Gasping for breath and battered from the previous assault, Rio's eyes locked onto the incoming Whirlpool Tempests. He knew that if he didn't act quickly, he would be overwhelmed by their destructive force.
Despite his exhaustion, he summoned the last remnants of his energy to evade the incoming whirlpool vortexes that threatened to engulf him.
In the blink of an eye, Rio's entire form was enveloped in a crackling blue thunder. The energy that surrounded him seemed to electrify the very air, causing the hairs of the onlookers to stand on end. The buzzing sound of the thunder was almost deafening, adding to the intensity of the moment.
Just as the vortexes closed in, he vanished from his former position, leaving only a lingering echo of his presence accompanied by the splashing sound of the water vortexes.
Like a bolt of lightning, Rio shot across the battlefield, the electric aura around him leaving a trail of blue sparks in his wake. The buzzing thunder and the splashing water vortexes created a cacophony of sound that further heightened the tension and excitement among the spectators.
His focus was solely on Lily, the distance between them rapidly decreasing as he surged forward, determined to shift the momentum and regain control of the fight.
As he drew closer to her, Lily hovered her palm in his direction with a focused expression on her face. Channeling her mana, she invoked another battle art technique, the powerful [Hydra's Fury], determined to confront the boy's advance.
The arena was filled with heavy tension as Lily unleashed her battle art technique. A colossal hydra, its body formed entirely of ice, emerged from the freezing mist, its sinuous form writhing with power.
*Roar!*
With each bone-chilling roar, the air itself seemed to freeze, and the ground beneath the hydra transformed into a frostbitten landscape, a trail of ice left in its wake.
Despite the intimidating sight, Rio's resolve burned brightly, propelling him to charge toward the girl.
However, as he glimpsed the massive hydra hurtling towards him, his instincts screamed for him to change his path, attempting to sidestep the impending danger.
The boy thought that the icy creature would merely pass by, but his heart sank as he realized the truth. The hydra was not a simple, mindless construct; it was as if the beast had a mind of its own, continuously tracking him down and changing its course to match his every evasive maneuver.
The enormous icy beast roared with a chilling fury, its frosty breath crackling with freezing energy as it chased Rio across the battlefield. The ground beneath the hydra transformed into a frozen wasteland, the ice spreading like an infectious disease, consuming everything in its path.
Rio's heart pounded like a bass drum, the rapid beat reverberating throughout his entire body. His instincts screamed for him to dodge the oncoming danger. He leaped to the left, narrowly avoiding the icy hydra. As he landed, he darted to the right, his muscles straining with the effort to avoid the icy behemoth.
But the creature was unrelenting, its massive icy form seemingly bent on capturing the boy within its frigid embrace. It reached out with a life of its own, snaking through the battle arena like a living thing, intent on wrapping around the boy and crushing him in its icy grip.
Rio continued to dance around the battle arena, his movements graceful and fluid despite his exhaustion. He twisted and turned, his body seemed to always manage to stay just out of reach of the icy hydra.
Despite his efforts, the creature's relentless pursuit was wearing him down. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning with the effort to keep moving. His muscles ached, every movement causing him to grit his teeth against the pain.
If the hydra were to collide with Rio, it would shatter into a storm of razor-sharp ice shards, wreaking unimaginable havoc on his body. With that knowledge weighing heavily on his mind, the boy mustered all his strength to avoid the continuous pursuit of the icy behemoth.
Rio urgently inquired in his mind, "How can she possess a dual elemental affinity like me?"
Eve's response came swiftly, "She doesn't have a dual elemental affinity. I believe her innate talent allows her to freeze the water. Didn't you notice that when the hydra materialized, it was initially made of water, not ice?"
Although Rio now understood the nature of Lily's ability, he knew he needed to fabricate a plan quickly, or he would face a certain defeat.
The boy dashed across the battle arena, enchanting his body with thunder one more time, a streak of lightning racing to its farthest edge.
The audience watched with amusement, as the boy seemed to flee from the non-stop pursuit of the icy hydra like a cornered rat. Their laughter rang out, echoing through the air as they ridiculed his apparent cowardice.
