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Chapter 393: The First Versus The Thirteenth

“Erudis!”

As if hearing a word that acted like a bane to his existence, Aurus could not help but stop swinging the large claw for a bit, wondering if it would be wise for him to retreat from the being that they had called. However, the primal instinct instead decided that it was better for him to continue with the attack, wanting to make sure that if ever the being that was called came, he wouldn’t have to fight against three people, just one.

With that, he increased the speed at which he swiped the claw, realizing that he had given the being more time to come to where the three of them were. Of course, in reality, that lapse in judgment was only around a few hundred milliseconds or so. Nevertheless, that was enough for a change to happen in what seemed to be the dead end for both Vytalis and Mannelyn as a loud explosion resounded just before the claw could hit the two of them.

Bang!

Out of nowhere, a large rift opened up in front of the large claw’s trajectory as a seemingly frail ash gray hand came out to stop it. Normally, one would think that something so small would instantly give way to something so big. However, in an instant, multiple magic circles conjured around the ash gray hand as it gave off a more dominant aura. Eventually, the dominant aura had reached an incredible strength that the hand…just pushed the claw away.

Swoosh!

Within seconds, the scales had been quickly tipped in the favor of both Vytalis and Mannelyn as the two looked at the being that had appeared in front of them with relief and glee. As for the being that had appeared, it had looked back at the two and said with a tone that was part indifferent and part boastful, “You called?”

“You did tell us to call you when we thought we couldn’t fight back anymore,” Vytalis replied as she watched the claw that had been flung away by the being gradually dissipate into thin air. After that, she looked at Aurus, who was watching the ash gray being in front of the two with solemn expression. Combined with the extreme killing intent he emanated at the moment, it was unknown what was going on in his mind.

Of course, the ash gray being that had appeared was none other than the progenitor of the Spiriveritae, being the first Spiriveritae to ever exist in the world of Erudinia. Due to this feat, he had gained control over the Epiphany of Omniscience. He was Erudis, the leader of the Spiriveritae, and the owner of the Inheritance of Erudition.

“Although I’m not certain as to whether the you back then was just a facade, what I’m truly certain of is the fact that you’ve changed in that span of time, Verdante,” Erudis could not help but say, looking at Aurus, who was still covered in multiple layers of dried blood. In response, the malevolent aura Aurus briefly intensified as he dashed forth, condensing a huge amount of Wind energy particles in his right hand as a blade with a dark streak manifested soon after.

“[Spellsword of Ruination: Lost Art].”

“[Penultimate Blade of the Chaotic Tempest, Fragarach].”

Swoosh!

Redirecting all of the strength in his body towards the blade, he then quickly slashed out diagonally, aiming to defeat Erudis with a single move. As for Erudis, he was quite surprised by the strength behind the move, wondering how Aurus was able to elevate his strength to such a high level within a short span of time. Nevertheless, he did not go easy on his opponent, conjuring a small magic circle in front of him before multiple spikes of light were shot out of it, all with the intent to defeat Aurus.

“[Radiant Omniscience: Myriad Fulgurite].”

With a tone of indifference, he chanted the name of the spell he used as he easily pushed Aurus back before the latter’s attack could even hit. With that, the blade could only hit the ground,  which trembled for a second due to the sheer strength it contained.

Seeing as how his first attack had failed to hit his opponent, Aurus went ahead and conjured thousands of blades around his body before shooting it all out towards Erudis, seemingly aiming to mimic the skill that Erudis was doing.

“[Spellswords of Ruination: Millennium Tempest Bladestorm].”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With great speed, all of the wind blades Aurus had conjured were seemingly aiming for the spikes of light that Erudis had created, wanting to make sure that none of them would be able to hit him from that point onward. Naturally, Erudis had an idea as to what Aurus was thinking, prompting him to stop the skill as he changed into another one.

For a moment, Erudis did not have any method to fight back against Aurus’s attack at all, only relying on a small barrier of energy in front of him. In any case, that still showed the amount of strength Aurus commanded when he was serious, something that was of rare occurrence after his body had been fully controlled by the primal instinct. Though, as time passed, it seemed that the primal instinct was becoming wiser, gradually allowing Aurus’s body a level of strength even he had never seen before.

While Aurus continued to bombard Erudis with swords of wind, Erudis eventually retaliated as he sent out a shockwave to the barrier, briefly giving him time to prepare his next skill.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

In less than an instant, three layers of magic circles surrounded Aurus, making his primal instinct wonder as to what was going to happen next. Fortunately, it did not take long for the next attack to come out as Erudis hastily infused the magic circles with a lot of energy, forming white crystals around Aurus’s body as the crystals gradually grew to create a tree made out of white crystal.

“[Everlasting Omniscience: Luminous Tree Seal].”

Kacha!

