Chapter 1719 Duel [2]

Chapter 1719 Duel [2]

It was like they'd teleported into a completely different environment, really.

When the groundwater tore through the earth in its desperate rush towards the only man it deemed worthy to control it, the floor beneath both him and Eris crumbled away.

The soil mixed into the massive waves and was swept away to somewhere random. Massive chunks of rock and stone were broken apart until they were crumbs and thrown out of the newly created lake entirely.

The battleground on which August and Eris had been fighting was sunken deep into the ground. They were now fighting an aquatic battle in a field of August's creation.

Naturally, the darkness domain was disrupted by the sudden appearance of so much water. Even more so when Eris was swallowed into it.

She diverted her focus to precision control. Using the darkness present inside the water itself, she propelled herself out of the waves and into the air where she currently stood.

Meanwhile, August was in his element when he was surrounded by water. He didn't follow her into the air, but instead immediately attacked from his position standing atop the waves.

'Form.'

August twisted his hand, and the waves morphed into twin dragons.

'Charge.'

The dragons rushed into the air. They chased Eris down and opened their maws, ready to devour her.

'Damn!'

Eris gritted her teeth.

She put up a hasty defense, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

BOOOOOM!

The two dragons slammed into and through her darkness, and she was instantly drowned in their power.

The laws of water allowed both flexibility and rigidity. When they were used offensively, they could manipulate the enemy's body into positions that completely disarmed or even killed them.

Eris was a flexible person, sure, but she wasn't anywhere near the level of water. Her body was contorted by the currents inside of the water dragons, twisted in unimaginable ways.

Before she could right herself, the water turned rigid, trapping her in her uncomfortable position.

It would have been comedic to see her like that if it wasn't for the situation.

Besides, August wasn't finished yet.

'Pierce her.'

With another command, multiple streams rose out of the lake and turned to ice. They followed their dragon-formed brethren on their path and pierced as they were ordered.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

With the sound of them whizzing through the air, first blood was taken.

The icicles cut through the water dragons and put holes in Eris' shoulder, thigh, and stomach.

"Hssss!"

She hissed in pain as her eyes sharpened.

BOOM!

An aura of darkness spewed from Eris' body and polluted the surrounding water.

As it corroded into poison, August lost control over the dragons that contained her.

Her domain had been crushed and his had been created. In retaliation, she was doing exactly what he refrained from doing earlier.

'But if you want to create a domain within mine, then you'll have to work harder than that.'

The stupidest thing August could do was give Eris the chance to make a big move. As long as she was restricted to only using smaller more precise abilities, she wouldn't be able to take the upper hand or injure him.

It was wishful thinking in a sense. Eris wasn't someone who could be stopped using ordinary means once she'd set her mind to something.

If she wasn't such a person, then she would have never pursued August to this point.

She was the first real rival he'd had in this world. Juno was different. They were friends and would never actually do anything to hurt each other.

Eris was purely a rival. She was someone he strived to surpass and someone who refused to be surpassed by him.

For a second, August thought that this battle meant more to him than he originally expected.

But that thought didn't last long.

WHOOOOSH!

The waters of the lake fluctuated. They swished from side to side, clashing against each other until a massive whirlpool was formed.

In the middle of the lake was a gaping hole that led deep underground.

And at its bottom, the only thing present was darkness.

VOOM!

It was as if that darkness opened its eyes and grinned a grin filled with malice.

August knew what Eris was trying to do, and he was already in the process of creating a counterattack.

Yet, she'd already completed her move before he had the chance to do anything.

'That's a real genius.'

She was also someone with the blood of a Holy Dragon flowing through her body. She wasn't someone August could defeat easily like the noble clan geniuses, but a competitor that had both the same starting point and potential as him.

Against someone like her, tricks wouldn't work.

The only way to win was to genuinely be more skilled.

But that was exactly what got August's heart pumping so ferociously.

A true test of skill, a battle where nobody could doubt the victor...

'...I'm starting to understand why Valerie's been ignoring the war for a month.'

This kind of battle was addicting, especially for a young genius who wanted to grow.

He supported her precisely because he understood this already.

Still, it was different when he was feeling it himself.

He looked at Eris with flames burning in his eyes.

It didn't matter if it would take a minute or a year.

He would defeat her properly.

That was something he swore to make a reality.