[Lightning Steps] and [Lightning Infusion] were indeed a combination of extremely troublesome spells to contend with. However, it wasn’t as though Ruvian hadn’t already devised a countermeasure against them.
In fact, knowing how inevitable his confrontation with Julian was, he had already devised several counters specifically for those two spells, along with a few others meant to deal with Julian’s more destructive spells.
’I already tested it to some extent while fighting Shima... so let’s hope it still works.’
Julian grinned broadly when he saw that Ruvian had grown noticeably more guarded than before. Then, he leveled his sword directly at him as violent arcs of lightning crackled along the steel.
"Before I knock you unconscious with a single strike, I have a few questions to ask you."
Ruvian stared at him blankly before replying. "Sure. Go ahead. You won’t have the chance anymore after I’ve sent you back to the vessel."
Rather than taking offense at his words, Julian merely raised his chin with a proud, confident smirk.
His eyes still carried the sheer arrogance of a noble who had never once entertained the thought of losing to someone he deemed beneath him.
"Hmph. Even now, you still possess the audacity to speak to me that way. But I’ll give you some credit. I thought placing that bounty on your head would be enough to see you eliminated... but it seems I misjudged you."
Then, his glare hardened.
"Why? Why are you concealing your true strength and remaining in Class E? With what you’re capable of, you are far more deserving of standing among those in Class A."
Hearing that, Ruvian couldn’t help but laugh.
"It’s rather amusing hearing that from you. I never expected the great Julian to acknowledge my strength, especially after all the contempt you showed me before."
Julian immediately retaliated, visible fury flashing across his face.
"I still hold that contempt... but I am neither a fool nor blind enough to deny that you’re different from every commoner I have encountered so far. You’re insolent and daring, yet you possess the strength to back up that arrogance.
You know full well the consequences of your actions, yet you still face them head-on. Of course, I still don’t like you. But that defiant nature of yours... I find it amusing." (+500PP)
Ruvian smiled.
"Before you misunderstand me any further, I’ll have to clarify something first. I very much deserved to be placed in Class E. I was never this strong to begin with. The strength I possess now is simply the result of my growth." (+500PP)
Julian stared at him intently, seemingly searching for even the faintest trace of deception across his face.
Yet Ruvian’s expression remained utterly natural, without the slightest flicker of unease or hesitation that might suggest he was lying.
For a brief moment, Julian fell silent.
Then, his brows knitted tightly, as though his pride itself refused to stomach such an explanation.
"Don’t spout such nonsense. Do you seriously expect me to believe that someone from Class E could grow this much in only a few months?"
Ruvian then glared at him coldly.
"Then, what would I possibly gain from lying about it? Why would I conceal my strength just to remain in Class E? For what purpose?" (+500PP)
Julian remained silent.
His mind suddenly returned to their confrontation back in the cafeteria, when the situation had nearly erupted into an actual fight.
Back then, he could barely sense anything threatening from Ruvian at all. Yet the person standing before him now radiated an unmistakable air of danger and menace, something that had been entirely absent during their first confrontation.
That realization only further soured Julian’s mood.
"Whatever... even if you’re speaking the truth, I don’t care."
Gripping his blade tightly, Julian drew one leg back while bending the other slightly. The moment Ruvian noticed the shift in his stance, he immediately realized that Julian was preparing to engage again and readied himself as well.
"My goal remains unchanged, whether you’re strong or weak. I’ll repay you tenfold for daring to insult the name of Rozenberg."
Ruvian smiled.
Then, Julian vanished.
Crack!
The lightning already coursing around Julian’s body suddenly flared brighter as he shot forward at a terrifying speed, leaving jagged streaks of purple lightning scorching across the ground in his wake.
Ruvian’s eyes widened slightly as he strained to follow his movement, but Julian had already disappeared entirely from his sight.
’Fast...!’
He couldn’t see him at all.
That was when he immediately activated one of the skills he had discovered could be exploited during his fight with Shima, despite the skill itself never being intended for combat.
[Omniscient Review]
Immediately, everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl.
Of course, the world itself had not actually slowed. Instead, Ruvian’s thought process had accelerated far beyond the limits of a normal human, allowing him to perceive everything around him as though time itself had been stretched thin.
[Which exact Chapter do you wish to review?]
Ruvian had no intention of answering.
If he failed to provide an answer within five seconds, [Omniscient Review] would simply deactivate on its own without consuming any Plot Points.
Still, five seconds was more than enough, and he could repeatedly exploit this trick at the mere cost of accumulating mental fatigue.
Within his accelerated perception, Ruvian could finally see Julian again.
Even within this slowed state, Julian was still frighteningly fast, but Ruvian could now clearly track every movement he made.
Julian immediately noticed.
