Boom—!!
Kabooom—!!
Clang, Clang, Clang—!!
After a few minutes of struggle, even to the mundane people, it has become obvious that the Fallen Angel was losing ground.
Each time their blades clashed, Lucas was pushed back slightly more than the last. Nero's relentless attacks showed no sign of ending.
His blade fell on the young Morningstar like a hurricane of boulders raining down on him.
Lucas was sure that if his spear was anything short of Legendary rank, it would've shattered like glass by now.
He inwardly thanked his master for providing him with the Bringer Of Lost Flames, but it wouldn't ensure victory in this match.
The whole Arena was plunged into pin-drop silence. The audience sat at the edge of their seats, staring at the half-ruined concrete field with anticipation.
Everyone looked at the ongoing match with their mouths hanging open and eyes on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
Each one of them was extremely still like a statue, as if moving even slightly would disturb the unfolding spectacle before them.
Even commentators were silent, their occasional surprised yelps and gasps betraying the fact that someone was sitting behind the mics.
No one expected this level of fight from two first-year cadets. Well, some people did from Nero, but no one expected much from Lucas.
Yes, his recent development showed him worthy of his previous title of a genius, but in the eyes of the world, he was still not in the same league as Nero.
After all, Nero had fought his way up in the bracket alone, while Lucas clearly had some people who pushed him up except in the second round– the Triple Threat match.
The abilities Nero displayed were in the realm of being unbelievable, in contrast to the humane cunning and moderately excellent battle prowess that Lucas showcased.
Yet, somehow, defying all logic, Lucas was here, still in the match. Well, yes, he was fighting a losing duel, but it's not like there was no chance of winning.
There was still a chance— That's what the people supporting the fallen Morningstar chose to believe.
Well, them and Lucas himself. After all, he knew that Nero had been fighting the whole day while he only had to fight a little in one match.
He had already exerted himself enough. Even though Nero was a monster, he was still human, hopefully.
His mana core, albeit a bit higher than most of the people his age, was still limited. There was only so much he could strain it.
Then there was the question of his physique itself. Nero had acquired several wounds from his previous battles.
And now, even when Lucas was receiving more wounds in this duel, Nero was still the one more injured between the two of them.
One mistake… Lucas wanted Nero to make just one mistake. He was stalking Nero like a predator observing his prey.
Lucas was sure that just one single mistake would be all it'd take for him to claim victory or, at least, complete his task over Nero.
However, to his dismay, Nero also had an inkling about it, so he was cautious enough not to make a single blunder.
His movements were fluid and unpredictable, but also grounded and firm. Every strike, every step was calculated and efficient, focused on delivering the maximum amount of damage while preserving as much of his strength as possible.
Each time they engaged, a shockwave would erupt, causing them to disengage and fly back a few meters before rushing at each other again and lunging forward to clash and repeat the process.
By now, Lucas' body was littered with fresh scars, with streams of warm, crimson blood rolling down his perfectly toned physique.
Nero wasn't left unharmed, however. His own state resembled very much that of Lucas', albeit less extreme.
Once again, after being flung back by the force of their own collision, Nero and Lucas lunged forward at each other.
Clang—!!
This time, before clashing their blades, Nero stomped the sole of his boot on the ground and willed as much mana as he could into his feet.
After acquiring proper footing, his sword lashed forward and met Lucas' spear after making a wide, glowing azure arc in the air.
Thwaaam—!!!
This time, most of the shockwave that erupted from their collision was directed solely at Lucas, or at least he was the one who seemed to be more affected by it.
His body flung back and high in the air, as the world turned upside down in his vision.
"What the…?!" Lucas grunted, widening his eyes in shock. He was thrown in the air like a rag doll!
Gnashing his teeth, Lucas pulled strength into his core and performed an abrupt somersault in the air to kill the momentum pushing his back.
His body was suspended in the air for a few moments. Lucas made full use of his high position and willed more mana into his fiery elemental aura.
The immolating blue flames engulfing his figure crackled with intensity and turned into electricity.
He changed the grip on his spear and placed one hand in the middle of its shaft and another near the end of its tip.
The electricity crackled around him even more vigorously before Lucas threw his spear forward like a javelin.
Thuuuum—!!
A loud thunder roared through the night sky, and a bright flash of light flickered under the fervent glow of the moonlight.
Almost instantly, the spear from Lucas' hand shot down at Nero akin to a bolt out of a railgun, like a god incurring his wrath on a mere mortal.
However, Nero was anything but a mere mortal. His sword gleamed with a blinding light as he swung his sword at the incoming spear clad in a destructive bolt of lightning.
Thwaaam—!!
Nero's blade clanged against the spear, leaving it mere inches away from impaling his chest until he finally mustered enough mana in his hands and pushed away the spear.
Thak—!!
The spear struck the ground next to Nero, residual electricity still crackling around it.
The impact of deflecting such an attack sent tremors of pain coursing through Nero's bones as his hands were left trembling and shaking.
It really did feel like Nero had to deflect a bolt shot out of a railgun. As he took a few moments to catch his breath, Lucas landed a few meters away from him.
Even though he didn't have a weapon in his hand, he didn't rush to get it back. Not like Nero would let him do that, anyway.
Instead, Lucas muttered a chant under his ragged breath and pointed his open palm at Nero. He then closed his hand into a fist and pulled his arm back.
Instantly, more than a dozen lances of blazing crimson flames appeared in the air above Nero's head.
Before the swordsman had the chance to react, the blazing lances fell down and struck the ground around him in a circle, as if entrapping him behind flaming bars.
In the next moment, all of those lances exploded and created a destructive ball of smoldering fire, a mushroom cloud of black smoke rising above it.
"Did I get him?" Lucas thought with gritted teeth, but in the next moment immediately regretted his decision.
"Damn it!" He cursed. "Why do I always raise a flag."
