Rarely did Angakok ever feel pressured as there was no opponent in the universe who could absolutely one sidedly maul him in a one vs one fight, yet as he looked into the eyes of Kane while trapped in a tier 5 body, he felt that fear of being stalked by a predator.
Angakok could destroy Kane if he were in his real body, yet inside the body of Max, a prospect that he had to safeguard anyhow for his own interests, Angakok did not have the luxury to be on the offensive.
The good news was that a light faction god also seemed to be on his way to kill Kane, meaning he only needed to protect this body until he arrived, but the bad news was that Kane did not seem intent on staying around till such a scenario occurred as he wanted to kill him as fast as possible and be done with it.
" Why can I not inspect your stats? How is it that you can hide your status bar even from me young boy? " Kane asked as he looked towards Max with a gaze full of interest.
" My lord he's the one you must kill before we flee, my lord - "
*SPLAT*
Ferox stared at the gaping hole in his chest with pure horror, he had not seen that attack coming at all.
For some reason instead of saving him, Kane had killed him after arriving at the Battlefield.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt" Why…? " Ferox said weakly as he truly believed that Kane viewed him as a valuable retainer until this point.
" Your orb is broken, Ferox - you failed at the one job I asked you to do, and I have no use for people who can't even do one job right.
Also you went behind my back and asked the Mercenary King for help
Don't think I'll let shit like that slide " Kane explained as he pulled his hand out of Ferox's chest and threw his heart towards the floor, leaving the once strong god, dead.
The clone who had witnessed the whole ordeal sucked a breath of cold air as it realised the ease with which a monarch could kill a tier6 god.
While the rest of the universe considered tier6 god's as a pinnacle of existence being, monarchs could deal with them as if they were children.
" I asked you a question, young vampire, don't make me repeat myself " Kane said, his tone still emotionless as ever as the way he addressed Angakok absolutely pissed the old shaman god off.
" Young vampire? You have no clue who you are talking to boy " Angakok said as despite the situation which was not in his favour, there was absolutely no chance he was going to take verbal shots from a spear wielding human god who had not even seen the previous great war unfold.
" Very well, don't tell me, I'll extract the information from your corpse " Kane replied as he charged towards Angakok with his spear with a speed that was invisible to the naked eye.
If it were just Max who was dealing against Kane, he would have died with this spear jab, however, Angakok had more means at his disposal even as a mortal.
[ Gravitational Shift ]
Using a forbidden move, he altered the very plane of gravity in the region, changing its pull from downwards to a specific point in space causing Kane's strike to miss its mark as Angakok narrowly escaped.
********
( Meanwhile Rudra )
While everyone was focused on the shaman god fighting against Kane, Rudra's omniscient eyes fell on the objects that fell out of Ferox's corpse after he died.
In this battlefield where true heavyweights like Angakok and Kane clashed, his small tier1 frame became no different from inanimate rocks and trees as nobody paid any attention to him.
While he was a little worried about Max and was also paying constant attention to him, ready to intervene if things went sideways, an object that fell out of Ferox's corpse especially caught his fancy.
He was the master of the Indra-Astra right now after looting it from the corpse of Thor, and the object that fell out of Ferox had an energy signature eerily similar to that one which was why it caught Rudra's fancy.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe had seen Ferox use it to stun the clone and trap it in an illusion but at that instance he could not get an exact idea as to what it was.
Now that it was lying on the ground without a master, Rudra picked it up to inspect the object and in front of his omniscient eyes it revealed it's true form as being the [ Maya Astra ]
Upon his touch the weapon transformed and changed from looking like a green pebble to a clear crystal orb that seemed to encompass an alternate universe inside.
A surge of recognition rippled through Rudra, and his grip on the divine weapon tightened.
The Maya Astra, also known as the Divine Weapon of Illusion, was a rare and extraordinary relic.
Its unique ability allowed the wielder to craft intricate illusions, imprisoning their adversaries in the labyrinth of their deepest fears or most coveted desires, but it wasn't mere illusions, with the Maya Astra one could blur the line between reality and illusion, making it one of the most feared weapons under the right wielder.
Ferox, despite being its possessor for a few years, had only been able to tap into a fraction of its true potential.
The illusions he spun, while formidable at kid level, were mere shadows of the grand spectacles the Maya Astra was truly capable of.
The divine weapon demanded an exceptionally astute mind to weave its illusions, and a strong-willed spirit to resist being ensnared by its own enchanting power.
In Rudra, however, the Maya Astra had found a suitable master. With his omniscient vision, Rudra could perceive the full spectrum of the Maya Astra's abilities. Unlike Ferox, he wasn't limited to a cursory grasp of the weapon's powers. Instead, he could potentially unlock its most profound secrets and wield the Maya Astra to its full potential.
As the greatest mastermind to ever exist, he could probably use the weapon in ways others could not even imagine.
It was probably the biggest windfall he had ever gained, and he wasn't even fighting to have it.