Elias remained in his stance, his arms still extended as the flames poured forward. For a moment, all that could be seen was the blinding Fire surrounding Lucas, while the arena stood frozen in disbelief.
And then...Lucas began to vanish.
His body slowly broke apart into swirling strands of Wind, the flames passing through the space where he had been standing. Elias's eyes widened in shock as he realized Lucas was no longer there. Before he could understand what had happened, Lucas began to materialize directly behind him, his body forming out of the Wind as though he had appeared from thin air.
Elias immediately sensed him and started turning around, but Lucas was already gathering his Wind energy. The air around his body began to stir as he prepared his next attack.
"Wind Style!" Lucas shouted.
The crowd erupted into cheers, though most of them had no idea what Lucas had just done. From her place among the spectators, however, Sinan stared in genuine surprise, her eyes fixed on Lucas as she tried to understand what she had just witnessed.
Lucas drove his palm forward. Elias immediately realized he didn't have enough time to prepare another attack, so he quickly raised both arms in front of himself, bracing for the impact and hoping Lucas's attack wasn't a direct one.
"GALE BURST!" Lucas shouted, his voice cutting through the arena like a battle cry.
A tremendous force of Wind exploded from Lucas's attack, spreading across the battlefield with such intensity that the entire arena seemed to tremble. Even though the audience was seated high above the fighters, they could still feel the pressure of the energy sweeping through the Colosseum. Elias was caught in the blast and sent flying backward, though fortunately for him, Lucas's attack hadn't landed directly against his body.
The force was powerful enough to throw Lucas backward as well. He was carried several steps away before regaining his footing, while Elias eventually steadied himself on the other side of the battlefield. For a moment, neither fighter moved. Both stood still, taking long, heavy breaths as they recovered from the exchange.
Sinan brought her fingers to her chin, her expression filled with genuine curiosity as she tried to figure out what Lucas had just done. She had watched the entire sequence, yet she still couldn't understand how he had vanished from the attack and appeared behind Elias.
Lucas's lips slowly curled into a smirk as he remembered what he had discovered during that moment. I had figured it out.
Lucas clenched his fist and looked directly toward Elias. "I realized how your power works. Your Vanishing Fire has a rare, unique ability—it infuses Fire with Shadow energy, making the Fire disappear from sight."
As Lucas spoke, Lucas's thoughts returned to the moment when he had been trapped between the two Fire attacks. In those few seconds, he created a Wind Clone and handed it his sword, while he deliberately began amassing a massive amount of Fire energy inside his own body. Since he couldn't produce Fire outside his body, he allowed the energy to flow throughout him instead, allowing it to interact with the Vanishing Fire when he made contact with it.
"When you thought your attack had disappeared because your energy had run out, you were wrong. I was still holding onto that Fire. The Shadow energy infused into it was what made it disappear, and because that Fire was flowing throughout my body, it made me disappear along with it."
Lucas lowered his fist slightly, a confident look settling across his face. He had finally understood the secret behind Elias's Vanishing Fire.
Sinan watched Lucas for a moment, her expression shifting as the pieces finally came together. Oh... so that's how the boy disappeared.
Elias gritted his teeth as he looked toward Lucas, then his eyes shifted to the sword lying on the ground between them. He quickly realized that Lucas didn't have his weapon, and the two of them were standing at almost equal distances from it. Elias's expression tightened as he calculated his next move. Damn it... I've already drained all my Shadow energy.
From her seat, Sinan continued observing the two fighters as another important detail came to mind. Anomalies can possess multiple elemental types, but their bodies don't necessarily hold the same amount of energy for each one. An anomaly may naturally have a larger reserve for one elemental type than another. In Elias's case, his Fire reserve is much larger than his Shadow reserve, and right now, he's nearly drained his Shadow energy.
Lucas's eyes shifted toward the sword lying between them. He had already realized what Elias was thinking, and without wasting another second, he lowered his stance and prepared to make a run for it. Elias noticed the same opportunity.
The two fighters sprinted toward the sword at the exact same time, their footsteps pounding against the ground as they closed the distance. Neither was willing to give the other even a moment's advantage. When they reached the point where their paths crossed, both launched themselves into the air, throwing roundhouse kicks at each other. Their legs collided in midair, and the impact sent both fighters flying backward. Lucas twisted as he landed, catching himself before he could stumble too far, while Elias landed several steps away. Neither stopped for long. The moment their feet touched the ground, they turned and charged for the sword again. This time, they didn't try to attack from a distance.
