Theo's POV
The arena was silent.
Students watched with wide eyes as water and lightning clashed in the center of the field.
Steam rose where the two forces collided.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Lucian stepped back.
His eyes were different now.
More focused.
"You're not as weak as everyone said," he admitted.
I kept my guard up.
Water circled slowly around my hands, ready to move.
"That doesn't mean I'll lose."
Lucian smirked slightly.
"Good."
Lightning sparked along his arms again.
"Because I hate boring fights."
He vanished.
A flash of light streaked across the arena.
I reacted immediately, pulling water upward into a barrier just as Lucian's attack came down.
BOOM
The impact shattered the water shield.
The force sent me sliding backward across the stone floor.
Pain shot through my arms.
Too strong.
0
Lucian wasn't even using his full power yet.
But if I kept defending like this…
I'd lose eventually.
I needed to control the pace.
Water gathered again, spreading across the arena floor in a thin layer.
Lucian noticed immediately.
"Trying to control the battlefield?"
He stepped forward cautiously this time.
Smart.
But not smart enough.
I compressed the water beneath his feet and released it.
A sudden burst of pressure shot upward.
Lucian jumped back just in time, but the attack forced him to move again.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"He's pushing Lucian back."
"How is that possible?"
Lucian wiped a bit of water from his sleeve.
Then he laughed softly.
"Okay… now I'm interested."
Lightning flared brighter around his body.
His mana pressure suddenly increased.
Even from several meters away, I could feel it.
Students outside the arena gasped.
"Lucian's getting serious."
"Already?"
He looked directly at me.
"You've got good instincts."
"But the gap between us…"
Lightning exploded around his feet.
"…is still huge."
He moved again.
This time faster than before.
I barely saw the blur of light before he appeared beside me.
His lightning-covered fist slammed into my guard.
CRACK
Pain shot through my arm.
I staggered back.
Before I could recover—
Lucian was already attacking again.
Another strike.
Then another.
Each one faster than the last.
Water shields shattered under the pressure.
My breathing grew heavier.
Too fast.
Too strong.
But I refused to fall yet.
I gathered the remaining water around me and compressed it tighter than before.
Lucian rushed forward again.
This time I fired the attack straight toward him.
The pressurized stream shot forward like a spear.
Lucian twisted his body at the last moment.
The water tore across his shoulder instead of hitting his chest.
A thin line cut across his uniform.
The arena froze.
For the first time in the fight—
Lucian had been hit.
Students erupted with shocked whispers.
"He hit him!"
"Lucian got injured!"
Lucian looked down at the small cut on his shoulder.
Then he started laughing.
Not angrily.
But genuinely amused.
"Wow…"
Lightning slowly gathered around him again.
"You almost had me there."
The air around him began to tremble.
The lightning sparks grew brighter.
More violent.
Even the barrier around the arena flickered slightly.
Something was changing.
Lucian looked up at me again.
His golden eyes were sharp now.
"I guess I should stop holding back."
The lightning around his body surged violently.
Students outside the arena suddenly grew quiet.
One of them whispered nervously.
"…Is he going to use it?"
Lucian rolled his neck slightly.
Electricity crackled across his arms and shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said calmly.
"This won't kill you."
The lightning exploded around him like a storm.
And for the first time since the fight began…
I felt real danger.
Because whatever he was about to do—
Was his trump card.