The crowd fell into stunned silence at the sight of the lightning bolt. White currents crackled around Zack's body, illuminating his side of the arena with an electric glow.
The sight was surreal.
Shock didn't even begin to describe what the audience present felt, especially when they realized who Zack Everlette truly was.
He was the young man abandoned by his own prestigious family. The one who was beaten by Max some time ago. That Zack had just become the first person to detect and prevent Skyler's teleportation attack!
Surprise gasps echoed through the stands. The drones floating near the arena zoomed in, replaying the moment in flawless detail.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Skyler stood at the very edge, warm blood flowing down from his left shoulder where the massive lightning bolt had struck him.
He had vanished when he was flung back and reappeared at the edge of the arena.
Yet, he didn't clutch the wound, even as crimson blood stained his uniform.
And just like that, Star Net erupted with comments. Everyone was watching now.
Skyler's lips curled into a smirk.
"My mistake. I shouldn't have employed the same trick. But it wasn't so bad—not at all."
Zack frowned at the confident smirk, a sense of déjà vu creeping over him.
For some inexplicable reason, instead of wincing in pain, his damn opponent looked exhilarated—almost thrilled, as if he were finally about to face a worthy challenge.
"You're crazy—smiling when your shoulder is bleeding that much. Don't you think you should forfeit and get your wound treated?"
Skyler casually rolled his shoulder blades, dismissing the pain. It was nothing to him now—his tolerance had grown significantly. Not to mention, the moment he got injured, his self-healing skill activated automatically.
"Nah, my injury's already almost healed."
His eyes crinkled with mirth.
"You forget? My first element is Light."
Zack clicked his tongue.
And to think, just a few months ago, this bastard didn't even have a healing skill!
He clenched his jaw as Skyler raised his hand, poised to strike. Realizing he couldn't let Skyler take the initiative, Zack launched five more lightning bolts to stop whatever skill or spell Skyler was trying to conjure.
If only he knew that his opponent was just debating which skill or spell to use against him; he would have tripped with disbelief!
Skyler's eyes sparkled as he effortlessly dodged the lightning bolts by vanishing.
The glint in his eyes warned Zack that he was up to something he wasn't going to like.
He had to end this battle early!
Without a second thought, he unleashed another attack, and lightning engulfed the entire arena, crackling with ferocity and illuminating it like a raging white inferno.
The arena trembled from the force of it.
Yet, Skyler leapt into the air and began to float, a composed, almost bored smile on his face, as if the storm beneath him were nothing more than a mere breeze. Zack smirked, as if he'd expected him to float.
"Thunder Burst!"
He clapped his hands, and instantly, the bored smile vanished from Skyler's face.
Suddenly, he was bombarded by massive lightning bolts coming from all directions.
The lightning that had engulfed the arena surged upward, coalescing into a spherical cage around him, sealing his escape. Zack floated upward with incredible speed.
"I'm not finished yet!"
His voice boomed. The crowd fell into a deadly silence, holding their breath. The referee was on edge, ready to intervene, fearing Skyler would get badly injured.
But he reacted a moment too late.
The lightning surrounding Skyler exploded, obliterating everything—shattering even the space itself in a blinding, destructive blast.
Immediately, a wave of startled gasps and murmurs echoed through the crowd. They were too stunned to believe their eyes! The attack that had just been used was powerful enough to badly injure even a peak Epic-tier, let alone Skyler, who was only a 10-star!
The referee instantly sprang into action, nearly fainting at the thought that he had allowed such an attack to be launched!
What if the royals held him responsible?!
He had a family to feed!
Zack, exhausted from using so much Evol, inwardly congratulated himself on the win as the smoke began to dissipate. He was sure Skyler wouldn't die—just be badly injured.
The lightning cage he conjured would have stopped him from teleporting by disrupting the space, making his escape impossible.
A grin spread across his face.
"Ah, not bad! This feels incredible!"
But his smile stiffened as the smoke finally cleared and Skyler's floating figure emerged, entirely cloaked in a shroud of shadows that had absorbed the full impact of the attack.
