Rivers of the Night

Every single bit of what could have been called Theron's personality seemed to vanish in that moment. Or at the very least, anything these people had known him to be.

Sharp and focused, his smile vanished, a cold chill radiating from his gaze. It was as though the moment he had forced Bylo into battle, he no longer needed the façade.

Against an opponent like Blackmaul, he could jeer, laugh, poke fun. But against a Second Resonance Touching Cloud Mancer? It was impossible.

Yet, there was no hesitation in his step or dullness in his strike.

It only took a split moment for Theron to feel the gap in speed, in power, in technique.

Bylo swept down, meeting him from a higher position. He stepped on the air as though it was ground, his stance shifting as though a bolt of lightning descending from the skies above.

Theron had already formed [Shadow Flush] around him, his disciple robes lengthening into pools of Dark Mana that stretched from his body like fabric flapping in the wind.

The ground cracked and shook, lines and veins of Dark Mana extending from him even further.

BANG!

The tip of two spears met, the blades exploding with power that shook the world.

Theron took a heavy step backward trying to stabilize himself, and then another, and then one following even that.

It seemed that even after the third step, he hadn't quite managed to stabilize himself just yet. Almost like a rubber band that was about to snap on impact, if he relaxed just the slightest bit, he would be sent flying into the distance and his body would be at the mercy of the Cloud Realm expert before him.

The gap in strength was shocking, and Bylo had no intention of not taking advantage.

The Fourth Elder only barely paused before his foot tapped on the air, shooting across the battlefield parallel to the ground as his spear swiped out again.

Theron's body shook, about to take a fourth step backward. He was still trying to resolve the shocking amount of energy coursing through his body; he didn't look like he was in any position to take on another strike.

And yet his expression hadn't changed in the slightest.

A small cauldron flashed out from Theron's ring. The instant it appeared, Bylo hesitated once again, expecting some shocking treasure. But when he realized it was a mere Silver Resonance cauldron, he sneered and accelerated again.

But that brief instant of time was all the cauldron needed to expand.

BOOM.

All of a sudden, [Shadow Flush] burst, the shocking amount of power within it thrumming with life and echoing across the cauldron.

A mere Silver Resonance treasure couldn't possibly take such power under normal circumstances. But that was precisely why Theron had refined all of the energy for it first.

Waves of runes and complex patterns of silver flashed across the cauldron's surface as it descended from the skies.

BOOM.

The cauldron cracked and then shattered.

Bylo wasn't too slow to react, he just didn't care to react. A treasure of this caliber was one he should destroy with a wave of the hand. Why would he care about the attack descending for him?

He struck out with his spear, ready to meet it head-on. He was even more confident that Theron wouldn't be able to appear to harm him as well. First, because Theron was still trying to deal with the overwhelming energy flooding through him, and second, because there was too much volatile energy for Theron to deconstruct and reconstruct his body.

But then everything unfolded in ways he could never have imagined.

The cauldron's energy felt twice as powerful as his strike. He was trying to save up momentum for the attack he would levy at Theron just moments later, only to find his weapon almost flying back and out of his hands.

And then came the flashing warning signs of danger.

His Third Eye and soul senses practically screamed at him, roaring at the top of their lungs as though to alert him of the appearance of a demon.

His head whipped backward, his body position twisting, but he was still a step slow.

The spear ripped through his back, missing his spine and heart due to his twist, but still piercing right through the flesh right above his hip.

BOOM!

The explosion of the cauldron sent both of them flying.

Spurts of blood came from Bylo while Theron flipped through the air, flashing away in a series of [Shadow Steps] and pulsing waves of [Shadow Flush].

Chi.

Theron landed on the ground with a slight bend of his knees, looking at the bloodied blade of his spear. His gaze was calm, but he was inwardly a bit disappointed.

He had failed to kill Bylo in that single strike. That would make the rest of the battle much harder. As cautious as Bylo was before, he would only be more so now.

Feeling something sweet coming up his throat, Theron spat to the side, his teeth lined with his own blood as he suppressed his injuries from the explosion.

Suppressing that amount of power instead of expelling it had cost him some real damage too. But nothing that he wasn't used to.

With a flick of his wrist, the blood on his blade splattered in a beautiful arc to the side, gliding off its surface as though water droplets along a sheet of oil.

Taking a breath, Theron slowly exhaled before his aura suddenly exploded.

Dark and Water Mana pooled in the air, wrapping around themselves as his Echo slowly formed. Silky strands of black, violet, and dark hues of blue began to dance.

It looked almost like Theron was wrapped in ancient robes, his eyes becoming like marbles reflecting the night skies. Their whites vanished, replaced by orbs of shining indigo.

He gripped his spear as Bylo looked at him with fury and menace, gripping the wound right above his left hip.

The sound of Theron's grip tightening echoed as he took a step forward.