Lord of Annihilation

"[Void Travel]" Lucius' soft murmur activated the newest ability of the Void Eater.

Enveloped by his shadow and thus entering the Void, Lucius turned into a streak of dark light that traversed through the barren plain at inestimable speeds.

[Void Travel] was a derivative of [Void Steps] with the latter being a short-range teleportation skill, while the former was a long distant movement skill.

[Void Travel] allowed the Void Eater to traverse large distances of space using the Void as a medium. It was similar to the hyperdrive function of Mankind's spaceships, where instead of using a subsidiary secondary dimension as the medium of traversal the Void Eaters used the Void.

It could be said that as long as Lucius provided sufficient void energy to power the skill, [Void Travel] has no range to speak off. However, factors such as speed and ability to infiltrate areas with a high Rule-density (i.e, deeper towards the center of the Universe) will be dependent on the Stage of the Void Eater.

During the previous battle, it was this ability that the berserk Lucius' had used to toy with the elite pirate group. The dark streak that moved about in the battlefield was the marker signifying Lucius' position.

It had to be noted that during [Void Travel] it was impossible to hurt Lucius using normal means. Due to his body existing within the Void, it would be impossible for attacks to physically reach him.

Back to the story.

'The opponent I'm facing this time is a genuine Low-Level Stage 3 at his peak form. He's sufficiently alert, rendering null any possibilities of a sneak attack. Frontal combat is the only remaining option.'

'Judging from that attack earlier, his main attribute leans towards 'Water' and 'Corrosion'. He also seems to be sufficiently familiar with a weapon, not to mention he has an Upper Mid-Grade armor protecting his body.'

'He's a Stage 3 Lacerman…hmm, if my memories are correct, he must be the Crying Serpent of the Flying Dutchman. Abundant battle experience and a cautious personality were my observations. His Domain is also particularly annoying.'

Thoughts rolled within Lucius' mind at breakneck speeds while his body moved ever closer to his opponent. 

Under no circumstances are Stage 3 opponents to be taken lightly. 

Being able to reach Stage 3 meant that not only did one possess sufficient talent, luck, and resolve to allow them to reach such a Stage, but also meant that one possessed sufficient experience.

Lucius' previous encounter with the Stage 3 Bertarian was a special case. If not for the Void Eater's body being the perfect counter for 'Astral' and 'Space' type energy, Lucius would have most definitely lost his life that day.

Due to these above reasons, that could not be considered an actual battle against a Stage 3 existence.

However, this current one was most definitely so! 

Seeing the figure of his opponent at the distance, Lucius took a deep breath.

'I have to be quick and efficient, going all out from the start. That initial strike against me must have given him some confidence, making him subconsciously underestimate me.'

'Dish out as much damage as possible as soon as possible. I shouldn't give him an opportunity to deploy his Domain.'

'Hmm, soul power and void power expenditure shouldn't be a problem. There is a good stock of replenishments at the back.'

Reaching his hands into the darkness to grab his weapon, Lucius closed his eyes one final time before starting the battle.

'Let's begin.'

Immediately existed [Void Travel], Lucius figure suddenly materialized in the space before Jaros. Their bodies were separated by only a few feet of distance, as each could see the look of the eyes on the other.

Surprise in one and calmness in the other.

Without wasting a single second, Lucius immediately started with his strongest attack.

"Third Movement- Eviscerate." 

The [Annihilator]'s soul power flowed into the scythe through his hands, causing crimson blood-colored veins to instantly pulse on the body of the former. 

An enormous amount of energy gathered at the edge of the blade, which then turned into millions of flashes of white light shaped in the form of threads.

In an instant, the net formed of millions of threads of light immediately closed the distance and landed on the body of the Stage 3 Lacerman.

Unable to react to this sudden attack, the blow fully landed on Jaros.

BANG!!

The enormous explosion caused the weak atmosphere of the moon to crumble and the surface of the ground to fissure. Jaros's body was unable to hold onto his position as the explosion flung his body away. 

