Chapter 107: Awakened Tournament Crisis (13)

Eden extended his right hand.

Purple Essence gathered in his palm, condensing into a long, narrow blade.

The weapon took shape piece by piece, its edge gleaming with a faint violet light.

His Essence shaped and compressed into a weapon through his Aura Blade skill.

The moment the blade fully formed, Eden’s expression grew serious.

He had originally learned Aura Blade inside the Essence Knight dungeon after his physical weapon broke. Back then, it had been a desperate solution to a problem he couldn’t overcome through brute force alone.

Now, it was one of his most reliable combat techniques.

He ran his fingers along the flat of the blade.

Then crimson Essence began crawling over it.

The red energy wrapped around the purple weapon, forming tiny mouths and jagged teeth along its edge. The blade seemed to grow sharper, its surface rippling with the destructive power of Devour.

He wasn’t going to coat his entire weapon in Devour and waste enormous amounts of Essence.

A small amount would suffice.

Just enough to make every successful strike dangerous.

Lucy watched the process carefully.

"You’re bringing out a sword now?"

"You’re using enough explosives to level a city block. I think we’re past judging each other’s weapon choices."

"Fair enough."

Eden lifted the blade.

Lucy narrowed her eyes.

Lucy extended her hand.

Pink Essence gathered around her fingers.

Eden expected another Quick Charge.

Instead, the energy condensed.

A blade emerged from her palm.

Eden’s eyebrows rose.

"...Oh?"

Lucy gripped the newly formed weapon.

It was a sword made entirely from Essence, similar in shape to Eden’s Aura Blade. However, its surface shimmered with a much brighter pink hue, and the energy around its edge pulsed in irregular waves.

It looked less stable than his.

But the Essence surrounding it was unusually dense.

Eden’s smile slowly widened.

"You learned Aura Blade?"

Lucy gave him a mischievous look.

"What? Did you think you were the only one allowed to learn new skills?"

"I’m just wondering when you found the time."

"Wouldn’t you like to know?"

Eden examined her blade for a brief moment.

Something about it felt different.

Aura Blade was supposed to shape one’s Essence into a weapon, improving its cutting power through compression and control. Lucy’s blade possessed those qualities, but there was something else mixed into its structure.

Her Essence didn’t merely coat the weapon.

It seemed to pulse through it.

Every few moments, the blade gave off a faint, explosive vibration.

’What’s that?’

Eden narrowed his eyes.

’She’s doing something to the blade itself...’

He didn’t have time to investigate further.

Lucy lowered her stance.

"Ready?"

Eden adjusted his grip.

"Always."

Both moved at the same time.

[Burst-Step]

The space between them vanished.

Their swords collided.

A shockwave burst from the point of contact.

Eden and Lucy stood almost face-to-face, their blades locked together between them. Crimson and pink Essence spilled from their weapons, twisting around each other as neither yielded an inch.

The force of the collision cracked the ground beneath their feet.

Eden glanced at Lucy.

Their faces were only inches apart.

She was smiling.

"Want to see something special?"

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

Lucy twisted her wrist.

Her blade slipped along his.

Eden immediately adjusted his grip, attempting to redirect her weapon away from his body.

But the instant their swords separated, Lucy’s blade flashed.

A thin pink line cut through the air.

Eden leaned backward.

The sword missed his chest by a hair.

A concentrated explosion erupted along the path of her slash.

The shockwave struck Eden before he could fully evade it, blasting him backward and tearing a deep groove through the arena floor.

He skidded across the ground, boots grinding against broken stone.

His eyes widened.

’She fused her Essence Combustion with Aura Blade?!’

The realization hit him almost as hard as the explosion.

Essence Combustion allowed Lucy to release explosive Essence through her attacks. Aura Blade gave her Essence a sharpened, condensed form.

’And judging by the instantaneous explosion, she probably threw Quick Charge into the mix aswell.’

Instead of merely striking a target and detonating an explosion, she could now deliver an explosive attack directly through the movement of her sword.

Every slash could carry a delayed burst of destructive force.

Every clash could conceal another detonation.

And unlike a conventional Essence blast, the attack could be delivered along the edge of her blade with much greater precision.

Eden looked at the sword in her hand.

Then at Lucy.

His smile returned.

’She’s ridiculous.’

Lucy spun her sword once before settling into her stance.

"Well?"

"That’s incredible."

For the first time, Lucy looked slightly surprised.

She had expected him to complain.

Or at least make some ridiculous comment.

Instead, he was genuinely impressed.

Eden’s eyes gleamed.

’No wonder she became an SS-Rank in my first life.’

He remembered the Lucy he had known before regression.

She had been talented even then, but she hadn’t reached her full potential until much later. By that point, she had become one of humanity’s most formidable Awakeneds, capable of turning entire battlefields into fields of pink explosions.

