Jason summoned the Death’s Mirage back to him, and he watched with a grin on his face as the beast splashed into the sea of lava below.
’That won’t kill him... right?’
Jason didn’t know if he should be hopeful or pessimistic, but a part of him couldn’t help but wish that this was the last he would see of that monster.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
But Jason was shocked when something strange began to happen. All of a sudden, the molten rock that made up the sea of lava was introduced to the intense cold that the Beast of the Apocalypse constantly released from its body, and the rocks immediately began to solidify. The lava formed back into solid rock, and the flowing sea slowly stopped moving as a large area of land began to form. Jason felt his grin widening even more when he saw this, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the beast was actually going to die in there. Would this sea of frozen lava become the beast’s final resting place?
"Don’t let your guard down!"
A voice suddenly shouted from somewhere above Jason, and Jason looked up in shock to see a man flying out from a rapidly formed Dimensional Circle! The man was wearing intricate armor and carrying a golden spear, and Jason immediately brought up a lot of defenses when he saw the man pulling his spear back!
BOOM!
The entire world seemed to shake as a massive tremor suddenly echoed through the area, and Jason turned around to see that the Beast of the Apocalypse had broken free from the rock prison, and it had jumped into the air with its arm stretched out just a few meters away from Jason’s face. The [King’s Substitute] skill was already at the tip of Jason’s tongue, but Jason never got to activate it as he sensed another power erupt from above him!
BOOM!
The sound of the sound barrier being broken echoed through the world, and a golden lance flashed past Jason like a beam of pure power and stabbed into the Beast’s chest! The lance carried the beast away from Jason and slammed it into the rocky land below before pinning the beast in place! The Beast of the Apocalypse let out a loud bellow in anger as it reached for the lance and tried to pull it out, but the lance refused to budge, and the beast was stuck, slamming its legs into the ground while failing to pull the lance out.
Jason only watched the beast for a few seconds before he turned his attention to the warrior who was slowly floating down to meet him. The man had white hair and an aristocratic face that made him look like royalty. He was taller than Jason, and he wore a suit of armor that was crafted from a mix of gold and silver. The suit covered his entire body from neck to toe, and Jason couldn’t help but admit that the armor looked pretty fucking cool. But Jason was still on guard in front of the man since he didn’t know him, and Jason stayed silent and waited for the man to speak first.
The man came to hover right beside Jason’s black shadow platform, and he spoke in a deep tenor voice.
"Jason Marc. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the illustrious mage that everyone has been talking about."
Jason’s eyes narrowed when he heard the man speak in English, and he realised the man knew who he was.
"How do you know me?"
The man raised a brow before chuckling playfully.
"How do I know you? You should be asking how I wouldn’t know you. I don’t think there’s a single mage above TITAN Rank in the Primordial Expanse who doesn’t know your name at this moment. You’re quite the celebrity among us. The first mage to achieve TITAN Rank in less than a year, and the Black Enigma single-handedly taking on the might of the Machina. That is no easy feat."
Jason eyed the strange man warily when he heard this, and he allowed his mana to reach out for the man’s mana so he could gauge his power. Jason could feel the power of a TITAN rolling off the man, and Jason realised that the man was actually a little stronger than him. It wasn’t surprising that the rest of the Primordial Expanse would know about Jason’s status as a Black Enigma since the Machina would’ve probably announced it to them so they could help report any sightings, but that only meant that this man could also be one of the people who were after him. Were the Machina already sending TITANs to try and capture him?
The man noticed Jason’s defensive stance, and he quickly waved Jason’s caution off.
"No, no, I’m not here for you. I have better things to do than to go chasing after criminals for the Machina. I’m here for that bastard."
The man turned and glared as the beast released a loud roar towards him in anger. Jason could feel the intense anger flowing off the man’s body, and he knew that the man was dead serious about killing the beast. Jason nodded, and he finally decided to relax slightly while turning to the beast as well.
"Thanks for the help back there."
Jason said this seriously, and the man chuckled before he shrugged.
"You would’ve taken care of it if I didn’t. Don’t act like you’re weak enough to die to a sneak attack like that. But this was a brilliant idea. Bringing the Beast to a world that naturally counters its abilities. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. If we join forces, I think we can take this beast down."
Jason hummed before activating his [Death’s Mirage]. The purple blade came to life, and the man eyed it warily for a moment before turning away as the beast finally started to pull the long lance out of its body while getting to its feet. The beast groaned as blood spilled from the large wound on its chest, but Jason could already see the wound healing at a fast pace, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the beast would start attacking again. Jason asked.
"What do I call you?"
The beast finally pulled the spear out and threw it to the side like trash before roaring up at the two TITANs! The man put his hand out towards the spear, and it flashed towards him and landed in his palm before he spoke up.
"I am Sair Carysl O’thysae. You may call me Sicario since it is easier to pronounce. And as for this beast. Its weak point is its nape, just behind the neck, but that area is protected by thick hide and ice, so we can only reach it after weakening the beast and getting a clear shot. What are we going to do about its immortality?"
"What?"
Jason glanced at Sicario with a frown, and Sicario looked back at him with equal surprise on his face!
"You didn’t know it was immortal?"
BOOM!
The beast suddenly shot off the ground like a bullet, and both men locked in immediately and flashed away from their position! Jason landed on the ground, and he had to quickly jump away again when the rock began to break up and melt back into lava! The entire world of Helion was constantly producing an intense heat that would melt any rock, and that was both a blessing and a curse, because even though the heat was preventing the beast from unleashing the full force of its ice storm, it was also preventing Jason from getting a good foothold anywhere, and Jason realised that he might have to fight this entire battle in the air.