Chapter 1739: Battle [1]

"It's about time for me to make my entrance, isn't it?"

They were whimsical words said with an even more whimsical expression, but the identity of the person saying it changed the entire context.

August narrowed his eyes. In front of him stood two people who arrived together: Wilhelm Liqua and Estavian, who didn't get much showtime during the heir wars.

For the two Liqua Clan geniuses to appear at the same time...well, it was clear that they hadn't come for the crown.

It was more like they came specifically to prevent August from getting it. Not because they saw value in its existence, but because they came from the clan that had the most hostility towards the Azure Dragon.

In the Liqua Clan where even the younger generation was bred to detest the man who created their lineage, letting someone like August go was not an option.

Now, it wasn't yet known to the world that August had escaped Eternal Darkness. In the eyes of most, he was supposed to be somewhere in Noctum's domain, suffering in silence until the Holy Dragons returned for him.

How Wilhelm learned that he was still alive, and why he had come here without reinforcements? August had no way to guess the answer.

What mattered now was the fact that they were face-to-face.

The heir wars didn't provide the proper stage for settling grudges. It was a place where people couldn't die.

They were in the real world now. This environment was natural and unfacilitated. It was a location where one could die and nobody else would ever realize that they were gone.

In this place, August could truly face the Liqua Clan. Fighting them when he couldn't exact his revenge just didn't make sense.

Despite being outnumbered, August wasn't worried.

It was true that nobody was free to help him at the moment.

Faldren Aureat had confronted Valerie again, seemingly on the same basis as Raphael. He wanted to see an end to the battle they started back then.

The other Aureat Clan genius was not present, nor were the two from the Aurora Clan. While Eris, Iridia, and the Ether twins were still uninvolved with the battle, everyone August had brought was caught up in some sort of fight.

If August wanted to take the two geniuses in front of them, he had to do it alone.

But, that was how he preferred it.

Wilhelm seemed to be waiting for an answer from him. He had some sort of wild delusion that he was the main character and there was no way August could possibly beat him.

'He's disgustingly insane. That's the vibe I'm getting.'

And it wasn't incorrect. If Eris heard what August was thinking, perhaps they'd form a friendship on the spot.

Wilhelm Liqua was a crazed genius. Nobody recognized it because he hid his madness under a veil of charisma, but as someone who knew the true nature of the Liqua Clan, August wasn't fooled.

There wasn't a possible reality where August expected decency from his opponent. Rather than engaging in pointless banter with someone he despised, he would much rather just fight.

As such, he charged without responding to Wilhelm's whims.

"Rude."

What he got in response was a single word.

As he dashed to close the distance between him and the two Liqua Clan geniuses, Wilhelm snapped his fingers.

"Go teach him a thing or two."

Those words ignited something within Estavian.

Or were they just keywords for a puppet?

Estavian was definitely a real living genius of the Liqua Clan at some point, but he did not meet their standard.

People who weren't worthy of their name were repurposed.

In Estavian's case, the consequences were a bit more severe than others.

See, he possessed his own personality. He was, in essence, the same person as he was before.

However, deep in his subconscious, there was a seed that could take control at any time.

Technically speaking, Wilhelm didn't need to awaken that side of him. This was a battle that he could absolutely participate in without using the trump cards he had in his hand.

The only reason he robbed Estavian of everything he thought he had was because he wanted to crush August and show him that he was worth nothing.

In a single instant, all human and draconic features left in Estavian's appearance disappeared. His body was mutilated by an unknown force and his entire form was repurposed and changed. His skin turned into raw flesh and muscle as he grew several feet.

He definitely became more robust, but in a way that looked disgustingly unnatural. His face contorted into a bestial abomination as all of his mana was turned into flesh to add to the mass that he was.

His transformation was extreme, turning the blue-haired genius into a monster, but it was over by the time August reached him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The beast moved too fast for its size. August was immediately forced to move back in the direction he came from as his body was riddled with wounds.

Estavian followed him mindlessly, his fists flying too fast for August to dodge.

He had to block and block and block, but after the first onslaught alone, August could feel his arms breaking.

'Not good.'

"I'm here too, you know."

Wilhelm found the need to say something every time he was about to make a move. He definitely knew that it was inefficient, but he didn't really care. This was the way he showed August the difference in their power levels.

This was a time to learn how the Liqua Clan differed from the Azure Dragon Clan.

Azure Dragons were huge in their movements. They liked to use pure strength and brute force in a similar way to the Ignis Clan, but there was a subtlety within their moves.

The sea was a terrifying place for those unequipped to deal with it. It was filled with things that only existed to kill, and the pure expansiveness of it all was hard to imagine for the average person's eyes.

However, it was a haven for life.

All things came from the ocean. Inside its deadly depths, many creatures and organisms found harmony. After all, if one could adapt to its dangers and return, one would realize that the seas were the most silent and peaceful places to exist in the world.

Azure Dragons were able to imitate both the good and the bad of the ocean. They were calm and benevolent, yet ruthless and cruel.

The Liqua Clan dragons only took half of that.

They were ruthless, but they used small precise attacks made with the sole intent to cause pain.

What came at August while he tried to deal with the incredibly powerful puppet before him was an array of darts that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

They were ethereal. August sensed them before he saw them and dodged as best as he could.

Unfortunately, he didn't sense them all.

They were almost microscopic and packed tightly in a huge swarm of thousands, after all. He couldn't dodge just because he knew where they were.

"Khhhh!"

August gritted his teeth as his eyes turned bloodshot.

The pain was almost unbearable, but he tried to put it aside.

Still, the single instant that he spent distracted was enough.

BOOOOOOOM!

Estavian struck him with a blow that contained more power than any that came before.

And August...

August flew straight into the opposing wall, creating a thud that resounded through the cavern with such ferocity that it drew the attention of everyone present.