Still, the strength of a Stage 3 is not to be underestimated.

Although Lucius had used a considerable amount of energy on that attack whilst executing it to perfection, it had only caused Jaros to move a few hundred meters back. A far cry, considering Lucius was flung back hundreds of kilometers under a similar attack.

"Little dog, you dare!!" Jaros' enraged shout echoed as his body finally came to a stop. Multiple white scratches could be seen on his blue armor, as he crossed his arms to form a guard.

Jaros' was outwardly enraged but inwardly shocked. 

The dog, who was supposed to have died from his first attack, had not only survived but had returned to attack!

How outrageous! How insulting!

Still, Jaros wasn't the kind to immediately lose his head to anger. Certainly not like that pig from his group. 

No, he was a calm and calculative snake that only fought after confirming his chances of victory.

His eyes immediately narrowed and his mind sharpened. Thoughts started to fly within his mind, as he analyzed the current situation.

In front of him, he could see the figure of that dog dashing towards him with a raised scythe, on his way to deliver another attack.

'No! Something is different about him! He's not the same dog he was previously!'

Jaros' intently scanned Lucius' body when he suddenly arrived at a conclusion.

'That's right! It's his eyes! It no longer has that insuppressible greed and madness. It's calm. Too calm and unfeeling!'

'His movements too are different. Its precise, each step is considerate of the next. The movement of his weapon also shows that he's a master at it!'

'But still, the aura that he's releasing is unmistakable! He's only a Stage 2, nowhere close to the Stage 3 realm! I can defeat him!'

'Yes, there's no point in overthinking this. With the sheer difference in our Stages, I can easily defeat him!' 

Having come to this conclusion, Jaros cast aside all hesitation as he moved to evade the blade that was heading towards his throat. No matter how fast Lucius was, an alert Stage 3 was even faster.

The edge of the scythe barely missed the unarmored part of his throat. A smirk appeared on Jaros' face as he raised his fists to punch at the aggressor.

It was then that his pupils shrunk. 

There was no one holding the scythe! In other words, Lucius had suddenly disappeared from his previous location.

'Where his he?!' Waves of Stage 3 soul power instantly swept across his immediate vicinity. 

It was then that a voice devoid of any humanity, rung near Jaros' ears.

"Second Movement- Shred." Lucius instantly crossed his two clawed hands extended with pitch-black nails in the form of an 'X', from his location, directly behind Jaros.

In actuality, all of Lucius' prior movements were a ploy aimed at his opponent. Having recalled his memories of Jaros, Lucius had a good understanding of the latter's personality. 

Facing such an opponent who did not take action unless he was completely sure of his victory. An opponent who used his brains more than his brawn. 

The most effective form of counterattack was…giving them time.

The more time that you give them, the more that they tended to overcomplicate a simple situation. 

In their overt cautiousness lied a glaring weakness. 

A weakness that Lucius had exploited to deal his second blow. 

The Void Eater's hands having undergone an evolution after devouring the Silver Fist Apes were far stronger than normal. His pitch-black claws having undergone an evolution after devouring the creatures within the underground labyrinth were also far stronger than normal.

When using such excellent extremities, whose toughness and sharpness equaled his weapon, the result was naturally…great.

Boosted under the technique of 'Shred' Lucius' two claws dug into the flesh of the Stage 3 Lacerman. The energy gathered at the tip of his fingertips exploded forth, wreaking havoc inside his body.

"ARGH!" Javos let out a blood-curling scream while trying to desperately shake Lucius off.

Having accomplished his goal, Lucius did not dare overstay his welcome and immediately used [Void Step] to retreat back into the Void.

'The real battle begins now.' Lucius used the lull in the battlefield to quickly recover his scythe using his [Void Hands].

"I'LL KILL YOU, DOG!!!" Javos bellowed, his eyes completely bloodshot. 

"Deploy Domain- Swamps of Sezar!"