Void Evolution System
chapter-1738

August and Raphael, in normal circumstances, could be considered around the same level in power.

When August caught up to Eris, he caught up to all of them. If August wanted to fight Raphael properly, then it would likely take many hours for them to determine a victor.

However, this was an environment that catered towards August. Plus, it was a place where he didn't have to worry about collateral damage.

August liked to fight in stages. If he didn't know his opponent's power, then he would test them in each aspect before formulating a plan to defeat them.

He didn't have the time for that. With a preliminary understanding of what Raphael could do, he had to figure out a way to defeat him in the least amount of moves possible.

How?

Naturally, the answer was brute force. It was Raphael's favorite method, and it was a way of fighting that August learned deeply as he observed his father and ancestor.

Between water and fire, there was never a clear victor. Sometimes, they would overpower each other. Sometimes, they would exist in harmony. When it came to practitioners of the two laws, though one would assume that one had an inherent advantage, they were actually evenly matched.

It was purely a matter of who had better control and more power, just like a battle between practitioners of the same element.

As Raphael suggested, August didn't speak. He only attacked.

BOOOOOOM!

This time, August summoned his own element. He only raised his arms and an insurmountable mass of seawater exploded outward, slamming into Raphael with extreme force.

The flaming genius gritted his teeth and raised his arms, producing a heat shield to block. All of the water that struck it evaporated into steam, and the rest was forced to go around the obstruction.

Raphael's feet dragged through the ground as he planted himself and withstood the pressure. His mana overflowed and sunk into the ground that he passed, setting itself up to go on the offensive.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Several massive bursts of flame cut through the incoming wave, presenting Raphael with an opportunity.

He scanned with his awareness to confirm that August hadn't moved before using the mana he left in the earth.

VOOOM!

The flames of the earth, residing deep below the seafloor, were called to the light. The spewing flame spouts that parted the seas also served as channels through which an even stronger flame could manifest.

It was something similar to a Heavenly Flame, but dragons did not need such external aids to produce flames similar to the heavens.

Their elemental affinities made them closer to the heavens than even the elements produced by that very force, after all.

Three huge meteors of magma formed in the cavern that could barely fit them. They crashed towards August at maximum speed, melting any and every ounce of water that had been summoned before.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

With a huge explosion, magma went flying through the air. Even some of the battles on the periphery had to move so that they weren't affected by the randomly flying flames.

Well, for Juno, it was actually helpful, since he could steal those flames for himself, but that was beside the point.

It looked like August had been caught in the explosion for only a second. When Raphael concentrated his awareness, he realized that he had been fooled.

The other genius had long disappeared from his previous position, leaving only a clone of mana in his place.

The real August had already moved past Raphael.

He could have gone straight for the crown, but he didn't know what would happen when he touched it.

Defeating the threats around him first was the best option, so August focused on doing exactly that.

He approached Raphael from behind and subtly prepared the environment as he'd done many times before.

The Ignis Clan genius spun around as he sensed his presence, but he found that his legs were trapped in ice.

It wasn't enough to hold him. The ice melted under the weight of his aura and before August could do anything else, Raphael was already countering.

Though, that was the moment August had been waiting for.

Three moves were made in quick succession to initiate the fall of Raphael Ignis.

First, a physical combat skill.

August used Qinglong's memories as a basis and developed a skill more similar to those of the Mountain God that Melania followed.

He took a stance with his fists upturned to his sides and slammed his leg into the ground.

The earth split. In normal cases, more magma would sprout from its depths. When August used the skill, however, it was seawater that took its place.

The air was suddenly filled with mist as water flowed and flowed to fill the part of the cavern that he and Raphael were in.

Raphael's vision was blinded, especially when August imbued the concept of reflection into the water and made his opponent's awareness invalid.

If that wasn't enough to constitute a first move, August used the waves of natural seawater to create a barrier that dampened the other genius' power.

The second move was made with mana, but once again laced with the intent to suppress.

To make it absolutely impossible for Raphael to fight back, August needed to seal his mana.

The best method for that…?

The method that August now had access to…

…wasn't it bloodline suppression?

From the beginning, Azure stood above Ignis. Qinglong waited until the bloodline he created reached absolute perfection before becoming a Godbeast, which ensured that his descendants would get the most out of his blood.

And, he only ended up having a single successor. Everything he had was given to August.

The aura produced by such a concentration of original bloodline, for a child who came from its second ever generation…

VOOOOOOOOOOM!

August's aura suddenly became unbearable. The weight of the world fell on Raphael's shoulders and forced him to his knees.

He grabbed his throat as his breath was sucked away. The vacuum around him was caused purely by the aura of bloodline.

His own lineage tried to fight back. He was a proud son of Ignis. It had been many generations, but he was praised as the genius who shared the closest bloodline connection to their ancestor.

Only now did Raphael realize that "closest" didn't mean "close."

His bloodline wriggled and burned, injuring him in the process of fighting for its dignity. It tried to burst out and cause a scene, forming an image of the original Fire Dragon.

However, in front of the true Azure Dragon, it could not put up a fight.

August's eyes had a different light to him when he entered this state, but they did not lose their rationality.

There were many enemies to come, and he couldn't allow them to prepare for this kind of aura.

In one rapid movement, August made his last strike.

A mix of both mana and physical combat, a strike that contained the pure essence of August's own techniques and the first iteration of what would later become his Divinity.

It was something he was realizing as he fought in this cavern, a kind of water exclusive to him, yet absolutely true to the Azure Dragon Blood running through his body.

XIU!

It was a short and zippy sound.

August's body disappeared and appeared behind Raphael again, in the same position he started this battle.

A clean, aquamarine line was drawn in the air, cutting through Raphael Ignis as if his body was made of butter.

BOOOOOOOM!

Only after a second of its manifestation did the effects appear.

Raphael was thrown to the side with blood flying out of his chest.

He slammed into a nearby rock pattern, crushing it as he slid down to the ground.

He was alive. He would not die any time soon.

However, there was no consciousness left in his body, nor would the will to fight August ever manifest again.

In that moment, something happened that only August and Raphael understood.

But, that was something to be explained at another time.

Currently, August was already rushing for the crown once again.

And once again, he was to run into an interruption.