Chapter 385 An Insolent Successor (2)
'Is this a mere illusion?' Layland mused as he saw the unscathed form of the Demon who should have been devoured by an Abhorrent Child a few moments ago. 'No, I can tell he exists. I just can't feel him. He feels real and like an illusion at the same time. I wonder what he did to make me feel this way.'
Layland gave up sensing Maurice with his Mana Sense. He took out his mask which he hadn't been wearing for some time and donned it. Immediately, he could see the Mana Flow in Maurice's body. Much to his bafflement, he was greeted by a very still scenery. Maurice's Mana didn't flow. It resided in his body like still water, making it impossible to deduce what his intention was.
While not impossible, Layland believed such an instance shouldn't happen in a battle. He sent a quick Mana Blade at Maurice and watched how his Mana Flow reacted to it. Much to his chagrin, it remained stationary even though Maurice thwarted his Mana Blade with his own. It was impossible to produce a Mana Blade without using Mana, so Layland was rightfully baffled.
"Are you wondering why you can't feel me?" Maurice asked serenely with a condescending undertone. "A being from a lower dimension can't sense a being from a higher dimension. That is why my Mana Flow seems stationary to you. You don't have the right perspective to see it moving."
"Are you saying you are a 4D creature right now? Do you even understand the concept of dimension?" Layland countered with a sneer. "You are as 3D as I am. You can stop your bullshit about being a higher being."
By the time Layland finished his speech, Maurice was nowhere to be seen. His Instinct flared, causing him to turn around swiftly. He swung Rexorem and parried the blow from Maurice's war hammer. Rexorem absorbed the impact of the clash before releasing it on Maurice's mace amplified. Again, Maurice was thrown aback, giving some distance between him and Layland.
Layland thought hard about the connection between the name of Maurice's Origin and what it did to him. So far, what had happened to him was akin to an illusion. Maurice disappeared and reappeared without causing a disturbance. He couldn't detect even the slightest hint of Mana fluctuation which was outrageous. He almost considered that Maurice's Origin indeed transformed him into a higher being.
'Each Origin has a weakness. Even my Origin which is one of the Main Origins has a weakness. There is no way his derivative Origin is perfect.'
Layland was considering taking the name of Maurice's Origin at face value. Supposed that his Origin turned him into a higher being, it was only fitting for the lower being to revere him. Layland hadn't felt any significant surge of power, so he didn't think it was fitting its name. Still, he decided to accept that Maurice's Origin turned him into a 'higher being.'
On the other hand, Maurice tilted his head in curiosity. He wondered why Layland could remain calm in his situation. He hadn't been bragging when he had said that Rusceus admired his Origin. For those who didn't know how his Origin worked, it should be a death sentence to them. Even those who knew how it worked would still tremble uncontrollably.
"I guess you are indeed an enigma, Layland Kleinhaus. Very few people can parry or block my attack as soon as my Origin is activated. I wonder what you did to hone your reflex."
"Having a tea with death whenever you have the chance to will give you this awesome ability."
"Ha-Ha-Ha! Might as well embrace it now!"
Maurice rushed forward, causing Layland to go still. He had stopped relying on his Mana Sense and eyes, so he was waiting for his Instinct to kick in. Not a moment after, he was forced to teleport as four copies of Maurice attacked him from four different directions. He watched them line up side by side before multiplying endlessly. A frown immediately marred his face as his mask allowed him to see the Mana Pool of the clones.
'This is impossible.'
Layland was not in disbelief because he didn't want to admit defeat. All of the clones possessed an equal size of Mana Pool to the original. Unless Maurice was as absurdly powerful as Ilschevar, which was highly unlikely, such a phenomenon shouldn't be possible. Moreover, Layland had sized Maurice up before they fought. Maurice was notable but not to the point where he had to be careful with him.
Layland sighed as he took his mask off and kept it. Keeping it on wouldn't affect his combat ability, but he would rather not risk breaking it. After all, it was Valeria's first gift for him. He refocused his attention on the thousands of Maurice, looking for the original among the sea of clones. His Instinct flared, prompting him to take action.
He appeared before the original in a flash, swinging the blazing Rexorem as if he were going to split heaven. The sensation of cutting through flesh was too vivid to be discarded as an illusion. Despite that, he was sure what he had cut was not Maurice. His deduction was proven to be true as the Maurice that he had just cut morphed into an Abhorrent Child.
Knowing what an Abhorrent Child was capable of doing, Layland immediately distanced himself. His Instinct flared once again, prompting him to turn around. As he did, he found himself in the maw of an Abhorrent Child. Quickly covering himself in a Mana Sphere, he used one of his Skills: [Death Blow]. The sphere exploded, disintegrating the mouth of the Abhorrent Child.
