Once Lucien understood what Rust was trying to do, the entire battle became easier to read.
The terrain, the disposable weapons, even the way the Incarnation kept accepting pressure without making a serious attempt to escape all pointed toward the same conclusion.
He wanted Lucien here.
Every second Lucien spent fighting him was another second the other two Incarnations could move toward whatever the Arch-Lords had sent them to find.
Through Parallel Thoughts, Lucien kept track of both Split Bodies while the Spatial Compass remained with his real body. One trace had begun curving north, while the other continued deeper east. Neither had stopped.
Lucien looked at the Beastman.
"You really don't care if this vessel dies."
Rust's smile widened.
That reaction was enough.
Primordial Incarnations normally protected their vessels carefully. Destroying one did not kill the true Primordial behind it, but the backlash mattered, and returning through another Incarnation required time.
