Not long after, Adel's panic began to seep into his technique and hindered him. He started leaving openings and received damage in return.
Lucas never missed an opportunity to capitalize on these mistakes and punish his twin brother.
Usually, in close combat, Adel's opponents had to always think twice before engaging him.
They had to be wary of the danger posed by his fire elemental aura.
After all, if they touch his golden flames, they could be set on fire instantly.
However, this time, his opponent was not an ordinary cadet but Lucas, who, thanks to the protection of his armor, had no concern about taking damage.
Actually, on second thought, even without the near-invincible protection of his armor, Lucas was insane enough to set himself ablaze if it meant harming his opponent.
Adel clenched his teeth as blow after blow struck his vulnerable areas. He gasped, grunted, and cried out in pain, but Lucas, like a vengeful demon, showed no hint of mercy.
And why should he show mercy? He had given them a chance to back down. He did not start this fight- they did. This wasn't punishment... but a consequence.
Thwack, Thwack, Thwack-!!
By now, Adel had been reduced to a mere punching bag. He was unable to find any openings for a counterattack. All he could do now was just stand there and take the unbearable beating and humiliation.
Fortunately, just as Lucas was about to land a blow on Adel's solar plexus and cut off his mana supply, Yelena intervened. She jumped between the brothers and swung the blade of her longsword at Lucas.
As her blade traced an azure arc in the air, Lucas stopped Yelena's downward slash with his bare hands and grabbed the blade of her sword.
"Mana Burst!" He yelled, igniting an azure explosion in his grip.
Thwooom-!!
The silver sword in his tight grasp shattered as though it was made of glass, its sharp shards falling to the ground.
Thwack-!!
Before Yelena could even comprehend what had happened, Lucas slammed his head against hers, sending her staggering backward.
Right at that moment, after finally catching his breath, Adel decided to exploit the momentary opening after Lucas headbutted Yelena and quickly lunged forward with a front kick.
However, Lucas was obviously aware of the attack. He merely sidestepped and allowed Adel's kick to meet nothing but air.
From his side, Lucas lifted his leg and spun in Adel's direction, ramming his knee into the Golden Wolf's abdomen.
"Khuuak!" Adel gasped and buckled, collapsing to his knees, the golden flames that had once enveloped his body now extinguished just like his willpower to continue the fight.
But right then, Yelena used that chance to rush Lucas. She leaped over his head and descended while spinning like a vortex before unleashing a tornado kick on her brother.
Lucas grabbed Adel by the head and, as a display of strength, hoisted him up to use him as a shield.
Thwack-!!
Yelena's attack landed on the Golden Wolf's back, drawing another grunt of pain, "Arghhh!"
"You coward!" Yelena yelled as she landed back on the ground a few steps away.
Lucas tossed Adel aside as if he was nothing but a mere ragdoll and turned his gaze back to his sister.
"You know, Yelena," Lucas began, a cold indifference present in his crimson eyes. "You've always infuriated me."
Yelena clenched her teeth and glanced at Adel, who was struggling to rise back to his knees.
By now, she understood that her spells would not be able to break through Lucas' armor, while his attacks would inevitably wear her down.
Fighting Lucas felt like courting imminent and inevitable defeat. She was well aware that she would lose alone.
So, she decided to stall Lucas until Adel recovered. She knew with Adel's Gift and her devastating spells, they would emerge victorious even when Lucas' defense was nigh-invincible.
"Oh, yeah?" She asked. "And just why is that?"
"How dare you act so high and mighty after what you did to me?"
Lucas spat, a slight sense of anger evident in his tone. "Hearing you speak about nobility and honor sickens me to my core."
A pang of pain tugged at Yelena's heart, but she suppressed it.
"Lucas, I am sorry for what I did... You know I am!"
"Are you?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I can tell that you are. You are sorry for what you did. But you don't feel bad for never trying to stop Adel or never sticking by my side, do you?"
Yelena remained silent. Her silence, in a way, was her answer. She felt disgusted with herself. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she knew how shallow she had been.
She had left Lucas because of how inferior she felt compared to him. Adel wasn't the only one happy on the day when their father made Lucas step down from the position of his heir. No, she too had felt joy that day.
And that feeling disgusted her.
"You, or any of the Morningstar for that matter, don't have any right to talk about honor and nobility," Lucas declared.
"Keep our family out of this," Yelena gritted a whisper.
"Oh, did I offend the Snow Wolf?" Lucas scoffed. "That's what they call you, right? The Snow Wolf? You don't deserve that name.
Wolves don't leave their kin behind!"
