Donning two thin dark blue and purple gauntlets, Kyran landed on the ground while keeping his eyes on the spot where the man with the long red coat had fallen. Several hexagonal-shaped plates, which were less than an inch in size and had the same color as the gauntlets, hovered around his body, circling him. Soft humming sounds like a pulse could be heard from within the plates. A few of these plates would sometimes merge, taking on an uneven shape, before unmerging after a few seconds as they hovered around Kyran.
These plates were the result of his first Void creation.
Initially, Kyran wanted to create an armor that could withstand the man's pressure. Then he thought an armor was too big and might use up what was left of his magic energy, so he decided to go for a weapon. But he could not decide which weapon to create. His first choice was still a spear. Without information about the man's abilities, a spear was better for testing the waters since it had different ranges. Unlike a sword which would only be good in close combat. Short blades were also an option since he could aim better if he threw them. Of course, this was only possible if he had a lot of short blades to spare.
In the end, Kyran chose to make shape-shifting plates that he imbued with magic sense to control and shape them at will. The idea came to him as he recalled what he wanted his Void Scales to be capable of before. Too bad he could not use magic sense before; thus, he had limited control over the Void Scales.
If Nolan were here, he would have been shocked and even felt a little uneasy because the function of Kyran's plates was similar to how he used his black orbs. The only difference was their shape; Kyran's plates were hexagonal, while Nolan's were obviously round. And if Anette were here, she would have commented that they were indeed related, having come up with the same idea.
Luckily, he managed to succeed and also finish in time. If the man had come a few seconds early, he might have succeeded in flattening Kyran to death.
That was how Kyran survived when his makeshift workroom got destroyed by the man's invisible attack. As soon as the workroom started to crumble, he willed the shape-shifting plates and formed a half-sphere around him.
Initially, Kyran decided to hide within the rubble until the man left. He might have succeeded in making a Void item, but fighting the man head-on was still impossible. With no magic energy and no Regis Technique or Draconic magic to boost his physical abilities, how could Kyran possibly fight? He might be fearless most of the time, but he was not suicidal. Kyran would only engage in a battle where he was at a disadvantage if he had a trump card that could ensure his win or at least escape from imminent death, but at the moment, he had neither.
Unfortunately, the man had a way of tracking Kyran.
With only two options to choose from, to die inside the rubble, or fight and create a chance to escape, Kyran chose the latter and made his move.
He willed a few of the shape-shifting plates to attack the man directly, while he went in the opposite direction to attack the man from behind.
When the shape-shifting plates were finally in front of the man, Kyran had also appeared behind. The plates immediately rejoined the rest and hovered around Kyran while some covered his arms to form gauntlets.
When his fist hit the man's face, he was shocked at how much force he exerted.
Although Kyran had an indifferent expression right now, in truth, his heart was beating heavily in his chest, and he could barely control his breathing. He did not expect his sneak attack—at least, he considered it a sneak attack—would actually work.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted from where the man had fallen.
Instantly, the shape-shifting plates hovering around Kyran formed an arc in front of him, shielding him from the shockwave that followed after the explosion.
"Ergh…" Kyran covered his head with his arms while lowering his body. Even with the shape-shifting plates' protection, he still got pushed back by the shockwave. He dug his feet on the ground, trying to break his movement.
Black mists crept out from the center of the explosion as a burst of maniacal laughter filled the air.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The cloud of black smoke dispersed, revealing the lanky man. There was no trace that he had been punched on the face, nor was there any clue that he had just fallen. His long red coat flickered behind as his pressure rose.
"What's this? You've learned to talk back? No, no, no. That is not important. Why did you use your fist? Wait, wait, wait. That is not what I want to ask."
The man's smile twisted in an unsightly grin as he took one step at a time toward Kyran.
"How did you become so weak?"
A grim look instantly replaced the man's smile.
Whoosh!
Kyran's eyes widened as the man who was supposed to be a few hundred meters away suddenly appeared before him, with only ten meters between them.
