Chapter 105: Awakened Tournament Crisis (11)

[Corrupted Surge]

The transformation was immediate.

Eden’s presence sharpened.

His posture relaxed, yet every movement carried a frightening sense of power. His Essence output surged, and the pressure radiating from him became so intense that even the spectators in the front rows felt a chill.

His attributes had increased significantly.

His Essence output and regeneration had also received a substantial boost.

The crimson aura curled around him, occasionally forming monstrous mouths that opened and closed before dissolving back into the energy.

Inside his mind, Sylvia’s voice appeared.

[Master, shall I reinforce you with our Dark Matter?]

Eden’s gaze remained on Lucy.

’No.’

[Are you certain?]

’This should be enough.’

He flexed his fingers.

’Besides, using Dark Matter against her would feel a little like cheating.’

Sylvia sounded amused.

[How considerate of you.]

’Don’t sound so surprised.’

[I’m not surprised, Master. I’m simply enjoying the rare occasion when you display something resembling sportsmanship.]

Eden ignored her.

Across the arena, Lucy had already moved.

[Burst-Step]

She vanished from her position and appeared at his side, pink Essence blazing around her fist.

[Quick Charge]

Her punch detonated against his ribs.

The explosion spread across his body.

But Eden barely moved.

Lucy’s eyes widened.

Before she could retreat, Eden turned and punched her directly in the stomach.

The impact was devastating.

A shockwave blasted outward, tearing apart the arena floor and throwing Lucy backward. She crossed her arms just in time to reduce the impact, but the force still sent her crashing through a ridge of shattered stone.

The entire stadium trembled.

Dust rose in a thick cloud.

Lucy rolled across the ground before digging her fingers into the floor to stop herself.

Her arms were numb.

Her stomach felt as though it had been crushed.

She coughed and struggled to breathe.

’So this is his full strength...’

His power had increased dramatically.

Her previous attacks, which had genuinely injured him, were now doing little more than irritating him.

And if she continued fighting like this, the outcome was obvious.

Lucy slowly rose to her feet.

Her eyes hardened.

"Fine."

Pink Essence gathered around her body.

[Essence Accelerator]

Eden watched her carefully.

"You’re going to increase the output?"

Lucy gave him a small smile.

"You’re not the only one who has something up his sleeve."

Her Essence Accelerator activated.

[V4]

The pink aura exploded outward.

The energy around her limbs became denser, brighter, and far more violent. Her Essence output surged, amplifying every attack she made through Quick Charge.

The air around her began to distort.

Even Eden’s expression changed slightly.

’Seems like she’s going all out now.’

Lucy had reached B-Rank through relentless effort, and her Essence Accelerator was an exceptionally powerful skill. She had already demonstrated how dangerous V4 could be against Luvian.

Now she was using it against Eden.

And she had no intention of stopping there.

Lucy bent her knees.

Eden smiled.

"Come on."

She disappeared.

Her fist struck his cheek.

Eden turned his head slightly.

Before he could counter, she kicked him in the ribs, detonating a concentrated burst of pink Essence.

The explosion pushed him several meters sideways.

Lucy followed with Burst Step, appearing above him and driving her heel downward.

Eden crossed his arms.

The impact sent him crashing into the ground.

But before the dust could settle, crimson Essence surged beneath him.

He burst out of the crater and swung a fist toward Lucy.

She blocked with both arms.

The impact forced her backward, but she twisted in midair and landed on one knee.

Eden advanced.

Lucy charged.

Their fists collided.

The resulting shockwave flattened the dust around them.

For the first time since activating Corrupted Surge, Eden found himself unable to overwhelm his opponent with raw attributes alone.

Lucy was keeping up.

Not perfectly.

Not without taking damage.

But she was keeping up.

Every exchange became a contest of timing, positioning, and explosive power.

Lucy used Burst Step to attack from unexpected angles, her pink Essence erupting whenever she made contact. Eden answered with precise counterattacks, his enhanced attributes allowing him to absorb glancing blows and punish every opening.