Elias reached Lucas first, swinging a punch toward his face. Lucas raised his forearm and deflected it to the side before immediately answering with a straight punch of his own. Elias leaned away, letting the strike pass inches from his face, then stepped back in and drove a short punch toward Lucas's ribs. Lucas twisted away from the blow and caught Elias's wrist before it could connect. He tried to pull him off balance and slip past him toward the sword, but Elias planted his foot and drove his opposite elbow toward Lucas's shoulder. Lucas released his grip and ducked underneath the strike, turning toward the sword as he slipped past.
He had barely taken two steps before Elias caught up. A kick came toward Lucas's side, and he raised his knee to block it before immediately pushing Elias's leg away and lunging forward. Elias responded with a quick combination of punches, forcing Lucas to bring both arms up to guard his face. One punch slammed into his forearm while another glanced off his shoulder. Lucas tried to answer with a hook, but Elias ducked beneath it and moved with the strike rather than allowing himself to be caught.
Lucas suddenly changed direction, attempting to slip around Elias and reach the sword from the side. Elias read the movement and stepped across his path, throwing a low kick toward Lucas's legs. Lucas jumped over it and landed facing the sword, but Elias was already closing the distance again, driving a punch straight toward his chest. Lucas caught the punch with both hands and shoved Elias backward, creating just enough space to turn and sprint toward the sword. Elias recovered almost immediately and chased after him, refusing to let Lucas reach it uncontested.
Lucas stretched out his hand toward the weapon as he closed the remaining distance, but Elias was already moving to intercept him. He swung a kick toward Lucas's midsection, forcing Lucas to bring up his forearm to block. The impact knocked him sideways, but he quickly regained his footing and tried again, darting toward the sword while throwing a quick punch to keep Elias away. Elias slipped past the strike and answered with a sharp knee toward Lucas's stomach. Lucas twisted just enough to avoid taking the full force of it, then grabbed Elias by the shoulder and tried to throw him off balance.
Elias reacted instantly. He planted both hands against the ground and rotated his body, using the momentum to swing his legs around. Lucas barely had time to turn toward him before Elias completed the movement, his heel crashing into Lucas's chest with enough force to send him flying backward across the arena. Lucas hit the ground hard and skidded across the battlefield before finally coming to a stop near the far end of the arena, leaving a considerable distance between himself and Elias.
Elias landed cleanly on his feet and immediately turned his attention back toward the sword. It
was still lying on the ground between them.
Lucas was taking heavy breaths after the exchange, his chest rising and falling as he stared across the arena. Elias wasn't looking much better. His shoulders were rising with every breath, and the strength behind his movements had noticeably weakened.
The exhaustion was obvious now. Neither of them could keep this going for much longer.
We gotta decide this on the next blow.
Elias suddenly drove both palms forward and curled his fingers, then crossed his wrists horizontally in front of himself. It was the same stance he had used earlier, but this time, the amount of energy gathering around him was far greater. Flames began to swell around his arms as he poured what remained of his strength into the attack.
Lucas closed his eyes.
His mind returned to the past, to the moment right after Vivian had demonstrated Zephyr's Breath.
Lucas rubbed his chin, looking at the spot where Vivian's technique had just struck. "This was a defense. I wanna learn an attacking technique."
Vivian immediately gave him an exaggerated look of disapproval. "Tsk, tsk. Only one technique at a time, kiddo."
Lucas puffed his cheeks, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. "Come on! You even blew away our food. At least let me see a new attack in return for it!"
Vivian stared at him for a moment before letting out a small sigh. She knew she wasn't going to win this argument.
"Fine, fine," she said, waving him off. "But stay at a long distance from me, alright?"
Lucas's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just move over there."
Vivian walked several steps away from him before stopping. But instead of immediately demonstrating the technique, she turned around and looked at Lucas.
"Lucas..."
The sudden change in her voice made Lucas raise his head. "Yes?"
Vivian's usual playful expression had disappeared. For perhaps the first time, Lucas saw her look genuinely serious.
"Don't ever try to use this technique without me being around."
Lucas swallowed.
He had never heard Vivian speak to him like that before. After a moment, he quietly nodded.
Vivian held his gaze for another second before turning away. Then, as if she couldn't resist teasing him, she added in a deliberately mocking tone, "Not like you'll be able to pull it off anyway."
Lucas's face immediately twisted with irritation.
"Are you seriously looking down on me right now?" he muttered, clenching his fists. He then raised his voice toward her. "Just show me the attack already!"
Vivian moved farther away from Lucas and stopped at a safe distance. She took a slow breath and began gathering her energy, the air around her gradually growing more turbulent as the Wind energy continued to build. After a few moments, Vivian lifted herself into the air and began to levitate, rising several feet above the ground before raising her hand.
