The first step was simple. August created a "domain."
Domains were a power that not many actually used, since controlling the space could be done without them once people got to a certain level of power.
For 3rd class, however, it was very helpful. Their senses were heightened, their maneuverability was heightened, and most importantly, their enemies would be trapped in a limited range.
A third class practitioner didn't have nearly the range of those above them. More specifically when pertaining to this battle, a spatial practitioner was in their element when they had space.
August made sure that Terion could only move within the space he provided. That meant that even if his movements weren't telegraphed anymore, August could read where he was going.
The creation of the domain was the start of their true battle.
Terion slammed his fist into the barrier, causing huge ripples in the water. Its stability was shaken, but that was all. He wouldn't be able to break it without giving August several opportunities to take him down.
Since that was the case, then a direct battle was the only remaining option.
August was correct about one thing. Terion could only use the spatial power of transportation. He could move himself through the spatial layers flawlessly, but he could not do the things that Damien or the Ether Clan could.
Just like many others, he had to find a way to succeed with just the power of his clan.
He was lucky that he had the talent and financial backing to support himself. With his clan's technique and his ancestral memories guiding the way, he was able to become someone worthy of the heir wars.
Bang!
His fist shot forward despite the fact that he was several meters away from August.
August reacted curiously at first, but he rapidly moved to the side when a sudden sense of danger appeared to his side.
Space rippled, and a fist shot out, attacking August's previous position.
The wind pressure slammed against August's domain, causing it to ripple fiercely as if to show just how powerful the strike was.
Mana was already an amazing power with destructive capabilities. When it was combined with the ability to mobilize it anywhere, it could become more deadly than any element.
August understood more about Terion's power and made his second move.
He stepped forward, turning the entire ground into a muddy swamp.
He stepped forward again before abruptly jumping, narrowly avoiding another punch.
Terion appeared behind him while he was still in the air. August had the time to turn around, but not nearly the space to dodge.
Bang!
He raised his arms and blocked as best as he could, tanking the impact as he shot back and hit the water walls he'd created.
Still, he didn't wince.
'That was the third.'
Terion had yet to recognize it, but August had used that moment of contact to his advantage. There were already trickles of water coursing over his body, ready to activate whenever August gave them the signal.
This battle was still in its infancy in Terion's mind. It wasn't going to end any time soon, even though he knew he was more powerful than his opponent.
But, to August…
Terion teleported again. This time, he didn't use enough force to throw August away.
His fists shot out one after another, barraging his enemy with attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
August dodged where he could, but they were too close for him to stay on the defensive.
He responded, blocking and fluidly diverting every attack like water.
His eyes stayed focused on the target. Terion's every move was registered in his vision, and when August was confident enough in reading his patterns…
'Four.'
The fourth move was the start of a chain that would lead to the enemy's untimely end.
August stomped on the ground and disturbed the muddy floor. Terion's feet immediately sunk in, trapping him in the ground and throwing him off balance.
August threw his fist forward, slamming it into Terion's face.
Bang!
He was still thrown backwards, but with his feet stuck, only his upper body moved.
Terion's balance was thrown even further off. He needed a second to bring himself back to normal, but August wouldn't provide him with that time.
August switched positions. His palm struck downontoTerion's chest, crushing him into the ground.
His feet were naturally freed by this move, but not in a good way. The rapid distribution of force broke his ankles, making it impossible for him to stand back up in a shortperiod of time.
The seventh move was the activation of the third.
"ARGH!"
Terion groaned in pain as a sudden sharpness pierced his body in multiple places.
The water August had left before was a mine. It could've been used to restrain him if other methods didn't work, but it looked like Terion's teleportation still needed work.
It couldn't be activated when he couldn't focus, which left him stuck in his current predicament.
If August was aiming for the kill, then this would've been the end of it. That water would have infiltrated Terion's bloodstream and destroyed him.
However, August was aiming for a knockout, which was marginally more difficult.
