Chapter 67: Outcome

The battle between the two was intense and blood-boiling. Frans narrowly dodged all the strikes while also counterattacking from time to time.

On the other side, Nox and the Brilliant Fae were also locked in combat. But the situation here was different.

The Brilliant Fae had been injured by Ain's Spirit Blast and was being kept in check by Nox, who waved around its Phantom Claws in a frenzy. The Brilliant Fae constantly dodged its attacks, unable to use Blinding Flash, but it managed to use Radiant Bolt, which wasn't as taxing, and directly injured Nox.

The Brilliant Fae's agility was slightly higher than Nox's. Although it was being suppressed by Nox, who didn't care for its injuries, it still managed to lead the battle towards its spirit tamer, slowly getting closer.

Back to Ain, he became increasingly aware of Frans' close combat abilities as the battle continued. Even with Spirit Impact, as long as his attacks didn't land directly, it was just a regular martial arts exchange. And Frans' skills in that regard were comparable to his.

Moreover, Ain starkly noticed a disparity in their martial arts themselves. Ain only used basic moves, manipulating them to fit his situation, but Frans seemed to be using powerful martial arts techniques. This allowed him to contend against Ain, who was using Spirit Impact.

Although Ain didn't lack patience, he noticed that Nox was having difficulties in stalling the Brilliant Fae. Soon, the fish would be in range to use Blinding Flash.

Making up his mind, Ain once again punched out. Frans barely dodged and counterattacked with a palm strike. When the attack approached his chest, Ain didn't dodge, bracing himself to receive the attack head on.

Bam!

A powerful palm strike struck his chest, causing him immense pain. Although it was inferior to a strike with Spirit Impact, the palm technique itself was powerful, maximizing the exerted force.

After the successful attack, Frans wasn't happy. Even without his intuition, he noticed Ain's steady gaze when he received the attack.

Just as he imagined, Ain wasn't pushed back but took a step forward instead and kicked Frans' wide-open side.

Crack!

An unsettling cracking noise sounded when Frans hurriedly blocked the kick with his arm, having failed to dodge.

"…!" Frans gritted his teeth as the intense pain from the broken ulna in his right arm coursed through his body.

Ain didn't stop and followed it up with a punch. Enduring the pain, Frans hurriedly retreated and didn't attempt to counterattack. Throughout the exchange, he had been trying to move towards the spirit pets, and when he looked at his spirit pet once again, he knew that the distance was sufficient.

“Limit Break!” Frans shouted internally as he finally used his innate talent!

Before Ain could follow up with his next attack, he noticed the change in Frans' aura. With Analysis and Deduction active, countless thoughts flew through his mind. He quickly glanced to the side and noticed that the Brilliant Fae was still out of reach for Blinding Flash, but the constant warnings from Premonition suddenly spiked.

Ain trusted Premonition completely and immediately stopped chasing after Frans, quickly backstepping. At the same time, he felt a powerful aura rise from the side, where Nox was. Immediately afterward, he sensed Nox's panicked thoughts.

He looked over and saw a powerful Radiant Bolt suddenly pierce through Nox, heavily injuring it. Instead of chasing after Nox, the Brilliant Fae ignored it and raced towards him instead.

Seeing this, a few quick thoughts appeared in his mind, and Ain suddenly rushed toward Nox. Just as he did so, the world suddenly turned white.

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Ain's eyes were wide open, but the only color he saw was white. This wasn't a pure white but a piercing, hot white that seemed to burn his eyes. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his eyes and subconsciously closed them. There were signs of nausea appearing, but Ain's mind remained clear, thanks to his innate talent.

With his boosted cognition, Analysis, and Deduction, Ain immediately answered the question that had just appeared at the tip of his mind.

Frans used his trump card! And, as he had predicted, it was a support ability capable of boosting his spirit pet. What Ain didn't expect was that the boost was so comprehensive. Not only did it boost damage, but it also boosted the skill’s range.

In the white world, devoid of his senses, Ain blindly followed his mental connection with Nox, who was similarly blinded and in pain.

