Numerous bursts of bright bluish energy crackled out from both of Orion's arms, resembling venomous serpents in search of prey. As these lightning streaks hurtled toward the ground, they seared the earth's surface, leaving behind charred marks and altering its hue to a darkened black.
The sparks danced and sizzled, creating a burning zone within a two-meter radius around him.
Orion sensed that his gift had become two or three times more potent than before. New capabilities seemed within reach, making his body tingle with anticipation. However, recognizing the strengthened power of his lightning, he decided to explore these newfound abilities later, in private.
For now, he channeled his control over the lightning and conjured colossal clenched fists, each standing three meters tall, on either side of his arms.
"What amazing control," Queen Selene muttered to herself as she observed Orion's mastery over shaping his lightning, leaving her both amazed and impressed. Such control over elemental abilities would take a Prismerion decade to attain, and even then, it wasn't guaranteed unless they possessed exceptional talent and near-perfect control over their magical energy.
Merida, too, couldn't deny the impeccable nature of his control over his elemental lightning ability. Witnessing his feat, she recognized his capabilities.
However, seeing that the foreigner was ready to face them, Merida channelled her magical energy into her legs and charged forward without hesitation.
Witnessing this, the twins wasted no time and charged forward, their resolve clear in their eyes.
They immediately activated a Prismaflow Clan intermediate stage specialty: Short-hop Blink! This technique not only helped them evade attacks or move swiftly through obstacles but also allowed them to execute short-range teleports within their current dimension.
Without hesitation, both Aeryn and Conrad disappeared from their original positions after a few steps. Within seconds, they reappeared behind Orion, their fists ready to strike from behind.
Caught by surprise by the twins' instant teleportation, Orion reacted swiftly. He leapt high into the air and hurled his left, three-meter-tall lightning-forged fist backwards.
"BAAMM!"
The lightning-forged fist collided with the ground, just missing the twins, who had narrowly dodged the attack. They promptly disappeared once again, leaving Orion uncertain of their next appearance.
Not taking any chances, Orion swung his body mid-air, capitalizing on the momentum of his thrown lightning-forged fist. He launched his other lightning-forged fist straight at the charging Merida.
Merida snorted at his assault, her combat instincts kicking in. She activated an initial stage technique called "Solar Flare Strike." In an instant, a blinding flash of brilliant light erupted in front of Orion, temporarily disorienting his senses.
He quickly averted his eyes from the blinding light but continued to propel his fist forward, resolved to strike his target.
Merida's grinned as she skillfully evaded Orion's attack. She sidestepped just in time for his three-meter lightning-forged fist to crash into the ground with a deafening "Baam!!"
Seeing the temporary blindness afflict Orion as lightning sparks crackled from his arms in an attempt to conjure another pair of lightning fists, Merida seized the opportunity.
She surged toward him, pushing her magical energy to its limits. In an instant, she delivered a powerful kick to the ground and appeared beside Orion in mid-air. Her crimson-flamed sword, now intertwined with radiant energy, swung forward as Merida activated an intermediate specialty.
"Luminosity Burst!"
Merida's Luminosity Burst technique was nothing short of spectacular. When her radiant energy-infused blade met Orion's partially lightning-covered body, it triggered a resounding shockwave, followed by a colossal burst of blinding light that exploded outward. Orion, his temporary blindness just beginning to wane, cursed loudly.
"FUCKK!!"
He desperately tried to conjure a thick wall of lightning to shield himself, but it proved insufficient.
"BAAAM!!!" "WHOOSSSH!!"
Merida's flaming crimson radiant energy blade collided with Orion's form, sending a powerful shockwave through the area.
A massive burst of light erupted, propelling Orion backwards. His body sailed through the air for approximately twelve meters, tumbling uncontrollably before coming to an abrupt halt as he crashed into the ground.
"BAANNG!!"
Orion struggled to regain his senses after the powerful collision with Merida's attack. Before he could fully recover his bearings, a powerful foot crashed into his gut, causing his insides to churn. The force of the impact sent him soaring high into the air.
"BAANNG!!"
As he desperately tried to reorient himself mid-air, another blow struck him from behind, propelling him in the opposite direction.
This time, Orion's body hurtled forward uncontrollably, crashing violently into the ground.
He tumbled forward until he managed to regain control, coming to a halt just at the edge of the stage.
"Haaaaaa! Haaaaa!!" Orion took deep, steadying breaths as he fought to regain his composure.
"I shouldn't have held back… Haaaa!" he muttered under his breath, his lungs still heaving heavily.
The searing pain from where Merida's flaming, glowing sword had collided with him and the assaults from the Prismaflow twins, who seemed to possess teleportation skills, sent waves of pain across his body.
For a moment, he thought that he might be immobilized for hours.
However, after a few seconds of collecting his thoughts and stabilizing his body, Orion turned around and pushed himself up with his hands.
"Haaaaa!!"
Orion managed to get back on his feet, his teeth stained with the metallic taste of his own blood.
As he watched the three Prismerian heirs approach, he wiped his mouth and spoke, "I'm not planning to hold back anymore, so you all should get ready."
He spat out the remaining blood to the side.
Merida's lips twitched at his words. While they recognized his incredible strength, having witnessed him defeat two previous clan heirs effortlessly, this exchange had left them uncertain about his true rank.
He had yet to use his magical energy and relied solely on his physical strength, elemental ability, and seemingly boundless endurance. It made it impossible for them to gauge his true power.
"Well, you shouldn't be holding back or pretending, especially when you have no chance of winning if things continue like this," Merida remarked with a smirk.