The water turned into knives that made sure that he would stay in a state of pain so he couldn't teleport.
What came next was simple, barbaric, yet effective.
Bang!
A punch straight to the face.
Bang!
Another one.
Terion's brain struck his skull over and over again. He was already concussed, but he was still barely conscious.
His head swiveled from side to side as he struggled to hold it up. He looked at August with blurry eyes, barely registering the situation.
'This…'
He blinked slowly as he saw August raising his fist again.
'...istotallyunfair.'
Bang!
His vision went black. The next time he saw light, he'd already be outside of the arena.
Terion wasn't wrong. It was completely unfair. That wasn't a fight that August was supposed to win so fast, but his mind made everything different.
Terion wasn't given the chance to display his strengths. Most of the time, the wariness people developed after seeing him dominate clouded their minds and threw them off of his weaknesses.
August didn't know anything or want to see anything. Without anything inhibiting him and with the prior knowledge of spatial users, August only saw the flaws.
He exploited them well to end a genius above his level as if he were just an ordinary mortal.
And he was already on his way to conquer the rest of the labyrinth.
"Did you see that, everybody?!"
The announcer's voice boomed through the arena. The geniuses couldn't hear him, but the crowd did.
Many of them had indeed seen what he saw.
Terion was a genius many people had their eyes on. The Ether Clan was one of the most mysterious Holy Clans, so people wanted to get a glimpse of them through the clans that followed them.
Unlike August, the crowd had seen Terion's journey to reach that point of the maze.
They were already in awe of his power.
The way he could move unpredictably and exert so much power made every beast and genius before August into fodder that could only serve as stepping stones for him.
However, that great genius whom they had all started to revere…
He was defeated so easily by a commoner?!
All of the eyes that had been watching Terion moved to August, along with many others who were completely unaware of his presence until now.
He had a real audience following his moves.
And with his current performance as a precedent, not a single one of them had to worry that he wouldn't entertain them.
The first step was simple. August created a "domain."
Domains were a power that not many actually used, since controlling the space could be done without them once people got to a certain level of power.
For 3rd class, however, it was very helpful. Their senses were heightened, their maneuverability was heightened, and most importantly, their enemies would be trapped in a limited range.
A third class practitioner didn't have nearly the range of those above them. More specifically when pertaining to this battle, a spatial practitioner was in their element when they had space.
August made sure that Terion could only move within the space he provided. That meant that even if his movements weren't telegraphed anymore, August could read where he was going.
The creation of the domain was the start of their true battle.
Terion slammed his fist into the barrier, causing huge ripples in the water. Its stability was shaken, but that was all. He wouldn't be able to break it without giving August several opportunities to take him down.
Since that was the case, then a direct battle was the only remaining option.
August was correct about one thing. Terion could only use the spatial power of transportation. He could move himself through the spatial layers flawlessly, but he could not do the things that Damien or the Ether Clan could.
Just like many others, he had to find a way to succeed with just the power of his clan.
He was lucky that he had the talent and financial backing to support himself. With his clan's technique and his ancestral memories guiding the way, he was able to become someone worthy of the heir wars.
Bang!
His fist shot forward despite the fact that he was several meters away from August.
August reacted curiously at first, but he rapidly moved to the side when a sudden sense of danger appeared to his side.
Space rippled, and a fist shot out, attacking August's previous position.
The wind pressure slammed against August's domain, causing it to ripple fiercely as if to show just how powerful the strike was.
Mana was already an amazing power with destructive capabilities. When it was combined with the ability to mobilize it anywhere, it could become more deadly than any element.
August understood more about Terion's power and made his second move.
He stepped forward, turning the entire ground into a muddy swamp.
He stepped forward again before abruptly jumping, narrowly avoiding another punch.
Terion appeared behind him while he was still in the air. August had the time to turn around, but not nearly the space to dodge.
Bang!