After using Blinding Flash, the Brilliant Fae didn't continue attacking but approached the injured Frans instead. It looked at him worriedly while communicating with him.

"I'm fine; there's not much time left. Use Brilliant Beam to end the battle!" Frans spoke aloud and instructed his spirit pet. He knew that Ain couldn't hear him.

Hearing this, the Brilliant Fae nodded and turned toward Ain and Nox, who were only a short distance away from each other.

It opened its tiny mouth and used Brilliant Beam. A thick, continuous, concentrated pillar of light suddenly beamed out of its mouth and immediately drowned Ain and Nox. Its power was several times greater than when it was used against Elina's Bluefrost Leopard. Frans had fully activated his innate talent this time around.

Seeing this scene, in this warm weather, the spectating students suddenly drew in breaths of cold air. The beam lasted for a few seconds before it began to collapse in on itself and dissipate.

The teachers also looked at this scene with astonishment. Teacher Turner clenched his fists slightly as he leaned forward on his chair. He suddenly seemed to notice something and muttered quietly, "Not yet!"

On the arena, Frans panted heavily as the use of his innate talent took a toll on him. His innate talent was called Limit Break. It could allow him to break the limits of his rank and obtain power equivalent to the next rank. He could also use it to different extents in order to conserve his stamina.

Right now, he could only use Limit Break on one target, either himself or his spirit pet. To make the best of it, he waited until the last moment and used it on the Brilliant Fae, allowing it to reach Advanced Rank-1 in terms of spirit energy and physique. This also increased the range of Blinding Flash, catching his opponent off-guard.

The Brilliant Fae floated next to him, filled with lethargy. The full effects of Limit Break were short and had already passed.

They alertly stared at the cloud of dust, waiting to confirm their opponent's defeat.

But before the dust could settle, a figure suddenly broke through it at unbelievable speeds and instantly arrived in front of them.

Frans' eyes widened in perplexity as he instinctively reacted, casting a Shield in front of him. His spirit pet beside him simultaneously used Light Bulwark, adding another layer of defense.

Boom! Crack! Crack!

Following the sounds of an explosive impact and glass shattering, the two layers of protection immediately collapsed and dissipated into particles of light before fading away.

At the same time, something heavily struck the Brilliant Fae, sending it flying away as a small trail of blood was left in its wake.

Before Frans could react further, he felt a gust of wind impact the front of his body as a shadow dimmed his vision. The air around him suddenly turned chilly, evoking a dreadful sensation.

His head, tilted slightly upwards, stared at a ghastly white object only a couple of centimeters away from his face.

Frans immediately paused his actions, not daring to move. He realized what the white object obscuring his vision was. It was a palm, the palm of a large, sinister, white claw. The claw was suspended over his head, as if a birdcage had been placed over it. As long as the claw clenched, Frans knew that it would be over for him.

He could clearly feel the threateningly powerful aura emanating from it.

He lowered his head a little and caught sight of what was behind the claw. The first thing he noticed were two eyes, resembling black holes, failing to reflect any light. Frans wasn't sure if it was due to his fatigue, but he felt his mind getting sucked into the eyes.

Frans realized that it was Ain, not because of his vision but due to logic. It could only be Ain.

At that moment, Ain stood in front of Frans with his large, clawed hand over his head. His clothes were tattered, and his chest was heaving up and down rapidly. His entire body seemed to be filled with injuries, as blood oozed out of various places, mixing with the dirt and dust. There were even faint traces of blood visible in the corners of his eyes.

His shoulder-length black hair had loosened, draping over the sides of his face in an unruly manner. Combined with the horrifyingly cold eyes, he seemed to belong in a frigid, dark, and ghastly realm.

After being stunned for a while, Frans came to when he sensed his injured spirit pet's plight. He immediately raised his hands and said, "I admit defeat!"

When Frans admitted defeat, Ain stared into Frans' eyes for an extra second before removing his claw. He stepped back and took a deep breath as he watched Frans stagger towards his fallen spirit pet.

Buzz!

This time, the ending buzzer seemed to be delayed as well, only ringing several seconds after Frans admitted defeat.