Return Of The Strongest Player

The intensity of the flames surged, gradually encompassing Aditya's body like a bed of flowers to him, but a bed of thorns to his foes. The crackles of the flames were distinct, matching Aditya's raging temperament.

His face carried a smile containing heaps of arrogance, while his eyes contained a hint of craziness, as if Aditya was deranged. His body emanated an aura of excellence. Flames bent to his will.

Lucas, on the other hand, was silent. He hadn't revealed his mana, and he simply held an unsheathed longsword in his hand. His expression was blank, and his gaze rested on Aditya's body.

Any movements would be sensed in an instant.

Considering the scale of the battle, Arthur did not expect the two to utilize devastating skills that could destroy the area. With their backing, obtaining such skills or techniques was not difficult in the slightest.

However, using such skills would be declaring one's weakness, as such powerful skills are reserved for dire moments. This was a form of mock battle, as it simply involved a casual battle of egos without stakes relating to one's life and death.

Since that was the case, the crimson-eyed man couldn't gather much information.

However, any information was still valuable, as long as it originated from a trusted source. And what could be more trustworthy than Arthur's own eyes?

"We haven't battled since we were kids," said Aditya, letting out a heart laugh laced with immense arrogance. It was as if the orange-eyed man was certain of his victory even before the initiation of the battle.

Lucas simply nodded. "Shall we begin?"

As soon as Aditya nodded, the man with wheat-colored eyes rushed forward. His movements were a blur to regular players, and within milliseconds, he closed the gap between Aditya and him.

Aditya's eyes widened slightly at Lucas's immense speed, but the former was quick to react. His calves burst with flames, propelling him to the side. Then, Aditya conjured three arrows of flames.

They levitated beside his head.

Aditya flicked his wrist, and one of them shot forward. Lucas quickly swung his longsword, which collided with the arrow. The flames burst, encompassing the silver blade of the sword, threatening to swallow Lucas's entire existence.

The flames were voracious, and fought until the bitter end. Extinguishing them was not simple, and required a careful procedure.

"You've improved," said Lucas, infusing his legs with mana. He propelled himself, swinging his longsword several times in the span of a second. Slashes embedded themselves on Aditya's wall of flames.

However, they weren't able to break through.

Aditya's expression was slightly strained. Lucas smiled at the reaction, realizing Aditya's mana reserve could not support prolonged use of such flames. The man with wheat-colored eyes had discovered a weakness.

The most effective method of drawing the weakness was to engage in battle for a prolonged amount of time. However, such a method was not efficient, as it involved straining oneself, too. Conserving one's power was the key to battle.

Do not strike unless you are aware of one's weakness.

That was what Lucas was implementing in his battle style.

Arthur found it interesting. Aditya was a man with overflowing arrogance, but his destructive power could back such behavior. Lucas was a silent beauty, and relied on wisdom and intelligence.

Lucas's attacks weren't as destructive as Adtiya's, but the former's strikes had more impact than the latter's flames.

Why was that?

It was due to timing. One needed to be aware of when to strike, and when to withdraw; especially when fighting someone equal to them in terms of power. It was not wise to simply launch random attacks, hoping they destroy your opponent.

This fact only rose in importance as one's strength increased.

As Aditya's struggle increased, his vocabulary grew vulgar. He spouted curses and insults to Lucas rapidly, but the man with wheat-colored eyes did not provide the orange-eyed man the satisfaction of a reaction.

Instead, he simply ignored Aditya's words.

"Why has your clan been so quiet recently, huh?" Aditya asked, gritting his teeth. At that point, he was using all methods necessary to draw Lucas's attention, and to divert it from the battle itself. "The clan known for its hot-tempered tendencies is laying low… Have you all degraded into cowards?"

Lucas's movements faltered for a split second. Aditya smiled, having found his moment to strike. The timing was correct.

A pillar of flames and two flame arrows shot towards Lucas. The arrows pierced the air around them, approaching Lucas at terrifying speeds. On the other hand, the flame tore through the ground below.

The pillar's approach was similar to a hurricane, in the sense that flames swirled around in the shape of an ice-cream cone while slowly approaching the man with wheat-colored eyes.

A combination of speed and destruction.

'Aditya chose the perfect time and combination of moves,' thought Arthur, stroking his chin. As a regressor, he was naturally aware of the reason behind Lucas's reaction. However, Aditya was unbeknownst to it at the time.

That was quite opportunistic.

Lucas was quick to recover, but the advent of Aditya's attacks were too rapid. His pupils traveled across his sclera, searching for a method to preserve himself. If he was to be struck with such an attack, severe wounds would be the least of his worries.

Death was a possibility.

Aditya wouldn't be able to handle such consequences, and would incur the wrath of the Paragon Of Vengeance, resulting in a full-scaled war. However, after launching such attacks, it wasn't up to Aditya to withdraw them.

They weren't connected to Aditya, and he couldn't manipulate them.

At that point, Lucas's life was dependent on his preservation methods… or was it?

'He's not panicking too much…' Arthur leaned forward, his eyes focused on the battle. The climax was near.

Suddenly, a massive load of mana emanated from Lucas's body, while his eyes and sword shone a bright, silver color. A scream escaped his lips, and power burst from his sword, shredding Aditya's attacks to bits.

Then, mana shot towards Aditya, delivering a deep gash on his chest.

It was as if time stopped.

As the smoke subsided, a shocking reality was revealed.

Lucas had unlocked Sword Aura.