Lionel was a little surprised, though his expression was unchanged. He believed that he was one of the few people who knew what the [Pathmaker] was.
"You… know what this is?" Lionel asked, stopping in his tracks.
Beiric swallowed, fear still lingering. He paused, then spoke.
"The [Pathmaker]… a story my adoptive father mentioned briefly. About a man who was blessed by the heavens, given the strength to survive. An ability that allowed an individual to rival even the heavens."
"For what reason did your grandfather tell you that?"
"Because… that Pathmaker. It was one of the few things that could rival our clan ability."
Lionel raised his brows.
— An ability that can rival the Pathmaker? By using this, I'm risking my entire life. For an ability to rival the Pathmaker… it would have to be on par with the strength of a god.
"You've unleashed your trump card, Lionel. So, I'll do the same-"
— No way I'm letting you do that!
Kchk!
A burst of energy shot out in all directions. Bright, glowing mana.
* * *
The temple was quiet. Soundless and still. No insects scurried around the stone floors.
Beiric sat in the middle of the temple, his legs crossed.
Standing nearby, the elders watched quietly.
In the middle of the temple, a circle carved into the mossy stone, with several triangles carved around it, represented the sun. Beiric was positioned in that circle.
"Could it be possible?"
"There hasn't been a vessel in over 200 years, though."
"The boy does meet all the requirements. He has the god's blessing, the god's thirst for battle. He's even interested in daggers, just like him. It would make less sense for him not to be the vessel."
"I do think it's a bit immoral to perform this ritual so early. Being a vessel of god… it's a tedious one. He'll grow up to be more and more like him until his actions aren't his own. He wouldn't even be himself."
"Be quiet. It is an honor to slowly change into the one that we believe in so dearly."
A dark, dust-covered, circular-shaped glass was built into the top of the temple.
Slowly, the light that peered through the glass moved. Closed, and closer.
Until the boy's face was completely illuminated.
"This boy… is fit to be a vessel!"
***
The forest was eradicated. Purely. Nothing was left but ash and dust, that rose toward the midnight sky.
"Haah… to think I would have to use this. Huh? Where'd he go?"
Beiric's hair glowed, standing up. There was a different feel about him.
"I'm right here."
Lionel stood in front of him.
He definitely died. In that explosion of pure mana that destroyed the forest. But, his [Pathmaker] kept him alive.
"Your [Pathmaker]… is such a hassle. Infinite revives? Unfair!"
"Not quite. It rewrites cause and effect."
"You just told me how your ability works? You do realize I'm your enemy, right?" Beiric laughed, raising his daggers up.
"Yeah. But… it's not like you'll be able to beat me?" Lionel smiled, slyly.
Beiric stopped laughing.
[God Cast: Triple Grand Light Beam]
The casting time was instant.
From his palm, three large beams of pure light mana shot out from his hand. Each beam was the size of a tree's trunk and stretched out as far as possible.
Lionel was caught in a dilemma.
He was caught in the beams, yes. But, if he were to rewrite things as if he never got caught in the beams, they would crash into the large city nearby, and cause severe damage.
— I have… to…
[Cast: Absorption]
The beams dwindled in size, slowly.
Lionel's feet dragged across the dirt.
He landed just meters from the city.
Lionel spun his blade. Preparing.
Fyeom!
Beiric zipped toward Lionel at a speed faster than anything ever.
After all, he was definitely known for his speed.
He was moving so fast that time began to behave weirdly.
As if he left at 3 seconds, and arrived at 1.
Bsh!
He sliced at Lionel's neck.
Keeping his eye on him the entire time, Lionel dodged the quick slice.
The force cut through the air, causing a devastating shockwave. Roofs were taken off their respective buildings.
Lamplights and garbage can lids soared into the air.
"Seems like I missed…"
He sliced again. This time, an abdominal strike. Lionel paid close attention to his prior movements and properly predicted, blocking the strike.
Claaang!
The sound of the two blades clashing together rang out in the air.
[God Cast: Star Sword]
The plasma blade was a lot larger than it was before, stretching to around the size of a lamp post, if not larger.
Beiric swung it around, demonstrating a very destructive type of swordsmanship. The blade dug through buildings, slicing and cutting.
With each flashy swing, an area was destroyed.
A clean slash at Lionel's throat separated his head from his body.
Finding an opening, Lionel jumped at Beiric, grabbing him by the ankle.
"Ack!"
The sudden grab caught him off balance.
Lionel grabbed his ankle with one hand, then the other, spinning with extreme vigor. In a quick movement, he let go, throwing Beiric into a nearby building.
Crash!
The rubble flew everywhere.
They continued clashing through the city.
It was about 30 minutes into the battle. In such a short time, a third of the city had been turned into ruins.
Fires burnt brightly, and smoke rose toward the dark skies.
The previously quiet city erupted into fear and pure chaos. It appeared like a battlefield. Ash and dust polluted the air. Blood-painted walls were all that remained.