"Wind Style, 39th Form!" Vivian shouted.
A tremendous amount of Wind energy suddenly erupted around her. The swirling currents gathered and condensed beside her, rapidly taking the shape of an enormous scythe. The weapon continued growing until its curved blade was so massive that, despite Vivian hovering high above the ground, its tip nearly reached the battlefield below. Lucas's eyes widened as he stared at the sheer size and overwhelming energy of the technique. Vivian held the scythe for only a moment before making it disappear, the enormous mass of Wind dispersing into the air as she gently descended back to the ground.
Without giving Lucas any time to react, Vivian walked straight toward him.
Lucas remained completely frozen, still staring at the spot where the scythe had vanished. Vivian waved her hand in front of his face a few times, but Lucas didn't even seem to notice. Finally, she gave him a light slap across the cheek.
"Come to your senses, kiddo."
Lucas immediately looked at her, rubbing his cheek with an irritated expression. "Yeah... I am still here. You don't have to slap me."
Vivian couldn't help but smile at his reaction, while Lucas's attention quickly drifted back toward the place where the enormous scythe had appeared. The amount of energy he had just witnessed was still fresh in his mind, leaving him unable to hide his amazement. "So... that's Zephyr's Scythe," he said, his eyes still wide. "That was so strong."
Vivian nodded casually, as though she hadn't just demonstrated one of the most overwhelming techniques Lucas had ever seen. "Yep."
Lucas remained lost in thought for another moment, trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed. The memory gradually faded, bringing his mind back to the present as his eyes opened once again in the middle of the arena.
Lucas lowered his body and surged forward, gathering a tremendous amount of Wind energy around his fists as he ran. The energy spiraled around his arms and shoulders, growing stronger with every step, while the force of his movement kicked up dust beneath his feet. As he reached the edge of the battlefield, Lucas pushed off the ground and launched himself into the air, carrying his momentum upward as he began to rise higher. His fists slowly unclenched, and the Wind surrounding his body immediately began to change, gathering with greater intensity around him.
At the same time, Elias launched himself forward. The enormous amount of Fire he had accumulated erupted around him, spreading outward in a raging inferno that engulfed his entire body. The flames were so massive that they cast a vast shadow across nearly half of the Colosseum's battleground, darkening the ground beneath them despite the blinding light radiating from the attack. Elias continued forward through the flames, pouring everything he had left into the technique.
Above the battlefield, Lucas continued to rise. The Wind around him grew denser and more violent, twisting through the air as countless currents converged around his body. A faint greenish glow began to emerge from within the swirling energy, gradually becoming brighter as more Wind gathered. The pressure continued to increase until Lucas's clothes and hair were whipping wildly around him, the air itself seeming to strain beneath the force he was generating.
Behind Lucas, the Wind suddenly began taking shape.
A massive curved blade slowly emerged from the swirling currents, its outline becoming clearer as the greenish glow intensified. The enormous scythe continued to form until its blade stretched far downward, its tip nearly reaching the ground despite Lucas being high above the battlefield. The sheer scale of the technique made it resemble a gigantic weapon hanging in the sky, while the intense green glow of Lucas's energy illuminated the air around it.
The pressure released by Lucas's Wind spread throughout the Colosseum. Dust and loose debris began lifting from the battlefield, while even the spectators sitting high above could feel the force of the energy gathering below them. Lucas remained suspended in the air, staring directly toward Elias with complete focus as the enormous scythe finished taking shape behind him.
Sinan's eyes widened as she watched him. She had been following the entire battle carefully, but the sight of Lucas preparing that technique caused genuine concern to appear across her face. She rose from her seat, her gaze fixed on the enormous Wind scythe behind him.
"Why isn't he using Fire?" Sinan said, her voice filled with disbelief. "That kid shouldn't be using this attack..."
Elias was already reaching the point of no return. The enormous Fire surrounding him compressed violently, drawing inward as he gathered the remaining energy in his body into a single devastating attack. His arms pulled back before he thrust both palms forward with everything he had left.
"INFERNAL CANON!"
The massive blast of Fire erupted from Elias with a deafening roar, tearing across the battlefield and illuminating the entire Colosseum. Lucas immediately began moving toward it, the enormous Wind scythe following his movement as both attacks raced toward each other. The distance between them disappeared rapidly, the pressure from the two techniques colliding through the air before either attack had even made contact.
Sinan's eyes widened further. She suddenly shot to her feet.
"LUCAS... DON'T!"