As Morgan's voice carried a trace of irritation, an enormous surge of water rose from the seemingly bottomless chasm beneath the waterfall. The tide gathered in midair like a living creature, ready to crash down on Aesc at any moment.
But that was only a distraction.
If someone focused only on the attack in front of them, they would overlook the abnormal movement in the waters behind them within the mana-filled First Netherworld.
The currents twisted, churned, and reshaped themselves, eventually forming a colossal elemental creature reminiscent of the flame giant Surtr.
Having been caught off guard by Aesc's opening strike and repeatedly provoked by her words, Morgan's emotions stirred first, and she was the one who launched the attack.
Aesc rose lightly onto her toes, moving across the water as though she were dancing, gracefully avoiding attacks that seemed wide-ranging and impossible to escape.
Amid the heavy blows were smaller strikes as nimble as hummingbirds.
Water shifted endlessly in form. Blades, spears, clubs, even venomous needles. They chased after Aesc's steps like a rising tide, surrounding her from all sides, yet none of them could catch her.
"Let's see how long you can keep dodging," Morgan said coldly. "This is the price of using a Noble Phantasm that isn't yours."
Morgan stepped forward along a staircase formed from rising fountains, walking over the massive hollow where the waterfall plunged and gradually approaching Aesc.
"Is that how it looks to you?"
Aesc stopped moving.
Because she had been surrounded.
If one only defended and never attacked, this was the inevitable result.
Although she had intended to test her current state, she had ultimately given up control of the battlefield.
"Still not planning to fight back? That's rather overconfident."
Morgan fixed her gaze on Aesc. She did not believe she had truly cornered her opponent. If anything, it might be a deliberate opening.
Aesc looked at her with a relaxed smile.
"So far it's all been large-scale magecraft. Isn't that a little too light?"
"Are you trying to conserve the power needed to defeat me, saving the rest to digest your authority and seize the others?"
"As for authority... it's not like I can't use it."
Morgan raised her hand.
"For example, interfering with the 'water' inside your body."
"Oh?"
Aesc glanced at her right hand that was holding the umbrella. It began to rise against her will, forcing her to respond in order to counter it.
"For instance..." Morgan pressed a hand against her chest.
"Detonating it from the inside."
"Oh? Oh?"
Aesc sounded even more surprised.
Her tone was almost like that of a young girl discovering something fascinating, which made Morgan feel extremely irritated.
Just how naive was this woman?
Or were beings like fairies all the same, whether from Proper Human History or a Lostbelt, whether from the surface world or the Inner Sea of the Planet?
But Morgan quickly realized that reaction was not naivety.
It was confidence.
The blood she had tried to detonate did not explode.
There was indeed a tangible sense of interference affecting Aesc's blood and even her Magic Circuits, yet it felt as though Morgan had only barely touched them before the target slipped away.
The hand that had been forced out of control slowly returned to its original position, as if it had already shaken off Morgan's influence.
"Using authority that doesn't belong to oneself, assuming a higher Spiritual Rank, and then exerting direct interference on fairies who originally share the same rank, ultimately neutralizing or even erasing the target."
Aesc analyzed it casually as if speaking to herself.
"Not a bad idea. Unfortunately, the opponents I've faced recently haven't had such low Spiritual Ranks. There was simply no chance to use a method like that."
As she said this, she raised her head and looked at Morgan with a hint of regret.
"Too bad. I am indeed a fairy, but my Spiritual Rank isn't as low as you think."
"Then let me see what you're really capable of!!!"
Morgan's voice filled with rising anger, and the surrounding mana began to grow violently unstable.
Every word Aesc spoke struck Morgan's nerves with perfect precision. The anger she had been holding back was gradually slipping out of control.
That was exactly Aesc's strategy.
Keeping an eye on the changes in the surrounding mana, Aesc focused her attention on Morgan.
Being angry is good.
After all, I'm even angrier than you right now.
Under different circumstances, we could have sat down and talked about our love for our respective Britains.
But since you chose this path, there's only one outcome left.
We stand as enemies.
The air grew thick and heavy.
The magnetic field of the First Netherworld shifted according to Morgan's will, turning intangible space into something tangible.
The unstable mana slowly gathered toward Aesc, closing in from all directions.
The intention was obvious. Trap her inside and tear her apart piece by piece.
Crack.
A sharp breaking sound echoed.
But it wasn't Aesc's body or bones breaking.
It was the projected umbrella in her hand.
She calmly loosened her grip, letting the fragments fall. Before they could touch the water's surface, they dissolved back into mana and returned to the Greater Source.
The world itself seemed to change color.
The phenomena of the First Netherworld were being reshaped into weapons meant specifically to target Aesc.
Once completed, it would become her natural enemy.
Just like the Magus of Flowers stepping into a Prison Tower. Escape would be impossible.
"Locking that man called Merlin away felt just like this."
Morgan looked at Aesc, her smile twisting into something feral.
"You're even harder to deal with than that man. So let this Tlatlauqui become your Prison Tower."
[Garden of the Innocent].
For a paradise fairy without sin, it was a fitting method.
With the 'severity' aspect of Shiomi's authority mixed into it, the scale of the [Garden of the Innocent] created by using the surrounding environment reached an unprecedented size.
Morgan had no intention of merely trapping Aesc here.
Imprisonment was only the first step.
Watching as Aesc's figure was gradually swallowed by the towering waves of Tlatlauqui, Morgan was about to mock her arrogance for refusing to attack and focusing only on defense.
But the [Garden of the Innocent], just one step away from sealing shut, suddenly exploded from within.
The nearly completed structure was torn apart.
A massive vortex spiraled out of control, forcing Morgan to raise her defenses within the surging waves just to maintain her footing.
"It's a little different from my own 'Garden,' but in terms of the underlying structure of the spell, it ultimately arrives at the same destination."
Aesc closed her eyes. Vast amounts of mana poured outward around her.
"Magecraft battles have long since lost any novelty."
"Then...!"
Her counterattack spell formed instantly and shot toward Morgan.
Its scale wasn't large. Something Morgan could easily intercept.
Morgan judged that their magecraft abilities were roughly equal. As long as she used the advantage of the battlefield and dragged this into a war of attrition...
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a silver flash cut through the mist and rushed straight toward her throat.
Morgan barely managed to block it with a hastily raised barrier, her eyes widening in shock.
That was the most direct difference between the Proper Human History version and the Lostbelt version of the same existence.
"A spear?!"
With just that single strike, Morgan realized how refined Aesc's spear technique was.
As she watched the barrier nearly split apart, she couldn't help but cry out in alarm.