Rivers of the Night

[Songful Blade] was a truly miraculous technique. It unleashed the mind, pulling on the potential of the body to unleash everything it had in one go. This was how it could double the output of your strength.

But Theron found it interesting for another reason.

Although crude in usage, it was quite similar to the ability he seemed to have awakened during the culling… the ability to control the blood of his own body while he was in Veinsong. Or, more accurately, the ability to pull on the Mana of Life that was usually tethered to the body.

[Songful Blade] was far more violent, and far more taxing to use.

But Theron’s abilities… it flowed naturally, the backlash wasn’t nearly as heavy, and this ability to pull on the Mana of Life…

It was truly freeing in ways that were hard to explain…

And it also allowed things that others could hardly fathom.

At the very least, in this storm of rain, the Heavens opening up to pelt down their fury from above, there seemed to be a line formed between him and it.

His palm opened up, and his short sword, scattered away in the distance, rattled… then shot into his palm of its own accord.

BANG!

With the added leverage of the short sword, and the sudden collapse of [Luminescent Rain], the power of the blades fell substantially.

Flux Mancers weren’t ranged attackers to begin with. It was only because of his host of abilities that Beifong was capable.

Now, however… he was in Theron’s domain.

Theron had just wanted to see [Luminescent Rain] work. Now that he felt the concepts in real time, he adjusted.

Like he had said… this was the final opponent worth his attention.

He would go all out here.

Blood flowed down his hip as he took a step forward. The pumping of his heart accelerated its loss, internal bleeding pumping through the cavity of his ribs at the same time. ŔàℕοβĘș

But it was like he didn’t feel a thing.

Beifong immediately felt a difference. This time, it was his own Mana that didn’t seem to be responding to him. But what he understood even less was what had just happened with Theron’s sword. That was most definitely a Soul Mancer ability, something Flux Mancers couldn’t do unless they had formed a Weapon Resonance, something he thought he was close to, yet hadn’t quite succeeded in just yet.

Was Theron actually a Soul Mancer? Or…

Beifong’s heart jolted and he quickly tilted his head to the side.

A blade of water manifested from the rain right by his neck, almost taking his head off.

He didn’t even have the time to be shocked before Theron’s dagger appeared at his throat.

Usually, the sword was the lunging weapon, but Theron’s actions seemed to underline a shocking confidence, choosing speed and precision over safety and distance.

Beifong took a step back to form his own distance, only for Theron’s dagger to pull back in a shocking fluidity. It didn’t feel like he was watching a dagger at all, but water flowing down a mountain.

DENG! DENG! DENG!

A quick three exchanges echoed between the two, sparks flying only to be doused by the heavy rain.

Beifong’s blades were fast, but Theron’s were patient in a way that was hard to describe. They only did as much as they needed to, contacting and carrying away, parrying and sliding against, meeting force with a pale, but continuous resistance that met power with consistency.

Blood flew as an arc of it ran from Beifong’s cheek. He barely dodged again, but this time it wasn’t a spontaneous blade of water, it was Theron’s sword.

And then again.

Then again.

Wounds began to litter Beifong’s body, Theron’s skill—once wholly inferior to his own—seemingly having reached an untold level.

And then he saw it. The glow on Theron’s blade.

Weapon Resonance.

No, that was impossible. A Water Mancer—no, an Elemental Mancer in general couldn’t possibly have a Weapon Resonance!

Theron’s eyes flashed across his vision. They were gentler than they usually were in battle, more free-flowing, more at peace than ever before.

His blades suddenly accelerated.

It was like facing a waterfall, a heavy downpour that started off as spurts piercing through faint cracks in a dam, only for the wall of stone to suddenly give way.

Patient and all-encompassing, and then suddenly vicious and unrelenting. Gentle and peaceful, and then suddenly chilling and piercing.

Halfway through the combo, as the water flowed around Theron, their droplets forming into winding blades and twirling cycles that followed the dance of his feet, Beifong understood two things.

Theron could have killed him already. He just wanted to do it with his blades for some reason.

And two… even if someone told him now that this was a Weapon Resonance, he wouldn’t believe it for a single instant of time.

This was no Weapon Resonance, this was a Mancer embodying his Element to a degree he could hardly fathom.

This had to be an Elemental Resonance, a Water Imbued Resonance so powerful it somehow seeped into the style of his blade arts as well.

Chi. Chi. Chi.

Beifong’s arms flew into the skies, the tendons of his knees being sliced apart and causing him to fall to his caps, all before his head was severed from his neck so cleanly that it wasn’t even clear he had lost it till his body released one more shudder… allowing it to slide off his shoulders and plop to the ground.

Theron snapped out of Veinsong, his body shuddering as though it only just realized the state it was in. He stumbled a step before he caught himself, his face paling. The loss of blood was substantial. Entering Veinsong with a gaping wound in his body was nothing short of suicidal. He had easily tripled his blood loss rate, if not more.

But standing there, looking down on Beifong’s corpse from above, he felt a chilly sort of assurance.

’The… last

He had barely had the thought when the voice echoed.

"Not bad."

A young man squatted down to the tips of his toes from a building high above Theron, the emblem of the Obsidian Eclipse Sect on his chest.

"Normally, I would invite you to join the Sect. But I’m sure as you can tell, my hands are bound this time."

The young man smiled a gentle smile.

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