Chapter 774 Battering

Chapter 774 Battering

It was as though they had been enemies for the longest time.

It was only five seconds, yet it felt like multiple centuries was passing.

Atticus and Karn's gazes locked mid-air, and it was as if intense sparks ignited between them. To Karn, he wanted nothing more than to rid the world of the filth he was currently facing.

Atticus's mana was pure, so pure that Karn had surprisingly never seen anything like it before. Instead of being bountiful and plentiful, it was concentrated and strong.

Since he had unleashed his domain, Karn's power output had reached the grandmaster+ rank, and it was obvious that, although Atticus was close, Karn was faster and stronger.

However, Atticus still seemed to match him every time. Many might not understand how, but Karn did.

Atticus predictive analysis was off the charts—he was being read.

Where Atticus lacked in power and speed, he made up for it by predicting his opponent's weaknesses and reacting accordingly.

It sounded simple, but it was incredibly difficult. Not many could do this, even with heightened perception.

Despite coming to this conclusion, Karn remained calm. In fact, he hadn't been actively thinking before; everything had just been a passing thought.

To him, it didn't matter. It didn't change what had to be done. He would crush the filth.

Exactly four seconds had passed, and Atticus's will had receded to just the surface of his body.

His eyes held Karn's, but the number of thoughts running through his head made it obvious that, to him, this brief standoff was pointless.

He had suddenly realized something that would change everything about this battle and improve his abilities by leaps and bounds.

In the brief moment when Karn's destructive wave had hit him, Atticus had lost control over his will for just a split second as he slashed Karn's cheek.

In that brief moment, Atticus hadn't realized it, but he had done a lot.

Fixing his gaze on Karn's unhealed cheek, Atticus subtly felt a connection to it, as though a remnant of his will remained there. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This small fact led him to a mind-blowing conclusion, one that tempted him to slap himself for not thinking of it earlier.

The Dimensari might have won the competition multiple times in the past, but Karn Voss was different, and Youn had no doubt he would win the Nexus.

But that ball of fire that Atticus had just shot changed everything. For the first time, Youn's expression shifted.

Many others might not know what it was, but the Nullite had made it a point to study every ability that might pose a weakness to their race.

Youn knew exactly what it was, and it wasn't good news. However, the same couldn't be said for Karn Voss.

Karn wasted no time. As soon as the flaming ball appeared in front of him, he brought his hammer down like a judgment, smashing into the ball of fire—a mistake he paid dearly for.

It burst into an explosion of flames, smoke engulfing the air around him.

Then, to everyone's shock, including Karn's, the sizzling sound of burning flesh filled the arena.

Smoke rose, and Karn's eyes trembled in disbelief as he looked at the flames searing his skin. His shock was palpable.

How could fire burn him in his own domain?

For a being as strong as him, only fire infused with mana could burn him. This realization made Karn pause and think for the first time since the battle began.

As he focused on the crimson glow enveloping the fire, it hit him: Atticus had wrapped his will around the flames before launching them at him.

But before Karn could process this, Atticus shot through the cloud of smoke, his flaming katana descending like a comet.

Karn's instincts flared, his thoughts snapping into focus. He swung his hammer up to block, and the two weapons collided, igniting another burst of flames. The air became searing as the flames obscured everything.

However, in the next second Karn's gaze narrowed. He had expected a devastating impact, but something felt off.

Despite the flames engulfing his vision and the weight of Atticus's katana pressing against his hammer, his instincts screamed at him.

His gaze snapped downward just in time to see a flaming fist racing toward his face.

The realization hit him like a thunderclap.

Atticus had let go of his katana.

The fist connected with Karn's head with the force of a battering ram, the impact so intense it felt like a meteor smashing into the earth.