Jason had never even considered what it would be like to fight against a mage who could control cause-and-effect, but now that he was seeing it right in front of him, he couldn’t help but be impressed! Vana could literally change the concept of the universe so that his action and the reaction that results from it were under his control.
Whenever someone wishes to carry out an attack, they would usually need to first activate the rune they want to use, and then they would launch the attack with their body, and finally hit the opponent. But for someone like Vana, he could literally erase the second step of this equation and reverse it with the third step. Vana activates his rune, and the moment he thinks about launching an attack, the attack is carried out. So rather than it being that Vana launched an attack, therefore Jason was hit. Instead, the concept becomes that since Jason was hit, Vana must have launched an attack.
Of course, Jason couldn’t prove his theory unless Vana himself admitted it, but now that Jason saw Vana’s reaction, he could tell that he was at least on the right track. Vana had a frown on his face as he looked up at Jason, and Jason raised a brow when Vana threw his head back and laughed!
"You’re the first warrior to predict what my true powers are. It is obvious that you are nothing like the people I have faced in the past. Yes, you are right. I can reverse causality and eliminate the need for continued action. That is the gift that was granted to me by the god of my people. But knowing what I can do does not mean you can stop it! I have found a new religion in the power of runes, and with this power, no one can stop me!"
Vana suddenly appeared in front of Jason with his hand stretched out to grab Jason’s face, but before he could touch him, a shadow flew out from the side and slammed into Vana’s side! Vana and the shadow were both thrown to the ground, and Jason raised his hands to call on his army of shadows. The entire shadow world came to life as the black silhouettes of all those who had been killed in this world began to rise from the ground, and all the subordinates who weren’t busy fighting in the real world were summoned into the world of shadows. Vana eyed the numerous enemies with a narrowed gaze. Jason knew that Vana was right. Even now that Jason was able to figure out exactly what Vana’s abilities were, it still wasn’t possible for Jason to stop him, because Jason didn’t know exactly how the abilities worked.
’He might have the power of reversing causality, but that doesn’t mean it is an invincible ability. There must be conditions he must meet before he activates any of his powers. Just like the way he has to activate a rune before his effect is carried out. That means he needs to have an initial action before he can use the erasure. But getting rid of the runes won’t stop him. I need something more concrete before I can set my conditions.’
Jason watched as Vana began to fight against the shadows that were trying to drag him down into the darkness! Vana was standing still in the center of the shadow world, and he was easily eradicating any shadow that got too close. Jason narrowed his eyes as he watched Vana intently, and it was only a few seconds later that Jason realised something strange.
’He isn’t killing the TITAN Ranks in one hit?’
Jason noticed that even though Vana was attacking the TITANs in the same way he attacks the others, he wasn’t killing some of the strongest TITANs. This would’ve totally flown over anyone else, and they would’ve thought that it was just a fluke, but after fighting against so many high-level opponents, Jason realised that every little detail in a fight had meaning and they could contain a clue, so Jason didn’t ignore what he was seeing, and he began to watch even closer. This time, Jason noticed that Vana was actually trying his best to avoid some of the strongest shadows, and this allowed Jason to figure out exactly how Vana’s abilities work.
’It depends on his own strength. Vana can’t use his abilities to do something that he is incapable of doing with his own strength, so if he meets an opponent that he knows he cannot beat, then the ability won’t work on them. That’s why he never hit me directly with his power. He knows it won’t work on me. Is that why he’s been activating the runes? He is using them to boost his strength and speed so his physical abilities will match up to the action he wants to carry out.’
Jason let out a contented sigh as he realised what the true nature of Vana’s abilities was, and he quickly organized his thoughts before he placed a condition on the world.
[The user has placed a condition upon the [Land of Lost Shadows]]
[The concept of Rune Crafting does not exist.]
[All runes and rune-related abilities will be neutralized.]
This voice suddenly echoed in Vana’s head, and Vana was shocked when he felt the runes around his body dim out before they became inactive! Vana tried to activate one of his runes, but his eyes widened when nothing happened, and he looked up at Jason as fear began to grow in his heart. Jason’s condescending expression had still not changed, and Jason spoke with the authority of a man who knew that he had already won.
"You said that your runes were your god and rune crafting was your religion. How foolish. In this world, I am the one true god, and my word is the only religion. Now tell me, what use is a god who does not even exist?"
Vana took a step back in fear while muttering a silent prayer. He was still sending mana towards his runes to try and activate them, but no matter what he did, they simply refused to come on. Jason raised his hand, and Vana felt despair fill his heart as the shadows and subordinates all around him began to advance once again! The shadows charged straight for Vana, and Jason watched on impassively as Vana was consumed by the darkness.
——
The user has killed [1] SSS Rank Jaafa
+100,000 Kill Points
——
’Hold on, he was just an SSS Rank? That’s insane.’
Jason couldn’t believe that Vana was able to do everything he had done, even though he was only an SSS Rank. When Jason tried to gauge Vana’s power level earlier, he had been confused because of how dense Vana’s mana was, and Jason thought that Vana would at least be in the lower TITAN Ranks. But it was obvious that Vana had only been using the runes to make up for the power he lacked. But that was still a good thing, because anyone who understood runes to the level where they could use them to increase their power so much would definitely make a good ally!
Jason commanded his subordinates to move away from Vana’s body, and he spread his mana out before speaking with authority.
"Resurrect."
....
Outside the land of lost shadows, Gina frowned as she watched the Machina General, Destro, flying away from her and using a large group of prisoners as a shield to slow her down. Gina and Stella had been trying to capture Destro for a few minutes now, and Gina had to admit that the bastard was extremely fast. Both in flight and while running on the ground, Destro had an insane level of speed that she just couldn’t keep up with at her current level, and what made it worse was the fact that Destro was also an SSS Rank, so this meant that he could easily shrug off her attacks to avoid capture.