Novius was amazed to think that Gabriel had made such an elaborate plan. Not only had Gabriel brought him exactly where he needed, but he did all that while keeping everything hidden, causing a distraction by throwing a faint.
Strangely enough, for the first time, he got the wrong idea about it. It wasn't what Gabriel had planned, at least not initially. He really hadn't thought of such an elaborate trick since it needed the help of great luck.
Not only did Novius have to be at the exact place, but he also needed to move in a completely identical pattern for this trick to work.
It was only after Gabriel used the Night of Darkness that he thought of this possibility. It was clear that Novius couldn't see anything under his effect, but he could still fight back, even without seeing. He had incredible senses as well, which made Gabriel smile wryly.
The idea of using the Night of Destruction was something that even Gabriel couldn't avoid after noticing Novius not leaving his range.
Even though it all wasn't a part of the plan, sometimes on, spot plans were what every warrior needed. Not only did Gabriel have the flexibility of changing his plan, but he also did so for the better.
A powerful dark energy shot up, creating something like a Tower of Darkness that engulfed Novius.
The tower made of darkness made it impossible for even Gabriel to see what was happening inside, but he had a feeling that it was his victory. Even Novius couldn't avoid this attack since he was right at the eye of it. Moreover, most of the mist that he could control was on the ground, which would've taken him time to call upon.
"It looks like this is it..." Gabriel sighed, feeling like the battle was over. Being hit by this attack, even Novius couldn't survive. "You left..."
"Huh?" Gabriel was already believing Novius to be dead as the Dark Tower's destructive energy started disappearing, bringing Gabriel a surprise. Not only was Novius still in the air, but he was completely unharmed. There was not a single scratch on his body.
"Dark Manifestation," Gabriel commented.
Novius only smiled in response. "If I can teach you this spell, surely you should assume that I can use it for myself, and what better time than this."
"Still, I must say. It was a good attempt, to say the least. Unfortunately, but good enough," Novius came down to the ground. The effects of Night of Darkness were over, and so were any other spells that Gabriel had cast, except his Wings of Flight.
"Now that you've had your chance let me get started too—time to increase the stakes. There are only two options before you now! Either you kill me today, or you die today! There won't be a tomorrow for both of us!"
Novius' figure disappeared, and the next moment, he appeared right behind Gabriel, finding him by his collar to raise him in the air before sending him flying in the back.
Gabriel tried to control his body in the air, using his Wings of Flight, but his balance was hard to gain. He didn't know what Novius did when he touched him, but his wings weren't working as effectively as before.
Thud~
Even without the complete control of his wings, Gabriel could still slow down his body, but before he could completely stop, his body crashed into a wall of darkness, made using the Mist of the Domain.
The wall wasn't simple either, as there were multiple spikes coming out of it, one of which managed to pass through Gabriel's stomach.
"Argh!"
Groaning in pain, Gabriel coughed out a mouthful of blood. Novius was right. He had become slightly careless. Since he realized that Novius wanted to die, he subconsciously started taking things easy, believing he wasn't going to be killed, but Novius just proved how right he was.
Gabriel placed his hands on the wall and pushed his body forward to bring the dark stake out of his body.
A hole was left behind in Gabriel's stomach, which was bleeding, covering his clothes in blood. Fortunately, his vitals were missed. It was unclear if it was just a coincidence that his vitals weren't hit or if it was intentional, but he knew he couldn't take the risk.
Novius once again appeared behind Gabriel, using the same trick, trying to show that he wasn't going to go easy anymore.
He reached out his hand to grab Gabriel's neck this time, but as if expecting something like this, Gabriel turned around, swinging his Staff of Darkness like a blunt Weapon.
Novius gracefully sidestepped the attack, avoiding the attack. At the same time as Gabriel was distracted by Novius, Dark Shackles came out of the group, wrapping themselves around his foot, even going for his hands.
Gabriel ignored the shackles and cast another spell just as Novius dodged the attack as if he was expecting this step
"Maelstrom!" Gabriel cast a new spell.
Boom~
A whirlpool of dark energy appeared between the two Mages, sending both of them flying back, hurting Novius more than it hurt Gabriel.
Maelstrom was another Mid Tier spell of darkness that hurt the caster as well as the opponent. The only difference was that the caster only took a fraction of the damage that the opponent could take from this attack.
The best part about this attack was that it immediately removed the mist from their surroundings, at least momentarily.
Gabriel tapped the dark shackles with his Ancestral Staff, breaking them instantly before observing Novius in the distance, who had managed to gain his ground, balancing himself.
There were some wounds and cut marks around his body, including his cheeks which were bleeding, but he still seemed carefree.
"If it keeps going on like this, I'm never going to defeat him. I have the same spells as him, all of which are either as strong as his or weaker. My spiritual strength is also less than his. The scales are really unbalanced. Just how long before his Dark Paradise is over?'
It had been quite some time since the battle started, and Gabriel was still waiting for Novius' Domain Spell to end, but that wasn't happening either.
Novius couldn't help but laugh, realizing what Gabriel was thinking. He could see Gabriel occasionally observing the Dark Domain. He was definitely waiting.
"If you're waiting for my spell to end, then let me tell you, that's not going to happen. I can keep my Domain for two hours..." Novius explained as the Dark Mist once again returned to its usual place after momentarily being dispersed by the Maelstrom.
"Two hours?" Gabriel's face turned grim. This was unexpected and quite troublesome. He couldn't wait for two hours!
