Arthur vs Feldine
"Let's get serious," Feldine growled, releasing a surge of arcane energy that crackled like storm clouds about to burst.
Arthur responded instantly, his sword humming with lightning affinity. He dashed forward with blinding speed, lightning trailing in his wake. The two collided in a thunderous clash of magic and steel.
Feldine's arcane blasts met Arthur's electrified strikes, sending shockwaves through the forest. Each attack was met with a counter, their power nearly equal—one wielding the ancient secrets of arcane magic, the other the fierce lightning of golden mana.
The ground beneath them shattered with every strike. Georgina, momentarily forgetting her mission, watched in awe—her combat instincts frozen by the spectacle.
Blasts of arcane energy tore through the air, but Arthur's lightning slashes cut through them cleanly. Still, Feldine's magic was potent, and with a sudden surge, he unleashed a concentrated arcane blast that caught Arthur off guard.
Arthur staggered, a deep burn blossoming across his side as his bodysuit tore under the force. Yet the smile on his face never wavered.
Feldine's own suit was ripped and scorched, showing signs of the fierce exchange.
For a moment, both combatants paused, sensing something beyond the immediate battle—an ominous presence drawing near.
Arthur tightened his grip on his sword, golden mana surging wildly through his veins. Lightning danced along the blade's edge, crackling with fierce energy.
With a sudden roar, he unleashed Heaven Breaker—a skill that summoned a storm of lightning strikes from his blade, each slash releasing rapid, blinding arcs of electricity that tore through the air like a tempest. Lightning bolts erupted around him, striking in blinding speed, forcing Feldine to retreat.
But Feldine was no ordinary opponent.
Raising his hand, he summoned the ancient power of Arcane Magic, weaving complex symbols in the air with dark crimson light. From his palm exploded a torrent of Voidflare Barrage—a storm of arcane missiles that split into smaller shards mid-flight, homing in on Arthur relentlessly.
Arthur's lightning shield crackled to life, intercepting the barrage with a cascade of sparks, but a few shards grazed his armor, sending sharp shocks through his body.
With a growl, Feldine followed up, weaving his fingers rapidly to conjure Eclipse Chains—dark magical chains that snaked through the air, aiming to bind Arthur's movement.
Arthur's reflexes blazed as fast as his lightning strikes. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he summoned a surge of electricity that shattered the chains into sparkling dust. He charged forward, blade humming.
He struck with a flurry of slashes, each blow channeling lightning so fast it was almost a blur. His Heaven Breaker unleashed waves of storm energy, the ground beneath cracking under the force.
Feldine barely managed to conjure a Mana Veil—a shimmering shield of pure arcane force—that absorbed the brunt of the assault, but the shield shimmered and fractured with every hit.
The two clashed again, exchanging a brutal mix of arcane bursts and lightning strikes. Feldine's eyes burned with determination as he summoned his ultimate skill—Arcane Oblivion—a massive sphere of swirling dark energy that pulsed with destructive power.
Arthur braced, his golden mana flaring to maximum. As Arcane Oblivion exploded, Arthur drove his blade downward, summoning a massive lightning spear that pierced through the center of the sphere, dispersing it in a dazzling storm of sparks.
Both warriors staggered, breathing hard but still standing.
Arthur's bodysuit was torn in several places, his skin marked by faint scorch lines, but his smile never faded.
Feldine's own armor was battered, his dark arcane energy flickering dangerously—but his gaze was sharp, unyielding.
They locked eyes again, two forces evenly matched—lightning and arcane, youth and ancient power.
Arthur's golden eyes narrowed, his body humming with fierce lightning energy. His grip tightened on his sword, the blade's edge flickering like a storm about to break loose.
"Let's see how you handle this," Arthur murmured, voice low but fierce.
He unleashed Heaven Breaker once more—this time, the speed of his lightning strikes accelerated to near-blinding levels. Bolts of pure electricity shot out from his blade in rapid succession, a relentless barrage that painted the air with streaks of gold and white.
Feldine countered with a sweeping wave of his hands, summoning his Arcane Shroud—a swirling veil of dark crimson energy that shimmered with eldritch runes. The shroud absorbed the crackling lightning attacks, dissipating them slowly but steadily.
But Arthur wasn't done.
Channeling his affinity for lightning, he surged forward, his movements becoming a blur of speed and sparks. His sword sliced through the air, sending arcs of lightning snapping towards Feldine from every direction.
Feldine gritted his teeth, then unleashed Voidstep, teleporting instantly behind Arthur and launching a devastating Crimson Lance—a spear of raw arcane energy aimed at Arthur's back.
Arthur twisted mid-air, barely dodging the lance, and responded with a swift spin, slashing the air and triggering a Stormbreaker Slash—a wide arc of lightning that surged forward, forcing Feldine to retreat quickly.
Panting slightly, Feldine raised both hands and summoned Arcane Chains of Suppression—glowing crimson bindings that shot towards Arthur's legs, aiming to pin him down.
