Pov - Arthur

My eyes flick for the briefest of seconds toward the blade that is somehow shattering the light once more, despite the impossibility of it. I don’t even understand how this Dragonkin that is named Fus is able to do this each and every time my beams of light strike out at him. I first thought it was happenstance, a coincidence when he first did it after all that dodging, but no, he can do that for some unknown reason. He drove me into a false sense of security and is currently capitalizing on it. Pulling up my physical blade I attempt to deflect one of Fus’s slashes, yet like last time force suddenly appeared, and I’m just sent flying back, he somehow always figures out my defections and counters them with the slightest amount of movement possible. It's like I’m fighting my father once again, he reads all my moves and perfectly counters them. To be more on point than that, it is downright infuriating. I was born with the rare gift of what the Otherworlders call, Ambidextrous, and I’m still currently being made a fool of by a Dungeon monster in the pure skill category, it should just be brute strength like always. So why? Though I have no more time to spend thinking about the anger or why it is raising up in me because I’m currently under a barrage of attacks once more.

Pushing aside the blade of Fus, I swing with my other hand at the exact same time, though like the time before, his blade is somehow already in the place that it needed to be before I even started to swing. That is even despite the fact that he is still somehow stabbing forward, so I can’t bring up my other blade. I can notice this, though, so I try to change the direction and angle of my swing and succeed. Yet the Dragonkin who made no visible movements is still blocking my sword as if he read my mind. Locked in this battle of close range, I am outmatched by a category so large I don’t know where to begin understanding it. Despite the fact, that my [Dual Sword Mastery] is at lv.5 I’m still being treated as a child you just picked up a sword. The only way for me to win this is to keep at long range, but I don’t know what magic I can use to win this.

Sorting through my currently known light magic, only one thing comes to mind, what I must do. None of the magic I have though is going to be able to do anything against the sheer sword skills and nimbleness that Fus has shown to me. That means I must use the scroll my father gave me for a situation like this one, I swear it's like sometimes he has precognition with the over-protection he has on me. The only way for me to have the room to grab it, though, I must get away from this current exchange that is taking up almost all my concentration. So, because I have decided on the course of action, I deliberately leave an opening for Fus to attack me, while mentally activating the Rank one shield talisman. To my shock, the Shield gained some cracks in it, I must give it my briefest of attention though, as I lightly jump up into the air allowing me to gain some ground. I know that this much ground is not much use though, so I point the sword made of light toward Fus, and speed cast a Condensed Light Spear using the sword of light as a medium. Then, doing a risky move that can get me killed, I drop my physical sword as I reach down into my bag of lesser holding. Rummaging around, I grab onto a wrapped-up piece of paper and bring it out in haste as I see Fus somehow shattering the weave of my spell.

Ignoring the impossibility of what just happened, I quickly open up the scroll, and chant the short activation phrase my Father decided, “Awaken to the light that you have so Shunned, Lesser Judgment!”

With those few words, my father who is a Master Light Mage finally had the spell he sealed unleashed. Sure, it is not at the power my father had if he were to cast it directly, but still, it is nothing to scoff at. Fus seems to have noticed what I have done, but instead of looking toward me and attacking, he instead brings his gaze upwards toward something I can’t see. After half a second or so, I see it. Light so bright it paints the sky in so bright of a hue that it hurts to look at, it begins to fall down onto Fus. Due to the brightness, I look towards Fus who is still gazing upwards despite the blinding light. Fus then begins to breathe in as all the Mana in the surroundings is seemingly sucked into him, that is not all though because he also seems to suck in something else, something that I can only describe as stone, yet it is not that, it is something far more primal in nature. I don’t try to ponder on this anymore as I begin running toward the exit. Even if there is a slight chance that the Dragonkin is not slain it will be my death or maybe not, maybe he is too injured to move, there is no way to tell. So I just run, taking my chance now.

Not even bothering to pick up my ManaSteel Sword, I just run for it. Even if I don’t know what is going on behind me, I can still see the light of the whole surrounding area beginning to brighten up in a golden radiance. As the brightness soon becomes too blinding, I decide in a moment of ignorance to take a quick peek behind me. Sadly, I was just in time to turn my head to see what the Dragonkin has done in retaliation for my father’s spell. The Dragonkin launched a cone of sand, gravel, and probably some other types of rock too, but the heavy damage dealer must be the stone shards mixed in at random. Wanting to turn back around because at some point I turned my whole body to face the spectacle entranced by it for some weird indescribable reason, though right before I did, something whispers to me as if to tell me to watch the new summit I must reach in order to advance further along my path of power. Just as my conviction set in to watch as I slowly jogged backward, the pillar of light finally reaches the cone of stone and as it does a shock wave rocketed out scattering some trees and ground, but it is far less than I would have expected a clash that seems this strong, but I see soon that it was not because they were not powerful but quite opposite. They're so powerful that most of their power is concentrated in shattering the other not wasting some energy on a meaningless display, but even if Fus is the strongest foe I ever fought, even he does not stand against the might of my father’s weaken spell, and the spell begins to pierce Fus’s stone breath.

Seeing what I wanted, I start running toward the entrance at full speed. Yet, for some reason, I feel… Well dissatisfied. I don’t understand why? I just wish sincerely in my heart that Fus is still alive, and we can fight again. I will get stronger just to be able to face him in combat. He must have been going easy on me in our duel, as he has never shown his breath or signified that he had one. He only showed me that he can shatter my beams only after I pushed him with them. I just can’t wait for our next bout because this one was surprisingly fun. I do feel slightly guilty for having fun with it, even though it was a gesture that was meant to protect my friends.

Without me even knowing at that moment, a tiny grin slowly grew on my face as I began fantasizing about our next battle. I would get stronger, even if it was just to show Fus that I can handle his full strength.