If Elliot could defeat him so easily, it would only bring disappointment.
Though it might look like a dimension-crushing blow, it was merely a difference in technique—their true strength was not so far apart.
At that moment, Zhongli stomped down hard, spear in hand, wind howling around him as he shot forward like a meteor toward Elliot.
Seeing this, Elliot met him head-on with his blade.
BOOM!!!
The void trembled like an earthquake. The calm sea erupted into towering tsunamis, gale winds ripped trees from the earth, and a devastating shockwave swept everything in its path.
The clash of their overwhelming powers exploded into purple lightning and golden sparks.
From their earlier battle, Morax had realized he couldn't match Elliot in controlling the elements. That made close combat his best choice.
But Elliot was no novice in melee either. After lifetimes of battle, his experience was no less than Morax's.
"You've made the right choice," Elliot said with approval.
"This choice will let you taste defeat," Morax declared proudly.
BOOM!!!!
Their powers collided again, sending both flying back. With only a glance exchanged, they lunged forward once more.
Their strikes grew faster, their power fiercer, until mountains crumbled and seas boiled.
Every exchange tore massive shockwaves through the void.
After hundreds of rounds with neither gaining the upper hand, Elliot decided to stop holding back.
He had drawn the fight out deliberately—to show Morax that whether with elements or in close combat, he had no chance of winning. Only this way would his eventual loss be utterly convincing.
Now, after so many exchanges, Elliot unleashed his full power.
When he combined weapon and elemental force, the pressure he exuded was far beyond anything before.
"First, I'll shatter your shield!"
"Thunder Flash!"
Elliot's eyes sharpened as thunder gathered around him. He crouched, drawing into the stance of a swift iaijutsu strike.
Morax had seen this move before—it was the very technique Elliot had used to defeat him in their first encounter.
This time, he wouldn't fall for it again.
He knew this strike was blindingly fast, too quick to follow with the eye, but its attack method was predictable.
Its speed was its strength. Its simplicity, its fatal weakness.
In an instant, a massive boulder rose before Morax, shielding his sight. He wrapped it in an unyielding shield.
But—
What Morax hadn't expected was this.
The moment the boulder completely blocked his vision, Elliot's lips curled into a smile.
The strike had been nothing but a feint, designed to force Morax into defense.
While the boulder could block the slash, its sheer size also blinded Morax.
In strategy and cunning, Elliot always had the edge.
"Rise!"
Elliot raised his hand, and five jagged rock spikes shot up from the ground, stabbing toward Morax.
"Trying to ambush me!?" Morax spotted them before they even reached him.
He instantly tore up a meteor-like boulder from the ground, smashing the spikes to dust.
But that too was only a distraction.
The instant Morax blocked the attack, Elliot had already flashed to his side.
"Damn…"
By the time Morax realized, it was too late. A massive blade aura was already upon him.
He couldn't dodge. The strike landed, smashing into his shield and blasting him backward.
And one slash was never all there was. In Morax's pupils, countless blades filled his vision.
Everywhere he looked—only blade aura.
One after another, they rained down on his shield. They couldn't break it, but they locked him in place. He couldn't move an inch.
Elliot showed no sign of stopping. Like a dancer in the void, he swung his blade again and again, unleashing wave upon wave of devastating energy.
It lasted only what felt like ten minutes, but for Morax, it was torment.
A Rock God pinned to the very stone he commanded, unable to move—the sight was absurd.
Still, his shield had only cracked in several places. It wasn't completely broken.
Elliot didn't stop because he was satisfied—he simply wanted to change tactics, to torment Morax by new means.
Only through repeated humiliation would Morax's pride be broken, and his defeat undeniable.
The battle dragged on for another three days. In that time, the once-proud and confident Morax was battered like a discarded toy. The light in his eyes dimmed, his whole being worn down under Elliot's relentless assault.
What surprised Elliot was Morax's sheer resilience—not his shield, which had already been shattered five or six times, but his body and spirit.
Even after three days of such torment, he still hadn't surrendered. For that, Elliot had to respect him.
"I've lost. I admit defeat…"
At last, on the fifth day, Morax spoke.