Wrong. He was the one with the advantage. Facing this all-out assault, he still had the composure to converse. That showed he had considerable reserves left. Most likely, he was holding back his full power, wary of Nosfy’s interference. Even with that situational advantage, this was still all I could do.
Kanami the Founder intercepted the chaotic dance of all the plants with a single sword swipe, enduring it all unscathed. He quickly grew accustomed to the assault, steadily closing in on me. Growing accustomed? This was just ridiculous. It was too unfair. Facing an enemy’s overwhelming power, one should feel a little intimidated. True, my hand might hold countless cards. But still, plants were plants. Most fed on earth, water, and light, living quietly. Strong species like the De Liffide Sacred Trees of Magical Absorption were rare.
Right now, Kanami the Founder was wary of Nosfy and wouldn’t force a decisive battle. But if he chose a reckless, all-out charge, I’d be cut down in an instant. My chances of winning in a direct confrontation were probably zero. In this half minute or so of combat, I’d come to know that for certain. It wouldn’t take long before he came to the same conclusion.
“Damn! I have no choice!” With a groan, I pulled my rooted feet from the ground and began retreating.
“Wait, Ide! You think you can escape?!”
“I never considered this garden alone to be the battlefield! Viaysia Castle is my arsenal built solely to kill the Essence Thieves! I shall use every last bit of it!”
Though I knew that it was unfair, I asked the garden plants to hold Kanami the Founder back while I headed for the west exit. I fled into the tunnellike hallway.
“The prey is there! All you Stone-Eating Telliaria!” Countless green vines hung from the grand hall’s ceiling like curtains. They began moving, attempting to wrap themselves around Kanami, who had followed me into the hall.
Naturally, he swung his sword to intercept them. “These are...” He realized immediately. The species known as Stone-Eating Telliaria wasn’t targeting his body but the ores he carried. No one passing through this great hall was permitted to carry weapons. “They’re going after not me but my sword!”
“Stone-Eating Telliaria! O proud kin of the Founder! In the name of the Thief of Wood’s Essence, I beseech you! Entangle and capture that master swordsman!”
This great corridor was the nest of those vines. While I, a pugilist, could pass through, the swordsman Kanami couldn’t pass so easily.
Neither of us let our composed expressions falter. We feigned having more tricks up our sleeves, each trying to read the other’s hand. Kanami fixed his sharp gaze on me, determined not to miss even the slightest shift in my expression, let alone my words. It was frightening how he seemed to perceive not just the movement of my facial muscles but my body temperature, blood flow, and even the amount of sweat on me.
“Ide, you should be ready by now, right? What more could you possibly—” Mid-sentence, he clapped a hand over his mouth and doubled over.
I grinned like a villain. “Heh heh. It’s finally taking effect, isn’t it?”
The enemy was terrifying. But I kept laughing anyway. I wouldn’t back down an inch. That was why I’d prepared for this. So I would have confidence!
“That symptom is from the poisonous Golden Tridrake flower. Shall I increase that and reduce the other flowers?”
Quietly, I spoke to the vividly flowers blooming in the corner of the room, channeling magic through the ground. The red and blue plants reverted to buds as if time had been rewound, leaving only the yellow flowers behind. The diverse array blooming in the great hall was now dyed entirely yellow.
“Ide... You couldn’t possibly...”
“Indeed. You’ve seen beautiful flowers blooming here and there since you first stepped inside, haven’t you? Did you think they were prepared to add color to the castle? Have you forgotten when I mentioned preparing to intercept you the other day? They are all poisonous flowers, specially cultivated toxic plants boasting the highest-tier danger levels on the continent,” I said, revealing the truth as he glared at me.
If I had used poisoned arrows or a high concentration of special gases, it would have been dealt with effortlessly. But it seemed even Kanami couldn’t defend against an attack originating from outside the realm of conscious thought, delivered by naturally existing flowers. It was one of the weaknesses he himself had revealed a thousand years ago.
“From here on, I’ll leave it to the Golden Tridrakes! Everyone else, take a break!”
I narrowed the poison down to a single type, then supplied magic power from my feet to double the pollen quantity. There was absolutely no such thing as overdoing it. Since the poison wouldn’t affect me as a dryad, I increased the dosage without the slightest hesitation.
“This amount should be enough to make even a dragon collapse...but it’s still not nearly enough! I’m impressed by how well your body is holding up, but let’s take our time and let the poison soak into it!”
The more we talked, the more it seemed Kanami realized that inhaling the pollen put him at a disadvantage. With bare hands, he charged at me in silence. Finally, the moment had arrived.
I calmly met his charge. Lowering my hips, I sank into a fighting stance. No matter how terrifying he might be, I couldn’t retreat here. He was now separated from both his sword and magic, his condition worsening from the poison. Furthermore, the preconception that the Thief of Wood’s Essence was weak in close combat led him to rush into battle, charging recklessly without circling around. If we didn’t settle this now, when exactly would we settle it?
“Don’t underestimate Chancellor Ide!” With bare hands, I approached him, swinging my arm like a flexible branch. The backfist launched from below like a whip slipped through my enemy’s defenses, striking his jaw with precision.
“Guh!” Kanami was surprised at being struck first in close combat, groaning as he took a step back. But he quickly regained his footing and charged forward again.
It hit! My fist had connected. My fighting style worked against the Founder. Suppressing my surging excitement, I met his attack. It was the stance that the general had taught me a thousand years ago. Earlier, I’d called it pugilism, but to be precise, it was self-defense. I’d modified it into a variant of martial arts, specialized for ensuring the success of the first strike and neutralizing the enemy’s abilities.
I added a unique, quick feint before aiming for my enemy’s vital point. Yet, Kanami blocked it as if he’d anticipated it. It was only the second strike, yet he handled it so easily.
“Tch!” Though startled, I immediately regained my composure. I recognized this. Even if my first strike was an unavoidable technique, it was Kanami the Founder who defied that very notion. Knowing this allowed me to swiftly transition to my next action.
I opened the pouch I’d concealed in my robe beforehand, scattering its contents as I lunged at him.
“A smoke screen?! But blocking my vision won’t work on me! Wait, what is this?!”
Kanami dodged my grab without relying on sight. But he immediately sensed something amiss and took a step back.
“It’s not a smoke screen? Could it be...seeds?”
“Indeed. My weapons aren’t limited to poison. If these seeds enter your lungs, they’ll destroy you from within.”
I laughed at the trap’s success while inhaling the seeds myself. As a dryad, symbiosis with seeds was possible. Therefore, I could scatter dangerous seeds in large quantities through this near-suicidal method.