At the moment, Aurora and Aadi stood a short distance apart, facing each other in complete silence. Even Asty had woken up and was watching from a little distance away.
Aadi was sizing up Aurora. She seemed somewhat nervous, but her posture was solid, ready for a battle. Likewise, Aurora was also sizing up Aadi, but all she could see was his relaxed stance.
Realizing Aadi wasn't making any moves, she understood he was telling her to start the sparring.
Taking a deep breath, Aurora dashed toward Aadi at full speed, channeling Profound energy into her fists and legs to boost her movement. She reached Aadi quickly, swinging her fist at his face. Aadi simply tilted his head slightly, evading her punch with ease.
Aurora knew this initial move wouldn't work, so she quickly retracted her hand and aimed a kick at Aadi's knee, hoping to distract him to follow through with her plan.
Aadi just smiled, catching her leg and tossing her to the side, sending her crashing into a small hill and breaking it into pieces.
"You've never fought anyone before, have you? This is plain boring. Every attack is predictable," Aadi said, watching as Aurora rose from the rubble. "Believe me, with this approach, you wouldn't be able to defeat even an opponent at your level. Try fighting with your instincts, not just your brain."
Aurora thought about his words and nodded, realizing she had ignored her instincts earlier, and this was the result.
This time, Aurora charged even faster than before, throwing a punch at Aadi with full force while keeping her eyes on his movements. But instead of fully committing to the punch, she retracted her fist, crouching and swinging her leg clockwise at his abdomen.
Aadi jumped to avoid her kick, landing behind her. He moved to strike her neck, but as soon as he jumped, Aurora's instincts screamed at her to dodge. She listened, rolling forward just in time to evade Aadi's blow.
The spot where Aadi's hand struck the ground left a deep, straight cut, and Aurora broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of what would have happened if she hadn't dodged in time.
Aadi waved a hand, signaling to her. "I've seen enough, but give me one last attack with your full power. Show me whatever you can muster."
Aurora nodded, determined to give her all. She took a deep breath, then pointed her hands forward, closing her eyes and slipping into a meditative state.
She focused entirely on the lightning within her, recalling the energy she had absorbed previously. Her Bloodline allowed her to store lightning within her body, a discovery she'd made before. Concentrating, she gathered all the lightning into her palm. Soon, her hand was enveloped in crackling lightning, but she wasn't satisfied. She compressed the lightning further, forming a small, dense sphere.
Her hand began trembling under the sphere's intensity, and cracks appeared as blood seeped from her palm. But she persevered, forcing the lightning around her palm into the ball. A small, spinning yellow sphere of lightning formed in her hand, powerful and dangerously dense.
At that moment, a new idea crossed her mind—to mix Profound energy with the lightning ball. Just as she considered it, Aadi's voice broke through her thoughts. "Don't. I know you're thinking about mixing Profound energy with that lightning ball, but I'm telling you, it's futile, and you'd likely explode. You're too weak to handle that now."
His warning was clear, and Aurora, though slightly disappointed, nodded in agreement.
She ran toward Aadi, her lightning ball in hand. She knew the attack likely wouldn't harm him, but this was a chance to show her capabilities. Reaching him, she thrust her palm, aiming the lightning sphere at Aadi's chest.
As the lightning ball made contact, it suddenly vanished from Aurora's palm. Her hand landed on his chest in a simple slap.
Aurora's eyes widened in shock. She'd expected at least some sort of reaction, a flash of light or burst of energy, but nothing happened. She looked up, her eyes dimming slightly in disappointment.
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Aadi grinning. He pointed to her right, and when she turned, her gaze followed his finger toward the mountain range.
There, high above one of the mountains, she saw her lightning ball descending rapidly. A few moments later, it crashed.
With a deafening explosion, the lightning ball unleashed its stored power in a brilliant display of energy. Bolts of lightning shot out in all directions, illuminating the sky and crackling with fierce intensity. The mountain shook, tremors reverberating through the ground beneath everyone's feet as if echoing the heartbeat of a storm.