He raised his arms and blocked as best as he could, tanking the impact as he shot back and hit the water walls he'd created.
Still, he didn't wince.
'That was the third.'
Terion had yet to recognize it, but August had used that moment of contact to his advantage. There were already trickles of water coursing over his body, ready to activate whenever August gave them the signal.
This battle was still in its infancy in Terion's mind. It wasn't going to end any time soon, even though he knew he was more powerful than his opponent.
But, to August…
Terion teleported again. This time, he didn't use enough force to throw August away.
His fists shot out one after another, barraging his enemy with attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
August dodged where he could, but they were too close for him to stay on the defensive.
He responded, blocking and fluidly diverting every attack like water.
His eyes stayed focused on the target. Terion's every move was registered in his vision, and when August was confident enough in reading his patterns…
'Four.'
The fourth move was the start of a chain that would lead to the enemy's untimely end.
August stomped on the ground and disturbed the muddy floor. Terion's feet immediately sunk in, trapping him in the ground and throwing him off balance.
August threw his fist forward, slamming it into Terion's face.
Bang!
He was still thrown backwards, but with his feet stuck, only his upper body moved.
Terion's balance was thrown even further off. He needed a second to bring himself back to normal, but August wouldn't provide him with that time.
August switched positions. His palm struck downontoTerion's chest, crushing him into the ground.
His feet were naturally freed by this move, but not in a good way. The rapid distribution of force broke his ankles, making it impossible for him to stand back up in a shortperiod of time.
The seventh move was the activation of the third.
"ARGH!"
Terion groaned in pain as a sudden sharpness pierced his body in multiple places.
The water August had left before was a mine. It could've been used to restrain him if other methods didn't work, but it looked like Terion's teleportation still needed work.
It couldn't be activated when he couldn't focus, which left him stuck in his current predicament.
If August was aiming for the kill, then this would've been the end of it. That water would have infiltrated Terion's bloodstream and destroyed him.
However, August was aiming for a knockout, which was marginally more difficult.
The water turned into knives that made sure that he would stay in a state of pain so he couldn't teleport.
What came next was simple, barbaric, yet effective.
Bang!
A punch straight to the face.
Bang!
Another one.
Terion's brain struck his skull over and over again. He was already concussed, but he was still barely conscious.
His head swiveled from side to side as he struggled to hold it up. He looked at August with blurry eyes, barely registering the situation.
'This…'
He blinked slowly as he saw August raising his fist again.
'...istotallyunfair.'
Bang!
His vision went black. The next time he saw light, he'd already be outside of the arena.
Terion wasn't wrong. It was completely unfair. That wasn't a fight that August was supposed to win so fast, but his mind made everything different.
Terion wasn't given the chance to display his strengths. Most of the time, the wariness people developed after seeing him dominate clouded their minds and threw them off of his weaknesses.
August didn't know anything or want to see anything. Without anything inhibiting him and with the prior knowledge of spatial users, August only saw the flaws.
He exploited them well to end a genius above his level as if he were just an ordinary mortal.
And he was already on his way to conquer the rest of the labyrinth.
"Did you see that, everybody?!"
The announcer's voice boomed through the arena. The geniuses couldn't hear him, but the crowd did.
Many of them had indeed seen what he saw.
Terion was a genius many people had their eyes on. The Ether Clan was one of the most mysterious Holy Clans, so people wanted to get a glimpse of them through the clans that followed them.
Unlike August, the crowd had seen Terion's journey to reach that point of the maze.
They were already in awe of his power.
The way he could move unpredictably and exert so much power made every beast and genius before August into fodder that could only serve as stepping stones for him.
However, that great genius whom they had all started to revere…
He was defeated so easily by a commoner?!
All of the eyes that had been watching Terion moved to August, along with many others who were completely unaware of his presence until now.
He had a real audience following his moves.
And with his current performance as a precedent, not a single one of them had to worry that he wouldn't entertain them.