"Oh, and you do, Young Wolf?" Yelena spat back. "What do you know about being a Morningstar anyway?! You weren't even with us for the most part!"
"And just who pushed me away!" Lucas erupted but quickly shook his head after calming himself down. "You know what, I don't care, Yelena. It's not your fault. You and Adel were just kids. All the attention I got made you both feel like you were always out of the spotlight."
Yelena listened quietly, her fists tightened and her jaw clenched. As she was about to speak in an attempt to try and make peace with him, Lucas spoke up again.
"And it's not your fault that I'm about to prove to you that no matter how many years have passed, no matter how strong you both may have grown, you both will always be inferior to me."
"....!!" Baring her teeth, Yelena extended her hand and pointed an open palm at Lucas.
Behind Lucas, Adel had also stood up and pointed an open palm at him before he began to recite a chant.
Unfazed, Lucas smirked mockingly. "So, do whatever is in your power to try to stop me... and watch as I demolish your pack."
In an instant, the evening sky burst into brilliant light as several stars ignited above. As they drew nearer, it became apparent that they were massive spheres of golden flames hurtling toward the earth.
Meanwhile, the ground beneath him trembled as sharp ice obelisks erupted from the earth's surface.
The fireballs collided with the ground like meteors, setting off a chain of explosive conflagrations, while crystalline ice spikes littered the terrain, tearing apart anything in their path.
The whole garden of the Morningstar mansion was destroyed in an instant, even the guards outside the gates had to move away to protect themselves from the shockwaves that rippled in the aftermath.
Yet none of the attacks managed to land on Lucas. He gracefully evaded them all and moved with blurring speed, his body looking like a crimson flash.
Thwoom-!!
And when an attack did finally connect with Lucas, his body rippled and wavered like a mirage. Noticing this, Yelena's eyes widened once more.
She had seen Lucas use this technique before. It was the Mirage Walk, a signature Movement Art used by the God of War, Leo Kurogami himself.
"Tch! Damnit!" Yelena cursed and shifted her gaze to Adel. "It's Mirage Walk! He can create illusions of himself, camouflage his appearance, and even turn invisible, soâ Aaargh!"
Yelena's warning was abruptly cut short as she let out a pained cry.
She glanced at her shoulder only to find a stiletto knife embedded there, blood gushing out her wound.
Gripping the hilt of the stiletto knife was a silver-haired boy, his face twisting in a maniacal grin.
"Eriha Vaan!" Yelena quickly chanted in high-elven, and immediately, a wall of ice erupted from beneath the ground, forcing Lucas to jump back.
Yelena clutched her wounded shoulder and rushed to Adel's side.
Coming to stand beside him, she said:
"Adel, activate your Fire Elemental Aura. I'm going to unleash Zero Point!"
Adel's eyes widened, but he didn't protest. In fact, he knew that this was their only option. Their spells and attacks had proven futile against Lucas.
Not even their most destructive spells left a scratch on him. His armor was simply too impervious.
There was only one way to defeat Lucas, and that was for Yelena to unleash her strongest Area of Effect spell.
Following the same line of thought, Yelena raised her hand, and a longsword made entirely of ice materialized in her grasp almost instantaneously.
She whispered an incantation under her breath, causing the tip of her sword to glow with a brilliant azure hue, like a solitary star in the darkest night.
As if waiting for that cue, the temperature of their surroundings plummeted dangerously, chilling the air in an instant.
Suddenly, the world was encased in ice once more â frozen.
But this time, it wasn't just that. In the heart of the frozen world, a deadly snow blizzard billowed forth, engulfing everything in murderous cold within a fifty-meter radius.
In the eye of the swirling snow tempest stood Yelena, her sword raised toward the sky, radiating a dull azure glow as he looked like a knightly princess from a fairytale.
Beside her, Adel was enveloped in golden flames, making him appear like a pure, radiant deity who reincarnated into the mortal realm.
Somewhere in the distance, away from the fantasy-like duo, the air rippled and Lucas' figure gradually materialized, becoming visible again.
Adel couldn't help but smirk as he noticed that.
Yes, elemental damage alone couldn't harm Lucas, especially since Yelena's Zero Point spell was not nearly as strong as their mother's.
But it would still be exceptionally difficult for Lucas to breathe.
Within minutes, his lungs would likely succumb to the cold and he would fall unconscious.
If he were to use his Fire Elemental Aura or any fire-based spells, Adel would drain the mana from those spells, negating them and forcing Lucas to endure the murderous cold.
The only downside to this plan was that Yelena could not move for a few minutes, forcing Adel to confront Lucas on his own.
But this time, Adel held the upper hand!