"Look at him! What a pathetic display!" one spectator jeered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Is this really the best he can do? He's nothing compared to our Goddess Lily!" another chimed in, her voice filled with admiration for the young girl.
A third joined in, smirking as he taunted, "The so-called 'record breaker' is nothing but a coward, running away with his tail between his legs!"
As the mockery continued, praises for Lily grew louder, further emphasizing the stark contrast between her seemingly effortless control over the battle and Rio's desperate attempts to evade the icy hydra.
It seemed as though Rio's fate was sealed, cornered, and helpless before the might of the Hydra.
Yet, as the icy beast closed in on him, a mere hundred meters away, Rio abruptly pivoted on his heel. His eyes blazed with determination, and he surged forward, streaking directly toward the imposing beast.
The laughter of the crowd began to falter, replaced by an atmosphere of heightened suspense, as they realized that Rio's actions might not have been as foolish as they initially believed.
As he turned around to go towards the hydra, the boy activated his battle art technique, [Thunderous Roar of the Ancient Lion].
A vibrant aura of lightning danced around Rio, crackling with intense energy. As it grew, the visage of a fierce, ancient lion spirit emerged, seamlessly merging with his form.
*Roar!!!*
The atmosphere trembled under the weight of a thunderous roar that reverberated across the battlefield, a primal call announcing their combined might.
To the astonished onlookers, it seemed as though a ferocious lion made of pure lightning bolted towards the icy hydra, its gargantuan paws pounding on the ground with the unrelenting force of a thunderclap.
As Rio and the ancient lion spirit surged forward, they seemed to be a formidable force to be reckoned with.
*Roar!!!*
The lion's earth-shattering roar unleashed a devastating shockwave, resolute in its intent to obliterate the frosty leviathan blocking their path.
With the Silver-Bloom King sword held high and the ancient thunder lion spirit crackling around him, Rio charged headlong towards the icy hydra.
The clash that ensued was nothing short of awe-inspiring. To the onlookers, it seemed as though the ferocious thunder lion was relentlessly hammering the hydra with its colossal paws, effortlessly overpowering the glacial beast with a display of raw, unyielding power.
The spectators gazed in wonder as the thunder lion appeared to relentlessly beat the once-formidable hydra. Rio's ancient battle art technique had the icy beast struggling to maintain its ground.
As the thunder lion's shockwaves clashed with the hydra, a spectacular tempest of ice and energy burst forth. Shards of ice, born from the continuous damage sustained by the hydra, shattered and hurtled through the air like lethal projectiles. The intensity of the fierce confrontation caused Lily to stagger backward, desperately trying to evade the deadly barrage.
Despite her fast reaction speed, she couldn't avoid every icicle. Several managed to pierce her body, leaving a trail of wounds across her once unblemished form. Even her face veil, which had previously concealed her features, now bore the marks of minor slashes from the relentless assault.
Upon witnessing this turn of events, Lily's face darkened. She had never imagined that her icy hydra would be so easily overwhelmed by the boy's skill.
And why should it not be? After all, Rio had been gifted this ancient battle art technique by Helia, far surpassing the one Lily had received from the human world.
The realization dawned on her and the girl understood that she had underestimated Rio up until now. She decided it was time to use her trump card, even though her mother Aliyah had warned her against it.
As the icy hydra crumbled beneath the unrelenting onslaught of Rio's ancient thunder lion, Lily's hands clasped together in desperation.
A tempest began to swirl around her, accompanied by a chilling aura that enveloped her entire being. The growing intensity of the storm caused her clothes to flutter wildly, her face veil to dance in the gusts, and her hair whipped around her face like a frenzied serpent.
Rio's focus shifted from the collapsing icy hydra, which dissolved into a mist, to the sly vixen who now commanded his full attention. The sight of her standing in the midst of the raging storm, her figure shrouded by her billowing attire, only served to heighten the sense of danger that he felt emanating from her next planned attack.
====////====
[SnowNote]
Unfortunately, I was unable to fulfill my words of posting two chapters at reset as I had announced earlier. I was unwell yesterday (and even while writing this), which prevented me from completing the task in time.
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I'll add the important character images on the:
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