A blur of crackling electricity shot across the chamber, and before Jacob could blink, a lightning-fast punch slammed into his side, catching him completely off guard.
But still, his reaction speed was extremely terrifying. He barely managed to brace himself, throwing his arms up just in time to absorb the shockwave, but the force still sent him skidding back. The air hissed as static energy cracked around him, and his arm bones ached, burning from the impact.
"He wants to fight?!" Jacob hissed, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the Wisp, already preparing for another strike.
The Wisp of Capricorn was relentless, its form flickering in and out of view like a phantom born of thunder. Each movement was accompanied by the sound of the storm itself—booming cracks of lightning and the low rumble of distant thunder. It attacked again, this time faster, aiming for Jacob's chest.
'Its speed is probably at the Fable Legendary Rank, and I need to match it or…' Jacob's body surged with power and cackled with purple lightning. His eyes blazed as the Eyes of Judge activated, allowing him to trace the Wisp's rapid movements.
The world around him seemed to slow, though the Wisp still moved with terrifying speed, its thunderous strikes pushing his reflexes to the limit. He dodged by a hair's breadth, then retaliated with a fist surrounded by a swirling vortex of lightning.
Their fists collided, and the chamber trembled. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, cracking the stone beneath their feet. Jacob pressed harder, pushing his soul force to its limits, but the Wisp didn't falter.
Jacob was shocked because he knew just how powerful he was, especially when he included his lightning mana and soul force in the mix, yet the Wisp of Capricorn matched his prowess!
Although he knew these Wisps were powerful, he never expected them to be at this level despite only being mere Wisps of their true self. It might be because he didn't enter here in the correct way, and now he had incurred the wrath of the Wisp of Capricorn instead of its acknowledgment!
Nonetheless, Jacob didn't have time to think about it as the Wisp attacked again without giving him any time to recover.
Blow after blow rained down, and Jacob was forced to match its rhythm, his body moving in a blur as he parried, blocked, and counterattacked with every ounce of his strength.
Sparks of lightning lashed out like whips around the Wisp, each one leaving trails of static energy in the air. Jacob gritted his teeth as one bolt grazed his arm, sending a jolt of electricity through him.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone, and the sound of their rapid strikes echoed in the storm-filled chamber. But Jacob was fighting back the best he could, and he couldn't use any weapon because the Wisp of Capricorn wasn't giving him any chance at all. For every strike Jacob landed, the Wisp returned two. For every counter, the Wisp was ready with another barrage of lightning-fast attacks. It was like fighting the embodiment of thunder itself—unrelenting, furious, and swift.
Jacob's bones burned, his mind raced, and he knew this battle was pushing him to his absolute limits.
Yet, he pressed on, and for some reason, a thrill arose in his body as if something within him was awakening. His movements became sharper and faster as he summoned more power from his body. His eyes glowed with the same fiery intensity as his strikes, each aimed at the heart of the storm, the Wisp of Capricorn.
Unknowingly, Jacob's body size was startled to increase, and so was the Wisp of Capricorns!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their fists collided again and again in a series of thunderous exchanges. Lightning arced through the air, surrounding them both as if the very essence of the storm had descended to witness their battle.
Jacob's body vibrated with the force of their collisions, and the Wisp seemed to grow stronger with every blow. Soon, Jacob was a 50-meter-tall giant, and the Wisp was the same, as they fought like maniacs!
But then, after what felt like an eternity of battle, something changed.
The Wisp of Capricorn abruptly stopped mid-attack, its form crackling with residual energy as it instantly made some distance between them.
Jacob, breathing heavily, froze as well, his fists still raised. Finally, he snapped out of his strange state and realized that he was again in his natural size. His hollow eyes flickered intensely, and he glared at the hominoid goat with battle intent.
The Wisp's glowing eyes, filled with the storm's fury, seemed to narrow. The chamber was deathly silent for a moment, save for the distant rumble of thunder in the air.
Jacob was tense yet full of fighting spirit, ready for another attack, but it didn't come.
Instead, the Wisp of Capricorn tilted its head slightly as if studying him. Then, with an unexpected and almost imperceptible shift, it smiled. Or, at least, the ghost of a smile flickered across its ethereal features.
The tension in the air lightened, the crackling thunder dimming as the Wisp nodded toward Jacob in silent acknowledgment, its storm-filled eyes flickering with a strange sense of respect.
Jacob remained still, confused yet alert. But before he could fully process the moment, the Wisp's body began to dissipate. Its form broke apart into streaks of lightning, dissolving into the air, leaving only a faint glow of electricity that danced around the chamber.
And then, just as abruptly as the fight had begun, it was over.
The chamber fell silent, the storm that had raged within it subsiding. The oppressive weight of thunder and lightning lifted, and the murals on the walls seemed to dim, their energy slowly fading.
Jacob stood alone, his breath steady, his body sore but victorious. A sense of accomplishment washed over him, though tempered by the knowledge that the Wisp had chosen to end the battle on its own terms.
Before he could dwell on it further, a powerful, ethereal voice boomed in his mind, and a familiar pain hit him as those words turned into gibberish.
When Jacob regained his senses, the space around him shifted. The chamber blurred, and in the blink of an eye, Jacob found himself in a new place—calmer, devoid of the storm's fury.
It was the same empty space, and he knew something was about to happen as the tower's voice rang at this moment. But the tower's words were different from those of the other towers.
"Congratulations, Seeker of Zodiac!
"The Wisp of Capricorn has acknowledged you!
"The hidden condition has been met!
"You already have the Legendary Master Key; please take it out!"