Chapter 44: Victory?
Without realizing it, his now shattered confidence and state of mind had caused him not to notice that Alex's entire aura had covered both his body and that of his enemy as if it were one big bubble.
"Impressed?" Alex chuckled when he saw Joseph's reaction. "You know. The lighting element is very powerful, every time my body gets more electricity, the stronger I get, so what..."
Alex's wide grin soon turned into a creepy grin, and despite his very good looks, the fear and horror of seeing his smile made Joseph cringe.
"This... It can't be -" Joseph tried to speak, but in the next moment the whole aura around him began to glow brightly.
"Explosive Discharge!" explained Alex, one of the Lightning Affinity skills.
Explosive Discharge was no ordinary basic skill, it was a very powerful skill that could even be considered a level 4 basic skill.
Even so, a level 4 base skill was still a very frightening skill, especially considering that it was of the Lightning affinity, one of the most offensively powerful elements, a complex element.
A level 4 base skill of the lightning element could be considered offensively powerful with a rare skill of the fire, earth, water, or more basic elements.
Nova's eyes lit up when he heard the skill Alex had just cast, as a veteran player, he knew this skill, he was no stranger to it, and when he remembered it, he remembered the immensely destructive power it had.
His eyes widened as he glanced at the scenery, confirming his suspicion that this was indeed the skill he remembered.
Wasn't it absurd that Alex had it? He knew he was a prodigy or a genius according to the character description, but for Nova, it was just too absurd.
'Besides, why didn't he use this ability earlier, when he was about to die,' several questions came and went in Nova's mind, he couldn't find an answer and could only stare at the scenery in silence.
Electricity coursed across the stage, bolts of lightning created by Alex's mana beginning to spiral out of control from one side to the other.
The lightning struck the wall, destroying it even more, the cracks deepening.
But the main focus was on the source of all the disasters, the orb of electricity that glowed so brightly that Alex and Joseph's figure couldn't even be seen.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" a scream of pain drew even more attention. The scream came from the aura ball.
From the low, raspy tone of the voice, it was coming from Joseph, who was screaming in pain.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"
The cries continued in succession, each one deeper and more agonizing than the last.
The same screams continued like this for several seconds, you could say several dozen seconds.
*Electricity* *Lightning*.
The lightning had subsided and was slowly fading, and at the same time, the screams stopped.
The higher-ups seemed unperturbed, as did the masked ones.
They all stared at the orb of aura, its glow fading as well, no longer hiding the figures.
*He gasped.
The onlookers couldn't help but gasp in amazement at the sight before them.
Inside Alex's aura was the figure of a perfectly formed Alex, who, although his face was pale and extremely tired, still looked good.
Before him stood Joseph, who was at best a roast chicken.
All of his flesh was charred, his skin, once tan, was now almost completely black, his eyes were vacant, and foam came out of his mouth.
He was kneeling in front of Alex, still clutching his hands.
His condition was completely pitiful, even the black suit was mostly destroyed or rather burned.
There was no hair left on his head and he seemed to be shaking constantly.
'Yes... that must be the ability, explosive discharge' Nova thought as he saw the damage to the surroundings and the victim himself, who didn't seem to be too far from death.
A look of happiness flooded Nova's eyes, he considered the tall man a real threat, but he was completely outmatched by Alex and was now close to death.
If he was still alive after this, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
That was the power of Explosive Discharge.
'Even three cumulative increases in Body Strengthening weren't enough', Nova thought, his wariness of Alex had increased after seeing his performance.
Instead, Alex had let go of Joseph's hands, which dropped like noodles or the same jelly.
"See, I won" Alex muttered as he looked at Joseph. He took a few steps away from his charred body.
The smell of charred human flesh was not pleasant for humans, but Alex and the onlookers didn't seem to mind.
The aura around Alex faded with the particles of mana that mixed with the air, eliminating the somewhat unique characteristics he had in that state.
Like the hair that floated slightly, the electricity that surrounded him, or his bright blue eyes that returned to their natural shade after the aura disappeared.
*Sigh*
Alex let out a sigh, at the same time two figures rose from their seats in unison, Lars and Sarl, the two masked ones.
"The second round of the Duel Challenge has ended with Alex Gus winning -"
"I surrender."
"..."
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