Seeing the Mad Doctor flying toward him with the intent to kill, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath right away.
His objective here was simple: he needed to put up a fight, and then survive.
Normally, others would have wanted to get this phase over with as quickly as possible. They would have just put up a token of a fight, and then ended the whole matter, as a Peak Warrior was not supposed to be able to put up any sort of a fight against an Exalted Champion, anyway. After all, why would one want to put themselves through more pain than was needed?
Of course, Daneel saw it differently. He knew the value of pain, in that it allowed one to go farther than they could even imagine. He knew the value of such an opportunity, where he could give it his all without thinking too much. He had an out which would definitely work, so he could choose to go with it if it got too dangerous.
But before that, he would not allow the Mad Doctor to get the satisfaction of crushing him.
It was clear that that was what the man wanted, and there was no way that Daneel would give it to him.
The speed of a Champion was definitely not something a Warrior would be able to contend with, even if that Champion was a Mage, and not a Fighter. He was able to push the elementary particles to propel him with much greater acceleration than anything a Warrior could achieve, so Daneel knew right away that he couldn't contest against the man in this way.
The only thing that was left…was the simplest, yet oftentimes the most effective of ways in which a Mage could fight.
Defend, deflect, and attack.
Instantly, right as the Mad Doctor was about to reach him, layers and layers of barriers came into existence which he started smashing through.
At the same time, multiple constructs came into being, and these would be recognized by almost all Angarians.
They were the same ones that the King had conjured when he had defeated that evil Champion, and burned him to ash.
Daneel was supposed to have been stuck at that level, so he couldn't display attacks much stronger than that one. Yet…that didn't mean that he couldn't add a twist to make it stronger.
Before, his power had been that of a Warrior-level Paragon, who was undefeatable even by Champions. But that phrase…was meant to relate to Amateur, and to a certain extent, Eminent Champions.
Exalted Champions, though, were supposed to be beyond his league, but there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to put up a fight.
"Starry Skies" was the name of the spell, and it was meant to signify the Paragon constructs, each of which could copy an opponent's attack, whatever it was, and throw it back at them, with the objective being that even though the quality might be low, the quantity of the attacks would overwhelm anyone who was dumb enough to enter the area of effect.
This was the reason why Drakos's disciple, the one who had made this spell, was feared, and never challenged unless he was outside of his element.
The Paragon constructs were like stars, and as they shone, each of them conjured small fists that looked lifelike, as that was the attack made by the Mad Doctor.
Indeed, he had launched one at Daneel after seeing that it wasn't advisable to keep crashing through the barriers.
The normal sight in such a case would be that the smaller fists would be able to stop and throw back the larger one.
However…they were simply smashed apart, and the attack continued to hurl in Daneel's direction.
Already, he could feel that he was out of his depth, and he hated that feeling.
Weakness.
It was this weakness that he wanted to never feel again, and with renewed vigor, Daneel used another volley to stop the fist, finally.
Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor was simply standing on the ground a few hundred meters away from Daneel, and laughing.
The reason was obvious. To block just one attack, Daneel had had to work so hard.
Seeing this, the King of Lanthanor really, really wished that he could transform into a true Dragon and burn the man in Dragonfire.
Yet, he knew that even that might not be effective, because it would not be enough to close the gap completely.
Frustration appearing on his face, Daneel decided to take the offensive.
The multiple Paragon Constructs that were all shining around him quickly started to fly in order to congregate right behind Daneel, who could be seen protected by at least a hundred layers of barriers. These barriers were those conjured both using trinkets and spells, and even a Champion would be hard-pressed to break through them. After all, it made sense that because he had given trinkets which could block Champion-level attacks to his subordinates, then he should have many of them, too.
He didn't know for how long they could stand if the Mad Doctor began a full onslaught, but at the moment, because the man was goading him into attacking, Daneel had decided to use the opportunity.
Last time, all the Paragon Constructs had been arranged in the shape of the hand of a giant which had been cupping him protectively, but this time, these balls of light, each of which was half the size of a man, came together and started to take on the shape of a real giant.
