Theron’s body had slowed considerably, but his thoughts were still churning.
There was something to take advantage of here, he knew it.
Then it clicked.
Theron’s foot slipped, his body falling from the tree as the metal boomerang flew overhead. The ground felt unstable beneath his feet, but he used it to his advantage.
He didn’t have the Mana to cushion the fall, so the instability in the earth was what he relied on the most.
Rolling forward, he stumbled to his feet. He could feel his vision blurring, but he bit his tongue hard.
When Mana fell beneath 10%, it was already at a point of Deprivation. Even those without cultivation needed to rely on Mana in some shape or form. Although Theron had disagreed, those that argued that Mana was Life weren’t entirely wrong either.
It was exceptionally dangerous to be at this level, no different from suffering severe blood loss. Using Mana in this state was like trying to sip up the last droplets of juice through a straw. The circulation would be filled with pockets of air, and any potential interruption could lead to a skill failing and severe backlash.
If one wanted to use Mana in this state, it required not only exceptional control, but a willingness to lose everything.
His mind flashed with thoughts of his family. This life of his wasn’t his own to live.
‘Today won’t be the day I die.’
BANG!
Theron suddenly accelerated, a smokey breath coming from his lips as his body began to overheat. He had kept this sliver of Mana just for this moment right here.
The Metal Mancer launched himself out of the ground. He didn’t recognize Theron immediately, but after seeing his weapons and sensing the shift of Water Mana in the air, he put two and two together.
He had no idea how Theron had made it so far, but after suffering at the hands of the female assassin and realizing she wasn’t Theron, he was truly pissed off.
PENG!
The metal boomerang slammed into a tree, shaking violently on impact.
The Metal Mancer reached out with his Mana, yanking it out of the tree. The boomerang flew back toward him and then wrapped around his body like some sort of slingshot, jetting out even faster than it came.
Theron timed his steps perfectly. The moment the boomerang got close, he sidestepped behind another tree, continuing to run forward.
The boomerang wrapped around, trying to curve toward his head, but the angle was too tight.
PENG!
It ended up stuck in yet another tree.
Frustration boiled over for the Metal Mancer and he stomped his foot, the earth beneath him shaking as he rocketed forward.
Metal Mancers weren’t known for their speed, but neither were Water Mancers. With a gap of four tiers between their cultivation, it wasn’t a surprise that the Metal Mancer was quickly gaining on Theron.
The Metal Mancer ripped the boomerang out of the tree as he passed by. His arm rocketed back, his body arching in an odd pose. He reached so far back it almost looked like he was trying to touch the boomerang to the ground behind him.
And then he suddenly shot up.
His torso flexed, Mana pouring into the boomerang as he threw it with all his might right at Theron.
This time, it wouldn’t matter even if Theron hid behind a tree. With the amount of Mana he had poured into the boomerang, even these thick, ancient trees would find themselves severed in two.
“DIE!”
A throbbing pain on the Metal Mancer’s neck fueled him with rage. If not for his Metal Mancer defensive skill, he would have lost his head to that woman, all because of this little bastard.
He would have his head!
Theron felt the sharpness before it even approached him. There might have been 15 to 20 meters at most separating him and the Metal Mancer; thrown at that speed, there was hardly a second to react.
Beaten and broken, his body on the verge of failing him, there was a sharp determination in Theron’s eyes.
There was no dodging this. He knew it the moment it was thrown.
It was too strong, the distance was too close, and he didn’t have the Mana to spare to do anything about it.
Not completely.
He dug deep, casting [Bursting Water Shield]. The skill barely took shape, sputtering into existence like an impotent amoeba waving about in the air.
The boomerang passed right through it as it burst apart.
The slowing effect could barely be registered, but that was never Theron’s target to begin with.
He faintly touched the Consummate Boundary, but the feeling of euphoria was short-lived when a spike of pain followed right after it.
Theron pivoted in the air, spinning back and leaping upward. He crossed his short sword and dagger together.
BANG!
The boomerang collided with them, sending him flying into the distance. But it was relentless, remaining connected to his blades in a winding, grinding motion.
Theron’s arms finally gave way, sending the boomerang flying over his shoulder.
It ripped up the side of his collarbone, nearly tearing his left arm from his body as it soared past.
Blood flew and Theron collapsed with a splash in a pulsing river of water.
When he sensed that there was no Metal Mana rampaging through his body, he knew he had succeeded in cutting off the Metal Mancer’s connection to the boomerang—his true intent with [Bursting Water Shield].
The Metal Mancer had never stopped running, dashing up to the side of the river, ready to recall his boomerang to take Theron’s head, but after reaching out with a large wave of Mana, he was shocked to find that he had lost connection to it.
In that brief instant, three [Water Bullet] charges rushed him from three separate directions, coming out from the river.
He snorted, finally feeling Theron’s cultivation in earnest.
“A pathetic Fifth Resonance—.”
A blood red [Water Bullet] tore right through his throat, the last of his words cut off.
Lying in the streaming tide of water, Theron gasped for breath.
‘You don’t have the Mana left… to be so confident in your defenses…’