She struck his shoulder.

He punched her ribs.

She twisted around his counter and detonated Quick Charge against his back.

He staggered forward, planted one foot, and turned with a sweeping kick that forced her to retreat.

The arena floor continued to break beneath them.

Each collision sent cracks racing outward. Their Essence attacks carved trenches into the ground, and the protective barrier flickered whenever a shockwave struck it.

The spectators were on their feet.

"This is insane!"

"They’re fighting like this at B-Rank and A-Rank?!"

"Lucy is actually keeping up with Eden!"

Lucy was no longer the timid girl who had struggled to keep up with stronger opponents.

She was a fighter who had earned her place among the tournament’s strongest.

And Eden was being forced to acknowledge every bit of it.

He ducked beneath a pink Essence blast and stepped forward.

This time, he activated Burst Step.

Lucy barely had time to react.

Eden appeared at her side and drove a punch toward her ribs.

She blocked.

The impact still sent her sliding backward.

Her eyes widened.

’Ugh—!’

Eden didn’t give her time to think.

He closed the distance again.

A punch toward her face.

Lucy leaned away.

A kick toward her knee.

She jumped.

A sudden Burst Step brought Eden directly into her landing path.

He struck her with a short, brutal punch to the stomach.

Lucy coughed.

Before she could counter, he caught her arm and pulled her forward, following with a knee to her torso.

She twisted free at the last moment, but the knee still grazed her side.

Pain flared through her body.

She answered with a Quick Charge blast at point-blank range.

The explosion forced them apart.

Eden landed on his feet.

Lucy landed on one knee.

For a moment, neither moved.

Both were breathing heavily now.

Eden’s body was marked with bruises, and blood had begun to run down his forehead. Lucy was in worse condition, one arm hanging stiffly at her side as she struggled to control her breathing.

But she still rose.

Eden couldn’t help smiling.

’You’re incredible, Lucy.’

He had known she was talented.

He had known she could become powerful.

But watching her fight like this made him realize just how far she had come.

She wasn’t merely keeping pace because he had allowed her to.

She was forcing him to take her seriously.

Lucy wiped the blood from her lip.

"You’re... really persistent."

She raised her fists again.

Her Essence flickered around her body.

Eden adjusted his stance.

They charged at the same time.

Burst Step carried them toward each other.

Lucy’s pink Essence surged around her fist, while crimson energy coiled around Eden’s arm.

Their attacks collided in the center of the arena.

The explosion was enormous.

A wave of energy swept through the stadium, forcing the protective barrier to flare brightly. The floor beneath their feet shattered, and an expanding cloud of dust swallowed both fighters.

The audience held its breath.

A shadow emerged from the smoke.

Eden.

He staggered once, caught himself, and looked toward the crater ahead.

Lucy lay at its center.

Motionless.

Her pink Essence had faded.

Eden waited.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Nothing happend.

He let out a slow breath.

’She’s unconscious.’

A faint trace of concern crossed his expression, but the healers were already watching from the arena’s edge. The moment the match ended, they would rush in.

Eden turned around.

The announcer raised his microphone.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE BATTLE! AFTER AN EXCHANGE THAT PUSHED BOTH CONTESTANTS TO THEIR LIMITS, IT APPEARS THAT EDEN HAS EMERGED VICTORIOUS!"

The crowd erupted.

"THE WINNER OF THE FIRST SEMIFINAL IS... EDEN!"

Cheers thundered through the stadium.

Eden began walking toward the exit.

He was already thinking about the next match.

Elio.

That was the opponent waiting for him in the final.

And after everything he had seen today, Eden had a feeling that the final would be far more troublesome than he wanted it to be.

Behind him, the announcer continued celebrating his victory.

Eden didn’t look back.

He didn’t notice the faint movement of Lucy’s fingers.

Nor did he see the barely perceptible flicker of pink Essence beneath the dust.