GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

The mana entity grinned. If Soverick wanted to die, then so be it. He would gladly oblige. But he missed.

"Huh," He was confused.

He wasn't an amateur that he would miss such an easy attack. His spear had hit Soverick but it had passed through him. It was almost as if Soverick wasn't there. Had he misjudged the distance? He began to question himself.

Soverick punched again. He blocked again. He was hit again. It was the same mistake all over again. Soverick capitalized on his opponent's confusion and punched again. The mana entity deflected this time. He swung his spear in a wide horizontal arc to accommodate for discrepancies in the distance. He missed again and he suffered the consequences with a heavy counterattack.

"What is going on?" It asked out loud.

If it had only happened the first time, he would have overlooked it. It happened again and again. It was enough for the mana entity to know that something was very wrong.

Soverick did not answer. He was busy trying to beat this mana entity. It is a full-time thing. It is already difficult enough to damage what felt like a boulder to his fist. The occasional lightning that struck him made the fighting close even though it seemed like he had the upper hand. His barriers were breaking every time he made contact with the mana entity. So he didn't have time to explain to the confused mana entity how it was getting its butt kicked.

The mana entity decided to create space between itself and Soverick but that isn't so easily done. It is one thing to keep its distance from him and use a weapon to keep him off. But to come close to him and decided that he has had enough? It isn't his choice to make. Soverick stuck to him like ink on paper. The mana entity tried everything it could all to no avail.

"Enough." It shouted as it poured power into its spear.

The spear lit up with lightning as it did earlier. But this time it went further. It grew brighter until it exploded. Lightening bolts scattered into the surroundings. The explosion caught both Soverick and the mana entity. Soverick only suffered lightly, he had sensed danger and chosen to escape before the explosion. It is a good thing too or he would have been severely injured by that explosion.

The mana entity on the other hand took the brunt of the explosion. His right arm and the spear it was holding were gone. Its armor and barrier withstood most of the damage. Still, it had accomplished what it wanted to do. They were finally separated.

Just a distance of 20m between them. Small but significant to creatures of their speed. Soverick won't be able to come close if the mana entity chooses to run.

"The god-king said not to underestimate you. That we should hit you with everything we have to kill you. You have finally angered me enough to do that." The mana entity said.

Soverick shrugged. "So what?"

Even as he said so, his heart was beating wildly in his chest. It could be because of the thrill of battle or fear or both.

The mana entity didn't answer. A spark of lightning lit up from the remains of the destroyed spear. Then that spark grew into a small lightning snake. It continued to grow until it became a spear of pure blue lightning. It was fizzling and booming thunderclap.

Soverick watched it all happen with increasing dread. He wanted to move forward to attack the mana entity but his instincts screamed danger at him.

Even now, he wasn't safe. He couldn't run or evade what was coming for him. He knew it. So he prepared instead of cowering.

The mana entity sneered. "Always so composed. I thought you would have rushed forward to your doom."

Soverick remained silent as he mentally revved up his fire torrent spell. He brought down all of his barriers in favor of the spell. No amount of barriers he could create would save him from what is to come. It was all or nothing now.

"You have pushed me this far. You have pushed the gods too far. You have disrespected the gods and intended to go further by destroying our future. I'll give anything to put you down here and now."

As he was talking, he began to flicker like the flames of a candle about to go out. His energy was going haywire but it was being fed into the lightning spear. So either the mana entity explodes or the spear finishes growing. Those were his two options.

Soverick chose to allow the spear to finish growing. He stands a chance with the spear rather than the explosion of a mana entity in this small room. That chance might be very low, but it is still a chance.

"I have prepared a gift for you. Just a taste of the former power of the Celestial god of Lightning. You shall witness the might of lightning. Prepare yourself for your end." He said after the spear finished growing.

The mana entity had become a blurry outline by now. But the spear had become a small star of lightning. It was so full of energy that it shined brightly. It wasn't blue anymore but gold. The room was ringing with the sound of thunder now. The good thing about it is that all that energy is contained and controlled.

Soverick did more than prepare. He attacked first. It was fire against lightning. He had to get a head start if he intends to overtake lightning in speed. Even that might not be enough. That's why he gave it a lot of boosts by bringing down his barriers and dedicating all his mental power into it.

Even with all his preparation, he was late to the mark. His pillar of fire didn't reach the mana entity before it fired its spear. The spear reached him first.