Yet, turning around, he witnessed one of the most horrific sights he had ever seen.

The skull which had only been the size of a fist had now enlarged to become a gigantic 10-foot tall being. Fire blazed inside its eyes, and its jaw moved up and down as if it were munching on something.

Where was the barrier?!

A second later, the old man finally spotted it: it was inside this skull, being eaten away from all sides.

"Such control… who the h.e.l.l are you?! You can't be a Tenebrous Knight! An Exalted Human who can attack with the power of an Eminent Warrior?! Are you from one of the Big 4? Which one? Tell me and we can reach a deal!"

His scoffing face from before was gone, replaced by an expression of absolute seriousness.

To this, Daneel didn't answer. He didn't even know the names of the Big 4.

His only response was raising his hand and shooting out two more skulls in the direction where the old man wasn't protected by the barrier.

"Humph. That was your last chance. Do not mistake my inaction for weakness."

To Daneel's surprise, the old man took out 4 more similar trinkets, making 4 barriers appear around him and protect him from all sides.

The barrier inside the flame actually connected with these 4, making an impa.s.sable square block which pushed the flame out.

The other two skulls he shot also impacted this barrier before stopping.

"I'll see how your flame can break through now. Even an Eminent Warrior would need two hours to break through this 'Pentas.h.i.+eld' trinket formation. I'll be long gone by then."

Calling back all three skulls, Daneel only smiled.

Clearly, the old man wanted a war of attrition, so he had set up a 'bunker' in which he wanted to hide. Now, it was even more clear that he was injured and did not want to attack if he could avoid it.

He had hoped that the flame would be enough to subdue the old man, but that clearly wasn't the case.

Having no other option, Daneel sighed as he started using the ability which had allowed him to beat the Tenebrous Knight of the Church.

It was time for another Paragon construct to appear on Angaria.

And if anyone from Earth happened to see the base of the construct forming, they would be shocked to realize that this was the weapon which had changed the face of the planet forever.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Tenebrol paced back and forth, waiting for the old man to return.

There was no response through the communication trinket, and the time of the fight was quickly approaching.

The half-hour went by fast, but there was still no word.

Hearing a knock on the door, Tenebrol opened it and saw one of the commanders of the Kingdom in front of him.

"My King, the time has come. The contender awaits you at the stadium. I am here to take you there safely."

This man was the only Exalted Human Mage in the Kingdom. Wearing the regular black clothes of a Black Raven Soldier, he seemed no different from any other soldier unless one looked into his eyes.

They were white and unmoving, showing that this man was clearly blind.

Indeed, he had lost his eyes in a battle when he was just an Eminent Human Mage. Yet, by somehow using the elementary particles in the air, he was able to get a grasp of his surroundings to kill the enemy.

Since then, he had trained this ability or spell that he had gleaned in those moments of life and death. Slowly, with determination, he had trained to this level.

Fiercely loyal, the man's Raven was the agile type which focused more on speed than power.

His name was Litwick.

The King did not know what to say. The old man was still not back, and he had been told clearly to delay the fight. Hence, he tried to do just that.

"Delay it. I need a little more time."

What happened next shocked Tenebrol to his core.

Litwick's lip curled, and he said in a cold tone, "I'm afraid that's not possible by the rules of the Kingdom. Either you fight or forfeit the Throne. I have the approval of the emergency council to give this mandate to you. The Black Raven Kingdom will no longer listen to your commands until you prove yourself in combat again."

What?!

Although the rules were in place, never before had a King been threatened in this way. As for the emergency council, it was usually made in situations where the King was unable to rule the country due to an injury.

His mind blank, all he could do was sputter for a bit before erupting with anger.

He was the King! There was no way he would allow himself to be treated in this way!

"HOW DARE YOU! AFTER I WIN, THE HEADS OF THAT COUNCIL WILL ROLL! AND YOURS WILL BE THE FIRST!"

This angry outburst only made Litwick get an even more derisive expression on his face.

He simply said, "My son was among those whom you sent to their deaths for your selfish pursuit. If I have to die, so be it. But you have to win, first."

A blade of fire appeared in the air behind the King, threatening to impale him if he didn't go and fight right now.

Clearly, the revolution had even spread to the Palace.