Each strike that Arthur and Lucifer exchanged only pushed Lucifer further back.

By now, it was undeniable to everyone in the audience.

In every aspect—swordsmanship, martial arts, mana capacity, spellcasting, tactics—Lucifer was being completely outclassed. Arthur surpassed him in all areas, leaving no room for doubt.

Leon scratched his fiery hair, his expression baffled as he watched the battle unfold. "Hey, Phantom Reaper, this isn't some kind of illusion, right?" he asked, pointing toward the arena as if seeking confirmation that what he was seeing was real.

Valerie's brows furrowed, a flash of anger crossing her face. "Of course it's not, you brat!"

"Hey, you can't call me a brat when you're younger than me!" Leon shot back, clearly irritated, as the two began bickering.

Ignoring the argument, Duke Blazespout turned his attention to Li Zenith, the young Master of Mount Hua. "Quite a surprising turn of events, wouldn't you say, Master Li?"

"Yes," Li replied, his voice steady but laced with a hint of disbelief.

He had trained Arthur himself and knew firsthand just how talented he was, but even so, this display went beyond anything he had anticipated. Arthur was overwhelming Lucifer Windward—a feat that no one could have predicted.

Li Zenith, though a prodigy in his own right, understood that even his older brother, the current Sect Leader of Mount Hua, wouldn't have stood a chance against someone like Lucifer at this age. Even Sun, who had surpassed both of them in raw talent, wouldn't have matched Lucifer's power at sixteen.

And yet, the gap between Lucifer and Arthur was shockingly wide.

Li knew Lucifer had yet to reveal his trump card—the third movement of Myth of the Northern Peak—but even that might not be enough. Arthur hadn't unleashed the full power of his God Flash yet, either.

Just what kind of monster was Arthur becoming?

It was astounding enough that Arthur had reached -rank at his age. But it went beyond that. He had pushed his Gift to extremes that most people could only dream of achieving after reaching -rank.

In terms of raw potential, even Arthur's Gift seemed to outshine Lucifer's—a fact that was almost too hard to believe. Lucifer's Gift, , was widely regarded as the single greatest martial art blessing in the world, a Gift designed to defy all limits.

And yet, here was Arthur, standing before him, not only matching that Gift but surpassing it.

The Duke hummed thoughtfully, resting his face against his palm, his eyes now focused solely on Arthur's movements, gleaming with a growing interest.

__________________________________________________________________________________

My feet touched the icy sheen covering the arena floor as I cast a quick 3-circle spell to propel myself off the ground. Using Lucent Harmony, I drew the light particles around me, infusing them into my sword, crafting a blade of radiant light aura—the most powerful element in the world, one that even Lucifer couldn't wield.

Of course, in terms of mana control, I was still behind Rachel, who possessed the Gift, granting her unmatched mastery over light magic. However, with Lucent Harmony fully activated, I could channel a potent light aura that rivaled even hers.

Grinning, I swung my glowing sword down at Lucifer. He met my strike with earth aura, attempting to block, but his body was pushed back once again. The force of my attack was relentless.

It was almost a battle of attrition now. I could feel him tiring, each exchange pushing him further toward his limit. It was only a matter of time before I wore him down completely.

But Lucifer wasn't going to let it end so easily.

He regained his distance, casting a 5-circle spell to buy himself time and keep me at bay.

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"Five-circle spell: Twin Peaks of Ruin," he intoned.

Two colossal pillars of elemental energy erupted from the ground, one ablaze with roaring flames, the other radiating intense cold, freezing the air around it. It was the same devastating spell he had used against Jin.

I didn't falter. My grin widened as I countered with a spell of my own.

"Five-circle spell: Dark Fortress."

The earth trembled as dark energy swirled, forming a massive shield that rose before me, deflecting the twin peaks with ease. Lucifer's expression darkened as he watched me cast the spell without effort, but his resolve remained unshaken.

He took a deep breath and shifted into stance, his entire demeanor hardening.

I knew what was coming.

The movement he had used to defeat Ren in Saga of the Divine Swordsman.

Third movement of the Myth of the Northern Peak: Frozen Zenith.

