Xavier finished speaking and began chanting again, muttering a whole lot of nonsense. He really had no self-awareness. If Riven wanted to kill him, would she have let him keep talking this long?
As his chant ended, flames gathered once more, this time taking the shape of a giant. It looked considerably stronger than the last one.
Riven poured more Wind Force into her broken sword. She hadn't yet mastered the Wind Riding Technique, but it was more than enough to deal with magic of this level!
After a few swings, the flames scattered again. The added Wind Force sent them burning backward, setting the nearest soldiers ablaze. They shrieked and fled.
Xavier's face darkened. This was probably his strongest spell, yet it hadn't worked on Riven at all.
Enough!
A big man pushed through the crowd outside. His build was like a small mountain, and he carried himself with an imposing air. Someone had probably summoned him amid the earlier chaos.
"What kind of ability is it to surround one little girl with so many men? And you've taken some serious losses, too..."
The big man grumbled and cursed, leaving everyone too intimidated to breathe. He seemed to hold a high position. After berating his subordinates, he turned to Riven.
"You've held out this long, so you're clearly capable. I won't make things difficult for you. I'll take my men and leave."
"Fine! But I want a memento!"
Riven dashed up to Xavier and hacked off his right arm.
The short baton and his arm hit the ground together. Xavier wailed incessantly, and the big man's expression turned grim. The man wasn't one of his own, but this was clearly a show of defiance aimed at him!
"Hmph... Why bother? I said I'd let you go, but you just