Rivers of the Night

Theron's short sword drew blood, slashing into Blackmaul's wrist enough to nick his skin but not enough to sever it from his arm.

Blackmaul couldn't believe that even so focused, he still failed to kill a Silver Mancer, but this didn't deter him. It only made him focus more. If he could still suffer when giving his all, this was a true test of life and death.

The blackened wings on his back spread out, blocking the path toward Serenya and Ilyssia. If nothing else, Blackmaul was the ideal teammate, not letting his fear dictate his actions, nor his previous mistakes chain into new ones.

He retreated a single step, pulling his club from the ground to attack again, but Theron had become his shadow, keeping close despite the vast gap in speed by taking a shorter path.

His feet moved like the wind, but his rhythm was akin to streams of water. Flexible and relentless, he swung his blade again and again, smooth and seamless in his actions.

One after another, he levied his attacks and Blackmaul found himself on his back foot. He avoided major injury, but he couldn't find an opening in the slightest.

In the back of his mind, he knew that allowing things to continue like this would only lead to his death. This Silver Mancer was too sharp, too intelligent, too relentless. It would only take a single mistake before he ended up in a situation identical to the one he had been in moments ago.

He needed Serenya and Ilyssia.

The moment he had this thought, his wings flashed out once again, blocking a strong gust of wind toward Theron. However, Theron's body seemed to have been anchored to the very ground. He entangled the Water Mana on his feet to the Earth Mana in the crumbling earth, making himself as steady as a mountain.

The instant the wind stopped and Blackmaul was accelerating backward, he stomped a foot, hard and heavy.

He roared, slashing out with his father's short sword.

[Water Scythe].

It was a mere Bronze Resonance technique, a Spell formed on the continent that was incapable of displaying true power and strength.

Or so it seemed.

But in that moment, [Entangling Blood Vein Pupils] was tying Gold Resonance Mana to this technique that should otherwise be cast by Bronze Mancers, but was instead being cast by a Silver Mancer.

Not only that… but it was a Spell comprehended to the Consummate Boundary. It had long stopped being a normal Bronze Resonance technique.

It had completely morphed and changed, and it was condensed with the nine Laws of the Path of Cooling.

The Law of Vibration, the Law of Reflection, the Law of Density, the Law of Preservation, the Law of Stillness, the Law of Repression, the Law of Control, the Law of Balance, and the Law of Inhibition.

They all exploded forth, and suddenly Theron, a Silver Mancer who should barely have one Law if he was lucky, erupted with nine in a single instant.

Not only did he erupt with nine, but he erupted with a fusion of nine, the first step of a Mandate that once shook the historical records of the continent.

Maybe that world was fake to Sadie, but to Theron, it had been the only world he had ever known.

Even if his Galethunder Clan didn't exist, he would make sure it was remembered in this world.

This was the Path of his father, his grandfather before him, and the great-grandfather that birthed him.

The beautiful blue scythe shuddered in the air and then…

Chi.

It solidified, forming a death scythe of silvery blue ice.

Or so it seemed.

At the core of it all, it was very much still a Water Mana Spell. However, in the eyes of others, it had become ice because all the air and water vapor around it had been rapidly cooled, frozen to temperatures so close and nearing absolute zero that the sheath of ice was no less difficult to shatter than a true treasure.

Blackmaul's eyes widened.

He didn't expect Theron to suddenly erupt with this much power when they had only just been on par.

What he didn't know was that until now, Theron was mostly relying on his powerful Arcane body and his Water Mana Resonance to enhance his movement and attack, as well as [Entangling Blood Vein Pupils] and [Entangling Clouds] to add some variability to his attack and movement as well.

But the moment Blackmaul showed signs of retreating, Theron saw his opportunity.

No matter how focused Blackmaul was, he was right about one thing. It was impossible for the likes of him to fight the likes of Theron indefinitely without making a mistake.

Theron had been in the world of cultivation for too short a time, but every step he took was steeped in blood and washed in the tears of his victims.

His very first night in the world of cultivation, he used a corpse to keep himself warm beneath the moonlight.

These geniuses, cherished and raised because of their talent, coddled for their potential and praised for their meager accomplishments could never stack up to him.

'Die.'

Theron's eyes sharpened, his mind already focusing on his next move. Blackmaul had already put all of his intention into escaping, and he had even retracted his wings so that Serenya and Ilyssia could have lanes to cover his retreat.

This time, it would be over for him. Theron was certain of it.

Unfortunately, he was too certain.

At that instant of time, a presence the likes of which Theron had never felt before descended from the skies above.

It took real shape and substance, so powerful that it felt as though the air itself had solidified.

Chi.

BANG!

The [Water Scythe] shattered to pieces, crumbling right before their eyes. But the shockwave of the matter sent Blackmaul and Theron alike flying back.

However, Theron didn't make it very far before he was frozen in the air, a dense Dark Mana wrapping around him.

From high above, Patriarch Nightingale finally appeared.