Chapter 879: The Finals [Pt 2]
"[Black Void]."
At that instant, space warped around Rey, and a small singularity was formed from the spatial imbalance. The very essence of Lucielle's Magic was applied to his skill, and a miniature black hole formed at that very moment.
Since it was timed perfectly, Adrien's inertia made it nigh impossible for him to avoid the swirling dark abyss.
And so... it was inevitable that they would clash.
-VWUUUUUUM!~
In an instant, Adrien vanished from his assaulting position, switching locations to at least a few more meters away from Rey.
He was able to successfully avoid being hit with [Black Void] by instantly creating distance. The same couldn't be said for his clones, though.
The two dissipated the moment they came in contact with the pitch-black mass of nothingness.
As for Rey, he was long gone from his position.
He was now in the air, his eyes focused on the real Adrien. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes as he smiled broadly, ready to charge at his prey.
'I wasn't expecting him to be seriously damaged by the attack, sure. But... for him to avoid it instead of deflecting it and marching ahead... could it be that he sensed what was waiting for him if he pressed forward?'
Rey knew he didn't need to answer this question that manifested in his mind.
Adrien was a smart person-even smarter than him—and he had a plethora of abilities that he could create using his Primeval Skill.
Sure, Rey now had access to pretty much all of those skills, but their full application was still something that only Adrien would be able to achieve.
'It doesn't really matter, though...' A bright blue spark burst all around him. 'Because everything that happens in this match can only be to my benefit.'
Rey wasn't just thinking this out of immense self confidence or pride.
He was as cautious as ever, and he was prepared to remain vigilant no matter how long the match lasted since he already knew better than to underestimate Adrien.
However, his current mindset simply spoke about his intentions when it came to the fight. 'I'm not losing!'
~VWUUUUSH!~
Like several charges of lightning coalescing on his palm, Rey created what resembled a bolt and sent it rushing towards Adrien as soon as it formed.
'How's this!' The lightning bolt descended at a frightening speed, traversing the space that existed between them in what appeared to be an instant.
Adrien was just recoiling from [Black Void] when he was assaulted with the new attack. His eyes stretched wide open as he witnessed the blinding light approach him at breakneck speed.
If he dashed away to avoid the strike, he would have to leave the stage, and stepping forward would cause him to face [Black Void] head-on. That meant his only two options were his right and left flanks.
However, Rey already had plans for those two areas, so there really was no choice when it came to a valid escape.
"Hehe..." Adrien chuckled.
His pitch-black hair swayed and his azure eyes ignited as he witnessed the simple, but effective strategy that Rey applied in such a short span of time.
To call him impressed would be an overstatement, but he was certainly intrigued.
The main reason such a simple strategy would work was because Adrien was still limiting his abilities when fighting in the Tournament.
But... was there really a reason to?
The answer was YES.
If he decided to go all-out, Rey would have two options at that moment: lose the tournament and win second place, or stop hiding his powers and emerge victorious.
Since Rey's mindset was already obvious through his actions, it was already pretty obvious that he wouldn't want to get second place. That meant there was only one real outcome when it came to the fight.
-Rey's victory.
'If he exposes too much of his power, there's a chance that the plan could be compromised, since a lot of attention and inevitable suspicion will fall on him at that moment.'.
That wasn't an outcome he wanted.
'If he's going to win anyway...' Adrien thought to himself, considering forfeiting the match for a fraction of a moment.
However, he swiftly decided against it.
Despite coming this far, it would be disadvantageous for him if he lost so quickly-or if he shamefully forfeited a match that had barely begun.
If this was just a worthless fight, he would have done so without a second thought, but this was a fight that even the Storm Dragon Lord was watching. It would go a long way in his evaluation and future plans.
For that reason alone... he had to find some kind of middle ground.
'[Banishment]. [Grand Defense]. [Grand Spatial Magic]. [Collapse].'
By applying all of these skills at the same time, Adrien was able to eat away at the Spell created through Rey's Magic Skill that was evidently past the Grand Tier and had reached the Absolute level.
[Banishment] sealed off the chaotic energy and slowed down the momentum of the mass of energy that was still descending at a fast rate. [Grand Defense] was added as a precaution and an extra layer of defense for Adrien.
As for [Collapse], it was to get rid of the remnant Spell, while the [Grand Spatial Magic] dealt with the swirling black hole that was still expanding despite already eliminating the two clones that were sucked in.
In an instant, Adrien solved all of his problems at once.
Well... all except one.
~VWUSH!~
Rey appeared right in front of Adrien the moment all the incoming attacks were consummate, his fist thrust straight to attack Adrien's face in swift motion.
However-
'[Full Boost].'
—Adrien had already anticipated that something of the sort would happen, so he activated this skill to improve his physical state, allowing him to dodge the attack at point-blank
range.
Still...
~BWUSH!~
The resulting strike sent enough shockwaves and a pulsating energy that Adrien was forced back the instant he avoided being hit.
"Gahhh!"
As he slid off Rey's position, regaining his balance, he felt the latter charge towards him with another blow ready to be struck.
This time, Adrien decided to release a surge of energy-one that would at least throw Rey off
for a moment or two.
However-
"[Consume]." With a mere whisper, the attack dissipated into nothingness as it got sucked
into Rey's outstretched hand.
"Tch!"
The stretched out hand formed a fist and neared Adrien at an even faster rate than before.
He tried Spatial Magic at that point, but it was on lock.
Rey smiled.
Adrien growled.
The blow finally exceeded the hurdle of distance and connected with the boy's cheek,
generating a powerful sound.
~BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
The entire arena shook the moment the blow landed, causing everyone watching to gasp.
Both boys were still in the same position, even as the blow whipped Adrien's face away, twisting his neck slightly. Instead of flying off, he kept his feet rooted on the ground and
didn't lose his balance.
||
"1
More gasps filled the air.
Adrien turned to look at Rey, his wide-open eyes capturing the smile that the latter had.
"Did you enjoy that...?" He asked with a slight smile.
Rey didn't even hesitate before offering a response.
"Yes."
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
The fight ends in the next chapter, and the plot advances on. Apologies for not uploading for
like two weeks.
I can only try to do better from this point on...