The battle among the subordinates broke out in an instant. Verinam was able to hold his own, but Eva was suppressed by Therim's student. Golden Spears bombarded her body, sending her back to the ground. It didn't take long until the Slayer of Mount Zvren had black patterns emerge around her eyes, her strength growing by the second.
Although the fight was fierce, most attention was still on Therim and Canter. The two mages floated in the air, their long robes billowing in the wind. Therim's face was indifferent while Canter's expression radiated confidence, even some excitement. He should have sought the confrontation much earlier.
Canter was an accomplished mage. He developed many spells. He had studied tediously for his entire life. He should have become the guardian! Yet Therim came out of nowhere. Leveraging his close relationship with the king, Therim stole the guardian position which should have belonged to Canter! Now the chance finally arrived. Canter wished to proof to the world that the decision back then was wrong!
Without speaking, the two mages moved simultaneously. As if reading each other's thoughts they stretched their arms forward. Magic circles spun in their palms. It took mere moments for the mana to condense into long swords, their mere presence seemingly enough to distort space.
In a flash the two mages collided. Golden light erupted from Therim's sword, contending with the white light coming from Canter's sword. It was as if two stars exploded above the city. The brilliant light tore apart the leaden clouds, inviting the sun to shine down.
Canter let out a loud laugh as the two mages clashed dozens of times in mere seconds. He had specifically trained swordsmanship for this moment.
It was well known that guardians had to be allrounders. Of course, they specialized in certain fields, but if a shadow demon snuck up on a mage, the latter had to know how to defend himself. Sometimes there was no time to cast magic. Thus, Therim had trained in swordsmanship. He couldn't rival the likes of Endal, the third prince of the Rising Basilisk Empire. But his proficiency was definitely not low. And yet Canter managed to keep up.
"As much as I enjoy our exchange, but this proves nothing, Therim! Let me show you the magic which will always reign above yours!"
Canter soon had enough. Mana flowed into a ring he wore on his hand. A terrifying force erupted. Therim had no choice but to retreat hastily. He didn't dare to take the blow directly. Meanwhile Canter made use of the opportunity to discard his sword. Both hands were in front of his body and a white magic circle was immediately constructed. With a grin he grabbed some powder from his pockets and threw it into the circle.
Canter was known for his proficiency in evoking and empowering magic through items. He had even created some famous equipment, like Silver Blade's newest earrings. He was a pioneer of this path of magic, and it was where his pride originated from.
As soon as the powder landed on the magic circle, the runes rotated crazily, erupting with enough power to overshadow the fight going on between the subordinates. All around Therim white swords flashed into existence, pointing at the guardian. An invisible connection created an inescapable net. Teleportation, flash step, everything was rendered useless.
Yet Therim's expression didn't change. He closed his eyes and his open palm hovered above his chest. Countless tiny magic circles erupted, covering his entire body. Therim's body instantly transformed into a straight spear burning with golden flames.
The golden spear suddenly shot at Canter. As soon as it moved, the magic shook the sword net. In no time at all swords and spears collided. The net was stretched taught, like a piece of rubber trying to hold back a knife. However, it was useless. The golden spear broke through the sword net and arrived in front of Canter.
The older mage showed no fear. He only turned his hand slightly.
"What? How did he do that?"
"Is this real magic?"
"Our skills suddenly seem so weak..."
Liam and his friends exclaimed in shock. Especially the mages were shaken. They watched the scene in the sky, where it looked as if time had reversed. One moment Therim was in front of Canter, and the next moment he was back inside the net of swords, which had repaired itself. If one looked closely, one would notice though, that the net of swords had contracted slightly. The space it guarded was shrinking.
Therim was still in the form of a golden spear. The same scene repeated itself. Therim broke through the net, arriving in front of Canter only to return to his original position the next moment. And the net of swords was coming closer and closer.
"What's going on? Does Therim not realise the situation?"
"He has to break out!"
"Can we help him?"
The friends were on tenterhooks, just short of biting their nails. They were seriously afraid of Therim losing here. He was probably the NPC they had spent the most time with. No one wanted to see Therim lose.
However, the situation didn't improve. Canter couldn't help but laugh. He knew that Therim was caught between a rock and a hard place. If Therim wanted to, he could break out of the sword net by shattering space.
But as a guardian he was reluctant to do so. Each time space was shattered, it would take a long time to heal. Although it might superficially recover, the damage done to the fabric of space remained, like a scar. This would weaken the integrity of space itself. And weakened space might give the void opportunities to invade.
As a guardian, Therim would naturally avoid this. Thus, just after the fight started Canter had produced a perfect trap for Therim. A trap specifically designed for a guardian.
"Just give up, junior! If you continue, my inescapable net will eventually bind you. Accept your loss!"
Canter kept urging Therim. After all, he didn't dare to kill a guardian. This would make him an enemy of all guardians. Even if he hid with the chaos faction, the order faction would send people to take him down at all costs.
Therim's answer followed swiftly. Unfortunately it wasn't in the form Canter would have liked.
The golden spear again appeared at the centre of the sword net, which had tightened more and more, now almost pricking Therim's skin. Yet the guardian didn't stop. The tip of the golden spear shot towards Canter.
But this time there was a change.
A small but extremely intricate magic circle, consisting of thousands of runes suddenly came to life on top of the spear tip. Therim had spent the entire time he was trapped only preparing this magic circle, using the clash between spear and swords to mask his intentions.
Now it was too late. Canter just thought of stopping Therim when the magic circle shone with a bright, golden light which engulfed not only the fighters, but even the city below. Everyone's vision was filled with a splendid gold. A moment later the light receded. The friends instantly opened their eyes wide, eager to know what Therim had done.
"Awesome!"
"Why can't we do that..."
"So impressive!"
Shock and awe filled the air. It was as if the friends travelled back in time. Therim and Canter were confronting each other with swords in their hands, clashing quickly. Canter's eyes betrayed his confusion. The older mage knew what had happened, but the change came too unexpectedly. One moment he thought victory was in his grasp and the next moment Therim's sword flashed, about to pierce his heart.
"You!"
Canter didn't know what to say. He hastily raised his sword to defend himself. But one fighter was prepared, while the other was flustered. How could Canter face Therim like that? The two swords clashed, and Canter's white blade was torn from his hand. Granted, it was a magical weapon, reappearing in Canter's hand the next moment. But once Therim gained the advantage, he pressed on ferociously, not allowing Canter to recover.
Canter gritted his teeth. He repeated the same move from earlier. Mana flowed into his ring and unleashed an invisible pulse, aiming to push Therim away. However, the magic simply washed over the younger mage without effect.
"What? How?!"
Canter's shock continued to increase. It wasn't because of the effect of Therim's magic, rather the older mage, priding himself in his research, was shocked and frightened as he didn't understand how Therim had accomplished it. He couldn't figure out how Therim's spell worked. Could it be that Therim's research on time magic exceeded his own? Impossible!
"Do you think only you are advancing? Canter! Don't forget that you are older than me. Back then, I only lost by a slight margin. But after so many years I have already overtaken you!"
"NO! Impossible!"
Therim's words were more painful than any blade. Canter was shaken to his core. Therim instantly made use of the opportunity. His sword stabbed forward. Blood splattered. Canter's face turned pale. He looked down on his chest, realising that a sword had only narrowly missed his heart.