Daneel had come up with this fighting technique after viewing the main weakness of it, and looking for ways to counter it.
Starry Skies was a quagmire-type Paragon technique, where one who entered its area of effect would be affected. Those beyond could simply leave, and if someone was powerful enough to enter and reach the one controlling the formation, then victory might be theirs.
Instead…what if the formation was agile, and able to move? The main problem with Starry Skies was that as the individual Paragon Constructs were far apart, they would allow in people who could target the mage. If they were congregated together, there would be no chance of this.
Even if the original creator had gotten this idea, he wouldn't have been able to implement it as each Paragon Construct was a delicate mix of different types of elemental particles that needed to be carefully controlled. If they were apart, it would be relatively easy to control them. If they were nearer, though…the difficulty would increase exponentially, as the particles could mix, and bring about chaos.
It was almost like a typical school scenario, where there were a bunch of naughty kids. If they were separated, one would be able to keep an eye on them, and it would be easier to control them. If they were not…in a group, their interactions between each other would definitely bring about a lot of trouble.
A mage would find it difficult to handle the latter case, but Daneel had the system, and all it had to do was simply keep perfect track of the elemental particles so that it wouldn't happen. Because it was used to resource-intensive tasks, it could do so easily, even though a typical mage would get a headache.
The end result…was that a 20 feet tall, 7 feet wide version of Daneel, himself, appeared, and his real body, which was still protected by the barriers, was in the middle of the chest of this gigantic construct.
Each Paragon Construct was simply casting illusion spells to show this form, while the truth was that it was just a human-shaped one that was comprised of balls of light.
His preparations done, Daneel took a single step forward and…punched.
BOOOOMMM!!!!
The punch was actually accompanied by spells of destruction which brought the full force of a Peak Amateur Champion along with them, and it was incredible that a mere Warrior-level Mage was able to do something like this.
It was only possible because of Daneel's ability to use this spell to take this form, but alas…the Mad Doctor simply raised a fist, and Daneel's was stopped in its place.
It was being held by a simple telekinesis spell, and even though the destruction spells which were designed to smash through anything in their path flew forth, they harmlessly passed by the Mad Doctor and made a large crater appear all around him.
Such…was the difference between an Amateur, and an Exalted Champion.
The crater was 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide, and if there was a village in its place, it would have been completely wiped out.
"Had your fun? It's my turn, now."
Saying these words in a calm tone that was not characteristic of him, the Mad Doctor…closed his eyes.
Daneel knew what was coming, but he couldn't have defended himself against it.
He had seen this before, in the fight between the Mad Doctor and Ashahell that he had engineered, and he had never thought that he would have to face it so soon.
It was…the Madness Domain.
Bolts of lightning, spears of flame, rips in space and shards of ice started to blink in and out of existence all around the Mad Doctor.
Just to remind himself, Daneel asked the system to repeat the description of the Champion Path of the Mad Doctor.
['Mad' Champion Path: Those who choose this path come into touch with their inner madness, projecting it outwards through their Mageroot/body to make the world transform into a deathtrap where random elemental attacks with high frequency and power attack trespassers.]
Last time, the attacks had been at the Warrior-level.
But now…each and every attack was one that could strike down an Amateur Champion.
"YEEEAAARGHHH!"
Daneel couldn't help but scream as he felt as if his whole body was being lacerated by all the relentless attacks.
He had connected his mentality to the giant so that he could control it better, and because it was getting bombarded continuously by all of the elemental attacks, it was as if he was the one taking all the damage.
From above, Robert and the rest of the Sovereigns watched from a safe distance at this image which made anger appear in their eyes.
They wished that they could go forward and assist their King. However…they were too weak.
Even Faxul and Elanev, the strongest among them, could tell that they would not have been very effective in this fight. Even though they knew it to be a sham, it frustrated them to no end that their King had to be subjected to something like this.
