Rivers of the Night

Unavoidable.

It was like a word pressed into Theron's mind, a shocking realization that was quickly dismissed with only more shock as Theron felt as though the Spell was speaking into his mind.

It was like the imposition of a Law right onto his psyche, a Spell more perfect than any he had ever cast or ever seen.

He had been in this world for a long while, but it wasn't until this moment that he felt like he could see the true essence of it.

This was power.

And somehow, he was certain that this was just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much beyond this, so much more to explore, so much more to understand.

He would grasp it all.

And then use it to make them understand his suffering.

Theron's hair billowed in the air and he unleashed a low roar, his body practically vibrating in place as his power billowed out in waves.

Chi. Chi. Chi.

His dagger danced, one line after another forming in the air. Blood vessels in his eyes popped as he rode on the momentum of Serenya's strike, his blades countering and reversing them in a complex web that layered across the skies.

In that instant, he seemed to embody the very essence of water. One droplet, patiently falling second after second, hour after hour, year after year, until its presence, over that time, became undeniable.

One droplet at a time it might have been, but in culmination, it was a true tsunami.

BOOM.

The palm descended and Theron was swallowed whole, his body vanishing beneath the destruction.

Serenya held her hand out, her chest heaving and her enormous body showing signs of shrinking. However, she didn't seem to be complacent in the slightest, her gaze flickering to the skies above from time to time in hopes of what she was expecting coming forth.

Unfortunately, there was still no movement and she felt a slight light of panic in her eyes.

Blackmaul finally stood to her side, his gaze serious, and the wound in his chest still pooling with blood. However, his cheeks seemed contradictorily rosy. This was because while he was still bleeding, what once was a heavy wound to his internal structures had now become a flesh wound.

It was the one truly top-tier pill he had, and he didn't expect to need it in this situation, but it was better that than lose his life. Silver Mancer or not, it wasn't his place to underestimate his Demon Chosen any longer.

He raised his club.

"Cover me, Serenya."

Serenya's gaze flickered, but she nodded without a word. She wasn't the speaking type, and Blackmaul was very clearly not the thankful type. If he was going to thank someone, he was going to do it with blood dripping down his club.

He stomped a foot, his hair dancing in the air. The blood dripping down his chest, coating him in a sticky dark liquid, seemed far more tragic than it was. As though a warrior ready to atone for his sins, he stood tall and proud.

He was supposed to be their offensive weapon, and yet he had taken such a loss to such an insignificant trick, forcing Serenya to pick up the slack for him.

There was no way he had any intention of allowing that to happen again. He was better than that.

A roar of Mana came from the depths of his dantian, his Resonance peeling across the skies as a pair of dense wings manifested behind him.

His eyes became deep shades of black, his whites completely vanishing as veins of black pulsed along his arms.

His Echo manifested in earnest and his grip around his club's handle tightened so much it seemed as though he might crush it.

He took another heavy step forward and his body bowed. Power pulsed from the depths of his soul and he erupted forward the instant the palm showed any signs of dissipating.

In that moment, Theron's figure was revealed. His robes were tattered, the ice mask on his face partially cracked, while blood leaked from his limbs.

However, there was a cold resolve in his eyes as Blackmaul crossed the rest of the distance between them.

Residues of bronzed Mana hung in the air, wisps of black smoke and heavy soil falling from the skies.

Theron took a breath and his chilling path was released in earnest. He was holding back continuously to make this work, not using his Laws in the open, or his Water Mana, so that these people would understand as little about him as possible.

He was even keeping the Alpha in his beast holding bracelet, not wanting to reveal such a trump card so easily. As powerful as the Alpha was, he didn't believe that it could instantly kill these Core Disciples as it had done the others. Otherwise, he would have brought it out already and skipped this hassle.

Now wasn't the time for training. He would have to escape this planet first and lose their tail before he could think about doing something as foolish as that.

But it seemed that if he wanted to keep some cards close to his chest, he was going to have to reveal others.

Fine.

When he exhaled his next breath, it was as though a frosty wonderland had appeared in the air. Sparkling motes of silver and sky blue danced along the air.

Blackmaul's club descended once more, his eyes far sharper, and his strength far greater.

It felt like facing off against a giant's wrath, exploding with the presence of a crack of thunder.

Theron's eyes hardly reacted.

He tapped a foot to the ground, Water Mana accumulating around him as he took a step back.

Blackmaul's black club appeared right above his head, mere centimeters from crushing him into minced meat, and yet the movement of Theron's body became akin to a stream of water filling a new vessel.

He curved to the shape of Blackmaul's attack, stepping out of the way and slashing out with his short sword.