Zack let out a disbelieving, wry chuckle.
"No way you're still standing after that!!"
Skyler smirked, and in the next second, the shroud of shadows enveloping him spread out into a deafening, devastating blast.
The referee immediately fled the arena.
Zack's eyes widened in pure shock, and instinctively, he enveloped his body in a lightning shield. Still, the force of the blast sent him flying. He nearly fell off the stage but luckily managed to land on the edge.
Blood dripped from his lips as he glared at the smug, floating figure—but Skyler's next words sent a chill down his spine.
"I liked your lightning attacks. Now, how about you see what I have got? Hmm?"
The crowd held their breath at his words. Everyone across the continent watching the battle was glued to their TV or phone.
This was actually one of the most electrifying fights of the Annual Gala!
Zack wanted to strike first, just like before. But it was too late. His ear twitched subtly as Skyler's faint murmur echoed in the air.
"Cataclysmic Thunderclap."
The next second all hell broke lose.
A blazing torrent of silver lightning bolts descended across the arena, illuminating the entire space with ferocious intensity.
The power of the bolts was staggering—cracks spidered out like veins across the whole arena, which was constructed from materials designed to withstand even the most devastating attacks by the students.
Zack let out a piercing cry as one of the lightning strikes seared through his left shoulder, burning with a searing heat.
And he was certain that Skyler had deliberately aimed for his left shoulder!
That petty bastard!
Still, he clenched his jaw, dodged, and ducked desperately, but the lightning storm only grew more intense, each bolt crackling with greater ferocity. Soon, not a single inch of the arena remained untouched; lightning danced wildly, illuminating it in a silver fury.
Skyler's skill was nothing to scoff at.
It was like a true inferno—only silver.
The crowd watched in awe, vowing silently never to cross the ash-brown-haired youth. No one wanted to endure what his unlucky opponent was going through—a storm of lightning that seemed to swallow the air!
Five minutes later, as the silver storm finally faded, the arena lay fractured beyond repair. Skyler landed amisdt the smoke, his gaze locked on the bloodied figure before him.
"You're still standing?"
Zack spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Is that the best you've got?"
Skyler's eyebrow twitched.
He had actually avoided hitting Zack's vital organs so he wouldn't end up dead—yet the man still had the audacity to provoke him?
"Then let's continue."
Zack shouted in disbelief.
"You still have Evol after using that skill?!"
Skyler tilted his head slightly.
"Of course. I only used up the Evol in my Lightning crystal. I still have plentyyy left—Darkness, Space, Water, Light..."
He paused for a moment. After all, he could only reveal five elements in front of others.
"...Evol. I can keep fighting for a long time—so honestly, there's no need to worry at all."
With a wave of his hand, two towering ice creatures shaped like trolls crashed into the arena, shaking the already-ruined structure.
Zack's jaw dropped. There was no way he could defeat the towering creatures before him—he'd be dead before he even made a scratch on them! Who the hell gave Skyler such a broken, overpowered skill?! No—where did he even find it?! This skill was never mentioned in the original story!
He snapped his gaze toward the referee, horror written all over his face, desperately hoping the old man would step in and stop Skyler from using yet another cheat skill!
But the referee just turned his head away, making Zack almost cough up blood. This was blatant favoritism! When Skyler was in danger, that freaking bastard had rushed to his rescue! But now that his life was on the line, he was pretending not to see a thing!
A familiar screen flashed before him.
#Keeper of Time: Just give up. I know you tried. You could've won if Skyler didn't have so many skills—but he did. Surrendering is the smarter choice. It's better than dying.
Zack cursed the Keeper of Time and his entire bloodline—going so far as to hurl curses at his future descendants as well.
No way! He shouted inwardly, steeling himself to fight Skyler to the bitter end.
But he took them back as soon as another colossal creature made of ice crashed into the arena—right in front of him this time.
"Just how do you have so much Evol?!"
Skyler shrugged.
"Who knows?"
Zack whirled around toward the referee.
"Save me! I surrender!"