Chapter 345 : Duke Remy’s Play

Queen Kayana directed the floating wooden swords surrounding her toward Duke Remy, who was pinned against the wall, immobilized by her gravity magic. One by one, the swords began to pierce his body; soon, he was riddled with them. However, only a fraction, perhaps 30% of the swords aimed at him had actually struck his flesh. The remaining 70% had embedded themselves in the nearby wall and tree trunks. Yet, Queen Kayana believed that even that 30% was enough to kill him.

After being pierced, Duke Remy remained pinned to the wall, motionless. Seeing that he was not moving, Queen Kayana dispelled the gravity magic that had been suppressing him and the surrounding objects. As the spell lifted, several tree trunks and wooden swords clattered to the floor. The swords fell because they had not been driven deeply enough into the wall to remain lodged there once the magic was released.

Duke Remy, however, remained pinned to the wall, held in place by the many swords that had pierced through his body and into the wall behind him, keeping him suspended even after the gravity magic had ceased.

Queen Kayana glanced at Duke Remy’s pinned body, then turned and walked away, leaving him behind. Queen Kayana walked along, observing her surroundings. The black tree trunks emerging from the ceiling, walls, and floor appeared motionless; they stood rigidly upright, lacking the swaying movement typical of ordinary trees. She then looked ahead and continued walking toward the exit of the academy's central building.

However, as she walked, three black tree trunks suddenly erupted from the floor beneath her feet. They shot up with great speed, instantly attempting to strike her. Although initially startled by their sudden appearance, Queen Kayana reacted swiftly, dodging the attacking trunks. She managed to evade the assault, though not perfectly; one trunk grazed her right waist as she moved, leaving her wounded.

Afterward, Queen Kayana turned her gaze toward Duke Remy, who remained pinned against the wall, his body pierced by numerous wooden trunks.

"You had best put an end to this charade, Lord Remy. I know you are still alive," Queen Kayana said.

Duke Remy immediately responded.

"You are impressive indeed to have dodged the surprise attack I launched, Your Majesty. I had staged the scene to make it appear as though I were dead, hoping to catch you off guard, yet you still managed to evade my sudden strike. Still, at least that attack succeeded in wounding you, unlike my previous attempts, which failed to harm you in the slightest," Duke Remy remarked.

Then, the black tree-like growths near Duke Remy which had previously been shattered by Queen Kayana’s attack began to regenerate. Once restored, they moved toward Duke Remy and began extracting the wooden swords that were impaling his body. As the growths pulled the swords free, it became apparent that the sword had not pierced him very deeply; they had only penetrated the black, tree-like substance encasing his entire body to a depth of one or two centimeters. Because the penetration was so shallow, the swords had failed to wound or even touch Duke Remy’s actual skin, which remained shielded by that black, bark-like armor.

A few seconds later, the growths surrounding Duke Remy had finished extracting all the wooden swords. With the swords removed, Duke Remy who had previously been pinned against the wall dropped straight to the floor. As he landed, the growths on his back could be seen elongating and piercing the wall where he had been pinned; it was these growths, rather than the wooden swords, that had kept him attached to the wall. The growths that had extended into the wall now began to retract, shortening back to their original state.

"I was somewhat surprised to see you using the wooden swords I had previously used to attack you. While those swords are indeed quite durable crafted from a strong type of wood, they simply aren't strong enough to damage the wooden armor I am currently wearing. Now, I shall return these swords to you," Duke Remy said.

Immediately afterward, the tree limbs which had previously been wielding the wooden swords that pierced Duke Remy’s body hurled those very swords toward Queen Kayana. Upon seeing this, Queen Kayana swiftly struck her magic staff against the floor. The wooden swords hurtling toward her plummeted and crashed hard against the ground the moment they drew near. None of the swords managed to strike or injure her, as they all slammed into the floor before reaching her; they now lay scattered across the ground. The swords were even more damaged than before, having struck the floor twice now.

Duke Remy appeared unperturbed as he watched the wooden swords thrown by the surrounding tree limbs fail to harm Queen Kayana.

"Hmm... it seems this power isn't enough. With this level of strength, I might be able to kill Lord Louis and Lady Arlet, though it wouldn't be easy. But killing you would likely prove extremely difficult, given that you exist on a completely different level. It appears I need to increase my power further," Duke Remy remarked.

He then thrust into his chest, which was encased in black wooden armor. He did not do this to wound himself, but rather to retrieve something; indeed, after the thrust, he was seen holding an object he had just extracted. It was a syringe, filled to the brim with a red liquid. Queen Kayana looked visibly startled when she saw him holding it.

"That syringe... could it be...?" Queen Kayana murmured.

-To be continued