Aetherium Academy won their duel, granting them a position in the semi-finals. Now it was time for Arcane Citadel's battle with Mana Pearl.
"I hope you're ready, Lukas," Miss Lyra smiled at him.
"I guess so," he replied with a stiff smile.
"You're just like your brother," she chuckled.
"Uh? My brother?...Oh...Arnold, hmm?" Lukas recalled. From his memory, Arnold is his elder brother who is currently managing a branch of the Arcadian Household at the young age of 19. He was just three years older than Lukas.
"How is he? I can't seem to remember some things about him..." she sighed.
"Uh? You don't remember him?" Lukas asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"I do, but we were supposed to have a mentor-disciple session some days ago, but he didn't show up," she sighed.
"I guess he was busy with the family's business," Lukas said with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I guess so..." she agreed.
"And now, we welcome the two participants from Citadel and Pearl, we have Lukas and Arion respectively," Edric announced.
"You're up, Lukas," Henry called out excitedly. "Show them what you're made of, wipe the smirk off his face," Henry added again.
Lukas walked forward and faced his opponent, a tall boy with deep blue hair and unusually white eyes. From his robes, one could tell he was someone who liked to show off his nobility.
"Hey, Arcadian, just give it up and walk away, you're no match. I'm a rank A, and you're just rank D or so," Arion taunted arrogantly.
"Give up? Although this is such a drag, I just have to do it," Lukas replied tonelessly.
"Fine, but remember, if you die here, your family won't be able to do anything about it. It's a duel, anything can happen," Arion warned.
"Can you stop babbling? Let's begin already," Lukas facepalmed. He wasn't even paying attention to his opponent. All he had been thinking about was what Miss Lyra said. If she couldn't remember anything about his brother Arnold, that meant he was a member of the cult. He concluded this because he had only wiped Miss Lyra's memories of being a member of the cult along with the memories of everyone in the cult. If this was true, then this meant his brother could be the new vessel. He wasn't sure yet...although he couldn't understand why he didn't see anything in her memories about Arnold.
"Babbling, uh? You'll regret your words," Arion said as he lunged forward at Lukas. Lightning crackled on his hands as he threw multiple punches at Lukas.
"But Arnold has always been a kind brother, this couldn't be true. If it was, he couldn't understand why both of his brothers from different times were evil," Lukas thought as he lazily but gracefully dodged the punches. The punches were just too slow, and the way Arion swung his fists, he was leaving his body open.
"Arrkk!!" Arion coughed out blood as he knelt on the floor.
Lukas withdrew his punch that was imbued in mana. He decided to strike after getting tired of dodging. "Even a rank A can't withstand my weakest mana punch?" Lukas pondered to himself.
Meanwhile, the spectators' eyes were wide open in disbelief. Just how many more geniuses who could control mana were out there?
Arion was still lying on the floor while coughing. "How? Impossible, he should be only rank D," he thought to himself.
Edric's voice faltered as he called out, "And the winner is—"
"Hold it!!!" Arion called out as he grunted in pain. "I'm not finished yet," he declared, rising to his feet.
Lukas, who was still deep in thought, turned to look at Arion. "He's a tenacious one," he thought. Okay then...I have to clear my thoughts and focus on prolonging this battle. Time to start acting," he resolved as he clenched his fists. He conjured a lightning staff and leaned on it like he was tired.
Arion, the lightning mage, smirked confidently, crackling with energy as he advanced towards Lukas. "You're finished for pushing me this far, Arcadian," he taunted, sparks dancing across his fingertips. "You put up a good fight, but it's over now."
Lukas said nothing, his eyes narrowed in focused concentration. He knew he had to keep up the act of weakness to lure Arion into a false sense of security.
With a sudden burst of speed, Arion unleashed a barrage of lightning-charged punches toward Lukas. Each strike crackled with power, aimed to overwhelm his supposedly weakened opponent. But Lukas moved with deceptive agility, dodging and deflecting the lightning-infused attacks with precise movements of his staff.
"You're just too slow," Lukas muttered, his voice edged with ice. He spun the staff in a swift arc, creating a whirlwind of frost that swept toward Arion. The cold air crystallized around Arion, slowing his movements as ice encased his limbs, restricting his mobility.
Arion gritted his teeth, struggling against the icy grip that threatened to immobilize him. With a surge of electrical energy, he shattered the ice bonds and lunged forward once more, launching a powerful lightning bolt directly at Lukas.
But Lukas was ready. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a shield of solid ice that absorbed the brunt of the lightning strike. The shield crackled and sizzled with energy, but held firm against Arion's assault.
"Is that all?" Lukas mocked, his voice calm and composed despite the intensity of the battle. He could sense Arion's frustration mounting, his attacks becoming more reckless as he sought to overpower his seemingly weakened adversary.
Determined not to give up, Arion gathered his strength for one final assault. Lightning surged around him, crackling with raw power as he prepared his ultimate attack. With a roar, he unleashed a devastating barrage of lightning bolts, aiming to overwhelm Lukas with sheer force.
But Lukas was one step ahead. Channeling his own magic, he drew upon the icy currents of the arena, weaving them into a powerful whirlwind of frost and snow. The whirlwind spiraled around him, intercepting Arion's lightning bolts and redirecting them harmlessly into the air.
As the last echoes of Arion's attack faded, the arena fell silent. Arion, panting heavily and visibly drained, sank to his knees. His body trembled with exertion, his hands clutching the ground for support.
Lukas approached slowly, his steps measured and deliberate. He stood before Arion, his gaze piercing and unwavering. "It's over," he declared quietly, extending a hand to help his fallen opponent.
Arion looked up, disbelief etched across his face. "How...?" he managed to gasp, his voice barely a whisper.
Lukas' expression softened slightly. "You fought well," he admitted, offering a faint smile. "But sometimes, appearances can be deceiving."
Edric's voice echoed through the arena, his announcement punctuated by surprise. "And the winner is-"
"Hold it!" Arion's voice rang out again, strained but defiant. He struggled to rise to his feet, determination shining in his eyes. "I'm not finished yet," he declared firmly, refusing to concede defeat again.
"I'm sorry, but now, I have to go," Lukas said as he pointed his fingers toward Arion and released a barrage of ice crystals toward Arion. The crystals ripped his skin, giving him cuts and bruises until he finally collapsed on the floor and couldn't rise again.
Edric walked up, the third time, and finally announced, "The winner is Lukas," he said as the crowd erupted in cheers. They didn't think much about a rank D defeating a rank A, all because Lukas mainly used martial arts. Even a rank F could defeat a rank A in martial arts.
"Hmm... Now I see...He's gotten stronger," the figure from the shadows spoke as he admired Lukas' skill. "Now I see why you wanted to kill him, Ghelgath," the figure spoke to himself.