Throughout his entire life, he had met people stronger than him on many occasions, so his instincts could generally judge the feasibility of him killing, defeating or at least resisting someone with good reliability. To encounter a being that he was wholly unable to beat or eliminate, even if he used all except for his strongest trump cards, was nothing new.
But it certainly hadn't happened before during the Heavenly Succession. Both him and Ninna had held some means back, as they hadn't intended to truly fight to the actual death. Now, if he employed those cards that he had hidden earlier today against Sarasvain... Theodore knew that it still would be far from enough to guarantee any sort of victory.
'It's not like I couldn't kill him if I truly wanted to. Amongst the cards that I have yet to play, there are a very limited number of aces. Still, if I use one of them, then it will be gone forever. I don't have any real enmity with him, and there is no absolute need to kill him–so those aces are definitely not an option.'
It wasn't like he hadn't grown stronger since his battle with Ninna. His most recently obtained Talent and the resulting five additional bodies certainly opened up many more possibilities. However, he wasn't sure if he would be allowed to use them during the duel.
"Oh? Ms. Rún spoke that highly of me? That's certainly unexpected. I'm flattered!"
Eyeing Vigdis on the side with surprise evident in his gaze, Sarasvain showed a small but embarrassed smile. He wasn't exactly used to lording his superiority over others, therefore he hadn't developed a proper method of dealing with being put on a pedestal like this.
Usually, he would simply deal with every pressing matter that was on hand, temporarily enduring the position of power that he found himself in, and then he would disappear again into the unknown. He never stuck around for long enough to allow the lessons that he had begun to learn to truly settle in.
"I just told him the truth. Don't sell yourself short, you can definitely take some pride in what you've accomplished."
Flashing him an encouraging smile, one that was perhaps a bit more enthusiastic than usual, Vigdis ignored the at first confused, then understanding looks that Xie Mei and Han Junqiao gave her. After all, what was there to be ashamed about? There was nothing wrong with being interested in someone!
'So that's her type?'
Communicating with her sister via Kiran's network, Xie Mei carefully scrutinized the unfamiliar man exchanging pleasantries with her beloved.
To be honest, if it came down to pure looks and aura, then he couldn't hold a candle to her Theodore–but to be fair, how many could? From a more realistic perspective, he was absolutely a stunningly handsome man. His features were a bit rougher than her lover's, and his physique was more bulky and less lean.
The most major difference between the two, however, was that Sarasvain looked a fair bit older. She knew that this was simply a reflection of his mental state, though. There was an air of despair and depression shrouding him constantly, causing his immortal body to age, transforming his youthful vigour into the dying embers of a setting sun.
Okay, perhaps she was being a bit too extreme at the very end there–a barely middle-aged man with some grey hair didn't exactly have one foot in the grave just yet. But still, it was undeniable that he had withered from his optimal state into his current one, solely due to mental issues that were plaguing him. In some places, Xie Mei had been told, those were referred to as 'heart demons'.
'It seems so. We'll need to grill her about this later.'
Instead of thinking too deeply about Sarasvain's appearance or style, Han Junqiao was more so interested in interrogating their old friend as soon as they got the chance. This being the first time that Vigdis had been attracted to someone, she really wanted to tease her about it.
"She's right, you know? By the way, before we begin, there are a couple of questions I'd like to ask you."
Following in the footsteps of his right-hand woman's compliment, Theodore took the chance to bring the conversation back on track again. There would always be more opportunities for Vigdis to pry this guy's heart open later, especially if today's matter was handled well. Right now, it was time to talk business.
"Please, go ahead."
Wondering what inquiries this mysterious figure would put forth, Sarasvain focused his full attention on Theodore again. He couldn't allow himself to underestimate him. Although his apparent cultivation stage was even lower than that of his red-haired Subordinate, he actually felt a hint of fatal danger from him. And being as powerful as he was, this fact has highly concerning! Much more than a certain lady's questionable glances in his direction, at least.
"Would it be alright if all of my bodies participate in our battle? And am I allowed to I make use of my Array Formation Proficiency to set up an Array beforehand? I'll be frank, I don't think I'll stand much of a chance if I don't do this, and I kind of want to give this a proper try."
Theodore's honesty caused Sarasvain to raise an eyebrow in surprise, then he considered the requests for a while before ultimately nodding in assent.
"I don't see an issue with this. Your ability to manipulate multiple physical vessels at once is just your own personal capability, not any kind of despicable trick. The same goes for your Array-related skills."
Naturally, giving Theodore the green light to set up some means in advance could still be considered to be a somewhat questionable decision on Sarasvain's part. But from what the Undying President could tell, if he were to duel this man once he arrived at the Celestial Stage as well, then he would probably lose. That's why he wasn't against his opponent attempting to bridge the gap as much as possible. To him, it felt more fair this way.
