Jackal Among Snakes

Erlebnis had a long while to think about how to kill Argrave in this fight. The man had come to specialize in avoidance after learning how to use [Echo Step] in conjunction with his A-rank ascension. Now, with the god of space standing by his side like a bodyguard, that talent would have another layer of protection. All of this excluded the titanic Law manifesting on the battlefield. Law had been an easy equal for Erlebnis even before this fight began. Now, though, with more allies… with an army on the pathway to the Palace of Heaven, and with gods and kings at his side, the match was hopelessly skewed.

But Erlebnis had the benefit of millennia of knowledge. That was a weapon that could be used in uncountable ways. He would strike fast, strike hard, and draw upon the most obscure and strange forms of magic seeking to get a solid blow in. Despite his position, Argrave was still flesh and blood of yet. A solid hit could kill him. Or… perhaps two blows, considering the Inerrant Cloak he wore would act as a partial shield.

“You’ll come to know much today, Argrave.” Erlebnis kneeled down, placing his hand upon the ground and calling upon magic so forgotten that only he alone knew of it.

The earth beneath his hand changed, taking on properties of a substance far removed from stone. The ground itself began to ripple like a droplet had fallen upon still water. Then, the Stormfield, sensing a change in the ground, rushed to correct the disturbance. What it corrected was soon changed again in an ever-repeating cycle, churning the earth. This spell had been crafted by a miner seeking a way to isolate ore deposits, yet now, it turned the flat stone plateau into a shifting landscape that would perpetually fight against the Stormfield until its power source ran out, or the field itself died.

Everyone on the ground was cast into a desperate struggle not to be swallowed by the earth—Argrave’s entire army, and even Law’s Justiciars. And with the stage set, Erlebnis began. He soared up into the air, and cast a spell originating from the Order of the Rose rather similar to one Argrave commonly called upon. A bird of fire erupted, strengthened by Erlebnis’ divinity—the S-rank spell [Phoenix]. The bird, with his will alone, circled through the sky, waiting for his direction. Soon, a flock of phoenix’s roamed above the sky. Despite the Stormfield raging, they persisted, ready to descend upon a target of his choosing when he pleased.

“My own strategy?” Argrave called out. “You aren’t teaching me much.”

“In this domain, my enemies are inferior,” Law declared, his voice drowning out his champion’s.

Erlebnis felt a subtle heaviness as Law advanced, swinging that golden greatsword of his with righteous fury. Erlebnis had considered how to abate the pure might of Law, and come to a rather elegant solution. He created a unique ward, casting it forth. Rather than hold firm, it moved with the attack while applying precisely half the power of the coming attack. Useless to stop attacks… but it could slow them, delay them. And Law’s blade, pressured, slowed by half. With an opening, Erlebnis cast powerful wind magic and burst toward Argrave with the speed of an arrow. Law, however, was not inept.

Law released his blade and brought his fist down to catch him instead of his sword. Erlebnis took the blow squarely, yet as he did, the phoenix’s descended. They slammed upon Law’s back, and the titanic knightly figure staggered. Erlebnis slammed against the rippling ground, but even as he felt the ache of pain prepared two spells. As a match for his own two hands, Erlebnis used the shamanic spell [Godhand], burning away his own divinity to such an extent it felt like someone tore a fistful of flesh straight from his chest. They wrapped around Law’s arms, grasping and restraining him as best as they could. Meanwhile, Erlebnis turned his attention to Argrave and Raccomen.

First, Erlebnis used lightning magic. A jagged arc of electricity warped forward, then gravitated toward the single blue dagger in Argrave’s hands. The dagger absorbed the lightning. Keeping that in mind, Erlebnis shot forth like an arrow with another burst of wind magic at his feet, but during this journey, discreetly cast a spell called [Trace]. Raccomen gripped Argrave’s shoulder, then the two travelled through space.

Erlebnis chased almost like a mindless dog, but internally he was categorizing, scrutinizing, theorizing. Countless gods of space had died before. Their near-omnipresence in battle could be turned against them. Others before had used a few ways. There was prediction—predict where they fled, they could be got. There was coverage—cover all places they could go to, they were finished. Both of those were difficult, given Erlebnis’ lack of time and the presence of Law.

The third was a trap. And that, Erlebnis could manage.

Finally, by dumb luck or prudent shepherding, Raccomen teleported where he was vulnerable to the trap. Erlebnis completed the spell after [Trace], called [Retrace]. An apparition of wind appeared behind Raccomen and Argrave, as if from nowhere. It hurtled into the two of them, retracing the path that Erlebnis had taken since he cast [Trace]. Striking both Raccomen and Argrave, it forced the god to release Argrave and forced the man to use his Inerrant Cloak to preserve his life. Argrave’s magic drained, leaving him with only the power of his blood echoes. Most importantly, god and man were finally forced apart. The rippling plateau of stone became far more chaotic than it had been as his apparition soared around, retracing his furious pursuit.

