Chapter 1216: Severe Handicap

'D-damnit...!'

Kuzon found himself exasperated, nearing the brink of desperation, as he looked at the three figures in front of him.

One of the Legrises—the newest addition to the trio—had managed to sneak up behind him and would have nearly kill him if not for his swift response.

Sure, he lost a leg, but it could have been much worse.

"Haa... haaa..."

At this point, he was expending a considerable amount of energy on his barrier, while ensuring he was able to detect anything within a reasonable range.

There was no other way to go about it—defense was the only option he had now.

'H-how? What did he do? Why is there more than one of him right now?'

Kuzon, just like the rest of the team, understood the nature of Legris' abilities. They knew he was difficult to kill because of the numerous versions of himself that existed in a special space that he controlled.

Neron had gotten trapped there once, and he was barely able to win back then.

'But even at that, Legris can only have one version of himself at a time in reality. Or... is that what he made us think all this time?'

Now that he thought of it, Legris had never displayed much of his black powers until now. It all seemed to be happening too much... too fast.

'Why now?'

Kuzon felt an ominous feeling as he tried his hardest to regain composure.

Both his arm and legs felt like they were on fire, and it hurt him at an unspeakable level. He initially didn't understand why, but after taking the time to notice it, he realized the reason.

'It's rotting. My body is rotting...'

The darkness was seeping deeper and deeper into his golden body, and it caused him to feel both pain and destrution.

He had to do something about it—and fast!

'I need to cut them off!'

Kuzon swiftly summoned two blades, positioning them close to his severed arm and leg. He gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes, ready to feel the agony that awaited him.

'I have to time this well!'

None of his summoned constructs could harm him in any way, which meant he had to return to his base form. However, he was assured that the destruction of his body would intensify rapidly the moment he left Absolute Emperor Transfiguration.

That meant he had to be swift... absolutely precise.

'Just do it, Kuzon! Just do it!'

He controlled his blades, and they went into action, targeting the respective areas of his flesh that the darkness had yet to reach, so as to ampuate the rest of his rotting flesh off.

~FWISH!~

~WHUSH!~

He sliced off the corrupted lumps of flesh, leaving his wounded form alone as he winced in pain.

Strangely, it didn't hurt him as the Legris' darkness did.

Still, he could feel a strange sensation from his emptied arm and leg as he tried to heal them.

'It's not healing...?!'

He could only close the wounds, but nothing was growing or healing up. At that moment, the fear within Kuzon began to intensify as he stared at his three foes.

The Legris that was previously under constraint was now free, and it seemed like the Marionette Worms within him had been purged, considering the fact that he now had full control over his body.

'The others must have helped him out.'

What made matters worse was that all three of the Legrises now had black energy on their apparel and bodies, like burning flames that never died out.

If all of them served the same purpose and possessed the same level of intensity as last time, then he had no chance in the slightest.

'My Aether levels are low, and I can't even access Leo after those two strikes from Legris...'

In essence, he was stuck!

'I can manage to recover slowly, but I doubt they'll give me the chance to do that in peace.'

His defenses might as well be paper, with the way the black energy Legris had could negate and suck in whatever constructs he could make.

That meant he was simply in an unprotected house with no real roof.

'The most effiicient way to deal with this is mobility and perception.'

Kuzon knew fully well that his best bet was sensing danger and evading the attacks before they reached him.

'But there are three of them!' That lessened his odds of evasion by a large margin.

He wasn't also in the best physical state, and his lists of arsenals were severely depleted.

'Plus, I can't use [Absolute Emperor Transfiguration] anytime soon...'

There was only one more option for him to use, but it was too risky to even attempt.

'[The Emperor's Domain].'

The Emperor's Domain was his personal realm, one which he completely controlled. Within it, he had absolute authority.

'If I use that, there's a good chance I can turn the tables.'

But that in itself came with its own risk.

'If he uses that chance to absorb my domain, or he makes another unexpected move, then it's all over.'

At this point, Kuzon was tempted to simply retreat.

It was possible for him to hide in The Emperor's Domain, at least to recover or come up with a strategy to counter Legris.

But...

'I can't do that!'

Sure, Kuzon felt a surge of pride that discouraged him from retreating from such a battle. However, his reasons ran deeper than that.

'If I leave him be, he'll only have more chances to absorb more energy.'

Also, he didn't know when backup would arrive, but if he was absent when they did, then there would be no one to inform them of Legris' weaknesses and his capabilities.

'I currently have information on him, and I am aware of just how dangerous he is...'

If he left the battlefield now, it would reduce the overall chances of winning.

As a result of all these factors, Kuzon clenched his one remaining fist and braced himself for a fight he had no chance of winning.

'I'm going to hold the fort... no matter how long it takes!'

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[A/N]

Thank you all for reading!

Legris went and jumped Kuzon... with himself!