A tremendous burst of intense blue light burst forth with the force of an entire truckload of TNT detonating in a single instant, obliterating everything within a hundred-meter radius of its epicenter.
In the aftermath of the explosion, a towering mushroom cloud emerged in the sky, an ominous symbol of the devastation wrought.
The once-standing house at the center of the blast was now reduced to rubble, while the surrounding trees and other nearby houses had suffered damage from the powerful shockwaves that rippled outwards in all directions.
Shuiii—
As the dust began to settle and the smoke cleared, a young man with striking silver hair and piercing merlot-red eyes appeared at the very epicenter of the explosion.
Despite the destruction that surrounded him, the man stood tall and unscathed, almost as if he was immune to the devastating force that had just been unleashed.
He surveyed the destruction around him with a calm yet intense gaze as if he was searching for something amidst the chaos.
And then, as if by instinct, the young man's intense gaze fell upon his target.
Just a few meters away from him stood a vampire, with her charcoal-like skin and razor-sharp claws giving her away.
But what caught his attention even more was the orange-haired girl standing behind Reina, her expression a mix of fear and horror as she clutched the vampire's hand.
A veil of darkness was surrounding them like a barrier - a spell that protected them from Lucas' Mana Burst explosion moments prior.
"You...how could you...?!" the girl stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
As the veil of darkness vanished, Reina surveyed the destruction around her. All she saw was the burnt remains of the children who had been caught in the blast, their ashes still on fire.
She could hardly believe what she was seeing, and her rage only grew as she realized that the human in front of her had heartlessly murdered them all.
Reina's rage boiled over as she cried out, "They were mere children!! You killed them!"
Lucas shook his head in response. "Don't blame this on me. I gave you a choice. I told you to hand over the egg to me. If you had just done that, they wouldn't have died like this. Their blood is on your hands. Besides, they were halflings. Sooner or later, they would've been tracked down by the Union Military and killed anyway. But you can still save the girl behind you. Just hand me over the egg, and I will leave!"
Instead of using her words to respond, Reina gritted her teeth and bent her knees, preparing to fight.
"Fine," Lucas said, jerking his head as if accepting Reina's action as her answer. He tightened his grip on his spear and took his stance. "Come!"
As soon as Lucas beckoned Reina to come at him, she willed mana into her legs and tensed her calf muscles.
Fwoosh—!!!
She vanished into thin air and reappeared right before Lucas. Her claws pulled back to unleash a powerful slash.
Slash—!!
But Lucas was quick on his feet. He stepped back and evaded Reina's attack, letting her claw meet nothing but air.
"Umbra e-dúath!"
But as if Reina had expected that, she quickly chanted a dark magic spell.
But Lucas had also seemed to anticipate this so he abruptly hopped back a few steps again.
Thuk—!!
And thankfully he did that because several shadow spikes erupted on the spot where he was standing moments ago.
Giving him no chance to recover, Reina rushed at Lucas to continue the attack as soon as he landed on the ground.
"Arghhaa!" Lucas let out a battle cry and unleashed a flurry of spear thrusts at the incoming enemy. Mana fiercely spiraled around his weapon as he fought back.
Cling, Cling, Cling—!!
Reina furiously parried the thrusts and counterattacked by slashing her claw, a feeble attempt to grab hold of Lucas.
Like that, the two continued to clash in a violent exchange of blows, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Their movements were fast and precise, a dance of death and destruction.
While Lucas's technique lacked refinement, his attacks were imbued with the immense strength of his ‹Gold› staged mana core.
The sudden increase in his speed and strength made him a formidable opponent for Reina to deal with in her current weakened state.
But despite the disadvantage, Reina's years of battle experience allowed her to hold her own against the inexperienced Lucas.
She was more than confident that she could emerge victorious in this one-on-one confrontation.
Slash, Slash, Slash—!!
And her battle experience began to show in their battle too.
Reina's aggressive attack patterns soon began to wear down Lucas's defenses. Her claws had already cut deep into his skin thrice by now, leaving multiple wounds on his hand, upper torso, and shoulder.
Lucas was starting to get pushed back and he didn't like it one bit. His blows weren't connecting and his attack pattern had become predictable.
Yet, after coming this far, he had no choice but to push forward and keep on attacking relentlessly.
Mana seeped out of Lucas' hands and it swirled around his spear as he lunged forward, intent on piercing Reina's heart.
Swish—!!!
But with a swift movement, Reina spun to the left and evaded the attack while seizing the opportunity to strike and using the momentum of her spin to swipe at Lucas's face with her sharp claws.
Slash—!!
Splurt—!!
A deep gash appeared on Lucas' cheek right under his left eye, barely leaving it intact.
Lucas stumbled back, holding his cheek as blood dripped down his face. He glared at Reina, his grip on the spear tightening.
"You'll pay for that," he growled, summoning more mana to flow through his body. He charged forward, swinging the spear at Reina's midsection.
But Reina was quick to react since she already saw this attack coming.
Swish—!!
She deftly ducked under the spear and lashed out with her claw, aiming for Lucas' exposed side.
Kach—!!
Splurt—!!
"Arghhhaaa!" Her claws sank deep into his flesh, drawing another cry of pain from him.
But despite his injuries, Lucas refused to back down and pressed forward.
Shing—!!
He flicked his right wrist twice and suddenly, a hidden blade burst from his elastic wristband before he swung it at Reina's eye.
But Reina proved to be too quick for him again. With her sharp battle instincts, she had predicted this attack too.
She grabbed his hand and sprang up to slam her head under his chin, disorienting him.
She then delivered a swift knee strike to his solar plexus, causing him to double over in pain and gasp for air.
"Khuuk! Khuuk! Haaa!" Lucas buckled down and collapsed on one knee.
Kach—!!
Splurt—!!!
Before he could recover or even stand up, Reina stepped in and stabbed her claw into his chest, causing blood to spurt from his lips.
"Khuaaaak! Haaak!"
Though he managed to grab her arm to prevent the claw from reaching his heart, the pain was still excruciating.
"Mana–! Khuuk!!"
As soon as Lucas tried to cast his Gift, Mana Burst, Reina swiftly kneed him under the chin, knocking him flat on his back.
He groaned in pain. His body was wracked with agony from the impact.
As he lay there, huffing for breath and struggling to regain his senses, Reina stood over him, her eyes cold and unfeeling.