As Layland's vision cleared, he narrowed his eyes at the scene before him. Maurice was floating stagnantly as if he had never moved even once. His clones were nowhere in sight. Maurice tilted his chin upwards as if taunting Layland to come. Layland quirked his eyebrow and teleported to Maurice's side. Using his Skill: [Blowing Shock], he swung Rexorem at Maurice.
Boom!
The hit connected with Maurice's abdomen, but Layland didn't expect much from the happenstance. He had a feeling that what he hit would turn out to be a mere illusion. A gleam of delight entered his eyes as he found Maurice wounded. The said Demon couldn't believe what had transpired which supported Layland's suspicion.
"How could you hit a God? I wonder," Maurice muttered softly from afar as he nursed his bleeding stomach. "Well, you shouldn't be too happy with the result as you are not special. Except for Lord Rusceus, those who managed to hit me eventually died."
"Stop dilly-dallying and bring out your strongest ace," Layland taunted, ignoring the hint of rage in Maurice's tone. "I hate dogs who can only bark."
"As you wish!"
Instantly, Layland was in outer space, standing before a glaringly bright star. Maurice was holding the star in his hands as if it was a small orb. Layland blinked his eyes at the scene. His mind was telling him to not believe what he saw, but his heart trembled at the sheer might the figure holding the star exuded. Layland listened to his head more than he did his heart. He refused to believe that Maurice was strong enough to perform such a feat.
'Pride may one day be your downfall, Layland Kleinhaus.'
Layland stiffened as his spine chilled upon hearing the voice in his head. Before he could even think of what just happened, his skin burned. For the first time, he felt the searing heat that the star before him radiated. He was used to pain, but he wanted to scream at that moment. He was not afraid of his survival, but screaming in pain seemed very compelling.
He didn't listen to his intrusive thought and conjured a Mana Barrier instead. He also activated Rexorem's Special Ability: [Crimson Shield], causing a blood-red Mana Shield to cover his Mana Barrier. In addition to that, he reinforced his body to the limit. He was tempted to use his True Form, but he didn't. Doing so was an instant defeat.
'I must preserve,' he thought before grinning madly. "Come, show me what pain is!"
"A foolish lowlife indeed," Maurice sneered.
The star expanded and the heat increased a hundredfold. Rexorem's [Crimson Shield] bubbled up, showing signs of boiling. Layland's grin became even more manic as he watched the star gradually envelop his vision. It wasn't long until he could no longer open his eyes and his skin bubbled up. His surroundings became silent as he felt an irresistible pull to the front. The star's gravity pulled him closer and soon engulfed him whole.
On the other side of Abhorred Alluvium, the Demon Kings who were watching the battle between Maurice and Layland widened their eyes. They were witnessing what Layland was witnessing. They had discarded it as a mere illusion at first, but they had come to accept it was real. Their eyes couldn't help but find their way to Rusceus.
"This is the end, then, Ilschevar," Rusceus calmly stated.
"What an interesting successor you have, Rusceus," Ilschevar responded calmly.
Rusceus was slightly unnerved by Ilschevar's bland reaction, but he didn't dwell on it. He believed Ilschevar might be too shocked to accept what happened, so he refocused his attention on the projection everyone was paying attention to.
Clap!
A booming clap was heard, startling the Demon Kings slightly. A baffled look appeared on their faces as the star enveloping the scene was split in two by a white streak. The white streak expanded until it tore the star along with the dimension. The projection screen was filled with nothing but white for a couple of seconds before showing Layland standing in the air before Maurice back in Abhorred Alluvium.
Layland was crossing his arms with a dissatisfied look as he glared at Maurice. Three times bigger than before, he was covered in Dragon scales. Maurice stared back silently. He didn't indicate any expressions, but everyone could tell he was dumbfounded.
"What a fucking useless Origin," Layland grumbled. "I win this fight. Tell me where the fuck she is."
Maurice was woken up from his stupor by Layland's exclamation. It was only then that he paid attention to Layland's form, and his disappointment instantly turned into excitement.
"You lost, imbecile! Look at what you've done!" Maurice retorted disdainfully. "Have you forgotten the rule?"
"The rule?" Layland quirked an eyebrow. "I can't use my True From, can I? But that is not the case with Pseudo-True Form, isn't that?"
Layland disappeared and reappeared before Maurice, swinging Rexorem at Maurice's neck. Maurice frantically tried to teleport. He couldn't. He used his Origin. It didn't work.
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