As Arslan's sword sliced through the air toward Lucian, Lucian swiftly sidestepped, dodging the strike. A brief moment of silence filled the arena before the spectators held their breath and watched the duel begin.

Lucian’s mind was clear and focused. He knew how strong Arslan was, but he was also well-prepared for this battle.

Arslan took a step back and launched another attack. This time, his sword swung parallel to the ground. Lucian ducked swiftly, avoiding the strike while carefully observing the gaps in Arslan’s armor. He was being cautious, searching for his opponent's weak points.

He muttered to himself, "Every time you swing your sword, your armpit is exposed. If I can just catch that moment..."

Arslan charged at Lucian and swung his sword in a diagonal slash.

Lucian didn’t miss the opportunity: "Now!" he said as he dodged to the left and pressed his index and middle fingers together, aiming for Arslan's armpit. From his fingers, he released a fire spell. "Burn!"

Flames erupted from the tips of Lucian's fingers, entering through the gap in Arslan's armor under his arm, flooding the inside of his armor and burning him from within.

But Arslan burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! Seems like I’ve started sweating a little," he mocked, his eyes filled with disdain. "Did you really think a little fire spell could harm a body protected by aura?"

Lucian smiled, his eyes gleaming with slyness. "Maybe. But do you know what happens when you focus a fire spell on a single point?"

Arslan growled, losing his patience. "Do you think I'm here for a magic lesson?"

Lucian slightly nodded. "The heat accumulates and rises... to levels high enough to expand metal."

Arslan snarled, enraged. "Enough of this nonsense!" He charged at Lucian again with a more powerful strike.

Lucian suppressed his excitement, slightly ducking. "In other words, that shitty armor of yours is no longer an obstacle for me."

Just as Arslan was about to swing his sword at Lucian, he noticed something off in his movements—his armor seemed to have tightened, preventing him from moving as freely as before. Taking advantage of this, Lucian stepped in close, channeling all his aura into his muscles to prepare for a powerful strike.

"UPPERCUT!"

Lucian delivered a colossal uppercut to Arslan's chin. The punch was so powerful that the sound alone caused all cheers to stop, leaving everyone stunned by the sheer force of the blow.

Someone whispered in disbelief, "Is it even possible for a human to throw a punch like that?"

Others murmured in the same shock, "But isn’t he a mage?"

From a high vantage point, Marquis Arthur watched in silence, his gaze fixed on Lucian. "What happened during the dragon hunt... and now this," he muttered thoughtfully.

Arslan spat out the blood from his mouth and sneered, "So this is how you want to play, huh?" He struck the hilt of his sword against the center of his armor, and after a few seconds, the sound of cracking metal filled the air as his armor shattered into pieces.

Arslan: "Come on then, you bastard."

Lucian, with a calm but determined expression, responded, "If that's what you want..." Then he poured all his aura into his leg muscles and began to rapidly circle around Arslan. However, Arslan could still track his movements.

Lucian cursed under his breath, "Damn it, even as a fourth-star aura user, I’m still not on par with him. Luckily, Sensei’s concealment spell is hiding my aura usage from Marquis Arthur."

As Lucian increased his speed, continuing to circle Arslan, he formulated a plan. "Let's stoke the fire a bit more... what do you say?"

"SPEED UP!" Lucian cast a speed spell on himself, combining it with his aura-infused leg muscles, drastically increasing his pace.

Arslan growled inwardly, "Is this kid really a mage?"

Lucian's speed reached such a level that Arslan could no longer track his movements easily.

"NOW!" Lucian swiftly struck Arslan with a punch and changed direction before disappearing from his line of sight, continuing to circle and attack repeatedly. With each passing second, his strikes became faster, overwhelming Arslan and creating more opportunities for Lucian to attack.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The spectators murmured, "What’s going on?" "I can’t see him." "But look at the boy standing still; no matter how fast he is, he can't get close to him." They whispered among themselves.

Lily, watching attentively from the crowd, murmured, "No, look carefully at his body. He’s focusing his attacks on the same spot, trying to accumulate damage."

Just as Lily pointed out, Lucian repeatedly targeted Arslan’s lungs with his punches. No matter how strong Arslan’s body was, eventually the accumulated damage would start to affect him. This is a tactic often used by fighters in boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing—fighters with high speed and good reflexes.

Lucian approached to land another punch, but at the last moment, he saw Arslan's sword swinging toward his face and narrowly avoided it.

Arslan growled, his eyes locked on Lucian. "Fighting like a coward, how typical of a mage," he taunted.

Arslan’s aura began to surge and spread. Everyone could feel the terrifying presence emanating from him.

Lucian wiped the sweat from his brow. "Damn it, just look at this pressure! I think he’s about to use it."

Arslan shouted in rage, "SO BE IT, LUCIAN! OVERCLOCK!"

