Chapter 259: Ch259: Breakthrough

Daniel’s muscles snapped taut as he whirled around. There was no time to think. No time to hesitate. No time to even strategise. Only one thought remained in his mind — Attack.

The dark cloud was almost upon him — lightning writhed within it, each rumble vibrating through Daniel’s bones.

If he could take Isabella down before her attack reached him, he might survive.

Might.

But Isabella was crouched behind a thick vertical stone, completely shielded from his line of fire. Worse, one of her teammate stood guard beside the cover, lightning already crackling between his fingers.

Still, Daniel had no other option.

Lightning coursed through his right arm, illuminating the veins beneath his skin. His muscles burned as he forced more power into them, and eyes locked on the man guarding Isabella.

Even from that distance, Daniel could see the lightning coiling around the man’s body. He was prepared to intercept anything Daniel threw at them.

Then, suddenly—

’Huh?’ Daniel’s eyes widened. ’What is this strange feeling?!’

*BzZAP!*

A violent surge of power erupted inside his arm.

It was the same sensation he had felt in midair, while fighting Klaus — that sudden, overwhelming rush, as if something buried deep within his body had finally broken free.

Lightning flooded his entire right arm. His muscles contracted so hard that his bones groaned beneath the pressure.

Every strand of hair on his body stood upright.

"Aagh!"

*CRaaACK!*

A bolt descended from the dark clouds and struck Daniel directly. A sharp pain shot through him. His back arched as lightning rampaged across his body.

But his attack had already been released.

His Third Form was on its way.

The man guarding Isabella burst out from behind the stone cover. Lightning gathered around both his hands as he planted his feet, ready to intercept Daniel’s attack.

Yet before it could reach him, the Third Form changed. Halfway through its path, the bolt split apart. One became several, spreading outward into a cone-shaped volley.

Then—

They split again. Dozens of lightning branches ripped through the air. Behind the cover, Isabella noticed the sudden bright light spilling across the ground.

Her brows furrowed. ’What is—’

*Crack*

A thin fracture appeared across the stone shielding her. Then another. The cracks multiplied in an instant, racing across its surface like a spiderweb.

"Aaa!" The man guarding her screamed in pain.

Isabella’s eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

*!!!BOOOOM!!!*

The world vanished into white.

The explosion erupted within a single second. Lightning tore through the stone cover and detonated behind it, blasting fragments across the arena.

The flash blinded everyone watching.

For one suspended moment, there was no battlefield — only a deafening roar, burning white light, and the smell of electricity in the air.

Tristan covered his eyes with his arm. The other spectators stepped back, blinking as dark spots filled their vision. When their sight finally returned, the entire arena had changed.

The stone cover was gone.

Only a blackened crater remained, smoke curling from its shattered edges.

Isabella and her teammate lay motionless on the scorched ground, thin arcs of electricity still crawling over their bodies.

Daniel remained standing. Barely standing — arms hung uselessly at his sides, smoke rising from his sleeves. His entire body trembled from the lightning he had endured, and his left fingertips hovered only inches from the boundary line.

One step backward, and he would have lost.

"Haah... haah... haah..."

His breathing came in ragged gasps. The battlefield spun around him, doubling and blurring as his knees threatened to collapse.

Yet somehow — he was still inside the arena, and was still standing.

Silence gripped the spectators.

Then—

"WHAT?!"

"WooOOAAH!"

"What just happened??!!"

The stands erupted. The spectators leaped to their feet, jaws hanging open as deafening cheers shook the arena.

Some stared wide-eyed, frozen as they tried to process what they had just witnessed. Others grabbed the sides of their heads in disbelief. Even those who had left earlier quickly returned after hearing the sudden explosion of lightning, only to find Daniel standing on his feet, exhausted and barely able to move.

Kyle immediately stepped forward and offered his shoulder, helping Daniel out of the battlefield.

One after another, the fallen fighters were picked up and moved aside while an alchemist poured healing potion into their mouths.

"Open your mouth," Kyle said as he held the red liquid to Daniel’s lips.

*Glug~ Glug~ Glug~*

A warm feeling slowly spread through Daniel’s body.

"Haa... It feels much better now," he murmured, his eyes drifting around the battlefield.

Kyle gave a small nod. "Rest well, Daniel. You deserve it."

In the meantime, the shattered rocks began to move back into place, returning to their original vertical positions. One of the guards hovered his hands over the battlefield as if controlling the rocks and repairing the damage.

"I know it’s a bit random, but you’ve earned my respect," Tristan said, placing his left hand on Daniel’s shoulder as he sat beside him, his right hand holding a healing potion. "Thanks for winning it for us."

Soon, Harley, Jamson, Luke, Isabella, and the rest of their teammates slowly got back to their feet.

Isabella lowered her gaze, her face filled with frustration from the defeat. "We’ll settle our scores later," she said before turning away, as though she still hadn’t accepted the loss.

"Yes, we’ll settle it later," the girl beside Isabella repeated.

With that, everyone left the arena and headed home. But even as they walked away, strangers eyes kept drifting back toward Daniel.

"How did you guys win?" Harley asked, resting one hand on Daniel’s shoulder for support.

Daniel glanced at him. "Uh... we just did some teamwork with Jamson. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Sir, I saw it with my own eyes. Mr. Daniel single-handedly defeated them with his powers," said the butler, walking beside them.

Harley’s eyes widened for a brief moment as various questions lingered in his mind.

"Are you sure, Mr. Giraffe?" Harley asked.

"Yes, sir. I don’t lie. Mr. Daniel used his powers, and in the blink of an eye, there was a loud explosion. The very next second, the opposing team was lying on the ground in a mess."

"Did you just lied to my face, Daniel?" said Harley.