Gacha Harem System

Lukas leapt backwards in the air, putting distance between him and Rashka.

Rashka didn’t pursue him. She simply planted her feet and raised her shield, presenting the rectangular face towards him and waited.

He raised the gauntlet, pouring more mana into it than usual, letting the heat within it build higher than what he usually released.

The gauntlet glowed brighter with each passing second, but he didn’t mind. When he was finally satisfied, he released the beam.

The attack tore across the arena with an audible whine, heading towards Rashka who made no attempt to dodge.

She leaned into the attack as it slammed dead center into her shield.

Boom!

A loud explosion filled the air, shattering the stone around her feet. A shockwave distorted the air around her, and smoke wafted up into the sky.

Rashka grunted, but she did not move an inch from where she stood.

This was the result of her skill, [Iron Wall], which absorbed every attack that came at her from the front, creating an immovable defensive position that could not be moved without considerable force.

When the smoke finally dissipated, everyone could see Rashka standing there with only a faint scorch mark on the surface of her shield.

Lukas lowered his gauntlet, a frown on his face.

Just as he’d suspected, a ranged tactic wasn’t going to work. If he wanted to win this fight, he’d have to get up close and personal.

Then it was a good thing he’d prepared for it.

Shinkt!

He reached over his shoulder and drew his sword, twirling it as he stepped forward.

Inside her helmet, a small smile appeared on Rashka’s face, and she lifted her shield slightly higher.

She’d managed to drag Lukas into the sphere she excelled in. And now, she’d win. She had to.

Her [Iron Wall] was still active, but it wasn’t even her trump card.

Lukas dashed forward, and when he was close enough, he swung his sword.

Rashka moved with him, leaning into the attack and driving her shield forward in a bash that would have caught him clean if he’d been where she expected him to be.

He wasn’t. Right before she bashed him, he planted his foot and dashed to the side, evading the attack.

This was going according to his plan. Of course, his attack had been bait.

He wasn’t stupid enough to keep attacking a shield that had tanked a charged up Deathstalker beam. What he needed was to get around it.

Rashka tracked him, pivoting to keep the shield between them.

As she yanked her shield to the right to keep him at bay, Lukas planted his feet and reversed direction, dashing to the left.

Rashka’s eyes widened as the movement opened a gap on her left and Lukas swung.

As his sword sailed through the air, Rashka moved, faster than she’d moved in any previous match.

Her sword flashed through the gap between her body and shield, deflecting Lukas’ sword.

Sparks filled the air as the blades clashed, but when it dissipated an instant later, Lukas was gone.

He dropped to the ground, driving his leg out in a sweep towards her leg.

In response, Rashka simply drove her shield down into the ground, blocking the attack.

As his leg bounced off the shield, stinging from the point of contact, Lukas planted his free hand on the ground, using it to push his body upwards.

His leg swung through the air over him, passing the top of Rashka’s shield.

She raised her shield to protect against the attack but it was already too late.

The kick slammed into the top of her helmet with force, snapping her head backwards. The force was enough to send her staggering two steps back before she dug her heels into the ground, stopping herself.

In that same instant, Lukas flipped back, creating space between them. He stared at Rashka, his eyes flicking to her shield.

He’d seen it in the split second he’d kicked her. If he tried to take advantage of her staggering backwards, he’d have paid dearly for it.

There was something in that shield that told him it was an [Item].

Around them, the crowds erupted into cheers in response to their fights.

In the seconds since they’d started fighting, they’d produced such a quality display of attack and defense that they hadn’t consistently seen until now.

Everyone could tell that both Awakeners were highly skilled, and this would be a fight worth watching.

As for Rashka, she blinked, keeping her eyes on Lukas. While the attack had connected solidly, her helmet had absorbed enough of the force for it to be a minor inconvenience.

She frowned, raising her shield back to its guard position, her sword gripped tightly in her right hand.

Lukas smiled at the sight. He had to admit that her defense was exceptional, but he’d just proven before everybody that it wasn’t absolute.

All that remained now was finding an attack that actually mattered.

Then this match would be his victory.

He dashed forward again, but this time, Rashka didn’t take the bait.

She stood there with her shield raised, preferring to be reactive, and wait till she got her chance.

He stabbed at her helmet, a real attack this time, the point aimed at her eyeholes. It was just wide enough for his sword to slip through.

Rashka angled her shield up, intercepting the attack.

As his sword scraped along the shield, Lukas slammed his palm onto its surface, and fired a weak beam from his gauntlet.

The beam detonated at point blank range against the shield.

Rashka’s [Iron Wall] absorbed the force, keeping her planted, but the explosion did something the skill hadn’t accounted for.

Smoke billowed out from the impact point in a cloud around them, obscuring her visibility.

She reacted immediately, leaping backwards out of the smoke before the cloud could fully close around her.

She landed, eyes on the smoke, and waiting for Lukas to emerge, however, nothing happened.

Her eyes narrowed, until she sensed the change in the air above her.

Her eyes snapped upwards just in time to see a beam of fire descending from directly overhead.