171 Risk
Theron exhaled a cool breath. His Meridians had been widened more times than he could count, not only through the absorption of both of his Echoes but also the constant compression of his Core.
Right now, it felt like a wide bank had finally been filled with an adequately sized river. His Mana raged through him, and thoughts of pain or loss vanished from his thoughts.
There was only him, his opponent, and the edge of their blades.
BANG!
He surged, his speed so fast, and yet his steps so light that the sea of red gold didn’t react in the slightest.
However, Ironvale’s side was very different. The lava compressed, ripples spreading out in towering waves.
DENG! DENG!
The two weaved through the pillars and tides of lava, the magma becoming a light backdrop to their battle, streaks of shadow and lights of Mana intertwining in a dance of life and death.
DENG! DENG!
Theron’s blades were akin to a light pelting rain. Just starting–fast, but almost gentle. He matched Ironvale’s strength with quantity, meeting a single blow with twice, sometimes thrice the attacks.
And yet, he was so delicate with his steps that he always seemed to retreat in time, slipping between Ironvale’s relentless barrage as though weaving through the boundaries of the reaper’s scythe had become a matter of second nature to him.
And that it was.
Ironvale could use Mana here in a way that Theron simply could not. Water suppressed Fire, but if Fire was in a high enough concentration, the suppression could easily be reversed.
In this case, Theron seemed to have become the swordsman while Ironvale was the only true Mancer here.
And he took advantage.
[Moonlit Skin] redoubled and [Luminescent Blade] hummed. One swift strike after another followed, and suddenly, Theron’s speed advantage was wiped away in the blink of an eye.
Theron tilted his head to the side, his cheek ripping open as the Echo sword passed by. A concentrated piercing line of Luminescent Mana shot out to his back, continuing for several dozen meters before it was finally broken by the heat.
Chi. Chi. Chi.
The line of white-gold Mana was so bright that it wasn’t even clear when Ironvale pulled his sword back. The blinding light, matched with the unprecedented speed, made the attack and retreat blend into one. Theron’s line of sight was cut off as Ironvale attacked his lower body once again.
But Ironvale was still mistaken about one thing. While Theron was indeed handicapped here without the ability to use Water Mana spells, what he could most certainly do was still use his sensory advantage.
And yet, he barely seemed to dodge at the last moment, a gash being cut across his stomach, leaving him mere centimeters from a true disembowelment.
Blood spurted for barely a moment before the wound was cauterized, and Theron quickly closed the gap in his Mana skin before he too was incinerated to ash.
He took a step back, his dagger flailing upward to tip a follow-up blow above his shoulder.
With a pivot, he veered to the side, his toes lightly tapping to accelerate to the outside of Ironvale’s shoulder. But Ironvale read him like a book—his previous attack had once again been a line of Luminescent Mana, his true sword had already pulled back and swept in the one direction Theron could block from.
With his dagger occupied by the heavy line of Mana, manifested from a level of [Luminescent Blade] Theron had simply never seen before, his arm was too occupied to block.
Without a choice, he crossed his short sword to the opposite side of his body at an awkward angle, hoping he would have enough momentum to block.
Twisting his wrist, Theron presented the flat of his blade to Ironvale, crossing his arms and placing himself in the worst, most compromising position.
Without a choice, he crossed his short sword to the opposite side of his body at an awkward angle, hoping he would have enough momentum to block.
He took a step back, his dagger flailing upward to tip a follow-up blow above his shoulder.
Twisting his wrist, Theron presented the flat of his blade to Ironvale, crossing his arms and placing himself in the worst, most compromising position.
With a pivot, he veered to the side, his toes lightly tapping to accelerate to the outside of Ironvale’s shoulder. But Ironvale read him like a book—his previous attack had once again been a line of Luminescent Mana, his true sword had already pulled back and swept in the one direction Theron could block from.
BANG!
Theron unsurprisingly didn’t have the strength to block from such an awkward angle. Ironvale’s sword pushed his own back, the flat of his blade crashing into the side of his ribcage.
With his dagger occupied by the heavy line of Mana, manifested from a level of [Luminescent Blade] Theron had simply never seen before, his arm was too occupied to block.
His Mana skin barely held up, but the reverberating impact shattered his body.
Theron coughed up a mouthful of blood, his ribs becoming akin to needles threading through the lungs they once protected.
He was sent flying backward, having tried to retreat to lessen the blow at the same time. Unfortunately, he was still too slow, and Ironvale’s follow-up felt even swifter than before.
Chi.
The Chosen returned the favor. With Theron’s arms crossed like that, his dagger-wielding hand high up to block a blow that never came, his arm was completely exposed.
Theron’s dagger-wielding arm was severed at the midpoint of his forearm, blood flying and then becoming sparks of embers in the air.
Ironvale didn’t even seem to notice the difference between his own blood and Theron’s. Theron could hardly keep up with him even with his two-arm advantage. What could he do now that they were dead even?
Theron stumbled back, creating some distance. Ironvale had to gather himself for a moment after his own combination as well, but it was only for a moment.
This battle was over.
Ironvale took a strong step forward, the waves from under him undulating.
His body seemed to vanish behind one he kicked up with his strength, but he burst through it an instant later, appearing before Theron with the tip of his blade extended.
Even now, he was cautious. There was nothing more dangerous than a cornered beast.
Theron, with his intelligence, might think that he’d use the lava as a screen to wrap around it and attack him from the side or the back. The last thing he would expect would be for Ironvale to risk life by passing through the lava directly. And yet…
BANG!
Ironvale’s forehead was knocked back by something heavy and hard. His life wasn’t in danger, but his head spun, confusion coloring his face as his head tilted back violently.
What just happened?
By the time he realized something was wrong, he heard a voice.
“Seems I don’t have to risk it…”
Chi.
A blade cut through Ironvale’s neck.