As the Storm Arrow collided with the flaming lances, a deafening fiery explosion erupted, sending shockwaves throughout the area.
Flames engulfed the vicinity and strong gusts of wind blew. Everyone's vision was obscured by the smoke and dust that rose in the air.
Even though she hoped that her Storm Arrow had hit the mark and defeated Lucas, Grace knew better than to underestimate him by now.
So to take caution, she raised her rapier and infused it with whatever mana was left in her body, causing her blade to emit a radiant azure glow.
However, nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds, causing a frown to appear on Grace's face.
"Did I really get him?" She muttered to herself, questioning whether she had truly succeeded.
Interrupting her thoughts, Kai, who had been observing from the sidelines until now, called out to her, "No, you didn't. Watch out."
As soon as Grace registered Kai's words, she looked ahead and noticed something moving within the rising black smoke.
However, she didn't even get to think about it for long before a figure emerged from the black haze, hurtling towards her with blurring speed.
It was Lucas.
His form was still enveloped in a scarlet aura while the very space itself seemed to have been distorting around the crimson blade of his spear.
".....!!" Grace widened her eyes in surprise but swiftly thrust her rapier forward at the incoming silver-haired boy.
Clang—!!
In response to her attack, Lucas smoothly swung his spear in a fluid left-to-right motion, deflecting Grace's slender blade with a resounding clang.
"Anghh!" The force of Lucas' swing caused a jarring impact to reverberate through Grace's arm, eliciting a grunt of pain.
Her rapier jerked from her grip due to the impact dealt by Lucas' swing and landed a few meters away from her.
Meanwhile, Lucas wasted no time and swiftly swung his spear again, this time in a reverse motion as before.
Reacting swiftly, Grace skillfully moved her feet and jumped a few steps back to safety.
Without wasting a breath, she quickly channeled mana into her smart bracelet and summoned a halberd into her hands.
However, before she could fully gather herself, Lucas lunged towards her, leaving Grace no time to even catch her breath.
Bending her knees slightly, Grace took a step forward and swung her halberd in a horizontal arc.
Swish—
Lucas agilely leapt over her swing and, while still in mid-air, thrust his spear down at her.
Thwish—
Grace swiftly swirled to her right, evading Lucas' downward spear thrust.
She then used the momentum of her spin to carry out another slash attack as soon as Lucas landed in front of her.
She thought that Lucas would be momentarily off balance and vulnerable upon landing back on the ground. That's when she planned to strike him.
Unfortunately for her, Lucas didn't put any strength into his knees.
So as soon as he landed, his knees bent from the force of his landing and he fluidly dropped in a crouched position.
As a result of that, Grace's halberd passed harmlessly over his head. From his low position, Lucas then thrust his spear forward at her.
Widening her eyes, Grace attempted to tilt her head to the side to evade Lucas' spear, but she was a split second too late.
Kach—!!
The blade of Lucas' spear grazed the right side of Grace's face and a red line formed on her cheek before blood started to trickle down from her wound.
Without stopping, Lucas swiftly pulled his front leg inward and used the momentum to spin on his foot to deliver a powerful spinning heel kick.
Thwack—!!
His heel struck Grace's jaw with precision, sending her tumbling to the side from the sheer force of the kick before she fell down on one knee, momentarily stunned.
"Fuck you!" she cursed, her tone dripping in venom.
Mustering his strength, she gripped her halberd tighter and thrust it forward at Lucas' chest, aiming to impale his heart.
Swish—
However, Lucas effortlessly sidestepped and evaded the attack before grabbing the shaft of her halberd firmly.
Channeling strength into his grip, he broke the shaft of her halberd, which was made from super-reinforced steel, as if it were a mere toothpick.
"Oh, boy!" Lucas gasped dramatically. "Were trying to kill me for real?"
Not bothering to entertain him by responding, Grace rose to her feet and lunged towards Lucas.
In response to her last ditch effort, Lucas gracefully twirled his spear and planted the blunt end of his weapon into Grace's solar plexus.
Thruck—!!!
"Khuaaa!" Grace gasped as the wind was knocked out of her lungs.
The impact caused her legs to give away as she buckled down, falling to her knees.
Normally, this wasn't an attack that would've put down Grace.
However, right now Lucas had a much higher mana core rank than Grace.
The amount of mana he used to reinforce his spear far surpassed whatever amount she had used to strengthen her own body.
As a warrior, the solar plexus was a crucial area to protect since one's mana core is located there.
A powerful strike to the solar plexus not only caused excruciating pain that would leave them unable to use mana for a few minutes, but it also carried the risk of shattering the mana core if the impact was severe enough.
Of course, Lucas didn't use that force.
He had merely delivered a strike strong enough to temporarily disable Grace from using mana.
"Khuaa! Haaa! Haaa!" While still down on her knees, she continued to violently gasp for air.
Her delicate body was completely vulnerable since she couldn't strengthen it using mana.
Lucas took this chance to slowly circle behind her as if he was relishing the state he had rendered her in.
Upon reaching behind her, he finally swung his spear at Grace, aiming to hit her with its shaft.
Thwack—!!
As Lucas' spear connected with the back of Grace's neck, the blunt force knocked her out instantly.
Her eyes widened briefly before she collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Thud—!
She put up an admirable fight, her efforts valiant, but ultimately, she was no match for the silver-haired spearman.
"Alright," Lucas sighed, nodding to himself in acknowledgement. "That's taken care of."
Surveying the wrecked state of the terrace, which was largely caused by him, Lucas's gaze fell upon a red-haired girl, who met his stare head-on.
"Are you next?" Lucas quipped, wiggling his eyebrows and deftly spinning his spear from one hand to the other.
"Nah," in response to him, the red-haired girl raised her hands and turned around to leave. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."
Upon reaching the terrace door, she pointed at the door with an open palm and conjured a fireball spell.
Thwaam—!
The fireball launched forward at the door and exploded upon impact, creating an exit for her.
Without wasting a moment, she quickly walked out of the terrace, not wanting to be there for even a second longer.
As soon as she left, Lucas shifted his gaze to the sole remaining individual on the terrace.
The one who was still standing tall amidst the chaos – Kai Wiseman
