Theron's blades glided through the night air. He sidestepped and parried, his head shifting as sharp roots passed over his shoulder.
Every time he tapped a foot, he seemed to land in an unmoved location, his calculations precise and sharp.
It was clear that he was moving much slower than the roots were, but somehow he reacted first.
The moisture content in this region by the stream was high. He could feel the changes to the ground hardly a moment after Yonowai had the intention to launch a sneak attack.
There was also a very clear weakness to this form of combat. If Yonowai was too eager…
Theron ducked beneath a net of roots, and the series of vines suddenly tugged against one another, caught in a knot of their own making.
With another tap of his foot, Theron actually expanded the distance between himself and Yonowai.
He wasn't a fool. He was only in the Fourth Resonance, while Yonowai wasn't just in the Ninth, but he was also exceptionally powerful within his Resonance. If not, he wouldn't have been able to take out a pair of Eighth Resonances like Soren and Teagan with such ease—preparation or not.
Yonowai was also a bit taken aback. He had never seen anyone deal with his [Thorny Fields] skill so easily. The fact that he didn't know who Theron was only made him more apprehensive. This caused him to hesitate a beat, allowing Theron to expand the distance even further and slip closer to the shore.
Maybe it was the sway of water or the way the silvery line beamed through the foliage, but Yonowai finally snapped awake.
No matter what, he had to kill this man quickly.
Soren and Teagan had already noticed that there was a change to the situation and had slipped out of the vines that entrapped them. Although they were heavily injured, they were still cultivators, and Yonowai wasn't exactly a tracking expert. He had found them so easily this time because he knew where they would be.
If he allowed them to slip too far away, it might ruin everything, and then he wouldn't have another chance come so easily.
The fact that Theron was here in the first place already made him very apprehensive. It felt like someone had seen through their plans, and if that was the case, it was even more important that he tighten up.
A flare of Mana came from Yonowai's dantian. The ground flexed beneath his feet, and he was launched forward by a whipping line of vines.
His legs extended from the ground, roots wrapping around his calves and making him look far taller and more imposing.
[Thistled Bark] activated on his lower extremities, and he kicked out toward Theron.
The range must have increased by at least an extra two meters, and there was nowhere for Theron to go but the water to his back.
When had he ever feared water, though?
Theron took that light step, his blades crossing in front of him as he arched his back. A reverberating impact shook his arms, and he clenched his jaw to not make a sound.
Telling the cultivation of someone wasn't an exact science, especially when that person had as much Mana control as Theron did. Right now, it was supremely important to him that Yonowai didn't know his exact cultivation level.
So he suffered in silence, feeling the power nearly render his arms useless as he glided backward.
His back hit the waters, and Yonowai pressed his advantage. Ten out of ten times, this would mean that the battle was over.
It was possible to fight on the water, but it required deft control, and a single slip-up could mean the end.
Walking on water was easy enough, but coating one's back in a controlled enough stream of Mana to not fall into the water and lose all semblance of control was something even most Silver Mancers couldn't do.
Theron didn't even try.
The splash of water echoed, and he was quickly submerged.
Yonowai took a heavy step toward the waters, vines wrapping around his arms as he cocked them back. Quickly, he became a meter taller than usual, his legs and arms wrapped in thick vines.
[Thistled Bark] was supposed to be a defensive technique, but who said that it could only be used in that way? When you were a genius like Yonowai, the methods of use for a technique were kind suggestions.
This was what it meant to be at the Adept Boundary.
Yonowai roared, launching his arms forward in a cascade of twisting vines that pierced out at the water. He covered a large area, and with how shallow the stream was, especially so near the shore, there was nowhere for Theron to escape to.
That said, Yonowai was also a veteran of battle. It wasn't lost on him that he had yet to understand what Mancy Path his opponent followed. Though Theron felt a lot like a Flux Mancer with his agility, it was difficult to tell until he sensed his Mana.
So, Yonowai's backup plan was also in full effect. The roots dug into the soft soil of the moistened shore.
A water bullet suddenly flew at the Thistle's head.
Fast. Sharp. Curving through the lines of vines with such expert precision, Yonowai almost missed it.
Danger warning signs flared in his head.
BANG!
Yonowai's head snapped to the side, the muscles in his neck straining on impact.
'Water.'
Yonowai was processing things as fast as he could, but he didn't have the time to register why it was a point-blank hit like that only stung instead of taking his head off his shoulders.
But it was hard to think straight when your vision was suddenly swimming. What Yonowai didn't realize until it was too late was that this wasn't because he had a concussion. It was because a large wall of mist had appeared around him the moment he slammed into the water with the full force of his wooden vines.
SHIIING!
The sharp echo of a blade was the last thing Yonowai heard before his head flew into the air.