"Disappointing," the man said in a low voice. He raised his right hand before thrusting it down in a quick motion.
"Asunder."
At the same time, when the man had made a downward motion with his hand, a bolt of black lightning, as thick as thirty centimeters, dropped from above toward Kyran.
CRACKLE!
Kyran barely controlled the shape-shifting plates to form a half-sphere around him before the black lightning struck down. To be precise, if his instincts did not warn him of the danger the moment the man raised his hand, he would not be able to react in time before the black lightning struck.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted the moment the black lightning hit the shape-shifting plates. Waves upon waves of shockwaves shook the whole area, in which every wave the ground cracked or caved in a few feet.
The ground caved in from inside the half-sphere and made Kyran drop to his knee as soon as the black lightning struck. The shape-shifting plates trembled before sizzling sounds echoed as it turned some of the force of the black thunder to nothingness. As for the rest, the plates either absorbed the shock or repelled it, which caused bits of the thunder to rebound on the ground and spread out like a spider's web.
"AAARGH!" Kyran roared, raising both his hands to support the plates above him.
His skin burned because the black lightning had completely enveloped the shape-shifting plates. Still, he endured the pain as he exerted every last bit of physical energy he had.
Kyran's eyes bulged as red veins appeared around his eyes. His skin got torn Scabs from where the black lightning had touched. Blood seeped from his hands and arms. However, because of the scorching heat building inside the half-sphere, his blood immediately turned into vapor. His insides churned, and his bones creaked as his body absorbed some of the black lightning's shock.
The lanky man sneered as he watched the young human struggle inside those weird-looking plates.
He could have ended his suffering by killing him. But he admitted that he was curious about what he could do. Those weird-looking plates smelled of blood, and it was an item different from 'that' human's creation. Besides, he was having so much fun hearing the young human's despair.
The man took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He savored the sweet blending of sounds coming from the lightning and the young human's despair.
"Ah~ yes. This is the right sound. How long has it been since I've heard such sounds that could shake my soul."
He opened his eyes, and they glinted in delight.
"More. I want to hear more!"
The lanky man had said as he spread his arms.
Above, the black veil parted as thick black clouds formed around the still falling black lightning. Then the man waved his hands like a conductor, conducting an invisible orchestra. With each strike of his hand, a bolt of new black lightning fell from above, adding more force on the first one.
"Guh!" Kyran coughed out a mouthful of blood, and he almost fainted from the sudden increase in the black lightning's strength.
A few shape-shifting plates showed signs of breaking as they shook violently.
'N-No,' Kyran thought, his mind reeled, trying to come up with an idea to escape from this predicament.
At first, he regretted not escaping as soon as the man fell to the ground. But recalling the absurd speed the man had in crossing hundreds of meters, he knew he would not be able to run far before he was captured and killed.
For some reason, the man decided to torture him instead of killing him at once. Kyran was not complaining. As long as he could endure, there would definitely be a chance for him to escape.
At least, that was Kyran's initial thoughts.
Now…
'If only I have enough magic energy,' he thought through gritted teeth as cracks formed one after another on the shape-shifting plates.
The lanky man's pupils constricted as his smile broadened.
"More!"
Another black lightning struck the first one.
"More!"
A lightning bolt fell again and its diameter thicker than the previous one, shaking the shape-shifting plates.
"MORE!"
Three black lightning bolts fell simultaneously, destroying the shape-shifting plates above Kyran.
At last, the first bolt of lightning that got amplified so many times crashed down on him.
The first thing that registered in Kyran's mind was not pain but a numbing feeling. It instantly reduced the first layer of skin on his arms into dust and passed through every part of his body. As the lightning reached his feet, it spread to the ground and into the remaining shape-shifting plates, also destroying them.
The lightning assaulted every part of Kyran, and even his magic cores started to tremble. And it was only then that his mind finally registered the pain.
"AAARGH!"
Kyran screamed.