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Erlebnis hunted Argrave frantically in the moment he’d parted from Raccomen. The man’s blood echoes spread across the field as he struggled with the uneven, rippling terrain caused by the constant magic. Raccomen tried to rejoin with Argrave, but Erlebnis sent out attacks preemptively to block any approach.

Argrave, even without Erlebnis, remained a difficult mortal to deal with. His [Echo Step] made his A-rank ascension from something formidable to perhaps the single best blood magic ascension in history. Erlebnis fought a double battle—he struggled to prevent Raccomen and Argrave from reuniting, while also pursuing Argrave himself. Yet when he finally felt he might land a solid blow upon Argrave…

Erlebnis felt tremors in the earth, and barely turned fast enough to see Law swinging his greatsword yet again. The [Godhands] had both broken, despite the tremendous amount of his own life Erlebnis had placed into them… and Law seemed no worse for wear. No matter how many times he overcame Law in strength or speed, the god never seemed to suffer any damage at all.

With another wrenching heave of power, Erlebnis parried Law’s blade, and it cleaved into the mountain. Great stretches of stone flew upwards, yet the Stormfield moved to correct the aberrations just as quickly. As dust soared through the air, Erlebnis saw opportunity—he thrust his hands into the dust, and cast another ancient earth spell. All of the errant particles collected, then rocketed forth at Argrave. A cloud of deadly-fast rock shards descended upon Argrave, blinding and buffeting him.

Erlebnis cast another wind spell with the dim hope that it might finally land through, and unexpectedly… neither Argrave nor Raccomen whisked the mortal king away. The spell cut through the dust, and when it was about to meet its mark… simply disappeared. Erlebnis felt power rushing from the side, and turned to see his own attack returning. Realizing Raccomen had played tricks with space, he dodged his own spell ably.

Law’s blade came from behind—a simple thrust. Erlebnis jumped moments before it impacted with the ground, yet again it travelled through one of Raccomen’s trick portals. Erlebnis felt the golden blade long before he saw it, and dodged out of the way with another burst of wind magic. His eyes widened when he saw someone quite literally riding atop the blade—a god he thought he’d killed, Rook.

Erlebnis felt something wrong in his body. He isolated the cause quickly enough—spirits, supposedly consumed, but in actuality, they were something like a dormant poison. As the blade flew past, Rook leapt at the perfect time like a cougar upon its prey. Erlebnis, wracked by these faux-spirits, was a step too slow in defending himself. A dagger pierced into his chest—and unlike the dagger that Rook had first used, this one pierced deep.

“This… one?” Erlebnis could only struggle vainly, and he collapsed against the stone plateau.

“No matter how much you learn…” Rook whispered, twisting the knife deep. Every second his strength seemed a little more savage, as Erlebnis’ essence transferred from one god to another. “Something new always comes along. New methods. New strategies. New people. You can’t ever know it all. Your idea of power… flawed from the beginning. Knowledge can only carry you so far.”

“It appears the cost of overpowering Law so frequently caught up to you,” Raccomen said, teleporting to stand beside him. “I thought Rook was coming out of my portals too soon. But… I suppose not.” He joined in this glut of spirits, invigorating himself to a lesser extent as Erlebnis bled.

Erlebnis grasped their trick. Rook had deceived him, somehow, creating a proxy that contained tainted spirits. It was a method that Erlebnis had never seen in the countless millennia of his life. And after this deception, Rook hid inside Raccomen’s space, or perhaps simply near a portal, waiting for the opportunity to trigger the poison and land a blow.

Argrave had, once again, done something beyond expectation. With the last of his power, Erlebnis lifted his head, ready to laugh his head off. He saw Argrave. But instead of a gloating expression, a mocking face… he saw surprise, and unease. His defiant laughter caught in his throat, and the god of knowledge simply stared as he realized that Argrave was as ignorant of this plan as he was. All around them, the Stormfield began to slow… and even past the daze of pain, past the realization he was dying, he realized Argrave’s allies had taken the ancient array.

“Knowledge can be a curse,” Erlebnis called out in the growing serenity. “It can poison you with complacency. It can be a quagmire—I know. I was caught in its snare. But knowledge, Argrave… knowledge builds over the generations. And as it builds, life itself can build up to unimaginable heights. I said you would come to know much today, Argrave. I meant it. You will know. You’ll wish you didn’t, but you will. Because you’re the next generation.”

Erlebnis held out his hand, and gave a gift freely. He gave the gift of knowing. Ultimately… knowledge was meant to be shared, was it not? Better to give a gift to an enemy than to see a life’s work perish. Sometimes, people came to learn things they never cared to… things that would break them. To know, and yet to do nothing? For a man like Argrave, there could be no greater pain.