Chapter 9: Winner
swish
swish
Lucian bobbed his head around, dodging Zeph's barrage of attacks while continuously analyzing them. His eyes closely followed Zeph's movements, trying to predict his next moves. Lucian's defense wasn't strong enough to withstand Zeph's powerful attacks so he focused more on dodging rather than deflecting them.
Zeph rather than getting annoyed got even more aggressive.
[Wrathful Mountain Fist: First form]
[Boulder Crusher]
He clenched his fist tightly and launched it straight at Lucian's face. It was swift and powerful, approaching Lucian instantly.
Wrathful Mountain Fist was a powerful fist technique created by the Lightgale family's ancestors. It boosted the user's attack power significantly for a short period of time. Its only drawback was the excessive consumption of stamina.
This technique could become even more powerful by incorporating Mana into it. Sadly, Zeph's Mana control was too poor for now.
Lucian felt the pressure emitted from the attack and tensed up. He motioned his fist and performed a series of small movements.
[Whispering Wind Step: First form]
[Gale Steps]
His movements became light and nimble like a passing wind as he approached Zeph.
Whispering Wind Step was a movement technique passed on to him by his father. It was an incredibly fast technique specialized in throwing opponents off-guard.
Lucian narrowly avoided Zeph's attack and swiftly appeared behind him.
[Tempest Touch]
He slammed his palm on Zeph's back as a soft grunt escaped Zeph's lips. Despite his strong defense, he still felt great pain from that attack. Sadly for Lucian, Due to getting beaten regularly by his father, Zeph's endurance and pain resistance had increased a lot.
He quickly countered by grabbing Lucian's palm tightly. Lucian could only helplessly watch as his hand got captured.
Gotcha. He smiled, pulling Lucian towards himself.
Lucian hurriedly escaped Zeph's grip but it was already too late. A powerful attack struck his abdomen, sending intense pain coursing through his body.
Spits escaped his lips as he was sent flying by that attack, landing a few meters away from Zeph.
Thankfully, Lucian had deflected a great deal of impact using his palm right before it landed on his belly else he might have been knocked out.
urghh
Painful grunts escaped Lucian's lips as he slowly stood up clutching his abdomen tightly.
That hurts. He muttered inwardly, taking deep breaths to circulate his blood flow.
Zeph without giving him any time to rest dashed towards him with a grin on his face.
Lucian's face twitched slightly as he cursed him inwardly. You pissed me off successfully. He continued, clenching his fist tightly.
[Whispering Wind Step: Second form]
[Formless Breeze]
Lucian's speed drastically increased as he experienced a great boost in his agility through this move. He vanished before Zeph's vision, appearing right beside him in a blink of an eye.
Immediately, He followed up with a straight punch right toward Zeph's guts. You're dead now. He mumbled, still feeling the pain around his abdomen.
Zeph instead of getting shocked casually tightened up his defense. He firmly believed that Lucian's attack couldn't break through his defense.
[Mana Burst]
Lucian's fist glowed lightly indicating the flow of mana coursing through his hands. He swung his fist heavily and struck right at Zeph's guts, sending an intense pain coursing through his body.
[Lucian will use the word 'Mana' instead of 'Cosmic Energy' since he is more familiar with this term and to not attract suspiciousness.]
Zeph's facial expression changed drastically from confidence to pain. A huge shockwave ran through his body as he fell flatly on the ground.
Arghh
He groaned painfully, clutching his abdomen area. He was still in shock from that attack's impact.
Did he utilize Mana just now? He muttered as Lucian's glowing fist passed through his mind.
Haha…It hasn't been a day since we've awakened and you're already using Mana. Zeph chuckled. He thought he was a genius for awakening a dual-elemental Starseed but Lucian's talent overshadowed his own.
Thanks for that. I became a bit complacent after the awakening ceremony. Zeph replied, earnestly thanking him.
Lucian just shrugged it off as if he couldn't care less. He just waited patiently as Zeph slowly stood up.
Hey Lucian.
Huh?
You're officially my rival now. He declared proudly, puffing his chest.
Lucian just stared at him dumbfoundedly, wondering if it was good or bad for himself.
Shall we continue? He replied. He could see from Zeph's intense gaze that he wouldn't admit defeat this easily.
Alright! Zeph shouted, taking his stance. He knew another attack like this from Lucian meant his defeat. He wasn't good at dodging or deflecting since all he did was withstand.
So, he prepared for his final attack.
fuu
Releasing deep breaths through his nostrils, he charged up.
[Wrathful Mountain Fist: Second form]
[Avalanche Descent]
His muscles swelled up and contracted tightly as his defense received a significant boost. The pain from Lucian's blow was still fresh as he forcibly withstood it while charging up his body.
Both of them exchanged glances before dashing towards each other. They had silently concluded that this attack would decide the winner so they were prepared to give it their all.
[Whispering Wind Step: Second form]
[Formless Breeze]
Lucian swiftly appeared before Zeph but this time Zeph was prepared.
[Wrathful Moutain Fist: First form]
[Boulder Crusher]
[Mana Burst]
Their attack clashed with each other sending shockwaves throughout the room. The instructor who was alone within the room gasped at the sight before him.
Already utilizing Mana? The Cosmologers would droll after him to take him in as their disciple. He praised Lucian, still shocked inside. This level of comprehension was terrifying.
And that fellow. He has an extremely strong body, perfect for a meatshield. He muttered, feeling quite lucky. I might get a promotion after reporting this to Sir Dave. He continued, feeling his future was quite bright.
He stared at their final attack with anticipation. After a while, The winner was decided.
Lucian was still standing in a pathetic condition. Tattered clothes hung loosely in his body frame with various injuries throughout his body.
Zeph lay flat on the ground unconscious, his condition similar to Lucian's.
swish
Suddenly, A dense mist surrounded them, slowly covering their bodies. Lucian became alert as he gazed forward.
Don't panic. I'm just performing healing to you. The instructor responded as water swirled around him.
It seems he had a water element. Lucian muttered, nodding his head. Water element users could also provide healing although they were less effective than the nature element.
After the few minor injuries were healed up, He passed me a small glass bottle. The bottle contained a green viscous liquid inside that glistened slightly upon swirling.
It's a healing potion. You can directly consume it. He replied misunderstanding my gaze.
I opened the cap, feeling the dense life energy inside. Chugging it down in one gulp, I felt refreshed and revived as the liquid passed through my mouth.
The injuries within my body rapidly healed and within a minute, it was completely healed. The pain I felt from Zeph's punch was also completely gone.
Such a wonderful item. I remarked, gazing at the empty bottle in my hands. I had seen the Healing Potions around my father's shops but this one seemed high-tier compared to what he kept at the stores.
The instructor was trying to wake up Zeph so he didn't hear Lucian's mumblings.
After Zeph woke up, He passed on another Healing potion to him. Although most of the injuries within Zeph's body were already healed thanks to his body's amazing vitality.
He then passed us a set of new clothes and we exited the training room, returning to the Hall.