As if the skill was responding to Erudis’s words, the sound of something being locked soon resounded out from the crystal tree while Aurus stayed motionless within it. Seeing how the problem was solved so easily by Erudis, both Vytalis and Mannelyn could not help but swear to themselves once more, with greater fervor, to increase their comprehension over their respective Epiphanies, feeling embarrassed after seeing the strength both Aurus and Erudis commanded.

Though, before they could stare at what Erudis had done for any longer, Erudis looked back at them and said in his usual tone of indifference, “If I were you, I would suggest leaving this place as soon as possible and let me take care of this.”

“Eh? Why though?” Vytalis could not help but ask. “Didn’t the last skill you use make him unable to mo—”

Crack…crack…

Just before Vytalis could finish her next statement, the crystal tree had finally shown a few hairline cracks on its surface, showing that Aurus was gradually breaking through the seal Erudis had made with raw strength alone. Knowing very well that the two of them would just be burdens at this point onward, Vytalis and Mannelyn instantly made up their minds to leave, but not without leaving Erudis something behind.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Within moments, a large bundle of pink and cyan energy coalesced around Erudis, making him nod in gratitude at the two as the two quickly hurried off back to their respective places. As for Erudis, who now had a way to replenish his vitality and energy at any moment, he looked at the crystal tree that was eventually going to shatter with great interest.

“I may not have put in a lot of energy into the seal I made, but for him to break through it with sheer strength alone is quite the sight,” Erudis muttered, conjuring another magic circle as he prepared for the exact moment Aurus broke out of the seal. Eventually, after a few more seconds, the crystal tree finally shattered, prompting Erudis to attack with one of the stronger skills in his arsenal.

“[Radiant Omniscience: All-piercing Spear Brionac].”

Whoosh!

In Erudis’s mind, the attack would be enough to injure Aurus to a certain extent, or better yet, incapacitate him for a certain amount of time, allowing him to unleash a stronger attack. But rather than the spear of light he had shot out to create such an effect, what happened instead…definitely came out of left field for Erudis.

“What?”

Crackle…crackle…

Aurus, who had shown great might a few moments ago, was gradually turning into specks of green light as his body slowly disintegrated amidst the crystal tree. Confused, Erudis went closer to the crystal tree to see what was happening.

But just as he was only a few steps away to finally seeing the truth…

Bang!

Out of nowhere, a large claw made out of blades of wind swatted Erudis as if he was a house fly, sending him flying for a few kilometers. A few seconds later, the silhouette of a familiar being gradually appeared at the spot where Erudis previously stood, his gaze an enigma as he watched Erudis get farther and farther away from him.

Surprisingly, it was Aurus! Considering what he currently looked like, it did not seem like he had accrued any injuries from Erudis’s attack at all. Well, that was because…

He really didn’t.

Instead, his primal instinct had become wiser once more, prompting him to use more and more of the skills in his arsenal to a greater extent. And the skill his primal instinct had chosen to focus on for the moment…was [Flux Knight].

Indeed, the same [Flux Knight] Aurus thought back then to be of lesser priority as it did not increase his strength by that much. Under the control of the primal instinct, it had shown great prowess as a skill that could be used to fool opponents in thinking they had defeated the opponent they were fighting. Of course, its original purpose went beyond that, but at the moment, the usage of the skill as a decoy was truly perfect.

However, as Aurus redirected his vision towards the decoy that had just shattered in the middle of the crystal tree he was previously sealed in, he then circulated a bit of his energy as two copies of him soon appeared in front of him.

Wait a second…two?

With him absorbing the All-seeing Comprehension Leaf, the speed at which he gained experience was truly at a level all beings would be envious of. Even the single activation of [Flux Knight] alone was enough to max out its level, giving Aurus the choice to evolve it.

And surprisingly…he took it.

“Evolve [Flux Knight],” he commanded in his hoarse voice, watching as the decoys in front of him gradually transform. After a few seconds, the decoys had become more lifelike. May it be the aura surrounding them, or the presence they gave off, it was more or less similar to what Aurus gave off. On top of that, they even had the ability to emulate a portion of the power in the skills Aurus used.

From this point onward, the skill had veered off from its original name of [Flux Knight]. Instead, it would be more apt to call it by its evolved name.

[Flux Doppelganger].

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As another decoy was able to be created thanks to the skill evolving, Aurus and the three decoys soon headed to where Aurus thought Erudis had landed. After arriving at the area, the only thing that served as evidence that Erudis had indeed landed in the area was the fact that a decently sized crater was made on the ground. If not for that, it would be hard to find where he had landed.

Naturally, knowing that a threat like Erudis could attack him at any time, Aurus did not hesitate to go all out and use the decoys to his advantage, using them as his method of surveillance as his experience with the skill increased, allowing him to create more of them. Eventually, Erudis had shown himself, even engaging in combat with one of the decoys, giving off the feeling that he had not realized he wasn’t fighting against the true Aurus.

However, when Aurus watched the fight happen from afar, Erudis looked in his direction after a while with a knowing smile, giving Aurus chills as a large magic circle appeared under his feet.

“Hehehe.”

“Found you.”