Lucavion stepped fully into the arena, the wave of noise crashing over him, a mixture of cheers, gasps, and the low murmurs of those eagerly anticipating the clash. He was well aware that his fight had drawn attention—perhaps one of the most awaited matchups of this round. The crowd’s anticipation was a living thing, buzzing and crackling in the air around him, but his focus remained unwavering.
His gaze sharpened as his opponent emerged from the opposite gate. A young woman, draped in the unmistakable blue robes of the Cloud Heavens Sect, stepped into the arena with a poised, deliberate grace. Her hair was pulled back tightly, accentuating her sharp, focused expression.
A faint aura of chilled blue light surrounded her, hinting at her skill with water or ice-based mana, the preferred elements of her sect.
‘Indeed, for someone to be the one that can advance into the top 32, her strength is indeed not a joke.’
He mused inwardly, his eyes taking in her disciplined stance and the slight tension in her shoulders. Her face remained impassive, yet her gaze held a glint of determination as she locked eyes with him across the arena, clearly intent on proving herself.
The crowd hushed slightly, their whispers tapering off as they recognized the emblems of the Cloud Heavens Sect on her robes. Lucavion knew this was no ordinary fight. The sect had likely chosen her specifically, hoping she would be able to neutralize the threat he posed to their reputation.
He gave her a faint, knowing smile, one that held both amusement and a hint of challenge. ‘Let’s see if she’s as capable as they claim.’
The announcer’s voice rang out, calling attention to the match and detailing the competitors.
“On one side, we have the tournament’s rising star, a fighter who has taken Andelheim by storm with his skill and speed—the Phantom Blade, Lucavion!”
A wave of cheers erupted, the crowd chanting his title, the name already cemented in their minds. Lucavion barely acknowledged the noise, his eyes never leaving his opponent, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he awaited the introduction of his adversary.
“And on the other side,” the announcer continued, his voice swelling with dramatic flair, “a prodigy from the renowned Cloud Heavens Sect! Known for her precision and mastery over the water arts, the Glacial Bloom, Kara Avren!”
The audience gasped and murmured in recognition of her title. Kara Avren was well-known among the sect’s disciples, a young fighter who wielded her elemental prowess with elegance and deadly grace that had earned her respect and notoriety. Kara held herself with composed dignity, her eyes meeting Lucavion’s with unwavering focus, her hand steady on the hilt of her curved blade.
Lucavion’s smirk widened as he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
So, the Glacial Bloom, is it?
The title seemed fitting.
The announcer stepped back, his voice echoing, “Let the match begin!”
The crowd’s cheers intensified, but Lucavion heard none of it, his mind laser-focused on his opponent. This was the moment—one that would test both skill and intent.
Kara Avren’s gaze remained steady as she drew her curved blade, her posture poised and collected. A hint of disdain flickered in her eyes as she looked Lucavion over, sizing him up.
“When you had the chance,” she said calmly, her voice laced with an edge of contempt, “you should have taken it.”
Lucavion met her gaze, his smirk widening as he held her stare with unwavering confidence. “If you were so confident in your abilities, why did your sect even bother making such an offer?”
Kara’s lips tightened, her expression cool and unyielding. “To show courtesy, of course. But perhaps we should’ve expected a vulgar man like you to reject something so honorable.” Her words dripped with disdain as if his very presence offended her.
Lucavion shook his head slowly, a look of amused disbelief crossing his face as he rested his hand on the hilt of his estoc. With a practiced calm, he drew the blade, its length gleaming under the sunlight, and pointed it toward her.
“For someone like you to call me vulgar…” he murmured, his voice soft but carrying a sharp edge. “You and your sect reek of male influence. Just yesterday, you were more focused on…… Whatever, never mind….” He let his words hang in the air, his smirk never faltering. “Are you even taking this seriously?”
A flicker of anger flashed in her eyes, but Kara kept her expression controlled, her stance tightening as she readied herself. Her grip on the hilt of her sword grew firmer, and a faint aura of chilled blue energy began to gather around her.
