dust under the shockwave.
"What a terrifying strike."
Having witnessed the true power of Crush Magic, Wes couldn't help but feel a chill run through him.
"But do you still have any magic power left?"
Wes tried to provoke him verbally, hoping to gauge Gildarts's true condition.
"Why don't you find out for yourself?"
In reality, his magic power had already been depleted by a third. On top of that, this guy's mastery of spatial magic made him extremely troublesome.
Gildarts hadn't faced such a difficult opponent in a very long time, and excitement began to rise within him. The expression on his face turned eager and battle-hungry.
°°°
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