Chapter 1718: Duel [1]

In terms of immediate impact, Eris' actions definitely had more.

The darkness she summoned instantly encompassed a wide area around her and created an impenetrable domain.

August, on the other hand, didn't summon a massive amount of his element immediately. This space wasn't really able to contain an ocean. August had taken control of the underground rivers and reservoirs and was keeping their power hidden until he needed it.

Though, they wouldn't remain hidden for long.

The battle had changed from close combat to ranged. The two geniuses didn't approach each other and instead summoned their power with the time they gained from their separation.

Eris moved first.

'Dance of Ten Thousand Demons.'

Her arm raised parallel to the ground and a huge amount of mana burst forth. The darkness around her morphed, and an ability that August had seen already returned to the light.

An army of dark beasts summoned by Eris' power rushed towards him at unimaginable speeds. Individually, they weren't the most powerful, but their strength in numbers couldn't be underestimated.

If they were allowed to approach, they could cause damage that August had personally experienced. They got his legs first, and once his movements were limited, they swallowed him whole.

If it wasn't for Eris defeating him before they could, his elimination from the first round would have been much more painful.

Luckily, August was no longer the same person he was back then.

VOOOOM!

His mana immediately raged.

In that moment, there was no more concealing it.

Both Eris and the onlooking crowd realized that August had successfully reached 4th class.

Now, that didn't mean he'd have an easy time by any means, but the notion that he'd easily lose was wiped from everyone's minds.

'I don't really have cool names for my skills...'

Damien told him that naming the skills he used in his human form was important only for remembering them properly. Having a name and an action reserved for an attack allowed for faster visualization and mobilization of mana.

For that purpose, simple names were best. Efficient names that could be recalled at the fastest speeds to put his attacks in motion were all he needed.

So, instead of something like "Wrath of the Ocean God," August merely thought a single word.

'Arise.'

BOOOOOOOOM!

Rushing water burst from the ground in the form of countless geysers that formed in the earth. The only difference from a normal geyser was just how much water was being produced.

The entire area was soon turned into a muddy mess, and once the soil couldn't absorb any more water., it flowed out in rushing waves that slammed in every direction.

The army of shadow beasts crossed only half of the distance between the two geniuses before they were intercepted by the powerful water currents.

It started with a bang as the first wave faced the sheer physical impact of such a large body of water, and it was followed by an array of squeals and screeches as they were drowned within.

Darkness and water didn't particularly clash, but they didn't particularly meld either.

If darkness and water wanted to be one and the same, then they could absolutely accomplish it and show a completely different kind of power. However, in the same way, if they wanted to be opposed, then darkness would be like oil to water's, well...water.

The dark beasts were made with the earth in mind. They were meant to walk, not swim. When they were placed in a situation where they were surrounded by nothing but water and its pressure, they bursted and dispersed.

Eris' eyes narrowed as she prepared her next attack.

How did a dragon's darkness work? Naturally, it was a darkness created to swallow the world.

Eris' darkness specifically was more similar to the night and death than any other element. Through death, she was able to corrode the world and summon creatures from another plane.

And through night, she was able to control space itself and turn the world into her own domain.

It was like day turned to night when Eris released her mana for the second time. A canopy of darkness shadowed everything, throwing August into a world of darkness.

'Tch.'

August's eyes sharpened to get used to his new conditions, but this artificial darkness didn't give him a chance to perceive anything but it.

August felt like he was covered in a tight blanket. His every sense was being overloaded by the darkness close to him, which made it impossible for him to perceive the threats that were further away.

He stomped his foot on the ground, making sure that it was still the ground he knew. He summoned more geysers to surround him and created a makeshift barrier before taking further control of the water to make it swirl around him.

He was just in time.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

August's attention shot to his left as three arrows cut through the blackness and struck his barrier. The centrifugal force stopped them and turned them into nothing more than particles, but they were only the start of Eris' assault in the blackness.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

Bang! Bang!

BOOOM!

A myriad of impacts, all made by attacks in different forms, slammed into the barrier. They came from every direction, clearly delineating Eris' constantly changing position.

'I won't be able to counterattack as long as I'm stuck here.'

Either he had to find a way to break her pattern, or he had to form a domain inside of her domain.

He didn't think it was yet time to start competing in their ability to dominate. But, it wasn't impossible to make it out of this situation with brute strength.

'Okay. Stay calm.'

Even if he didn't show off his power, at this point, his lineage was already in question.

Nobody believed that he was a commoner anymore. That much could be affirmed.

'Since it's come to this, I just have to make them think that I'm anything but an Azure Dragon.'

It was a good thing that August was currently using groundwater.

Until he summoned the power of the sea, they didn't have any reason to suspect that he was from a bloodline considered long eradicated, right?

'Wow, I never thought of it like that.'

The second he realized that he could just cloak the true nature of his bloodline instead of hiding his power, August's entire world changed.

'Great.'

He grinned to himself and connected his senses to the underground water sources.

'Come.'

He summoned it all.

August's awareness as a 4th class dragon went several hundreds of kilometers into the ground and awakened the essence of the earth that slumbered within.

Water. Without it, the world could not exist. It was a force taken for granted more often than not, but it was just as crucial as something like space.

Without water, life could have never appeared. Though they'd never admit it, even dragons were once merely lizards who relied on the water to survive.

That force of life, that force of death, August forced it to remember exactly what it was worth.

Every ounce of water that would answer his call rose to the surface.

And in one cohesive wave, a huge mass of liquid crashed through Eris' darkness domain.

BOOOOOOM!