The Lone Wanderer

So far, Percy hadn't varied the distance between his platforms much. It was more convenient to keep the gaps constant, as it allowed him to get used to the timing. He now realized that wouldn't cut it, however – it only made him more predictable. Another thing he could do, was to shift the angles of his scythes at the last second, altering his trajectory. It would make it harder to stick his landings, but it would also confuse his opponent.

Determined to give this a shot, Percy moved the next foothold much closer, rotating the weapons just before he stepped on them. He obviously had to twist his body to make this work, though he did manage to execute the manoeuvre in the end.

Naturally, he'd butchered the timing quite badly, but the sudden change in his movements did cause the Blue to raise an eyebrow. Percy ignored his opponent's shock, too busy dealing with another issue. Wincing, he noticed that jumping twice in quick succession only furthered the strain on his joints. That said, he didn't let the pain get to him, thinking of a potential solution.

'I can pour more mana into the force absorption runes to protect my legs…'

He'd have to be careful not to overdo it, as they would also sap some of his momentum away, but the increased frequency of his jumps would make up for it, allowing him to pick up more speed regardless.

This was promising – it could work!

Capitalizing on his idea, Percy spent a few minutes fine-tuning his movements again, as his opponent helplessly did everything in his power to stop him. His spells never connected, however – not as long as Percy maintained a safe distance.

Only when Percy felt confident did he attempt to close the gap again.

Leaping from platform to platform, he rapidly approached the Blue, nimbly evading the green crescents one after the other. His surroundings blurred again. Not only was he flying at his top speed, he was also doing it in a most chaotic manner this time, zigzagging around the battlefield in all sorts of random directions.

Keeping his eyes locked onto his opponent throughout, Percy used the man's soul and mana core as his compass. It was both the target he desperately needed to reach, and the source of all the obstacles he needed to avoid. The dizzying tapestry of colours around him dimmed and darkened as he concentrated, leaving only the most important shapes visible in his sight. Those were mainly the man's spells – at least the ones on course to hit him.

But there was another thing.

A silver flame, shining brightly. Like the light at the end of a tunnel, it illuminated the way forward. It was naturally the man's soul. No, not quite. It was the projection of his soul – where the mage would be in the following second. That was the thing that Percy needed to sink his scythes into at all costs.

Jumping from scythe to scythe, he flew all over the battlefield, completely ignoring the violent hurricane trying to slow him down. Dancing in three dimensions, he chased after the silver flame relentlessly, the Blue doing everything he could to stop him.

Nothing worked.

Percy evaded the spells one after another, inching closer and closer to his target with each painful step. Just when the end was within reach – a single jump away – Percy caught a subtle flicker in his opponent's soul. Having fully expected it this time, he shifted the angle of his scythes at the last second, altering his trajectory.

He couldn't see the invisible blow, but he could tell he had just dodged another one of those nasty domain blasts, based on the scythes shattering in the distance, behind the spot where he had previously stood. With the danger now past, Percy was about to take the final step, when the man's soul flickered for the second time!

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The domain around them disappeared entirely, even the hurricane itself falling apart, as the Blue gathered every drop of his willpower for another blast!

'Shit, I should have expected this,' Percy grimaced, shifting his trajectory once again.

Acton had been limited to a single shot, but it was a mistake to assume that somebody who had lived for over half a millennium would be subject to the same constraints. Hastily jumping to the nearest scythe, Percy barely managed to avoid the second blow. Or at least, that was what he believed.

Thinking he had just dealt with his opponent's last-ditch effort, Percy was about to finally pounce at the bastard, when he noticed that the second blast hadn't actually destroyed anything in its path, all of the scythes intact.

'A feint?!'

Just as the realization settled in, the man's soul flickered for the third time. Caught in an awkward spot, Percy knew he wouldn't make the jump. Instead, he allowed the scythes beneath his boots to shatter, falling backward instead. The invisible blast whizzed mere inches above his head, sending a shiver down his spine. Had he been a fraction of a second slower, he would have eaten one nasty blow right to his face.

This wasn't the time to worry about that, however.

Rushing after the man again, Percy picked up speed, having no intention of waiting for him to recover his willpower. Even without his domain, the man still had plenty of mana left, and he clearly wasn't afraid to squander it – not if it meant buying more time for himself. The silver flame fluttered erratically, the green crescents shooting at Percy once more.

'No, you fucking don't!'

A hiss died in Percy's throat as he took the final step. There were no more spells, nor any unexpected domain blasts. This was it. The silver light enlarged in Percy's vision, as he slashed at it with both of his scythes. At the same time, the name of his new technique flashed in his mind.

Only, it wasn't a notification from his Status, nor was it a new spell. It was merely a name he had picked for it himself – the crystallization of his blood and sweat. The first step toward truly mastering his boosting art.

'Carnival of the Savage Gods, First Parade, Winding Corridor'

His momentum carried him several metres forward, as the world around him regained its colour. Only then did Percy register that he was plummeting directly toward the ground. Evidently, he had attacked his opponent from above. He hadn't even noticed, unable to tell up from down, or right from left in that state.

Hastily pulling a pair of scythes beneath his feet to arrest his fall, he looked up. A headless corpse and a severed head fell past him, two fountains of blood spraying out of the stumps. Disbelief still shone in the Blue's eyes, though it was dimming away quickly.

Coating himself in a thin layer of mana, Percy shielded his body from the gore as he scanned his surroundings. Ignoring his opponent's mutilated corpse, he flipped the scythe in his hand, hooking an amulet with its shaft. The thin chain slid down along the grey construct, ending in Percy's hand. Hastily wearing the device around his neck, he allowed it to phase through his armour before shooting towards Micky.

'What's the situation there?'

The reply didn't come immediately. Percy was about to ask again when the clone finally answered.

'Not good. Micky's body is a mess, and this guy just got even more aggressive.'

'That's because his teammate is dead. I'm on my way to you.'

The clone didn't say anything else, but Percy felt the urgency on the other side of the cords. Pushing his new technique to its limit, his surroundings turned into a blur again, as his muscles ached and his bones creaked. Suffice to say, taking down the air mage had taken a lot out of him. Right now, his body practically begged him to take a break – a moment at the very least, but preferably a few hours.

Yet, he didn't care, knowing his friend's life was hanging by a thread.

Given his speed, reaching the other side of the battlefield couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but to him they felt like an eternity. Only once the others appeared in his vision did he slow down, allowing the colours in his surroundings to settle into place once more.

Scanning the battlefield, he quickly identified both his opponent and his familiar. The former was only protected by a single azure ring this time, probably having realized that Micky wouldn't have an easy time landing a hit as long as he was kept at a distance. The rest of his mana took the form of six colossal serpents, currently in the process of harassing the crow.

Micky himself was a bloody mess. Several large holes marred his wings, some of his broken bones even sticking out, stabbing through both his torn flesh and his dirtied plumage. It was a miracle the bird had even stayed airborne – he had his air mana to thank for that, most likely.

The sight caused Percy's blood to boil, his gaze growing colder. Looking at the water mage again, he gripped his scythes more tightly.

'You'll pay for that, you bastard…'