“So what you’re saying is... my Explosion spell accidentally destroyed the mountain you were sealed under?”
“Oui, oui.”
“And you’re Laplace, as in, the Great Sorceress Laplace who was sealed away 300 years ago?”
“That’s me! Sorry to nullify your spell, but it was a bit much for a wake-up call. Surely you understand.”
“No, I don’t, actually! How am I supposed to believe this?!”
Believe this! Believe this! Believe this! Tanya’s voice echoed across the wasteland.
“Any Mage worth their salt knows the legend of Laplace, okay? She was a phenomenal Sorceress. There’s no way she was sealed right next to the frickin’ capital! I mean, we’re talking about the Laplace, AKA the Wicked Dragonwhore! She was caught plotting against the Empire! That’s the whole reason Maxwell the Grand Mage had to seal her away 300 years ago!”
The woman—Laplace(?)—laughed merrily. “My! Is that what they teach you in school these days? That’s hilarious.” After a quick mid-air somersault, she grinned. “Well then, if you need proof so badly, why don’t we play a little game?”
“What?”
“I mean, seeing as you’ve been setting off Arcane spells all over the place, I have to assume you’re pretty skilled.”
“Well...” Honestly speaking, yes, Tanya considered herself skilled. And here in the Western Wasteland, where she had no reason to hold herself back, she was confident she could beat just about anybody...
But did that “anybody” really include THE Great Sorceress herself?
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t attack you back.”
“...What?”
“Are you listening? I said I won’t attack you. All you have to do is land at least one hit, and I’ll let you win.”
This struck a nerve with Tanya. You’re not going to fight back? What, you think I won’t even land a single hit? Does this look like my first rodeo to you?
Sure, maybe Laplace(?) could use levitation magic, but Tanya was a seasoned adventurer in her own right. And she refused to let this human-shaped balloon with her devil-may-care attitude get the best of her! Come down here and fight me like a woman!
“If you win, I’ll do whatever you say. And if I win... hmmm... I want you to form a party with me.”
“What?”
“You’re an adventurer, are you not? I’ve always wanted to try it out, you know, at least once!” Laplace explained, spinning in giddy circles in mid-air.
You’re telling me THIS is the Great Sorceress? I don’t buy it. At all.
“Fine, whatever.”
Not like I’ve got anything to lose. And besides...
Tanya readied her staff.
...All I have to do is hit her, which means I should prioritize speed over power. And if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s fast casting.
Her former party members used to order her around all the time:
“You don’t have to finish it off. Just buy me some time so I can land the final blow!”
“What? But wouldn’t it be faster and more efficient for me to defeat it?”
“C’mon, be a team player and back me up!”
“...Fireball!”
“Hell yeah! Time for me to end this!”
She would have these conversations all the time, especially with lower-level Brawlers and Knights who would later turn around and brag about the defeated monster like it was their accomplishment. It was baffling.
But now all that time spent micromanaging herself was about to pay off. Tanya could control her speed and damage output on a whim. Not even a mythical Sorceress could safely dodge every—
“Why does she keep dodging everything?!”
I don’t get it! No one’s ever been able to evade my Fireballs before!
And yet Laplace made it all look so trivial, twirling through the air. She didn’t even break a sweat. And most infuriating of all—
“Hahahaha! You’re pretty good, girlie!”
—she was clearly having fun.
“I have to say, I’m actually impressed... Perhaps this new generation of Mages isn’t so hopeless after all!” Laplace mused brightly.
Meanwhile, Tanya pressed a finger to her lower lip. Why can’t I hit her? There has to be a reason! Think!
“Wait... Are you using a force field?”
“Oho, well spotted! I honestly didn’t think you’d notice!”
“Wait... seriously?!”
A force field was a type of invisible magical barrier imbued directly into the earth’s strata, typically to protect castles, churches, or other important buildings. And since they were designed to draw power directly from subterranean mana veins, they were massive and immobile. Tanya had never heard of any force field small enough for just one person, much less one that could be moved around at will. The technology simply didn’t exist!
This woman operated on a level far beyond what the average person could comprehend. Was it possible? Was she really Laplace the Great Sorceress?
Tanya lowered her hands and let her Fireballs fade.
“What’s this? Giving up already? In that case—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody said I was giving up.”
Sorceress or not, I refuse to let you beat me.
Tanya smirked.
“Now that I know I’m dealing with a force field, the solution is simple. And you’re going to regret you ever dared to challenge me.”
“...Huh?”
With a deep breath, Tanya summoned up all of her remaining mana.
“From twilight I summon the ultimate destruction...”
“Wha—?!” Laplace froze in place. Naturally, she recognized the incantation.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...”
“Uh—wh—Explosion?! You’re casting an Arcane-level spell?! On ME?! You can’t be serious! Surely you understand it’s not safe! Why else would you come here to cast them?! You wanted a place with no innocent bystanders nearby! Well, here I am, bystanding! Don’t you think perhaps this is a little immature of you?! Hello?! Are you hearing me right now?!”
In contrast to her half-assed, curse-laden incantations from earlier, this time Tanya made sure every word was perfectly precise—all the better to enhance the spell’s power.
Her logic was simple: if the force field was the problem, then she just needed to break through it.
“Eeek...!”
From the moment they first met, Laplace had conducted herself with flawless poise, but now her smile had stiffened. She knew now that Tanya wasn’t joking around—no, she was genuinely prepared to launch a large-scale, military-grade, Arcane-level spell at a single person.
“W-Well, you know what they say—discretion is the better part of valor!”
And so Laplace promptly turned on her heel. No surprise there; not a soul alive would want to be caught in that blast. There was one small problem, however—this was the Western Wasteland, presently littered with giant craters following Tanya’s stress relief activities earlier on. Anything that could have been used as cover had long since been decimated.
“Oh crap!”
Try as she might to run, Laplace had nowhere to hide.
“Heed my call and unleash your might!”
“Gah! Noooo!”
“Let’s see how you handle this, Sorceress! Explosion!”
There was a moment of silence. A flash of light. A deafening rumble. A whirlwind. And when the dust settled... Laplace was no longer airborne. Instead, she lay sprawled flat on the ground.
“Hrrkkk... I can’t believe it... You actually got me...?” she whimpered as her body twitched.
“Ha... hahaha... HAHAHAHA! They all underestimated me... Well, look at me now, assholes!” Tanya roared, victorious, her pink locks fluttering with the blast wave. “Admit it—I win!”