"That's quite generous of you–thank you! Do you have a venue in mind yet? We don't want your federation to accidentally end up as collateral damage, after all."
Amazed at Sarasvain agreeing so readily, Theodore felt even more fired up for the battle to come. If they weren't still right next to the Sarasvain Federation, then he would have wanted to immediately begin their duel on the spot!
"Yeah, I'd definitely like to avoid that outcome. Come, follow me. I've already thought of a good spot."
Taking the lead, the Undying President brought Theodore and his Subordinates far away into the Lesser True Void. At first, everybody had thought that their destination would just be an empty area, but they were soon surprised to find an incomprehensibly vast landmass floating directly in front of them, stretching on seemingly endlessly into the distance.
"Theo, what is this? It kind of looks like a world, but why doesn't it have a boundary? If it's in such a state, then shouldn't it be getting swallowed up by the Lesser True Void?"
Looking over at her beloved, Han Junqiao voiced her confusion. They had come across some tiny rocks or shards of buildings in the void before, but never a colossus akin to this one.
"It looks like a small remnant of a dead world to me. To simplify it a lot, worlds can also grow stronger, but just like us, while here in the Heavenly Succession's event venue, they cannot rank up past a certain limit. In later rounds, worlds will gradually become increasingly resistant to the Lesser True Void's influence, eventually ending up entirely immune to it–even after the loss of their World's Will."
Inspecting the lifeless fragment, he spotted a few familiar structures, adding one more matter to his mental to-do list. Then, he continued his explanation.
"A World Shard like this one can't possibly have drifted here from another round's event venue. Remember those ruins from the first round? We haven't paid a lot of attention to them in a long time, because the gains from there–aside from Faavi–weren't much to write home about in the grand scheme of things. And ever since arriving in Pytho, we haven't scoured other worlds for them either. Maybe, that was a mistake. Look, those buildings over there. Doesn't their architectural style remind you of the place where I encountered Faavi back then?"
Pointing far into the distance, Xie Mei and Han Junqiao had to strain their eyes to barely make out the structures that he was talking about. But when they finally got a closer look, they both locked gazes, seeing the astonishment written all over each other's face.
"You're right!"
Wishing to study this place in more detail, the duo was about to rush over there, before they were stopped by someone's interjection.
"Excuse me, what are you talking about?"
Feeling left out of their conversation, and intrigued by what Theodore had mentioned, Sarasvain gave voice to his puzzlement. On the side, Ninna was also eagerly listening in, asking herself mainly one question: Who is Faavi?
"I'm afraid that explaining it all will take a considerable while. How about we exchange some intel about this World Shard after our duel? Speaking of: Is there a large uninhabited region somewhere on this remnant? The buildings here may house some interesting secrets, so I'd rather keep them fully intact."
More eager to have a good fight than to recount every ancient ruin-related piece of information that he had on hand, Theodore offered a compromise before bringing up another concern of his.
"Alright, that's fine by me. And yeah, I believe there's an ideal place not too far from here."
Accepting his offer for now; Sarasvain nodded, then he led the group another distance ahead, rushing into the seemingly infinite depths of the World Shard.
Eventually, they came across what could only be described as an incredibly large crater-like depression. Standing at the edge, even Theodore's perception could not cover it in its entirety, but it was surprisingly not as deep as one would have thought. Rather than what would be expected from something like–or similar to–a meteorite impact, this crater did not originate from a singular point.
'A certain amount of force has been applied evenly over a wide area instead. And judging from the contours that I can make out so far... it's almost like a handprint. I can think of a few Named Families and above who are renowned for their palm-centric martial arts. Were any of them responsible for this?'
Furrowing his brows for a moment, he soon put the matter aside. He could always worry about it again later. For all that he knew, this World Shard could have simply been grabbed from a random spot in the Heavenly Court's domain and stuffed into the event venue by the Heavenly Empress, or one of her Brocade Guards. There might not be any greater meaning or conspiracy behind it at all.
"Fantastic choice, Mr. Sarasvain! Even when going all out, this world's remains should be able to withstand our battle. May I get started?"
After testing the durability of their stage, Theodore turned to face his sparring partner-to-be, his internal fighting spirit roaring at the top of its lungs.
"Of course. Go get your Array ready, I'll be waiting for you."
Generously waving his hand, Sarasvain smiled, equally eager to find out what he would be about to face.
As the two of them separated from each other, and the six Theodores began to make their preparations, the rest hurriedly distanced themselves from this spot. They rushed all the way to the very ends of the World Shard, where a Voidfaring Vessel was already waiting for them.
It had originally been stationed next to the Sarasvain Federation, but had been following them ever since they had set off–for the express purpose of allowing everyone to witness the exchange of blows.
They couldn't get too close to the battlefield without risking extermination, so the stealthy and secure Long-Distance Observation Arrays that Theodore had set up on all of their captured Voidfaring Vessels were everyone's next best option.