It had all looked great at the beginning: the giant-sized Daneel looked like it might even achieve victory, but after launching just one attack, it was now stuck in place, while its entire body kept being ripped apart and then reformed by the terrifying elemental attacks which made the very air around them vibrate with their power.
It was all over in the span of a few seconds.
The Paragon Construct made from the smaller constructs of the 'stars' in the Starry Skies technique was ripped to shreds, as it no longer had enough globes to maintain its integrity.
All that was left was Daneel, with a few last lines of defense.
The Mad Doctor got an expression of eagerness on his face, as he knew that it was finally time to make that man feel the pain that he had felt.
Layer after layer of the barriers was peeled away by the attacks, and with each second, it seemed that the King would have no option but to die.
He even collapsed to the ground, on both of his knees, and this made the Mad Doctor laugh crazily.
His head was in his hands, as if he couldn't believe that this was the end.
There were only 20 layers of barriers left, and as he saw each one get destroyed, he started shaking his head from side to side in denial.
His face was flushed, and his breathing was hastened. The brave King who had said those words before was gone, replaced by a desperate man who was not resigned to his fate.
After the last layer was gone, the Mad Doctor raised his hand, and made the King float into the air, his arms and legs stretched out almost painfully.
The entire continent, or at least, those who were aware of what was happening, watched on as the King of Lanthanor, a man braver and more talented than most who had graced this continent in recent times, was reduced to a common wretch in his last throes before death.
The Mad Doctor gleefully made large rips appear on his clothes, accompanied by wounds which oozed with blood.
Pain was apparent on the King's face, while tears also started to drop to the ground.
Eloise felt like flying forward because she couldn't bear to see this scene, and the rest of the Sovereigns also had similar intentions.
As for the Heroes who had simply hated the King because of their disdain for the Central Continent, they enjoyed watching him in pain, laughing among themselves while comfortably seated in their abodes.
The Mad Doctor continued the torture gleefully, giving everyone the show they had been waiting for. By the time he was done, the King was almost unrecognizable, as his entire body was covered with wounds. Mangled flesh could be seen everywhere, and in some parts, entire chunks had been ripped out.
He seemed to be on his last breath, as his face didn't even have any expression. His screams of pain which had sounded like sweet music had already ended, and the only thing that could be heard from him was raspy breathing.
Having had his fun, the Mad Doctor allowed himself a smile of exultation before saying, "Now, die, in the name of my sons. I applaud the intelligence of your master which made me target Ashahell, but now I know that it was your master who really had done it. He will repent on seeing you reduced to a pile of blood and bones, as that is your fate. Enjoy the feeling of the rest of your flesh and blood being ripped out, piece by piece."
With these words, he raised his hands again, and the spell he cast made the King burst out with the last ounce of strength he had.
His face carried such an intense emotion of rage that it made the hearts of those who wished him well break, and finally, something…changed.
With a bright flash of light that made the Mad Doctor squint, a transformation started to occur on the King's body.
A dark, shiny exoskeleton began to cover the entirety of what was left, and even before the Mad Doctor could reach, all that was in front of him was a cocoon made of that material.
"…"
Shocked and unable to understand, the Mad Doctor restarted the Madness Domain he had deactivated, but the attacks were actually…ineffective.
That egg-shaped cocoon just lay there, and he even tried picking it up and smashing it on the ground.
Yet, no matter what he did, he couldn't get through, and it made him get madder and madder until his eyes were red once again.
Just as he was about to take drastic steps, though, a message reached his ears, and with an expression that almost looked like…joy, he disappeared, as if the King didn't matter anymore.
Meanwhile, inside that cocoon, Daneel, who had transformed into a Divine Cockroach, felt his body rapidly heal due to the incredible regenerative properties of this species which allowed them to survive even if their head was cut off.
It still hurt like hell, though, and after coughing out some blood, he spat out a statement filled with the righteous anger of a King who had been wronged.
"All right, time for round two. No more scheming. It's time to die, you m*#*@&f*cker."