And now, even with the memories of his first life, Eden couldn’t predict exactly how far she would go.

She was developing her own path.

Her own techniques.

Her own strength.

And he loved seeing it.

"Come on," Eden said, raising his blade. "Show me what else you’ve got."

Lucy grinned.

"Gladly!"

She charged.

Eden met her head-on.

Their swords collided again.

This time, Lucy immediately twisted her blade and unleashed a series of rapid slashes.

Eden parried the first.

The second struck his blade and exploded.

The third came from an unexpected angle, forcing him to duck.

A fourth slash tore through the ground beside his leg.

Eden countered with a horizontal cut.

Lucy blocked.

Crimson and pink Essence collided.

The explosion pushed them apart.

Eden landed on one knee, his blade held low.

Lucy landed several meters away, her sword raised.

Both looked at each other.

Then they charged again.

The battle changed completely.

Their earlier exchanges had been a contest of physical attributes, explosive attacks, and raw endurance.

Now, it was a sword fight.

A sword fight between two Awakeneds whose weapons could unleash enough destructive force to devastate entire sections of the arena.

Eden had the advantage in physical attributes.

Corrupted Surge enhanced his Strength, Agility, Vitality, Essence output, and Essence regeneration. His reactions were faster, his strikes heavier, and his body more resilient.

Under ordinary circumstances, that advantage would have been decisive.

But Lucy’s V8 output was compensating for the difference.

Her movements were explosive.

She could accelerate into an attack, release an enormous amount of Essence at the moment of impact, and use the resulting detonation to change direction or force her opponent into an unfavorable position.

Worse, her explosive Aura Blade meant Eden couldn’t afford to block carelessly.

Every clash carried the risk of another explosion.

Every parry could become a trap.

Every successful dodge left him vulnerable to the next attack.

Eden’s blade swept toward Lucy’s shoulder.

She twisted aside and struck at his ribs.

He parried.

Boom!

The explosion sent both fighters sliding apart.

Lucy immediately used Burst Step.

She appeared behind Eden, her sword already descending.

Eden turned and caught the attack.

Their blades locked.

For a split second, he saw her smile.

Then the sword exploded.

The force hurled Eden forward.

He planted his foot, twisted his body, and used Burst Step to disappear before Lucy could follow up. He reappeared at her side and slashed toward her waist.

Lucy barely blocked.

The impact drove her to one knee.

Eden pressed his advantage, bringing his sword down in a powerful diagonal strike.

She rolled aside.

The blade struck the ground.

A crimson wave tore through the arena floor.

Lucy sprang up and swung at his back.

Eden turned.

Their swords collided again.

The explosion was so powerful that the protective barrier flashed bright enough to illuminate the entire stadium.

Spectators in the front rows stumbled backward.

The announcer could barely keep up.

"THE TWO SEMIFINALISTS ARE NOW FIGHTING WITH ESSENCE BLADES! AND LUCY’S WEAPON SEEMS TO BE PRODUCING EXPLOSIONS WITH EVERY SUCCESSFUL CLASH!"

A commentator beside him leaned forward.

"That isn’t just raw Essence output. She’s integrating her offensive skill into her weapon technique! She’s turning every exchange into a potential detonation!"

"Can Eden keep up with that?"

The commentator stared at the arena.

"He’s certainly trying!"

Below them, Eden was already adjusting.

He stopped attempting to overpower Lucy through direct clashes. Instead, he began redirecting her blade, stepping away from the center of each explosion, and using his superior attributes to exploit the brief openings created by her attacks.

Lucy adapted just as quickly.

When he parried, she detonated.

When he retreated, she used Burst Step to close the distance.

When he tried to counter, she twisted her blade and forced him to defend again.

Their swords moved faster and faster.

Purple, crimson, and pink Essence illuminated the arena.

Eden’s Devour gnawed at the energy touching his blade, weakening it whenever their weapons remained in contact. Lucy’s explosive Essence, however, continued to detonate around the point of contact, preventing him from simply consuming his way through her attacks.

Neither could establish a decisive advantage.

Eden’s greater attributes allowed him to endure the exchanges.

A slash passed within an inch of Eden’s throat.

He countered with a thrust toward Lucy’s shoulder.

She deflected it and detonated her blade against his.

The explosion sent him crashing through a mound of rubble.

Before the dust could settle, Eden emerged with his sword raised.

Lucy was already waiting.

Their blades met once more.

For an instant, they stood locked together in the center of the ruined arena.

Eden’s crimson Essence crawled along his blade.

Lucy’s pink energy pulsed violently, ready to explode.

Neither backed away.

Neither surrendered an inch.

Lucy leaned forward, a mischievous smile returning to her face.

"So, Eden..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Are you going to win this by running and dodging?"

That seemed to strike a nerve.

"Someone’s sure feeling herself, huh."

They pushed away from each other.

Both raised their swords.