Chapter 3889: One Step Ahead (Part 2)

Leegaain could not only use body casting, but turn his limbs into any spell he knew in the time it took him to remember their rune sequence.

Each lunge was met with a parry that was followed by a counter and accompanied by a spell. The opponent had to stop the counter and defend from the spell, all the while looking for an opportunity to retaliate.

Dragon Eyes made everything worse. They read the flow of magic of both blades and spells, predicting what the opponent would do. The problem was that both opponents had Dragon Eyes, and the prediction changed the moment they adjusted their strategy.

Leegaain and Raum moved in unison, each attack and repost performed with such synchronicity that they seem rehearsed. The battle soon evolved into a deadly dance that required each contestant to be at least three steps ahead of the enemy.

One step to predict their counter spell and attack, another to foil them, and the last to predict how the enemy would adjust their strategy once his Dragon Eyes exposed the trap at the last second.

Raum had lived for over 50,000 years and had been preparing for that fight since the day he had discovered how to implant a power core permanently inside his body. His goal had always been to overpower the Guardians and force Mogar to admit that it had made a mistake by turning its back on the Eldritch.

They were the only ones who could endlessly push their evolution forward after shedding the prison of the flesh. Energy had no limit and infinite potential, and Raum had fought countless battles to prove his point.

He had never hesitated to fight other Eldritches, white cores, and even a white core with a mage tower, challenging them again and again the moment his power reached a new height.

He was a warrior born and bred, and now that he had regained his Dragon Eyes, he saw ten steps ahead of the Guardian.

Alas, Leegaain was more a scholar than a warrior, and he could only see one step ahead.

One step born out of his untold millennia-long existence, the countless hours he had spent training alone, and the thousands of battles to the death he had survived. Leegaain was one of the physically weaker Guardians, but he was a Guardian nonetheless.

He had lost count of the powerful Eldritches he had destroyed ever since he had evolved into a Drake. Of the times he had battled over turf or principle against his fellow Guardians.

Of the grueling training sessions that he endured to this very day against Zagran, Tyris, and Salaark.

Leegaain indeed saw only one step ahead, but he chose that step after excluding all the wrong steps, those that carried more risks than rewards, and all the steps that led to a disadvantageous position.

Leegaain saw only one step ahead, but it was the right step.

With each blow the Guardian and the Eldritch traded, Soul Cutter moved further away from Raum’s body and Father of Wrath’s replica inched closer. With each spell they fired at each other, Raum’s barriers failed him more often, and fewer of his spells reached the Guardian.

It wasn’t just due to Leegaain Eyes being superior to Dragon Eyes, but mostly due to each right judgment call of the Guardian pushing the Eldritch into a more disadvantageous position.

Leegaain’s attacks formed a seamless flow that forced Raum on the defense and denied him the opportunity to strike back. The Father of All Dragons’ spells dealt little damage, but created lose-lose situations for the Eldritch, where he could only limit his losses.

Soon, all that Raum had left was a selection of bad choices. No matter what path he took, they all led to his defeat. It wasn’t a matter of who would win anymore, only of when the Wonderer would fall.

"I refuse to go down like this!" Raum yelled as he lowered his barriers and put his remaining strength into a devastating combination of attacks.

He transformed his shoulder into a Chaos Steps, cutting the replica the same way he had done with the original. Then, Raum released a Chaos Annihilation from his left hand and hurled a river of Void Flames while lunging with Soul Cutter at the point where Leegaain’s life force burned brighter.

"Your compliance is optional." The Guardian released all of his spells and transformed his Spirit Form into a massive Spirit Gate.

The Annihilation, the Void Flames, and Soul Cutter struck him just to reappear thousands of kilometers away without inflicting the Guardian any damage. Leegaain closed the Gate a split second later, leaving Raum’s attacks stranded and his strength depleted.

None of the power cores that formed Soul Cutter suffered damage, but all the power that the Wonderer had imbued in the blade was lost.

"Any last words?" Leegaain asked as his Spirit Form reassembled itself to conjure the Guardian Tier Spell, World Maw.

Fourteen pillars of elemental energy, each shaped like a fang and as big as a mountain, enveloped the area above and below the canyon, with Raum right in the middle like a morsel of freshly bitten meat.

"I-"

"I’ve changed my mind. I don’t care." The World Maw said as the colossal fangs slammed against each other multiple times, cutting the Wonderer short.

The Guardian Tier spell bit through Raum’s body and crushed all the power cores it contained at the same time. The Eldritch tried to Chaos Warp away, but World Maw sealed the space and scrambled the balance of the world energy.

Raum tried as many spells as he could, but none of them managed to produce more than a few sparks. Eldritches were incapable of perceiving the fluctuations in the world energy, and Dragon Eyes couldn’t decipher a branch of magic their owner didn’t understand.

The power core containing the runes for the Origin Flames mana organ collapsed first, triggering a chain reaction that quickly spread to the rest of the Eldritch. Raum could have survived a bit longer if not for his opus tearing him apart from the inside.

As the power cores exploded one after another and the conflagration grew in power, Leegaain kept the World Maw shut, ensuring that not a single strand of Chaos could escape. Once the detonations stopped, he ignited the Guardian Tier spell, adding Immortal Flames to the mix.

Leegaain burned everything inside the World MAw until his own Spirit Magic was the only thing left. Then, he reverted to his physical form and used his breathing technique, Worldkeeper, to ensure he hadn’t missed anything.

"So far so good, but better safe than sorry." Leegaain Warped back in the underground prison and discovered that the security arrays had lost the imprint of their master.

Raum the Wonderer was dead.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The wardens asked, not recognizing Owl in the albino in front of them.

"Good question." Leegaain nodded. "Here’s my answer."

He breathed a burst of Origin Flames that incinerated the wardens, melted all the cell doors, and then scoured what was left of Raum’s research facility. By the time the prisoners looked at the Guardian in fear and confusion, they were the only living creatures left.

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