Rivers of the Night - Chapter 344

Chapter 344: Worst Opponents
Theron’s lack of a response seemed to truly make Saularon angry. This little boy she hadn’t taken very seriously at the start was actually daring to ignore her.

But Theron found this exact thing quite interesting. Were Saularon and Thessa not aware that they were being controlled? What a curious Mancy Path.

From Exsaa’s demeanor right now, it seemed as though she could make them do whatever she wanted. And yet, Saularon seemed to act as though she was in full control of her body.

This was no normal Spirit Mancy Path. It was complex in ways Theron didn’t quite understand.

Spirit Mancers were adept at controlling Mana external to them. They were Beast Masters, Necromancers, Karmic Masters… they were adept at taking advantage of things external to them and making them their own.

This was actually the dividing line between them and Soul Mancers, because the latter group was the opposite. Soul Mancers gave of themselves to gain power, while Spirit Mancers took from things external to them to gain power.

This was why the Soul Mancers of the world could be the best alchemists and blacksmiths—it was their Mana that breathed life into the treasures, pills, and elixirs they crafted.

Why this was so fascinating right now was that a Spirit Mancer capable of taking control of something without it being aware… was shockingly close to what a Soul Mancer would be capable of.

It was as though Saularon and Thessa were both reacting to Exsaa’s Mana as though it was a positive force on them rather than a negative. Well… Saularon was, anyway. As for Thessa…

Theron’s gaze slightly shifted toward her. He could sense that there was a hint of cognitive dissonance ruling Thessa’s mind right now. But she was likely mistaking it for something else—

That being her mixed feelings for Theron.

Of course, these were all just speculations on Theron’s part, but they were educated guesses nonetheless—ones that he was better than 90% certain of.

Which also meant…

There was a flash in Theron’s eyes. But just as he was about to take action, Thessa’s rage seemed to boil over.

What?

Theron frowned as Thessa lunged at him, a sword appearing in her palm. His senses flickered over to Exsaa, but she seemed shocked as well and thought about reeling Thessa back. But in the end, she felt that it would ruin the subtlety of her control, so she didn’t.

Something is wrong with me.

Theron had picked it out during his fight against Aetherion and the others. Their mental states were too fragile in front of him, and he wasn’t sure why.

But now, Thessa was only making that more obvious. She had suffered at his hands several times already, but it was precisely because of that that she should be slower to react and almost used to it. It shouldn’t be so easy for her to snap because of a little cognitive dissonance.

Theron didn’t like the feeling of not knowing and understanding. It didn’t seem to be a detriment to him right now, but what if it was in the future?

His frown deepened, and he leapt off of the Alpha’s back. His legs felt weak under him, but he had accounted for it already.

However, Thessa surprisingly didn’t continue toward him—her blade slashed right at the Alpha.

Theron’s frown deepened. His mind was starting to slow. He didn’t want to reveal the true power of the Alpha just yet. While it seemed like he was cornered, he was far from that.

Head on.

Theron made a decision, taking a strong step forward and flipping a palm to unsheath his father’s short sword. There was an arc of blue through the air, and Thessa’s blade was diverted to the side.

He raised his other hand, forming a sparse, hastily formed [Bursting Water Shield] in the air that rippled against an attack Saularon had almost completed.

The two spells clashed in the air as Theron was forced to retreat.

“Retreat,” Theron called.

The Alpha didn’t need to hear these words again. In a flash, it had already leapt into the trees while Thessa was already pressing her advantage.

The strength in Theron’s arms was limited right now, and whatever mental strain had restricted Aetherion and the others wasn’t impacting these two.

What Theron didn’t know was that this was ironically because neither were Gold Mancers, so they hadn’t faced the Mandate of the Heavens. As a result of that, they didn’t have the same fear toward Heavenly Might just yet, and that ironically made them a better match for Theron.

One fire, and the other of heavy water—one pressing in close range and the other firing attacks from a distance—they fell into a seamless coordination.

And that was when Theron realized something else.

Exsaa’s poison was strengthening them. Their Meridians must be screaming with the sheer amount of Mana they were pumping out every second, but it seemed the poison was dulling their senses to that.

At the same time, there was something about Exsaa’s poison that was also accelerating their Mana replenishment at the cost of themselves.

It made them probably at least 50% more powerful, on top of the fact their Mana reserves seemed almost as endless as Theron’s usually were. Well… when he wasn’t coming off the back of so many battles in a row, that is.

However… Thessa was no Wren. As aggressive as she was, and as heavy as her blows felt, there were two problems.

The first…

Water suppressed fire.

The second…

She wasn’t nearly skilled enough to make Theron back off like Wren had.

Spirit Fire should be immune to the same weaknesses normal Fire Mancers had. But unfortunately for Thessa, Theron was no normal Water Mancer.

As for Saularon, it was a shame. The Black Clan was renowned for their defensive and control abilities. But their attacking… was very lacking.

All the while, Saularon couldn’t use her usual control abilities to restrain Theron because the Water Mana around him refused to listen to her. She could only send in controlling tendrils from a distance, but that gave Theron too much time to read and react.

These were the two absolute worst opponents Exsaa could have chosen to use against Theron.

Chi.

Theron sliced into Thessa’s arm, sending it flying. With a flicker, his body suddenly seemed to vanish beneath a wave of Saularon’s Water Mana.