Arthur's golden mana flared, and he activated Lightning Surge, boosting his reflexes and speed. With a burst, he shattered the chains mid-air and countered with Thunderclap Strike—a brutal downward slash that released a deafening boom of lightning energy, shaking the ground beneath them.
Feldine took the full force but countered by cloaking himself in Arcane Phantom, creating illusory duplicates that darted around Arthur, confusing his lightning strikes.
Arthur's eyes scanned the field rapidly. With a grin, he unleashed Heaven Breaker: Chain Storm—a flurry of lightning slashes that struck every illusion in rapid succession, each hit dispersing a clone into sparks.
The real Feldine appeared behind Arthur again, but this time Arthur was ready. He spun, meeting Feldine's arcane blade with his lightning-charged sword. The clash sent a shockwave roaring through the clearing, the air thick with crackling energy.
Feldine snarled and summoned his ultimate move, Arcane Cataclysm—a sphere of dense crimson magic swirling with destructive force, crackling with wild energy. He hurled it towards Arthur, the ground trembling as the sphere expanded.
Arthur's golden mana ignited around him as he readied his own ultimate technique—Heaven Breaker: Tempest Reign. With a mighty yell, he drove his sword into the ground, releasing a colossal surge of lightning that tore through the sphere, causing an explosion of blinding light and thunderous sound.
When the dust settled, both warriors stood, battered but unbowed. Arthur's bodysuit was torn and scorched, his skin marked with fresh cuts, but his smile remained—a constant beacon of defiance.
Feldine's armor was cracked, his arcane energy flickering, yet his eyes burned with undiminished resolve.
Neither moved immediately—each sensing the other's strength and waiting for the next move in this deadly dance of lightning and arcane power.
The battlefield had no sky anymore—only light and darkness clashing.
From the torn ground, Feldine rose once more, mana flooding from his body like a tidal wave. Black and violet sigils circled him—Arcane glyphs older than most magic systems ever taught.
"I'll end it now," he said, voice low, eyes burning.
Arthur wiped the blood from his cheek. "Then I'll make you try."
And then—
Arthur vanished.
A golden blur—a high-speed streak of lightning—cut across the battlefield. Heaven Breaker, his A-rank speed skill fused with lightning affinity, crackled from his blade as he aimed straight for Feldine's neck.
But in a flash of black magic—
Slice!
Blood sprayed.
Arthur's right hand flew off, his blade spiraling into the dirt.
But the boy didn't scream.
Instead, golden sparks erupted from the stump.
Regeneration activated.
In seconds, flesh reformed, golden mana sewing muscle and bone together with eerie calm.
Feldine's eyes narrowed. "So that's your unique skill…"
"You'll see more of it."
Arthur grinned—and rushed again.
But Feldine's own magic rose in response.
"Lord of the Night."
The moment he uttered the words, the air turned thick with power. His mana surged tenfold, forming three concentric rings of dark energy behind him. The sky above trembled.
BOOM!
In an instant, Feldine unleashed three elemental strikes:
•A ring of black lightning arced down like spears,
•A spiral of crimson fire swirled outward in waves,
•Earth ruptured beneath, throwing massive jagged boulders toward Arthur.
Arthur planted his feet.
His blade pulsed once.
"Storm Reversal."
A defensive counter—his blade spun like a cyclone, redirecting the elemental chaos. But the strain showed—his arms bled, his legs buckled slightly.
Dust clouded the field again.
Then—
Feldine stepped forward to finish it, only to feel a sharp snap in his leg.
He looked down.
A cut.
Deep and clean across his thigh.
He staggered—fell.
"Not fast enough," Arthur's voice whispered behind him.
Before Feldine's regeneration finished—another cut.
Feldine dropped, face brushing the dirt.
He gritted his teeth and forced his arm to move—mana bullet formed instantly, hurled at point blank range.
Arthur blocked it with his blade, skidding back—but barely a scratch.
He advanced again.
This time—sword pointed for the kill.
Feldine's breath caught in his throat. His mana flickered wildly. He raised his hand—
But it wasn't Arthur who moved next.
Georgina appeared, intercepting Arthur with a swift leg strike.
Arthur blocked, but Georgina used the momentum to shove him back. Dust kicked up.
Arthur slid a few feet, pausing.
His eyes narrowed, locked on Georgina.
She didn't speak.
Neither did he.
For now, the storm stilled.
Meanwhile at Combat Zone
Curtain leaned forward again.
"…He blocked arcane lightning, fire, earth, and struck through regeneration."
Rubina didn't blink. "And Feldine countered Heaven Breaker and stopped a killing blow."
Dante, this time, smirked faintly. "Now it's a real battle."
The commentators, mages, students, and elites watching across Combat zone were stunned into silence.
Everyone had the same thought:
"They're beyond the tournament. They're warriors standing at the edge of legend."