His eyes widened in genuine shock when he saw Ruvian’s gaze following him perfectly despite the tremendous speed granted by [Lightning Steps].
’I-Impossible!?’(+500PP)
Slowly, Ruvian wore a faint grin.
Julian clicked his tongue in irritation before committing to the attack anyway. Closing the remaining distance in an instant, he swung his sword directly toward Ruvian’s head.
’Even if he can see me coming, he won’t expect the electrocution spell imbued within my blade.’
Ruvian calmly reacted and raised [The Endseeker] to intercept the incoming strike.
At the same time, he cast [Magic Distortion] around Julian’s blade. Rather than dispelling the lightning itself, the spell disrupted the mana sustaining its stable flow, causing the electrical current surrounding the steel to scatter and lose some of its potency.
Ruvian then formed a thin [Wind Barrier] around [The Endseeker], using the layer of air as an insulator to further hinder the remaining current from conducting through his sword and reaching his body.
Clang!
Their swords collided violently.
Julian immediately wore a triumphant smirk, fully expecting the remaining lightning to surge through Ruvian’s weapon and electrocute him.
But nothing happened.
Ruvian remained perfectly fine.
"What!?"
Caught completely by surprise, Julian immediately disengaged and retreated several steps away.
’Why... why isn’t it working!?’
Ruvian, seemingly understanding what was going through Julian’s mind, decided to explain.
"Cheap tricks won’t work on me, Julian. If you want to beat me, you’ll have to go all out."
Julian’s lips curled into a strained grin, but the fury burning within his eyes betrayed his wounded pride.
"Tch... You asked for it..."
Soon, dark energy began wrapping around his body, intertwining with the purple lightning already coursing across him.
[Abyssal Thornfield]
’Ah... I forgot that he has that spell.’
Darkness immediately spread beneath Ruvian’s feet. Without warning, a massive black spike erupted from the ground.
’Damn it!’
Ruvian barely twisted his body aside before another emerged from somewhere completely different, followed by several more in rapid succession.
There was seemingly no pattern to their appearance, with spikes erupting unpredictably from every direction across the surrounding area.
Ruvian was forced to keep moving.
One erupted beneath his feet, another pierced upward directly ahead of him, while several more suddenly emerged from his sides; even with his [Heightened Sense], their sheer speed and unpredictable locations made avoiding them increasingly difficult.
’Damn it... this spell is annoying.’
And worse, the entire battlefield was gradually becoming covered in them.
’Tch... I need to go higher.’
Immediately, Ruvian formed multiple layers of thin [Magic Barriers] beneath his feet like a staircase, each one sturdy enough for him to step on as he climbed away from the ground.
But just as he reached a considerably safe height, Ruvian sensed a violent fluctuation of mana behind him.
Turning around, his eyes widened.
A massive current of thunder was already surging toward him.
Ruvian immediately raised his hand.
’Shit!’
[Magic Barrier]
BOOM!
The two spells collided violently, and brilliant purple lightning illuminated the entire sky, briefly dyeing the world beneath it in violet.
However, the barrier only endured for a moment before shattering apart, along with the one beneath Ruvian’s feet.
His body immediately began falling.
At that same moment, Julian surged toward him, hopping through the air with [Lightning Steps] as his figure zigzagged between flashes of purple lightning.
While falling, Ruvian quickly manipulated the surrounding wind to stabilize his body in midair.
Then, Julian reached him.
CLANG!
Their swords collided once again in the open sky, sparks and purple lightning bursting between their blades.
For a brief moment, neither pulled away. Instead, both of them wore a smile, the same thrill of battle gleaming within their eyes.
"Say, commoner, do you want me to use fire as well? Or is this already enough for you?"
Ruvian replied in a playful tone.
"The more the merrier, they say." (+1,000PP)
Julian’s grin widened even further.
Then, both of them disengaged.
Immediately, Julian raised his hand and cast [Heavenly Blaze].
Above him, flames rapidly gathered together, forming a blazing sphere that continued to expand until it resembled a miniature sun hanging in the sky.
Gritting his teeth with a smile, Ruvian spun his body before landing on another [Magic Barrier] he had created as a foothold. Then, he tightly gripped his katana and lowered himself into a crouch before slowly inhaling.
’Morvayne... were you able to determine the rank of the demon residing within him?’
[No, Child. It is concealing itself far better than I expected. This is no ordinary demon, considering its level of control. However, if you can get close to him once more... I may be able to pierce through its concealment.]
’Alright, though getting close to him will be much harder now...’
Ruvian stared at the enormous fireball descending toward him like a meteor, its blazing light reflected within his dark blue eyes.
’...But I’ll try.’
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 308: Don’t Hold Back]
Plot Points= 56,500 PP
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