Chapter 108: Awakened Tournament Crisis (14)

The two Essence blades collided once again, releasing a shockwave that swept across the arena.

Crimson and pink energy intertwined before exploding outward, sending fragments of shattered stone flying in every direction. The protective barrier flickered violently, its surface rippling beneath the impact.

Neither fighter retreated willingly.

Eden twisted his wrist, redirecting Lucy’s blade before stepping into her guard. His sword swept toward her shoulder, forcing her to turn sideways and parry. The resulting explosion tore a deep trench through the ground between them.

Lucy immediately followed with a second slash.

Eden ducked beneath it.

A third came from the opposite direction.

He caught it with his blade.

The explosion sent him skidding backward.

Lucy advanced without hesitation, her pink Essence blazing around her body. V8 had pushed her output to an extraordinary level, and every movement carried enough power to threaten even an Awakened whose attributes were far superior to hers.

She wasn’t merely swinging a sword anymore.

She was wielding a chain of controlled explosions, each one designed to disrupt Eden’s movements and force him into an unfavorable position.

If he blocked, she detonated.

If he dodged, she followed.

If he tried to counterattack, she used the explosion itself to interrupt his movement and create another opening.

It was a remarkably effective style.

And Eden was beginning to understand that he wouldn’t win by simply overpowering her.

’She’s making every exchange dangerous.’

He deflected another slash, feeling the explosion ripple through his arm.

Lucy thrust her blade toward his chest.

He turned his body aside and brought his sword down against hers.

Pink Essence erupted.

Eden was pushed backward, but he landed smoothly, his feet barely scraping the broken floor.

Lucy narrowed her eyes.

Something had changed.

Until now, Eden had mostly relied on his superior attributes, reacting to her attacks and using his strength to create openings. He had improved throughout the fight, but his movements had remained relatively straightforward.

Now, however, his stance was different.

His shoulders were relaxed.

His grip was loose.

And his blade seemed to move with a strange, almost effortless precision.

Lucy attacked again.

Eden stepped forward instead of retreating.

His sword slid along hers, guiding the pink blade away from his body. Rather than meeting the force of her attack head-on, he redirected it, turning his wrist and allowing her own momentum to carry the weapon past him.

For a brief moment, Lucy’s guard opened.

Eden’s blade stopped just short of her shoulder.

She immediately twisted away, detonating her sword to force him back.

The explosion separated them.

Lucy landed several meters away, her expression changing.

’What was that?’

Eden rolled his shoulder.

The technique was far from perfect.

He had spent days training with Obsidian, repeatedly sparring against the Retainer inside cleared B-Rank Gates. During those sessions, he had learned how much more dangerous an opponent could become when they stopped wasting movement.

The Guardian of Trials had first shown him the principle.

Obsidian had helped him practice it.

The technique was simple in theory, yet incredibly difficult to master: eliminate unnecessary movement, avoid resisting force directly, and redirect the opponent’s momentum into an attack of your own.

The Recoilless Technique.

Eden had been training to apply it against stronger opponents, and Lucy’s explosive swordsmanship was proving to be the perfect test.

He couldn’t simply absorb every explosion or overpower every strike. He needed to make each movement count.

And now, for the first time in the match, he felt that he was beginning to find the answer.

Lucy tightened her grip.

"You’re doing something different."

Eden smiled.

"Am I?"

"Don’t play dumb. Your movements have changed."

"Maybe I’m finally warming up."

"You’re impossible."

She charged again.

Eden met her without hesitation.

Their blades collided.

But this time, Eden didn’t resist the impact.

He shifted his weight, allowing Lucy’s sword to slide along his own. A small turn of his wrist diverted the strike, and he stepped into the opening before she could detonate her blade.

His sword swept toward her side.

Lucy blocked.

The explosion erupted between them, but Eden had already shifted his position. The force pushed him only a short distance, and he landed with his blade ready.

Lucy barely had time to recover before he attacked again.

A diagonal slash.

A thrust.

A quick turn of the wrist.

Every movement flowed naturally into the next.

Lucy tried to force him into another direct clash, but Eden redirected her blade and slipped past the explosion, striking toward her shoulder.

She twisted away.

His sword grazed her clothing.

For the first time, Lucy had been forced to retreat without landing a counterattack.

The crowd noticed.

"EDEN IS ADAPTING!"

"He’s not meeting her attacks head-on anymore!"

A commentator leaned forward, eyes fixed on the battlefield.

"Look at his footwork! He’s redirecting her momentum instead of resisting it! Lucy’s explosive swordsmanship is incredibly dangerous, but every time she detonates her blade, she’s also creating force that Eden can use to reposition himself!"

The announcer’s voice rose with excitement.

"HE’S FOUND A WAY TO COUNTER HER STYLE!"

Eden continued pressing forward.

Lucy attacked from the left.

He guided her blade aside.

She switched to a low slash.

He stepped over it and countered.

She detonated her weapon to create distance.

He used the resulting shockwave to turn his body and launch another attack.

The more they fought, the smoother his movements became.

Each successful redirection gave him a better position, and every opening forced Lucy to spend more Essence defending herself. Her sword still carried tremendous power, but Eden was steadily taking control of the rhythm.

For the first time since shifting into V8, Lucy found herself struggling to dictate the pace of the battle.

She clicked her tongue.

Eden’s blade slid past hers.

She unleashed another explosive slash.

Eden turned his wrist.

The pink blade passed harmlessly beside him.

His own sword immediately followed, stopping just short of her ribs.

Lucy barely managed to pull back.

The crowd roared.

Eden smiled.

Lucy was still dangerous, but her movements had become slightly less precise. Her breathing was heavier, and she needed more time to recover after each exchange.

Meanwhile, Corrupted Surge continued enhancing Eden’s attributes and replenishing his Essence. His body had taken significant damage, but his regeneration and superior reserves allowed him to keep fighting.

The longer the battle continued, the more the advantage shifted in his favor.

He pressed forward again.

Lucy parried one strike, then another.

A third forced her backward.

She attempted to counter with a horizontal slash, but Eden guided it away and struck the flat of her blade, disrupting her balance.

Lucy stumbled.

Eden stepped in.

His sword stopped a few centimeters from her neck.

For an instant, the entire stadium seemed to hold its breath.

Lucy stared at the blade.

Then she looked at Eden.

He smiled.

"Getting tired?"

Lucy panted.

"A little."

He withdrew his sword and stepped back.

Lucy straightened, forcing her trembling legs to support her weight. Pink Essence continued flickering around her body, but the intensity had begun to waver.

She was reaching her limit.

Eden could see it.