As Trish dashed forward, the fiery plum blossom petals danced around her blade before swirling around it like a whirlpool.
That's a level five weapon art! This bitch is pulling out a level five weapon art at this point in the match?!
As an expression of disbelief found its way onto Lucas' face, he shook his head and pulled himself out of his thoughts.
It doesn't matter. Lucas knew he would have to face a powerful weapon art at some point in the battle against her. He knew this match was going to be tough.
It's good that she used her trump card right at the start when Lucas was still in his peak condition.
Now Lucas won't have to hold back either. Not that he was planning to do so anyway.
Channeling mana into his legs, Lucas gripped the shaft of his spear tighter. The sole of his boot dug into the concrete before he darted forward with a burst of speed.
Mana seeped out from his hand and spiraled around his spear as Lucas initiated his own battle art.
[6-Movement Lance Style: Blossom Shattering Blast]
The corner of Trish's mouth twitched as she saw the weapon art that the silver-haired boy had chosen to deploy against her.
Lucas didn't miss that reaction. He knew what the girl was thinking.
How dare he use my own Sect's weapon art against me?!
But Lucas couldn't care less. He carried on with his attack and threw his spear at the graceful swordswoman the moment she stepped into the striking range.
Despite not being a spearman, Trish knew every weapon art of her sect. Naturally, she also knew Blossom Shattering Blast relies solely on spear thrusts.
So with a graceful upward swing of her jian, Trish deflected the incoming spear thrust at her.
However, that was what Lucas wanted her to do. As soon as Trish deflected her spear away, Lucas took a single step back and willed mana only in his triceps, shoulders, and elbows.
As soon as he was done augmenting his muscles with mana, in a fraction of a split second, Lucas brought down his spear at the girl in front of him.
He had changed his weapon art mid-attack and now, instead of spiraling around his spear like a drill, the mana was oozing off into the atmosphere and churning and twisting the air around it.
Trish looked up and saw a spear speeding down on her, tendrils of scarlet lightning crackling around its blade as a result of the distortion of air.
The girl quickly raised her sword over her head — her one hand gripping the hilt of her sword with the other supporting the end of her flat side blade — to block the incoming blow.
CLANG—!!
A loud clangor reverberated throughout the field as a stinging pain shot through Trish's arms. The pain continued to course through her body. Her muscles and bones held but the ground under her didn't.
A net of cracks formed on the concrete below the soles of her boots as she blocked Lucas' spear.
Despite the fact that his attack connected fair and square, Lucas couldn't help but widen his eyes.
She stopped it?!
Lucas wasn't surprised that Trish blocked his attack. He knew her reaction time was going to be fast.
After all, in the novel, during this round, she went toe-to-toe against Quinn.
However, Lucas was surely surprised that his spear didn't shatter that sword of hers in a million shards! That downward slash carried was destructive enough to obliterate a small hill!
Unbeknownst to his bewildered thoughts, Trish shifted her weight and angled her sword in a slight tilt. Lucas' spear, which was still pushing down on her, slid right off her blade and struck the ground.
In a moment of vulnerability, Lucas widened his eyes as Trish stepped forward and unleashed a powerful horizontal swing at him.
Lucas had no time to block it. If the blade manages to reach his neck, he would have no choice but to surrender. If he jumps back now, he would be defenseless in the air.
No matter how he looked at the situation, it was a checkmate for him.
"Haa!"
Or at least, it would've been if he wasn't ready for something like this. Although Lucas didn't want to use this card right now so early in the tournament, he had no choice.
In the blink of an eye, azure mana enveloped Lucas' body as he deployed his martial aura.
Blocking Trish's sword with it was not his intention, as he knew it wouldn't be effective.
Instead, he had other plans.
Suddenly, Lucas' entire body lit up with sparks of electricity dancing around him, forming an electric aura that covered him completely.
By the time Trish's sword reached him, Lucas swiftly vanished from his original position.
A bolt of lightning flashed and struck the ground a few steps back, where Lucas suddenly appeared again, the sparks of electricity slowly diminishing around him.
Learning the electric aura granted him to use superspeed. However, using such power drained his mana pool very quickly.
In fact, he could only maintain the electric aura for a few seconds before exerting his body severely.
On the other hand, he could sustain the fire aura for a bit longer – about a minute or so – but that was the extent of his current capabilities before he needed to rest and regain the strength to use it again.
Well, that was not going to be a problem since Lucas planned to end this match soon anyway.
As a surprised expression appeared on Trish's face, Lucas pointed an open palm at her as if he was going to cast a spell.
Trish willed mana into her legs, intending to lunge at the silver-haired spearman before he could get a chance to finish his chant.
Unfortunately for her, Lucas had already done that. He closed his palm into a fist and pulled his hand back.
Suddenly, around ten lances seemingly made of nothing but pure scarlet flames materialized above Trish's head and came down on her.
Thak, Thak, Thak—!!
The flaming lances struck the ground all around her and barred her from all sides as if imprisoning her.
But as if that wasn't all, the lances erupted in a fiery blast like a salvo of missiles and entrapped Trish in a mushroom cloud explosion.
The shockwaves from the explosion shook the whole arena as everyone leaned forward to the edge of their seats.
A spark of suspense filled the air as rising black smoke and incandescent flames obstructed the swordswoman's fate from the view of the spectators.
As Lucas swept his gaze across the smoldering concrete near the spot of the explosion, a single thought flashed in his mind.
Did I get her?
But almost instantly, one other thought popped up in his head.
Wait, did I just raise a flag?
As if to answer the question in his head, like a vengeful demon, Trish's figure appeared out of smoke.
Her combat attire was burnt in several places, leaving her previous porcelain skin– which was now covered in charred, black burnt marks— exposed at various parts. Her hair was disheveled and soot was smeared on her doll-like.
But more importantly, scarlet flames were embracing her figure in a protective aura as her sword only grew brighter.
If before she looked alluring and arresting, now she looked nothing short of demonic with that fire aura covering her body.
Of course, she knows how to use Elemental Aura too!
Lucas let out a deep sigh as he noticed several fiery petals starting to swirl around Trish's blade again.
Only this time, instead of a small harmless whirlpool, the swirling of those fiery plum blossom petals looked like an advent of a huge, crushing tornado.
"Haaa!" Trish let out a battle cry and stomped her foot on the ground to acquire proper footing before carrying out a horizontal slash even though she had yet to reach Lucas.
The tornado of fiery petals moved along her blade as an extension of Trish's sword and closed in on Lucas from his right.
Goddamnit!
Lucas cursed in his mind and pulled back his spear.
As mana began to churn and twist around the crimson blade of his weapon, Lucas waited for a few moments for the petal storm to come near him and finally unleashed an upward vertical slash.
Kwish—!!!
A loud, thunderous bolt of crimson lightning flashed as a result of the air being distorted so violently and broke through the storm of fiery plum blossom petals.
Trish had used this chance to rush up to Lucas from his left and unleash a swing of her sword which was engulfed in bright pink flames.
As her glowing, incandescent blade neared him, Lucas raised his spear and parried the incoming attack.
Sparks flew, explosions erupted, and concrete ground shattered as the two warriors clashed in the cacophony of loud, melodic clangors of their weapons.
Meanwhile, Chase finally recovered and rose to his feet before willing mana into his arms.
He looked at Lucas, who was busy parrying and deflecting Trish's attacks, and spoke in a tone seething with venom, "You're dead!"
