As Dronvet grappled with the situation, Atticusâ mind was far calmer. He observed, countered, and moved to kill. That had been his strategy this entire fight.
Unlike High Marshal Dronvet, he knew exactly what was going on. The people of Surnix Hold had far more variations of power than he had expected.
They could control the elements and many other forces using their mastery over mana. It was intriguing, but Atticus buried that curiosity and focused on the battle.
Unfortunately for the High Marshal, their variations werenât enough.
Every attack Dronvet sent had been met with a perfect counter, putting the Marshal on the brink of death numerous times.
However, Dronvet always escaped with a new trick. But right now, Atticus was working out a way to make escape impossible.
âOur wills are on the same level.â
During his battle with the twins of Bloom and Blight, Atticus had overwhelmed them due to concept matchup.
Their wills had already capped out at the level the lower plane could handle. They were equal. The reason he had won so easily wasnât just power, it was the match up.
His will was fire; theirs, nature. It was like leaves trying to stand against a wildfire. They stood no chance.
However, while Atticusâ will was burning Dronvet, he noticed it was happening far slower than it had with the twins.
âHe hasnât awakened his concept, but...â
Atticus had noticed it from their first clash. His own will was crimson, rageful, wrathful, violent.
Dronvetâs was dark grey, unyielding, heavy. The man hadnât awakened his concept yet, but his will was practically iron. Hardened. He was on the cusp of breakthrough.
And while Atticusâ will was burning through it, it was slower. A worse matchup. If they continued to clash, Atticus would still win, but it would take longer.
Still, Atticusâ mind had never stopped working. Waiting wasnât his style. Now that he understood how their system worked, he was ready to end this.
And to do that, Atticus had one power that could be especially lethal to people of Surnix Hold, those who relied heavily on mana.
The power of Negation.
âBut it doesnât work.â
It had been the first thing Atticus tried when the battle began, but the Nullite power hadnât worked on Dronvetâs mana, the worldâs.
Atticus had figured out the reason.
âThe mana signature of this world is different.â
The Nullite negation power worked by reversing the mana signature of a worldâs mana, but they werenât on his world anymore.
This was another star, another system. Somehow, he could still use the worldâs mana, and it responded to his abilities, but its signature was different. So the nullification didnât affect it.
Still, Atticus didnât give up. To him, it was a minor hiccup. Especially since he had an ability that allowed him to comprehend things far beyond normal understanding, courtesy of a certain prideful spirit.
As the battle raged on, Dronvetâs eyes suddenly flashed.
Mana around them exploded, and as the haze cleared, Atticusâ eyes landed on Dronvet, who had teleported several kilometers away.
Dronvet stared at him with pure hate, killing intent radiating off him. His face was filled with an unshakeable resolve.
His arms began to blur in front of him, the speed unleashing gusts as he made countless hand signs. Atticus could feel the air around him shift.
There was no doubt about it, something big was coming.
Far off mana began to tremble and vibrate, its intensity growing with every second until...
"Marshalâs Ascendance," Dronvet declared.
His body ignited in a blinding burst of light, so bright it seemed to dwarf the beacon far below, even if only for a moment.
As the light dimmed, Atticusâ gaze landed on Dronvetâs new form.
A radiant blue armor had replaced his military uniform. It covered every inch of him, including his face, and looked as though it had been forged from a time long lost to history.
The plates were edged in glowing veins of silver, pulsating faintly like flowing energy. His helmet was molded into the shape of a war-beast, with two narrow slits glowing from within.
In place of his sword was a lance that radiated an energy with such force it made the air and sky tremble. He looked less like a general now and more like a war god incarnate.
But regardless of the transformation, Atticus focused on only one thing, the sheer power Dronvet now radiated. It dwarfed everything he had shown up till now.
Atticus could barely feel mana in the air. It was like a vacuum had opened at the center of the world and sucked in mana for kilometers, far faster than the world could replenish it.
There was no need to ask, Atticus already knew where it had all gone.
The general had consumed everything.
Dronvet abruptly dipped in the sky, brandishing his lance. His eyes glowed with savage light through his visor, and his killing intent flooded the space around them like a storm.
He twitched, and he was upon Atticus.
His lance whipped out, raining attacks faster than most could comprehend.
Atticus became a blur. His katana flashed as he parried and evaded as fast as his body allowed. But it soon became clear that he was being pushed back. Gradually. Significantly.
Dronvet noticed. And he pressed on harder, his power roaring to life. He unleashed multiple abilities all at once.
Space bent to his call. Fire raged from nowhere. The terrain split and cracked beneath them. Mana resonated with his very existence as an uncountable number of attacks converged on Atticus from every conceivable angle.
And while the people outside watched with bated breath, Atticus suddenly stopped moving.
Then, he did something that made countless eyes widen.
He sheathed his katana.
While the audience wondered what the hell he was doing, Atticus was already in another world entirely.
His eyes flashed golden. And while all they could see were attacks screaming toward him, Atticus saw only one thing, a massive, bloated mana signature.
With so much mana gathered so close, Dronvet couldnât have made it easier.
Atticus raised his palm. A brownish orb appeared above it. The mana in the air seemed to shy away from it.
As the attacks reached him, Atticusâ gaze sharpened.
The orb of negation exploded.