Theron didn't look back.
Those beneath Silver Mancy didn't have Third Eye. The only way for a Mancer of the Bronze Resonance level to pay such close attention to him while stuck in another battle was through means other than a spiritual sixth sense.
That meant only one of three ways. Either physically keeping an eye on him by gazing from time to time, a sensory technique similar to the domain of mist Theron had used before, or some sort of odd Bloodline method.
Theron was able to quickly deduce that it was the second. But Bronze Sensory techniques all had flaws, especially ones designed for Flux and Elemental Mancers.
It was either the Metal Mancer tethered him with a line of Mana or he was relying on another sense. In Theron's estimation, the odds that that other sense was scent were especially high.
When he reached that conclusion and smelled the fragrance of the female assassin, the plan formed in his head in an instant.
He dashed right by the Metal Mancer without a word, and the latter didn't even glance at him as though he wasn't recognized.
Enhancing senses like smell was definitely a Flux Mancy technique. An Elemental Mancer couldn't possibly have progressed it to a high enough barrier to see through Theron's little trick. The end result bore that out.
Waves of enemies were still ahead of Theron, but there were none like the Metal Mancer. A casual casting of [Touch of Mirage] pulled the wool over their eyes. In the chaos, most didn't even detect the fluctuations in the air.
Theron's Mana was quickly draining again, but his nose twitched in that moment.
'I'm close.'
He could smell fresh air that was separate from the mustiness of the damp underground tunnels.
He shot around a corner and saw a sea of enemies rushing through a hole blasted through the ceiling. Even now, they were still making more holes to rush in.
The light of day burst through, the high midday sun sparkling with gold through the shadows.
They unfortunately represented another dilemma for Theron. The ceiling in this place was over 10 meters above his head. It was easy for the enemies to pour in, not so easy for him to leap up and make it through, especially not with so many coming.
It had only been a brief instant, but Theron felt overwhelmed by the number. There were at least 50 already on the ground, and there were still more coming in.
In a narrow tunnel, there were only so many lines of sight, so [Touch of Mirage] worked well. But here, in a much vaster, open space, he couldn't trick the eyes of so many people. He didn't even bother, dismissing it after hitting a 30% threshold to his Mana.
"Kill!" A thunderous voice echoed as Theron was revealed.
The sound of his heartbeat thrummed in Theron's ears like thunder. His grip on his short sword and dagger tightened.
In this group, the weakest had fallen in quality, and he could sense several Third and Fourth Resonance Bronze Mancers amongst them. It made sense; the vanguard would obviously be of a little higher quality if they dared to go so deep into the hideout without immediate support.
But even with the lower quality enemies, there were still three Ninth Resonance Bronze Mancers amongst them. And then there was a fourth that Theron could sense, a woman who wore shining armor that reflected silvery light beneath such harsh rays.
She was a Half-Step Silver Mancer without a doubt. Theron could even sense an immature sensory tug landing on his body and reading him like an open book.
'Soul Mancer.'
Only Soul Mancers could possibly form a quasi Third Eye before reaching Silver Mancy in earnest. There wasn't going to be any tricking this woman so easily, cloaked or not.
Theron quickly analyzed the situation and knew immediately that he couldn't rush forward like he had before. There were too many.
'There has to be something here.'
He had been forced to act quickly and couldn't plan out every detail like he normally liked to do, but he realized several things immediately.
First, for there to be a hole right to the surface like this, he had likely been running uphill for much longer than he expected.
Second, from what he could see from the outside, they were in the wilderness somewhere. But the trees were of the same species as what was around Thistle Brook City, meaning they were still very much in said region.
This explained the mustiness of the underground space. There was a high water content in this region, and groundwater was likely very common here. Thanks to this, the Water Mana content in the air was quite high, allowing him to replenish faster than he otherwise would.
Third, this space was open, too open. The only choke points were behind him down the tunnel he had just come from, and other tunnels that came in from different regions he wasn't familiar with. Taking them wasn't an option due to the variables, and going back the way he came made no sense—not with enemies waiting for him there.
Everything pointed to a single option. The one option he felt wasn't possible.
Forward.
It was impossible to make it out of here without taking risks.
Theron took a deep breath and the sound of his heart became so loud in his ears that he almost tuned it out entirely. Like a whining, continuous white noise, it became part of him, a rhythmic cadence that was to be accepted, not pointed out.
All of these thoughts swirled in his mind in the briefest of instances before he cast [Water Bullet], not once, but thrice.
They curled through the air, piercing through the eyes of three Fourth Resonance cultivators.
Not a single sound was made as they collapsed and Theron rushed by them.
[Touch of Mirage] was worthless against the Quasi Silver Soul Mancer. But Soul Mancers also weren't known for their direct combat skills either.
So… Theron charged right toward her, his blades flashing.