Lucian’s eyes widened in shock and fear. Arslan’s aura turned a fiery red, like the flames of hell, enveloping the entire arena. The spectators were silent, gripped by the terror of Arslan’s overwhelming power. Everyone felt a chill run through them.

Arslan’s eyes glowed as if burning with fire. The aura surrounding him transformed him into what seemed like a god of war. Every step he took caused cracks in the ground. His sword was no longer just a piece of metal; it was surrounded by a deadly crimson energy. Every swing of his sword was accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

One spectator shouted, "That’s the special technique of the Red Snowflake House!" Others nodded, their eyes glued to the terrifying red glow surrounding Arslan.

This new form of Arslan reflected not only his physical strength but also his mental resolve. He had acknowledged Lucian’s power and knew this battle would be difficult. But with this display of strength, he was challenging Lucian. Arslan’s muscles were tense, his veins prominent, and a ruthless smile was etched on his face.

Lucian thought to himself, "This feels like a real nightmare." But at the same time, he told himself, "The only way to end this fight is to defeat this monster."

Lucian once again began moving rapidly around Arslan, hitting him with repeated punches.

"Damn it, my punches aren’t affecting him!" Lucian got close to Arslan for another strike, but this time Arslan saw him coming with ease. He swung his sword, and with a massive explosion, Lucian was thrown into the arena wall. The path of the sword and the section of the wall where Lucian landed were completely shattered. One of the flying stones was about to hit a spectator when Lily threw a kunai, shattering the stone in midair. Marquis Arthur surrounded the arena with his aura to protect the spectators, ensuring that nothing inside could escape.

Arslan slowly walked toward Lucian. "Marquis Arthur really is a monster. The fact that he can surround the entire arena with his aura is proof of his incredible skill."

Lucian's head was bleeding, and he was coughing up blood, his body covered in dirt and dust. "If I hadn’t seen where the sword was coming from and focused my shield there, I’d be dead right now. Damn it, my legs won’t move!"

Arslan continued his slow, deliberate approach toward Lucian. "Unlike him, his son is weak. Do you really think you deserve to be the heir and inherit everything?"

"Move! Move!"

Arslan’s steps echoed as he approached Lucian. Every breath, every heartbeat in the arena seemed to be crushed under the weight of his steady, determined footsteps. Finally, Arslan stood before Lucian. His image was that of a nightmare; his eyes glowed with hellfire, and the red aura surrounding him engulfed everything. His muscles were tense, veins bulging, and the dust mixed with sweat and blood formed a halo around him.

Arslan’s cruel smile reflected the pleasure he took in feeling the fear and despair growing within his enemy. The aura around him glowed like fiery armor, and his sword stood as a deadly beam of light. Every breath he took made the air tremble, intensifying the tension in the arena.

Lucian, small beneath Arslan’s towering figure, bloodied, barely able to move, yet still filled with the determination to fight, stared into Arslan’s eyes. Even his aura paled in comparison to Arslan’s, nearly invisible under the red light. Arslan's stance sent a clear message to anyone daring enough to face him: No matter who stood against him, they couldn’t match his power.

Arslan looked Lucian straight in the eyes and, with a mocking tone, said, "It’s over. Do you really think someone this weak deserves to be the heir?"

"Damn it, my legs won’t move. How am I going to defeat this monster when I can only use my arms?"

Arslan raised his sword into the air and said, “Surrender and end this torture, or I will kill you.”

“Screw that! If I can’t move my legs, then I’ll…”

Arslan: “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Lucian!” she shouted.

Serenna looked at Marquis Arthur with concern and said, “Father! You must stop this, he won’t surrender!” But Marquis Arthur remained silent and continued watching. “Kill or be killed, that’s how a Wintergate lives. Show me what you’ve got, Lucian,” he thought.

Arslan gathered all of his aura into his sword raised in the air and brought it down forcefully, shouting, “DIE!” Lucian pointed his left hand to the ground and cast a spell, “Explosion!”

Lucian was blasted to the right side by the force of the spell, allowing him to dodge Arslan’s sword. Due to the explosion spell and the sword strike, dust filled the air, making it impossible to see. Everyone waited in anticipation for the dust to settle. When it did, what they saw shocked everyone—Lucian’s left hand was completely unrecognizable, shattered into pieces.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Lucian screamed in agony. “Damn it! It hurts so much! But I can’t give up!” Lucian cast an ice spell with his right hand, freezing his shattered hand to prevent himself from dying from blood loss.

“You just sacrificed your own hand? So, no matter what, you won’t surrender, will you?” Arslan said, turning his head toward Lucian with a devilish smile.

“Damn it! The spell I used to avoid the attack cost me my left hand. The explosion was so close that I couldn’t save it. I wish I had gathered all my aura into my fist and blasted that bastard’s face…” he thought, as an idea formed in his mind.

“Wait a minute!”