The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War ~And Thus, I Became The Strongest Knight Disciple (♀) in The World~-Novel

“Prepare for my counterattack! How will you receive it?!”

“Then I simply won’t!”

Ether Strike!

With a thunderous blast, the condensed Ether blew away the Crimson Palms, surging towards Jeldegrīva, the Duke of War.

“OOHH?!”

His eyes widened in delightful surprise.

“Entertaining! This is what a battle should feel like!”

He ceased firing his Crimson Palms and readied himself to face the Ether Strike directly.

“OORYAAAHHHHH!”

He thrust out his chest and absorbed the full brunt of the Ether Strike. Despite being forced backwards a considerable distance, he ultimately—

“SORYAAAHH!!”

He managed to halt the Ether Strike and returned it with gusto back at Inglis.

With a seismic roar, the Ether mass, now boosted by the Duke of War’s monstrous strength, posed an even more significant threat than when Inglis had initially launched it.

“—?! Quite an outrageous move…! However…!”

She altered the wavelength of her Ether Armor. It now opposed the wavelength of the Ether Strike. Consequently, any strike powered by Ether could repel the Ether Strike. This operated on the same principle as the Ether Reflector.

“I can do the same!”

With her fist enveloped in Dragon Roar, Inglis punched the Ether Strike. The Ether Bullet was fully repelled and redirected back towards Jeldegrīva.

“WHAT?! You sent it back?! You’re quite the extraordinary girl! Truly a sight to behold! GAHAHAHAHAHA!”

He laughed, again bracing himself to receive the attack. This time, however, Jeldegrīva’s body was slightly angled, as if planning to intercept the Ether Strike from the side. As the Ether Strike wasn’t coming straight at him, he couldn’t halt it completely.

Given the current trajectory, the Ether Strike would detonate before he could counter it. This outcome seemed inevitable considering his angled position, coupled with the increased momentum of the Ether Strike.

Inglis couldn’t comprehend why Jeldegriva chose to receive the Ether Strike with only half his body.

“Hm……?!”

As Inglis pondered, the Duke of War flexed his wings with a powerful flap. As he did, his body began to spin, bringing the Ether Strike along with it. Consequently, the propulsive force behind the Ether Strike was converted into rotational energy.

“……?!”

“FNNUUuuuUOOOHHHH!!!”

The force generated by his wings helped him spin faster and faster. The Ether Strike twirled along with him, spawning a massive tornado that concealed Jeldegrīva, the Duke of War.

“Fufufu…I see what you’re up to!”

Although a cloud of dust obscured his figure, his intentions were transparent. So, in anticipation of that moment, Inglis planted her feet firmly, rallied her strength, and waited.

“BEHOLD MY MIGHTIEST THROW! TAKE THISSSSSSSSSS!”

With an echoing boom, the Ether Strike, propelled by an ultra-high-speed rotation, was rapidly advancing towards Inglis. It tore through the wind, emitting a roar, unlike anything Inglis had experienced before.

Inglis was ready and prepared for this. She had faced adversaries who could counter her Ether Strikes in the past, but none had ever hurled it back at such incredible speed.

Not even Prisma had accomplished this. Inglis couldn’t ask for more!

“Here it comes! HYAAAAAaaaahhhh!!”

Inglis sprang lightly, spinning mid-air, and swung her leg out with all her strength. Despite her shorter stature, the power behind her kick, amalgamated with Dragon Roar and Ether Armor, was one of the greatest she had ever mustered.

And Inglis’ kicks were more forceful than her punches. Yet, her kick against the ultra-high-speed Ether Strike thrown back at her by Jeldegrīva wasn’t sufficient to repel it.

With a deafening crash, her foot was knocked back, her body swept along.

“Ah…!”

In an instant, she was flung far back.

“HA-HA! Did you see that?! Power is Justice! The sweat I shed doesn’t lie to me! HAHAHAHAHA!!”

Jeldegrīva, the Duke of War, flexed his biceps in triumph.

“Seems so! Ahahahaha!”

Inglis shared the laughter. The sheer joy of the battle caused her to laugh spontaneously. The fact that he could return her Ether Strike with such overwhelming force that she couldn’t retaliate was simply astounding, perfect even.

“But…!”

Inglis wouldn’t accept defeat that easily. She reverted the wavelength of her Ether to match that of the Ether Strike. She took a calculated step at an angle towards the oncoming Ether Strike. Given the trajectory, she was able to narrowly evade it. But at that very moment, she plunged her fist into the Ether mass.

She punched the Ether Strike, whose wavelength now matched hers. This was the basis of the Ether Breaker.

With a ground-shaking rumble, the Ether mass exploded. If she couldn’t repel it, she had to detonate it at a safe distance. The destructive force equivalent to an Ether Breaker created a massive crater on the spot.

It was fortunate they had relocated outside the city. Had the battle occurred in the city, one entire district would have been reduced to rubble. She would never hear the end of it from Rafinha. As much as Inglis cherished a good fight, she wanted to avoid damaging Ymir castle and the town surrounding it, her beloved hometown, and not merely to avoid Rafinha’s wrath.

Despite the intense destructive force, Inglis managed to slip by without being ensnared in the worst of the explosion. To be more precise, she intentionally absorbed a portion of the blast. Merely dissipating the Ether Break wasn’t elegant. So Inglis harnessed the explosion’s force to gain speed and dashed towards Jeldegrīva!

“HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

“ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Fist met fist. The resulting shockwave cratered the ground.