“Shut your mouth.”
The words had barely left Kara’s lips before she moved, her body a blur of motion.
SWOOSH!
With practiced footwork, she closed the distance between them in an instant, her speed undeniable. Blue mana gathered around her curved blade, a frosty aura that sent a chill through the air. Her sword flashed as she slashed downward, aiming straight for Lucavion.
CLANK!
Lucavion reacted instantly, his estoc rising to meet her attack with a sharp
clank
. The impact reverberated through his arm, and he noted the intensity of her strike. She was strong, faster than most opponents he had faced in this tournament.
The air around them crackled with her icy mana, its chilling energy attempting to seep through his guard.
Their gazes met as their blades locked, his smirk meeting her cold, narrowed eyes.
“Is that it?” he taunted his tone light, almost mocking.
Kara’s expression didn’t falter, her grip tightening as her blue aura intensified, ice beginning to creep along her blade, threatening to encase his estoc. She pushed against him, her eyes flashing with determination.
“You talk too much for someone who’s about to lose,” she replied coolly.
Lucavion felt the chill seeping toward him, her mana pressing in as she attempted to freeze his weapon.
‘Lower the grip.’
He shifted his stance, sliding his blade along hers to break her hold.
CLANK!
With a quick twist of his wrist, he deflected her sword to the side, using her momentum to unbalance her for a brief second.
Kara was quick, regaining her footing almost instantly, but Lucavion took advantage of the opening he had created.
‘Quite sloppy…..Overly reliant on mana.’
SWOOSH!
He spun, his estoc slicing through the air in a calculated, precise arc aimed at her shoulder.
Kara twisted her body, narrowly dodging the strike as she pivoted away, her icy aura flaring around her in response.
CREAK!
She wasn’t about to let him gain the upper hand so easily. With a fierce determination, she dashed back toward him, her footwork fluid and refined as she brought her sword down in another powerful slash.
CLANK!
Lucavion met her attack head-on, their swords clashing once more in a shower of sparks and mana.
The force of her mana-infused strike was impressive, but Lucavion’s technique remained steady and unyielding, his movements controlled and precise as he parried her every attempt.
‘Just, why? Why can’t I pass through him? He is not even using any mana?’
The clash continued, with Kara’s frustration growing by the second. No matter how much power she poured into her strikes, no matter how refined her footwork, she couldn’t seem to break through Lucavion’s defenses. The fact that he hadn’t even used his mana once gnawed at her pride, filling her with a simmering anger.
‘How is he stopping me without even using mana?’
she fumed, her mind racing as she fought to understand his impenetrable defense.
Refusing to accept this imbalance, she gritted her teeth and resolved to end it with her most powerful technique. She channeled her mana into her sword, the icy aura intensifying as she recalled the teachings of her sect’s manual,
–The Frost Lotus Doctrine
.
This wasn’t just an ordinary technique; it was one of the core moves taught only to the most promising disciples of the Cloud Heavens Sect.
Her eyes flashed with determination as she prepared the move her master had personally taught her.
—
Lotus Petal Severance
.
Lucavion’s gaze sharpened as he sensed the shift in her stance, noting the surge of mana now enveloping her blade. The temperature around them plummeted, frost creeping across the arena floor as Kara raised her sword, the blade encased in a crystalline blue light that shimmered like ice.
“HAAA!”
With a cry, she brought down her sword in a powerful, arcing strike, the energy of the
Lotus Petal Severance
slicing through the air toward Lucavion, the very force of it cutting through the ground as it approached.
“Hufff…..”
Lucavion released a small breath as he readied himself, as well.
‘Such a weak essence.’
The technique was powerful indeed. Something that, not every Awakened could use.
But in the end, if the one wielding it didn’t train the technique enough. How could it be enough?
Lucavion watched the incoming strike, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of disdain and disappointment.
“They really are a disgrace…” he muttered under his breath.