It was an impressive moment, no doubt. As the name implied, Frozen Zenith focused on channeling all ice energy to a singular, devastating point of impact. But Lucifer, ever the prodigy, had taken it a step further. He modified the movement, drawing not just on ice, but on every element at his disposal.

It wasn't flawless—ice remained the dominant force, as the technique was inherently an ice movement. But that was the true ability of his : the seamless blending of opposing elements.

'I want to do that,' I silently asked Luna.

She didn't respond, but the sigils on my skin flared in response, almost as if to acknowledge my intent.

God Flash: Absolute—it was an evolution of my original technique, superior in every sense. Faster, stronger, and deadlier. But there was a reason I classified it as a separate variant.

The strain.

To execute God Flash: Absolute, I needed the full activation of Lucent Harmony, pushing both my body and mana reserves to their absolute limit. I had used it against Ren, and while it worked well, I knew I had to go beyond it this time.

Against Lucifer, I wanted more.

I wanted to crush his movement completely, leave no doubt in anyone's mind about who the stronger one was. I wanted to stomp on his pride, shatter the belief that he stood above all others.

So, instead of the usual lightning aura I channeled with God Flash: Absolute, I made a change. I infused it with light aura.

If Lucifer was going to unleash his full power, I would meet him with something far greater.

Lucifer's heart pounded as he funneled all his mana into the third movement of his Grade 6 art—Frozen Zenith. The air around him crackled with elemental power as the ice magic reached its peak, but it wasn't just ice. Lucifer's brilliance shone in the way he wove together the other elements—earth, fire, water, lightning, and wind—all combining to amplify the sheer destructive force of Frozen Zenith.

Still, ice remained the dominant force, the bedrock of the technique.

But as their blades neared, something shifted.

In that split second, Lucifer felt it.

Doubt.

Arthur's presence, the overwhelming light aura enveloping his sword, made it clear—God Flash: Absolute wasn't just an attack; it was a force of nature. The aura, focused and refined, was too precise, too sharp, too overwhelming. Despite the multi-elemental brilliance of Frozen Zenith, it paled in comparison to Arthur's movement.

He's going to cut through it.

The realization gripped Lucifer, his chest tightening as he felt his movement's limitations. He could see it—sense it. Arthur's strike was destined to slice through his multi-layered elemental defense as though it were nothing.

I can't stop him.

Instinctively, Lucifer poured more mana into the movement, desperate to gather the remaining elemental energy and fortify his attack. But deep down, a voice whispered:

It's not enough.

Arthur's light-infused sword descended with an unstoppable force, cutting through the combined elements of Frozen Zenith—the ice, the fire, the wind—all of it evaporated as if it had never existed.

No...

The moment stretched out, time slowing to a crawl, his thoughts spiraling into panic.

This isn't how it's supposed to be.

For the first time, Lucifer felt something foreign—a deep-rooted fear. The fear of losing. His entire life had been about triumph, about standing at the top, destined to surpass everyone. How could it all fall apart now?

Not like this.

His body screamed, and just as despair took hold—something shifted.

Lucifer's vision blurred for a heartbeat, and then—clarity. His surroundings snapped into focus with a precision he had never experienced before. The flow of mana around Arthur, the sharpness of his strike, the subtle shifts in his movement—it all became painfully clear.

What is this...?

He could see everything. The movement of the elements, the patterns of mana within Arthur's strike, the trajectory of his sword—it was all laid bare before him. His sight had transcended.

But even with this newfound clarity, something was wrong.

I can't keep up.

He could see Arthur's attack, but his body couldn't fully react. It was still too fast, too devastating. His mind understood the attack's path, but his physical body lagged behind, not quick enough to counter.

Yet, there was something else.

Instinct.

Lucifer's body, honed by years of martial training, responded in the only way it knew how. His eyes strained as he shifted his sword ever so slightly, the elemental energy of Frozen Zenith shifting just in time. It wasn't enough to stop Arthur's strike entirely, but it didn't need to be.

Arthur's sword collided with the adjusted Frozen Zenith, the light aura carving through the elements with a brilliant flash. The force of the strike still overwhelmed Lucifer, but this time, it only grazed him—a shallow cut along his side instead of a devastating blow.

He staggered back, the sting of the wound sharp but bearable. Blood trickled down his side, but he remained standing.

Barely.