"Who are you?"
"Kael."
"Well Kael, I don't know what you're talking about, but you'll die all the same, so it doesn't matter."
Enrico, who is now Kael, spins his water spear to defend against the powerful earth punch. Realizing he was moving to the left, Kael throws his spear at the wall where he was heading, and as he closes his hand, it explodes, pushing Cláudio away.
"I won't let you escape."
In the original story, months from now, he would cause the death of half the friends Kai had made and brought along. Only he and Valença returned together. In the future, he would also wipe three great cities off the map to become a vessel for the god he followed—Thragoros, the Evil God of the Eternal Abyss. He didn't wield just earth magic, but many of its branches, being able to manipulate the world's tectonic plates at will. If not for the world's resistance, he would have pulverized everything.
'Well, he was one of the gods Kai managed to defeat with Tolen's help, but he's no longer that person.'
If he killed this man, Thragoros's appearance would be delayed, and he could use that to prepare—since he was the first evil god to emerge. If he could eliminate or bypass one of them, he would do anything.
'Especially since there are 43 of them.'
[This is going to be so much fun for you.]
Dodging a massive flying hammer created by Cláudio, Kael places his hand on the ground, and the hammer is swallowed by water, turning into mud. Raising his hand, several water tentacles rise and grab Cláudio, dragging him down.
'Even if they can't see me clearly, it's better to keep my distance.'
Dragged farther down, Cláudio uses an earth magic pulse to shatter the tentacles and charges at Kael. Twisting his finger, Kael forms a whirlpool, pulling them both back down into a dark area with ceilings, where water cascaded from many points—perfect for him to use.
"I knew I should have focused on you. From the moment I saw how confident you were, I should've known you were strong."
"Not all who are confident can prove their strength is real—unlike me."
[You're still acting even though they can't see you? You take your job way too seriously.]
Cláudio descends from above on a platform, and upon touching it, he sends it crashing down on Kael. Creating two water spears, Kael fuses them into one larger one and hurls it at the platform.
"Earth golem!"
A golem appears behind Kael and strikes with a flurry of punches, but Kael blocks them with a water dome identical to Caelan's. Grateful for having paid attention to his friend's magic, Kael spins his hands, turning the dome into a whirlpool.
"Water Vortex!"
The golem is sent flying upward, and Kael senses Cláudio coming from behind. He creates a spinning, flattened sphere of water. Feeling the danger, Cláudio leaps back just in time, receiving only a slash across his shoulder.
'He's strong, but not that strong. Did I worry too much?'
Placing his palm on the ground, Cláudio summons multiple golems around Kael. A trap he had left below activates, and a giant mouth swallows them all. It was designed to shrink over time, trapping him with the golems to hinder any escape attempts.
"Besides, the durability of this trap is second to—"
A punch slams into his back, sending him flying into a nearby platform. He couldn't understand how that had happened. Seeing Kael rushing toward him, he wondered how he had escaped.
'Good thing I left my fire clone to fly behind him.'
He dispels his hidden fire clone and forms a water clone behind Cláudio, grabbing him from behind. Shocked at being caught, Cláudio summons multiple earth spikes that pierce through the clone, but it still holds on.
"Damn it!"
"Spear incoming!"
A spear pierces his stomach, throwing him against what seemed like a waterfall. Dizzy, Cláudio notices Kael stepping onto another trap and smirks.
'I planted so many traps for you—it's impossible for me to lose.'
Clenching his hand, several spears appear, attempting to impale Kael. But as if he already knew, Kael slashes them all with his water spear and immediately charges at him.
'Impossible... does he have some mana-vision ability?'
Receiving another spear, this time to the face, Cláudio quickly forms a dome of earth around him to defend against the next strike. Then, covering his body with earth magic, he strengthens his defense.
"I had to create this on the spot, but with this resistance, water magic won't do me any serious harm."
"That's a problem."
Looking down, he sees Kael aiming both hands at his chest as if holding a bowstring. Cláudio boosts his magic, certain water magic wouldn't pierce his defense.
"Flaming Shot!"
His chest—right where his heart was—was pierced instantly, leaving a hole. He collapsed dead on the ground. Seeing the corpse, Kael decides to hide it, throwing it into the water below, which carries it away.
"With that, I've eliminated one of the future threats."
[Good job. But maybe you should also take out the others you left behind.]
"You mean Elowyn and Lan? First of all, their threats are more annoyances than real risks."
Neither of them had ever killed any of Kai's friends in the future, so he simply decided to try changing them—like Lan, in the original story—even if it meant beating sense into them.
"Besides, the princess cares too much about becoming queen and keeping Sanos as the greatest territory. So, even if I don't like it, her evolution might one day rival that of an evil god."
He decides to recover his mana while moving to watch the other battles. He had left Kai and Elowyn with those opponents precisely so they would finally evolve into the second circle.
'Besides, Seraphina has things to settle with her.'
[How sweet, caring about your friend.]
"Yes, a lot."
[Tsk.]
Seraphina had told him about her history with Elowyn and Narisse, so lately he'd been helping her improve a lot. She was close to reaching the second circle—perhaps by the time they returned, she'd already achieved it.