Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1073: Not Rain

As Mauriss continued to press into Leo’s mind with his words, both of them reached for their next cards almost at the same time, their movements controlled yet deliberate as they prepared for the fourth exchange.

*Smack*

Mauriss licked his lips in anticipation as he slid his card forward, his eyes locked onto Leo with an intensity that sought to pry open his thoughts, as though he could already taste the outcome before it had even been revealed, while Leo, in contrast, remained completely still, his expression unreadable as he selected his card without haste and placed it into the mechanism with steady hands.

*Click*

*Click*

At this point, Leo’s thoughts moved with precision, as he assessed the remaining possibilities and the risks attached to each decision, understanding that every option available to him carried consequences that could not be ignored, especially in the weakened state his golem currently existed in.

Evade would allow him to completely avoid any incoming attack, ensuring survival for at least another exchange if Mauriss chose aggression, while attacking at this moment carried a significant risk, as even a slightly enhanced strike from Mauriss could be enough to end the match given the fragile condition of his construct, whereas using restore presented its own danger, since committing to recovery while under pressure could result in him being eliminated before the healing could even take effect.

There was no clear answer.

Every path forward required him to accept a risk.

And so, when the board finally responded—

*Flip*

Evade.

Evade.

For a brief moment, Leo’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as both constructs reacted simultaneously, their movements perfectly mirrored as they dashed sharply to the right at the same instant, creating distance without initiating any form of attack, as the fourth exchange passed without damage, without impact, and without advantage gained by either side.

It was a wasted move.

Both players had now lost their only evade, and with that option removed from the equation, the nature of the game shifted once again, as future attacks would now carry unavoidable consequences, even when met with defense, since guarding could only reduce incoming damage rather than eliminate it entirely.

Mauriss began to chuckle.

"You could have used restore..." he said, his grin returning as he leaned forward slightly, clearly pleased with what had just transpired, as though the outcome had aligned perfectly with his intentions.

"You would have been fine," he continued, his eyes gleaming with amusement, "but because you feared what I might do, and because you believed in my promise, you wasted your only evade."

A low laugh followed.

"I got you once more, boy."

And yet, despite his words, Leo did not react.

There was no frustration on his face, no sign that the move had shaken him, as beneath that calm exterior, his mind continued to process the situation with clarity, recognizing that given his position, evade had in fact been the safest and most stable choice available to him, as it guaranteed that even if Mauriss had chosen to follow through on his threat and attack, the match would continue into another exchange.

More importantly, the board had now evolved.

With Mauriss now down to six remaining move cards and only two multipliers left, the uncertainty that had once defined his opponent’s potential choices began to shrink, as patterns became easier to track and probabilities more favorable to calculate, while Leo himself retained greater flexibility, holding one defensive option, two offensive plays, a restore, a grapple, and a slam, alongside three of his multipliers still intact.

In contrast, Mauriss now only had two attacks, two defence, a restore, and one self explosion left, which meant that there was at least a 50% chance that the next move he chose would be non-threatening in nature, which gave Leo a good grasp on how to end this fight.

The longer this game continued, the more information Leo could accumulate, and the more constrained Mauriss’s options would become, as only then could he reliably calculate the end.

And hence, even though the fourth move seemed like a dud, Leo wasn’t disappointed by it at all, as he appreciated the increase in clarity that it brought.

"What do you think I’ll do next, Skyshard?

I say I’ll attack you once again.

Do you believe me?

Or am I lying again?

Will you choose to heal?

Or will you choose to defend?"

Mauriss asked, as he leaned forward slightly, his grin widening as he watched Leo with relentless focus, clearly savoring every second of the pressure he was applying, as though the answer itself mattered far less to him than the process of forcing Leo to arrive at it.

"Because this is where it gets interesting," he continued, his fingers tapping lightly against the table in an uneven rhythm, "you no longer have the luxury of certainty, not after that evade, not after that little exchange where you chose to survive instead of taking control."

A soft chuckle escaped him.

"You see, now every decision you make is contaminated... not just by the board, but by me."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"If you heal, you risk everything ending instantly... and if you defend, you’re admitting that you’re still reacting to me, still playing safe, still hoping that I follow a pattern that you can read."

He tilted his head, studying Leo as though trying to peel apart his thoughts layer by layer.

"And if you attack..."

He smiled wider.

"Well... I’d love to see that."

A brief pause followed, as Mauriss let the weight of his words settle, his gaze never once shifting away.

"So go on then, Skyshard," he said quietly, as he finally reached for his next card, his fingers hovering over it for just a moment before committing without hesitation.

"Let’s see if you’re still playing your game... or if you’ve already started playing mine."

*Click*

His card locked into place.

Across from him, Leo remained still for a fraction longer, his eyes steady, his expression unchanged, as he too reached forward and selected his fifth card, sliding it into the mechanism with controlled precision.

*Click*

For a brief moment, nothing moved.

The storm raged.

The board waited.

And between them, the pressure had reached a point where even the smallest misstep would decide everything.

As Leo sat there, unmoving, a single drop slid down from his forehead, tracing a slow path along his skin before falling into the storm below.

In the rain, it was impossible to tell.

But that drop.... was not rain.