Chapter 55 - Duel - II
Thadeus stared at me with a look of disbelief, and I soon found out why.
"Do you really think I'm some kind of dog that you'd enter this duel without a Nexus?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain.
A small, ironic smile crept onto my lips.
'I wish I could use one too, you spoiled bastard!'
A transparent orb appeared in his hand, shimmering with shades of red. Flames erupted, wrapping around his body like living, fiery serpents that embraced him. His hair bristled from the burst of prana, and then hell broke loose.
The air around me vibrated with palpable energy, as if the sky itself was about to collapse. My hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anticipation.
Thadeus, standing before me, looked nothing like he had in our previous duel. His figure was imposing, his flowing robes reflecting the flames dancing in his palms. I could feel the heat intensifying, suffocating, as if the sun had descended upon us. He was trying to dominate the battlefield, expanding his area of influence, turning the air into a blazing furnace.
The battlefield distorted under the growing heat, the ground cracking under scorching waves that shimmered like mirages. Flames began to leak from his body, framed by an orange glow, and every breath I took felt like filling my lungs with embers.
'Alright, let's do what needs to be done!'
Electricity roared within me, coursing through my body like thunder ready to break free. The world slowed for a moment, my magic coating my skin. The ground beneath my feet exploded into shards as I shot forward, a blur of blue light amidst the inferno.
The first attack came as a fiery rain. Flaming arrows tore through the air, their trails leaving scarlet streaks against the dark sky. I sidestepped lightly, each movement guided by the electricity accelerating my synapses. A flaming arrow grazed my shoulder, another exploded where I had been a second ago.