Hmph—
A muffled grunt escaped the Kisthrean Empress. Her body, tightly coiled in the Nidro Water Python's grip, swelled like an inflating balloon.
The Nidro Water Python, which had been so pleased with itself for ensnaring its enemy, let out an agonized cry. Its blue scales and flesh tore apart bit by bit under the immense force.
Moments later, the Kisthrean Empress broke free. Her once-slender body had grown enormous, as massive as the Green Giant.
At the sight, James David instinctively left an illusion of himself in place and seized the chance to put some distance between himself and the empress. "The Nidro Water Python was your pet. Isn't killing it like that a bit heartless?"
"A pet that can be tricked into attacking its master isn't worth keeping."
The Kisthrean Empress stared coldly at James David.
She suddenly raised her hand and brought it down. Her terrifying strength and speed compressed the air into a series of explosive bangs, and the "James David" beside her was instantly smashed into a heap of pulp.
Then the Kisthrean Empress began tearing through the palace with both hands.
She knew this intruder excelled at disguise and illusion. The person she had just crushed had felt real, and his remains looked real too. But against an enemy like this, touch, smell, and sight could not be trusted.
Without hesitation, James David leaped back. In an instant, his body turned into a gust of wind that slipped through the Kisthrean Empress and blended into the surrounding air.
Elementalization!
It was the best way to deal with a close-combat practitioner. Unless a practitioner was powerful enough to annihilate an element with their bare body, James David could counter them.
The Kisthrean Empress's arms passed through him, as did fragments from everything she destroyed. None