Chapter 742 - Necessary Evil
Pale imitation? Show him how it's done? Enigma had met many arrogant people ever since he first joined Siren's ranks; however, this young man before him had to be the most arrogant individual to cross his path!
Not only did he dare refer to a skill granted by a divine one as a "pale imitation", but he was even bold enough to state that he could show how it's truly done.
How long did it take Enigma to earn the blessing of the God of Disharmony to gain the rare ability False Phenomenon? Yet, this ignorant fellow wanted to brag using empty words?
The atmosphere around Enigma grew heavy as his killing intent started to leak out, causing the surroundings to drop in temperature.
Enigma tried his best to not mix his personal feelings with a mission, but his target went too far!
"You want to show me how it's done?" Enigma scoffed as a dark purple aura enveloped the talon on his hand.
He then continued, "How naive. The power bestowed upon me by the God of Disharmony is absolute against those below the legendary realm. Initially, I planned to grant you a swift death, but... Those words you just uttered, even if they were spoken in ignorance—I cannot let it go."
In Enigma's eyes, Izroth's words might as well be insulting the God of Disharmony and looking down on them. As a dedicated follower, how could Enigma tolerate someone not setting the God of Disharmony in their sights?
"Ignorance? You are mistaken. I am merely stating that which is true—that's all. However, I can see that you will not be satisfied until you witness it with your own eyes. I hope you remember the words you've spoken well. You will see clearly which of us is truly naive." Izroth responded in a carefree manner.
Suddenly, Enigma slashed skyward with his talon as three trails of dark purple energy formed. It was as though the air itself had been cut by the talons of a mighty bird of prey!
The claw-like trail of energy shot into the sky at incredible speeds. Then, after traveling nearly five meters into the air, it vanished.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, Izroth swung his Scorched Inferno Fang upward in an arc. And, not even half a second after he did so, the sound of grinding metal echoed throughout the battlefield as Izroth's spear collided with something that came from above.
It was the same claw-like energy trail that Enigma fired into the sky just moments.
Izroth slid his right foot forward and rotated his body as he tightened his grip on the spear in his hands. He waved the Scorched Inferno Fang in a slanted arc, deflecting the energy trail and forcibly changing its path.
Bang! Rmmmmble!
The energy trail cut into the earth a couple of meters away from Izroth, causing three long scars to form on the ground as it shook from the impact.
After deflecting the blow, Izroth did not sit still as he activated the skill Light Feather Footwork and gained a large burst of movement speed. He kicked off his back foot and charged towards Enigma without pause!
〈System Alert: Your mastery with the skill «Zakra's Harmonic Spear of Causality» has increased by 0.05%.〉
'Oh? It only increased by 0.05% this time?'
In his fight against the Lady of Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis, Izroth's mastery with the Zakra's Harmonic Spear of Causality increased by 1.60% after a single use! And, needless to say, there was a huge gap between 1.60% and 0.05%.
'Is it due to the effect this time around being easier to manipulate? Or, does it have to do with using a more narrow approach?'
To counter the effects of Enigma's False Phenomenon, Izroth utilized the Law of Causality.
This time, the cause he controlled was that his spear would deflect Enigma's next attack, and the effect was that Enigma's attack was deflected by his spear.
There was a reason Izroth referred to Enigma's False Phenomenon ability as a pale imitation. After seeing it in action multiple times, he confirmed that it was nothing more than an attempt to mimic the effects of the Law of Causality!
But, compared to the actual thing, it was still lacking in many ways. For one, judging from Enigma's reaction, or rather his lack of one, Izroth immediately surmised that the Left Song of Siren had no clue what led to his attack being discovered and deflected.
However, Izroth was not surprised. After all, if Enigma had been able to freely manipulate the actual Law of Causality, Izroth knew that he would have never been able to intercept his earlier strike.
Still, to be able to grant individuals a power that could mimic even a portion of the Law of Causality required a deep understanding of the Law itself. Therefore, Izroth was convinced that the divine being Enigma called the God of Disharmony was quite powerful among those in the Divine Realm.
At the same time, as Izroth advanced, Enigma was shocked. He used his False Phenomenon to alter the original trajectory of his attack to have it strike Izroth from above.
Normally, this should have left Izroth with no time to respond as it would abruptly emerge less than one meter above his head. Yet, he somehow managed to successfully deflect his blow. No, to be more precise, it was as though Izroth knew where his attack would appear!
More importantly, Enigma was certain that his eyes did not deceive him. Just now, he saw Izroth begin to move his spear to intercept the attack he launched before it even reappeared. Unless he could see into the future, such a thing should not have been possible!
However, Enigma did not have the luxury to allow his thoughts to wander as Izroth's rapidly closed in on his position.
Wooosh!
Izroth arrived within striking range of Enigma as the tip of his spear sliced through the air. The weapon carried with it a dominating force that seemed capable of sweeping away anything that dared to obstruct its path!
Bang!
Enigma waved his arm before him as he blocked the incoming spear. Immediately after, his figure turned hazy as his body transformed into a cloud of dark purple smoke that blew past Izroth.
The next moment, Izroth spun his body in a full circle, lashing out with his spear as he performed a perfect sweep.
Bang!
Izroth's Scorched Inferno Fang struck Enigma's talon that had crept into his blind spot as Enigma emerged and the smoke dispersed.
The smoke itself was a distraction while the real Enigma entered a form of stealth to launch a sneak attack on Izroth.
After failing to break through Izroth's defense consecutive times, Enigma's attacks grew increasingly fierce as he traded several blows with Izroth.
At times, Enigma used his False Phenomenon to alter his actions in order to increase his chances of success; however, Izroth reacted every time without fail.
'It's been a while since I last used a spear as my main weapon in battle. I planned to switch weapons once I mastered all ten sword forms; however, I suppose there's no harm in starting a little early. Since I have already begun to learn the ultimate spear technique, pursuing anything too time-consuming would be a waste.'
At its peak, there was no other spear technique Izroth had encountered in the Seven Realms that came close to comparing to Zakra's Harmonic Spear of Causality. But, needless to say, learning such a peerless technique came with its challenges. It was a process that could not be rushed and required real combat application.
Not to mention, with his current mastery level, Izroth understood that depending solely on Zakra's Harmonic Spear of Causality was not feasible. Therefore, he needed something to make up for gaps that would naturally be created while mastering the peerless spear technique.
'Something that can be picked up with relative ease and requires little to no time to master... In addition, it has to be able to stand on its own while also being capable of meshing well with other techniques... That guy's spear techniques come to mind, but... No, such concerns are unnecessary. After all, this place is not the Seven Realms. Though I must admit, it still makes me somewhat uneasy to use it myself. Nevertheless, it meets all the necessary requirements.'
The spear technique Izroth wanted to use was considered taboo in the Seven Realms. That's because it belonged to the infamous leader of the Dark Saints Cult, the Immortal Ghost Warlord—a demonic cultivator responsible for extinguishing the lives of billions throughout the Seven Realms!