Even with a pierced heart, the tenacity with which he moved was nothing short of monstrous.
Yet, the mana permeating the world was impartial. Humans had flourished by drawing that mana into their bodies since the moment of their birth; it was how they had survived so stubbornly and achieved such prosperity.
"Pah."
I spat out a mouthful of blood. My constitution was rugged, but there was no replacing the blood I’d already lost. I couldn't afford a battle of attrition. He had put everything on the line, body and soul; I owed him the same respect.
"I’m coming for you."
I would show Edward exactly what I was made of.
"Not yet... I'm not finished!"
As I stepped toward him, Edward scrambled to his feet, his arms blurring into motion.
"It’s still my move!"
Dozens of droplets manifested from his blood-stained palms. They numbered nearly a hundred—spheres that resembled soap bubbles more than water. Within each, wind magic rotated in a violent, compressed frenzy.
The concept was simple: if a bubble burst, it would unleash a localized tempest. But contact wasn't even necessary. They were designed to collide and merge on their own, triggering a chain reaction of cascading gales. He had interwove this with the flashbangs he’d used at the start, creating a grand display that utilized every facet of the Four Elements Magic taught at the Academy.
"It’s far more efficient to just mess with the atmospheric components, you know?"
He had to know I would block any purely magical attack.
"I-It’s so bright! With the roar of the explosions, I can’t tell what’s happening! Wait—Competitor Laguna is walking through this incredible magic! With a sword in one hand, he’s advancing perfectly calm!"
Amidst the thunderous detonations, the blinding flashes, and the screaming winds—a chaotic chain reaction of phenomena—I approached Edward with measured, deliberate steps.
"So, you’ve already reconfigured it..."
"That’s right."
The barrier had already analyzed Edward’s specific mana signature and adapted accordingly. I’d also optimized it to dampen the deafening roars and blinding flashes. No matter how much the explosions thundered or the light flared, the barrier filtered the input to a manageable degree. Maintaining it was a chore, but sensory overload was more dangerous than the magic itself.
Either way, Edward was now as good as neutralized.
"With your barrier reconfigured, if you restrain me like you did on that Night of the New Moon, I am essentially powerless."
"Correct."
I deployed the barrier in a cubic formation, completely enveloping Edward. I seized control of every trace of mana within that space, and his magical soap bubbles vanished as if they had been erased from reality.
"But you’ve already thought of a way to escape, haven't you?"
The fact that he still had the breath to speak told me as much. He hadn't surrendered. His eyes, still burning with the will to fight, signaled that he still held a trump card.
"You’ve seen through me, have you? Hmph." Edward panted, his shoulders heaving. "But... truly, this is the end."
He was more exhausted than I’d realized. That Bubble Magic must have drained his reserves.
"The end, is it? It’s no use trying to turn your body into air to escape, you know?"
To prevent a demon from doing exactly that, I had mastered the technique of creating a Mana Space akin to my own Mental World.
"There is no way I could pull off a feat like that!"
It seemed like something he might eventually achieve, but for now, it was impossible without selling his soul to a demon. Yet, Edward smiled.
"However, there is no way I would fail to devise a countermeasure for a technique I have seen before. There is only one way to beat this magic of yours—"
"—An attack from outside the barrier, right?"
When I finished his sentence for him, he faltered for a second, then burst into a fit of laughter.
"Hahaha! Fuhahaha! As expected, if I can think of it, you have already seen right through it!"
"Only a fool wouldn't consider the possibilities."
"With a barrier like yours, shouldn't you be able to ignore such trivialities?"
"No. I considered it because my opponent was you."
In truth, it was more accurate to say I’d been forced into this reconfiguration. If his final move was a non-magical attack, then I—having focused my entire barrier on the magic Edward had right in front of me—was a sitting duck.
The first flash hadn't been magical. He had calculated exactly how to make it effective against me.
"What do you plan to do, Edward?"
I should have taken his head then and there, but for some reason, I asked the question. I was curious. It was exciting. I felt like I wanted the fight to go on forever.
"The preparations were tedious, but it’s finally ready. As long as I am helpless within your mana, I can assume you haven't reconfigured your barrier for anything else. In that case... it will work!"
"Everyone, look up! What is this? Dark clouds—thunderheads! A storm is gathering directly over the Colosseum!"
Following Edward's declaration, the announcer's voice shrieked over the speakers.
"I see. A lightning strike."
"It started as magic, but the phenomenon itself is natural. That is why it will reach you."
I’d thought he was just pointlessly exhausted, but he had been secretly and diligently seeding the clouds from the very beginning. At this point, I didn't even know how one would go about doing such a thing.
"A lightning strike requires a path, but I have not been negligent. My actions until now have paved the way."
"You really are a genius."
"Then what does that make you? If I am a genius, then what are you—someone who doesn't even flinch after having his heart pierced?"
I wondered the same thing.
"I'm a Brave."
That was the only answer I had.
"Heh. A bloodline that has fought since before the dawn of this kingdom certainly has a way with words. But no matter how fast your reflexes are, you can never beat the speed of light—you cannot dodge this!"
As Edward screamed, a bolt of blinding light raced down from the heavens. However, no matter how long the audience waited, the expected thunder never roared.
"W-W-What?! A transparent figure—a giant! It’s grabbing the lightning! It's actually holding the bolt in its hands!"
"...Heh. To think it would go this far."
Amidst the announcer's hysteria, Edward fell to his knees, his voice laced with the calm of total resignation.
"It’s a trump card I’ve never shown anyone."
The giant was nothing more than a massive, external projection of my personal barrier. I’d developed this style out of a desperate desire to defeat Onyx. I’d figured that if I wanted to fight a dragon, I needed a body just as massive. The cost-performance was abysmal, and I could only maintain Gigantification for about five minutes. Currently, since I’d just reset the barrier to full power to block everything, I only had about twenty seconds, but that was plenty.
"Grabbing a lightning strike... I cannot win against that."
"That was just a side effect."
I’d pushed the output so high that the barrier simply enveloped everything I touched. It was proof that I didn't have the form under perfect control, but it was effective enough for defense. By undergoing Gigantification at the last second and seizing the thunderheads, I’d managed to catch the lightning just as it reached full extension.
"Well, it makes for a convenient weapon."
"Truly, it is God's Wrath. My bloodline probably deserves the punishment. I shall take it all upon myself. Do it, Brave."
"I don't hold any 'wrath' for you. But I’ll tell you one thing: putting your all into facing a single opponent is the highest honor for House Brave."
"Hahaha. This match... it’s your win."
As Edward laughed, I ruthlessly swung down the Lightning Spear.
Go with your head held high, just Edward.
The bolt I held crackled with raw, untamed energy. When I drove the barrier-wrapped spear home, the impact was absolute. Edward vanished, leaving not even a shadow behind.
That was a good fight. It was a shame I would never be able to face him again.
Simultaneously, the great barrier that had shielded the Royal Capital for generations flickered and died.