Judging by her speed and the ferocity of her assault, Orion could deduce that her prowess could rival his own when he had just begun harnessing the power of the Vylkr vines, adjusting his body to their energy.
In short, had Tala been present, she could have easily subdued Maya or even incinerated her before she gained any momentum.
No wonder he had defeated the Gemheart Clan Heir with such ease!
"BANG!"
Orion used the side of his arm to block her staff, exerting more of his strength to restrain its movement as he realized Maya had reached her maximum speed.
However, due to the rebound, Orion's arm recoiled backwards, forcing him to take several steps in retreat.
Seeing this, Maya initially smiled until she noticed Orion's arm. Her smile instantly faded, replaced by a look of shock.
"Your... Your arm is okay," she exclaimed, her heart fluttering at the realization that Orion's arm had sustained no damage despite her powerful attack.
Orion shook off the tingling sensation in his hand, now understanding how the Village Chief or Stronghold Leader Zogar must have felt when he attacked them with such speed.
"Yes, it is. Was it supposed to get hurt?" Orion replied, his tone laced with a touch of amusement.
"TCHH!" Maya bit her lips in annoyance.
She had initially believed that he was merely dodging because her "Radiant Aura" had dulled his senses, making him fail to perceive the danger until it was right in front of him. Now, it seemed that he had been dodging to gauge the extent of her abilities.
Maya swiftly channelled her elemental power into her staff, sacrificing some speed for increased attack power.
She declared loudly, "VERY WELL, TAKE THIS!" and surged forward, swinging her staff with even greater force.
As her staff hurtled toward his chest, Orion burst forward in a straight trajectory to meet Maya's attack head-on.
He realized she was putting everything into this one strike, and he had no intention of prolonging the confrontation, understanding that this was likely the pinnacle of her abilities.
He couldn't help but ponder what might have happened if she had discovered earlier that using lightning against him was akin to wielding a paper sword.
Regardless, Orion wasn't foolish enough to meet her attack head-on with only his bare fists!
In the instant before Maya's staff and his fist were about to collide, the strange energy coursing through his body surged as Orion activated his gift.
He refrained from using the Vylkr energy with his gift at this moment, as he was uncertain about the extent of its power.
However, even without it, his abilities were formidable.
As Orion's arms began to emanate a vibrant blue glow...
"BANGG!!"
Lightening sparked…
"BAMM!"
Maya's lightning-coated staff and Orion's lightning-coated fist collided, producing a dazzling flash of light that nearly blinded her, along with everyone else seated in the grand amphitheatre. This was immediately followed by a deafening impact.
"CRRAACCK!!"
The sound of bones cracking and deforming echoed across the stage, sending shivers down everyone's spines. It was a moment that no one in the audience could forget.
Consequently, an incomprehensible, shrill scream of agony followed, resounding across the stage. It left everyone who witnessed the scene dumbfounded, as the miserable scream came from none other than Maya Luminous herself.
Both of her arms were burnt, her right hand bent at an incomprehensible angle, and even her elbow had popped backwards due to the force of the collision.
"MAYAA!!"
A scream echoed from a specific area in the grand amphitheatre, precisely the seating position from which Maya had initially rushed onto the stage.
Merida, her eyes filled with fear, leapt upward, reaching the edge of the seating area. She leapt high again into the sky before landing in front of her brutally injured sister.
Orion, however, watched as the unknown woman, who seemed to resemble Maya, jumped onto the stage.
Looking at her closely, he couldn't help but notice that the woman's attire was even more captivating and beautiful. He might have enjoyed the view under different circumstances, but his entire attention was now fixated on the brutally injured Maya.
He acknowledged that his strength and overall attack power increased when he used his gift.
Nevertheless, observing her current pitiable condition, Orion realized he might have overestimated her endurance and the force behind her final attack.
"It seems I may have underestimated myself as well," Orion muttered to himself with a sigh as he moved forward to check on Maya's condition.
Seeing her younger sister's condition, Merida urgently signalled for the healers to come and attend to Maya. She refrained from touching her herself, fearing that she might inadvertently worsen her injuries.
"HURRY! WHERE ARE THE HEALERS?!" she shouted, prompting half of the healers attending to Zephyrion to rush to their aid.
Another group of healers quickly arrived, thanks to the Quaztrwriaths' foresight in planning for the battle beforehand and having enough healers on standby in case anything went wrong during the fight.
However, since this battle was supposed to be between the clan heirs, they had anticipated that the confrontation wouldn't escalate to such a severe injury, leaving them unprepared for this grave turn of events.
Merida swiftly sensed someone approaching behind her and, in an instant, channelled her magical energy, activating her elemental ability.
Simultaneously, she pivoted on her kneeling position, extending her left arm to wave it behind her.
"STAY BACK!" she screamed.
"WHOOOSSSHH!!!"
Following her command, a searing crimson tidal wave of flames surged out in a ninety-degree arc toward Orion.
Realizing he had no time to evade the incoming attack, Orion, unwilling to confront the tidal wave directly, swiftly activated his gift.
He clasped his hands together, conjuring a thick, vibrant bluish wall of lightning to shield himself from the fiery onslaught.
"CRACKLE!" "CRACKLE!"
"BOOOM!" "WHOOSH!"
The tidal wave of flames ferociously collided with Orion's fortress of lightning, causing it to split into two sections that scorched the ground on either side of him.
