Chapter 133: Obliterator
"Wow... this is one fierce battle—B2 against S-rank," the emissary announced, his voice echoing across the arena. The crowd roared in excitement, every eye fixed on the clash unfolding below.
Zero slammed his sword into the ground, and from the impact, a jagged bolt of lightning split the floor, surging straight toward Lucian with terrifying speed.
Lucian leapt aside just in time, his body twisting through the air. In the same motion, he flicked three darts from his fingers, sending them whistling toward Zero.
Zero’s eyes sharpened. With a single sweep of his sword, his right hand cut all three darts out of the air. "I saw everything," he muttered, certain the attack had failed.
But then— boom! The darts exploded in his face, engulfing him in smoke.
Lucian smiled faintly. "Not enough to kill him," he thought, already rushing forward. He pulled a dagger from his inventory, aiming to close the distance and drive the blade through the vulnerable slit in Zero’s visor.
He slashed into the smoke—only to find nothing there. His eyes widened.
From the haze, a flash of steel gleamed—Zero’s sword, already descending.
Lucian reacted instantly, springing into a backflip, then another, then a third, landing lightly on his feet, standing tall once more, eyes locked on his opponent.
They stared at each other, breath slow, eyes locked. The battle had been a warm-up—now the real fight was about to begin.
"You’re truly strong," Zero said through the helmet. "But I won’t hold back anymore. You’ve proven yourself a worthy opponent. Warm-up’s over. Let’s take this to the next level."
"Don’t blame me if you get defeated instantly—because you asked for it," Lucian shot back. "My next move could cripple you or slice you apart. Try to keep up."
"How dare you mock me," Zero replied, voice low.
Lucian’s expression hardened. He shouted, "Zero Flow Technique!" A faint green glow swelled around his body as energy coalesced. He pressed two fingers and thumbs together in a precise seal; the nearby blades—darts, daggers, even the sword he’d tossed earlier—lifted from the ground and hovered, drifting into the air bathed in green light.
"This won’t terrify you," Lucian said, calm and lethal. "Come at me. I’ll show you what I can do. This technique will follow any opening it finds—joints, neck, gaps in your armor. It will flow inside and tear you apart."
"No one talks to me like that," he murmured. "You dare mock me? Your penalty is death."
Zero rose his sword, the green energy spiraling around him. "Paladin Fury!" he called, and golden light poured from his armor and sword, matching the gleam of his plate.
"Now try me," Zero added, steel in his tone—ready.
Instantly, Lucian swore, and every weapon scattered across the arena, blades, darts, knives, even broken shards, rose into the air and swirled together in a storm of steel. One by one, they fused under his green aura, forming a deadly barrage. With a sharp gesture, he sent them hurtling toward Zero, every edge aimed at a joint, a weak point, a gap in the armor.
Zero didn’t flinch. His sword blurred, cutting flawlessly through each weapon, sparks raining as steel rang against steel. He didn’t let a single strike slip past him. His movements were precise, almost mechanical, as though he had already calculated each angle.
With a surge, he dashed toward Lucian. The crowd leaned forward, breath held. Lucian didn’t budge. At the last moment, he summoned two swords from the storm, their edges glowing green, and crossed them just in time to block Zero’s downward slash. The impact cracked the stone beneath their feet.
Zero leapt back, golden energy flickering around him. He gritted his teeth inside the helmet. The only reason I rushed him was because if I let those weapons come to me, they would go straight for the openings. But by forcing them back, they couldn’t break through my armor.
I’m taking this to another stage. But first, let me keep having some more fun, Lucian said to himself. Then Zero increased his Paladin Fury energy force. I have to break through his defense. Well, increasing Fortitude. Thunder, Zero said as he raised his sword and slashed the ground.
Thunder split the earth, surging toward Lucian faster than anyone expected. Lucian dodged; Zero jumped to the other side, smiling. Do you think that is enough to defeat me? Something that slow cannot catch me, Lucian thought. Then he noticed the thunder had closed the distance. Before he could react, something struck him in the back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
This is my chance, Zero said, lifting his sword. Paladin Obliterator, he muttered as he prepared to strike. He saw an opening and swung to finish Lucian.
But all the weapons Lucian had summoned joined together and formed a wall around him. Zero’s blade hit that barrier and the entire formation shattered. As Zero prepared for a second strike, Lucian sprang to his feet and leapt backward.
I didn’t expect you to survive that, Zero said, impressed despite himself. Were you actually trying to kill me with that skill? You basically vanished every weapon I summoned today, like they melted away.
Lucian wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and smiled.
I knew you had something planned. If you didn’t, you would have died," zero said.
Same goes for you. Did you think you could take me down with that one attack? Lucian asked.
No, I didn’t, Zero admitted. I knew you were holding back, as was I, he answered under his helmet, both of them grinning with the fierce courtesy of warriors who had found a worthy opponent.
Maybe I’ll actually die, Zero replied, and for a heartbeat the arena felt impossibly small — just the two of them and the space between sword strikes. They stared at one another, masks of calm hiding the storm beneath. Both were weighing options, calculating risk: finish it now with everything they had, or save the true trump for the final round. Each held a special move tucked away like a loaded card, a last-resort promise meant only for the endgame.