Single Wish: Rise Of The Omniscient Paragon

As Azhrun chased after Corey, the Abyssal Leviathan, Frost Warden, the Tentacled Scourge, and the Maw, moved.

Their speeds were so fast that despite teleporting as close as possible to the Eternal Waterfall, Azhrun and the four abominations closed down on Corey and were barely twenty meters from reaching him.

Corey could see all of this, but his expression was utterly calm and devoid of anything but focus and determination. He kept on conjuring more hexagon platforms that went high up in the sky, making it seem like a translucent ruler that was continuously extending at the top but reducing at the bottom.

Corey was not running horizontally but vertically, and despite running vertically on the platform made of hexagon barriers, his speed never reduced.

'He's a talented Runemaster.'

Azhrun had this thought as he chased after Corey with a calm expression. Although the sight of Corey running vertically was a strange and impressive sight that would shock and awe most Astral Beings and even some Tier 4s, being closer to Corey, he could see just how Corey was able to accomplish such a feat as a Tier 2.

'He's manipulating the mana and using it as a 'glue' to attach his feet to the platform made of hexagons. It's quite unbelievable that he's able to manipulate mana to such an extent. The level of control that would be required to produce just enough mana to cover one's feet perfectly, attach it to the platform, and then disperse the mana when removing his leg from the platform, is unbelievably high.'

'What is more surprising is that he's able to keep on doing all of this without allowing it to affect his already unbelievable speed for a Tier 2.'

'If this was not impressive enough, I can see that there is no wind resistance around him. It's almost like the wind is even assisting him in his ascent. Although I can't see the runes, I have a feeling he manipulated the runes for this to occur… or it's a skill.'

'Maybe he also manipulated the runes to increase his physical strength.'

'The platform made out of hexagons is also a very useful ability. Is it a skill or did he also use runes to create the platform of hexagons? His mana quantity and quality is very, very, very high for a Tier 2.'

'He's an extremely talented Runemaster… I want him.'

Azhrun's brows furrowed as these thoughts flashed in his mind in less than three seconds. His silver eyes reflected Corey's back and his hair which was a mixture of black and white. For a moment, a tinge of coldness flashed in his eyes as he gazed at Corey.

'What of his status screen? I need to see it.'

Without wasting a single moment, Azhrun used an inspection skill on Corey, but to his slight disbelief, he failed to see anything.

'What? Has he already learnt how to use Runes to protect his stats? If he has, seeing his stats is not going to be easy at all.'

'Damn it! Runemasters are tricky existences to deal with.'

Just as Azhrun had this thought, his figure blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared twenty meters in front of Corey and stood vertically in the air with his arms crossed.

When Corey saw Azhrun appear before him, his expression remained the same, completely calm, cold, and calculating.

"Let's -"

Whoosh!

Azhrun's words were left hanging in the air as Corey ran past him without slowing down for even a second.

Azhrun's eyes widened and he failed to react not because of Corey's speed, but because he could not believe that Corey, who was just a mere Tier 2 ignored him without giving him face.

Azhrun's partially opened mouth slowly closed, and then he slowly turned toward Corey who kept on running.

Pop

A vein popped in his forehead, and grinding sounds could be heard from his teeth as he stared at Corey's back. He said no words, and then a second later, his body swayed, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared directly before Corey.

However, this time around, he was so close to Corey that his face was directly beside Corey's, with his right hand stretching out in an attempt to grab Corey's face.

Corey's glowing pure white eyes flashed when he saw this, but his expression remained the same… Calm, cold, and calculating.

"Know your place… cattle."

Azhrun coldly said as his lips were placed directly beside Corey's right ear. Without waiting for a response from Corey, his right hand moved and clenched, attempting to grab Corey's face, but…

"Huh?"

Azhrun skidded to a stop while staring at his right hand and then at where Corey was supposed to be. Instead, what he saw was a disappearing image of Corey.

'An afterimage?'

Azhrun's eyes snapped in a certain direction, and there he saw Corey running while leaving a streak of lightning in his wake.

Corey used Flash Step to dodge Azhrun's attack, then he used Lightning Step to keep on running.

With his current proficiency in Flash Step, he could move at an extremely fast speed that would make it seem like he had vanished from one point only to reappear at another nigh-instantaneously, He also left behind faint afterimages of himself, and the sub-skill sharpened his already terrifying reflexes, and allowed him to adjust his trajectory mid-movement.

Seeing that Corey had evaded and ignored him not just once, but twice, Azhrun felt a surge of anger in his heart, and he was about to attack Corey once again, but then he felt a chill in the air and his instincts screamed at him.

Without hesitation, he flew far away from the platform of hexagons.

BANG!

BOOM!

Azhrun's eyes widened when he saw a giant halberd pierce through the hexagon platform. A vast chilling mist was formed around the halberd which hovered in the air.

The halberd was followed by countless tentacles which slammed into the hexagon platform, shattering it entirely, and causing countless fragments of the hexagon platform to fall before disappearing into the wind.

A figure fell out of the mist, and when Azhrun saw the figure, his eyes narrowed and a cold smile formed on his lips.

Without hesitation, he flew toward Corey, fully intending to capture him, but then he heard a hiss which was then followed by the sky becoming dark.

He looked up, and he could not help but curse when he saw massive fangs the size of multiple mountains bare down on him.

"Damn it!"

Azhrun slammed his palms together, and a spherical barrier made out of water appeared around him.

He did not wait for the jaws of the serpent to engulf him, instead, the spherical water barrier enlarged and with a grunt, the water barrier slammed into the jaws of the serpent which were approximately fifty meters from swallowing him.

A hiss of annoyance resounded in his ears, and Azhrun let out a scoff. Without wasting a single second, he shot out of the spherical water barrier which prevented the jaws of the Abyssal Leviathan from closing shut.

Immediately after he shot out of the water barrier and the colossal serpent's jaws, he went straight after Corey, but a second later, his instincts screamed at him, and he paused.

A massive energy sword slash flew in front of him, the distance between him and the sword slash was barely up to two inches, and the aura of the sword slash made a drop of sweat fall from his forehead.

A figure appeared directly in front of Corey, and a cold smile of anger could not help but form on Azhrun's lips.

"Ryan Houtz… What do you think you're doing?"