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nAgrianos unhurriedly approached the great blade Heartsbane that was thrust into the ground.

nAs a connoisseur of weapons of destruction, a strong blade like Heartsbane naturally caught his attention. After grabbing it and hefting it from the ground, Agrianos analyzed the great weapon with growing fascination. His eyes gleamed brightly like a young child having found a new toy, but more than that, he seemed… inspired.

n“A pretty neat design. The edge is super sharp, too. And the grip isn’t all that bad. Gives me some ideas. Perhaps I’ll get that old imp to forge me up something wicked. In the meantime…”

nAgrianos flexed his arm, Heartsbane whipping across the air as a result. Pure destruction unfolded in the distance as one of the Wailing Sierra’s mountains was cleaved in half.

nSparing a glance in that direction, Agrianos gave a wan smile.

n“Whoops. This weapon is sharper than I gave it credit for. An excellent conduit. I’ll have to take note of that and be more mindful.”

nMeanwhile, Argexes felt excitement bubble inside him despite the Flame’s warning. It was admonishing Argexes, but the logical advice fell upon deaf ears as he ignored the sinister apparition.

nArgexes had no design of giving up a fight.

nNot when an immaculate enemy stood before him. If not a whetstone, he would at least be resilient steel to sharpen the untempered weapon Argexes currently was.

nBefore approaching, Agrianos panned his gaze over the battlefield and beyond before focusing on Argexes.

n“You did something, didn’t you? I can feel weaker versions of your aura spreading all throughout the Boundary. What have you done?”

nArgexes smiled, then he shifted his body subtly and moved at a speed akin to teleportation, arriving before Agrianos.

n“Why, I have spread Ruin, of course. All kinds of Thralls of the Mad Tyrant now roam these Lands, doing my bidding.”

nRevealing what he had done, Argexes’s dreadful claws became wreathed in that same ruinous flame as earlier. He struck with enough force to punch through reality or sunder a mountain. But his opponent was stronger than a mountain.

nAgrianos kicked the attack aside, redirecting the energy while following up with a radial slash using the momentum of his counter.

nArgexes sensed the blade close, but in his perspective, time crawled. He blocked the weapon that many would fear, listening to the sonorous screech.

nHeartsbane was undoubtedly a powerful Relic born through the grave sacrifices of an Archmaster, but it was not a weapon capable of cutting a Monarch. Argexes was unarmored, using nothing but his natural-born physique, the power of Ruin, and what blood he felt like manipulating, but Heartsbane did not puncture his skin.

nNot at first.

nAgrianos nodded subtly, coating the sword in a layer of destructive energy that crackled like lightning.

nThen, their clashes unleashed a maelstrom of destruction, turbulent storm winds laced with ruinous and destructive gossamer threads so delicate yet utterly dreadful.

nTheir clashes scarred everything, forcing the Draegerys, Adeia, Grismund, and the nearly dead Rhaenys to take shelter where they could.

nWhat transpired as a result of their fight was simply absurd! The clash of two impossibly strong titans was the epitome of devastation.

nTheir physical attacks were so powerful that they rivaled the destructive quality of exceptionally high-ranking and high-level skills. Argexes used his claws to unleash severe strikes, but Agrianos used every limb at his disposal, revealing a bafflingly high battle sense and control over his extremities.

nAt the end of their first clash, Agrianos forced Argexes into the defensive.

nAgrianos cracked a smile when Argexes crossed his arms to block, and then a collection of dark, devastating energies coated his foot before he blasted it into the Monarch of Ruin’s mounted defense.

nA thunderous explosion rang out, and Argexes soared uncontrollably into the sky until he got his bearings, skidding across the air like solid ground. That ability mystified Kieran, making him wonder how it was accomplished.

nThrough Mana? Perhaps not. There was no ambient Mana within the Land of Ruin to control. That likely had something to do with the destruction wrought by Agrianos.

n‘What exactly did that old man destroy for it to be like this? It must have been a perilous battle.’

nWhereas Argexes could almost achieve teleportation with his natural speed, Agrianos performed it. Perhaps it was a way to boast or a tactic to establish his superiority, but he did it, and the Monarch of Ruin’s eyes gleamed with astute understanding.

nBefore Agrianos moved, he destroyed where he stood, allowing him to hurtle through reality and instantaneous appear before his opponent and strike them down before their senses could detect him.

nBut Argexes’ instincts were that of a primal beast. His body responded before his mind did, catching a falling blade between his palm and checking a front kick to his stomach with his knee.

nThroughout his defense, comprehension flickered in Argexes’ gaze before he, too, teleported correctly, appearing at Agrianos’ side.

nThe likeness between Ruin and Destruction was so remarkable the applications nearly mirrored one another, which Agrianos perhaps didn’t consider. Otherwise, it would have been wise not to use techniques Argexes could imitate or assimilate.

nSon of Ruin and Child of Destruction.

nTheir union was mayhem for the Boundary itself.

nXenith began to shudder, and the Land of Ruin started to rupture, geysers of molten, noxious energies spewing into the sky.

nIt was a battle of unparalleled desolation!

nThese consequences were the reason Argexes could not be allowed to walk the Boundary. Perhaps it was only apparent to Agrianos’ supremely heightened senses, but tenebrous rifts were opening up — tears in the Boundary’s Curtain.

nThose tears linked to places beyond Xenith that had no place here.

nAgrianos clicked his tongue and scowled.

nHe had expected to take care of this quickly as the Monarch had not grown into his power before, but his physique alone was too troublesome.

nAgrianos was up against an intractable foe that had resembled his strengths in the worst of ways. He regarded the current condition of the Boundary’s Curtain before staring at Argexes.

n“…What a tricky adversary you are.”

nArgexes grinned, thrilled by their endless fighting.

n“I could say the same about you, Child of Destruction. Why do you continue to lead me up here? What are you scheming?”

nDuring their countless exchanges, Agrianos had brought the Monarch of Ruin higher and higher into the sky, which Kieran felt was incredibly strange.

n“Killing you seems almost impossible, and I understand that now. You are similar to me, but not quite.”

nArgexes scanned the area for unseen threats that could hide from plain sight. But he didn’t locate any such threats. That wasn’t to say there were no threats nearby. His instincts simply told him that nothing posed as significant a threat as the man before him.

n“If I can’t kill you, I’ll have to weaken you. Luckily, we are sufficiently far away from the land.”

nSuddenly, the air quivered and warped in the vicinity while an ungodly pressure suffused… everything. The presence around Agrianos began to change as a menacing vertical third eye similar to that of a Fiend’s opened up on his forehead.

nAlarmed by this sudden change, Argexes barreled toward Agrianos to interrupt what he was doing, but a mystical screen of blue-gold energies repelled him.

n“Step back, foul creature.”

nKieran’s eyes brightened as he listened to the voice he knew all too well — Hekaina. She was as radiantly stunning as always with her ethereal features, but something about her seemed profoundly suffocating.

nStudying her appearance, Kieran soon understood what it was — her Supreme Ciphers. They weren’t on her arms but floating behind her like grand, layered rings of mystic might.

nShe glanced at Agrianos before asking a simple question.

n“How long do you need to Incarnate?”

nAgrianos opened his eyes, which were entirely white, seeming ominous, inhuman, and like orbs of utter destruction, and answered calmly.

n“Thirty seconds, but you didn’t have to intervene.”

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