Gripping the sword hilt tightly with his left hand, Kai focused his mana into the blade. A light covered his sword, stronger than before when he performed that movement. That was certainly the effect of the Lúmen'Thyr—but he couldn't afford to admire his upgraded weapon.
"Light Slash."
In less than a second, a blade of light appeared in front of Kilihit, only two centimeters away from reaching him—but he simply vanished, leaving behind an afterimage. The slash split the image apart, yet Kai wouldn't fall for that trick; he had already seen circle six mages and Enrico do the same before.
'Behind me.'
He swung his sword backward, surprising Kilihit, who had indeed appeared behind him. The sword's tip was now only one centimeter away—closer than before to hitting him. The only problem was that he disappeared again the same way as before, and then several lightning bolts pierced part of Kai's left hand.
"Aahh!"
If he hadn't taken at least one step, those bolts would have pierced his chest. Kai's eyes couldn't keep up with that speed, but his danger instincts allowed him to predict where the attacks were coming from.
'I have the advantage of moving before the attack, and even so it's hard to dodge.'
The lightning gathered into a single point, transforming back into Kilihit. Apparently, he had an ability that allowed him to turn his own body into lightning affinity. Channeling magic into his feet, Kai pushed his speed to the maximum, managing to keep up with Kilihit for a few moments.
Sparks flew between them as sword and claw clashed. His blade passed over the creature's head. Before Kilihit could counterattack, light exploded from the sword, forming a white dome that disintegrated everything around it.
"Tsk, it didn't work."
Kilihit had vanished—but not because of the attack. Fragments of lightning spread through the air around him. The spell Kai had used was one he had been preparing to face Enrico—a mana explosion with such dense concentration in the blade that it disintegrated anything below his level and dealt serious damage to those at his level or slightly stronger. The damage radius reached at least seven meters.
The lightning fragments scattered in the air began vibrating irregularly. They were not simple mana residue—they were conscious extensions of Kilihit's body, undoubtedly a powerful unique ability. His next attack did not come from a single point—it came from everywhere.
[Unique ability: Thunder Extension. The user transforms and shapes lightning at will.]
Green lightning spears cut through space at unpredictable angles, crossing the battlefield like curved lances. Kai pushed his legs to the limit, dodging by centimeters, twisting his body at the exact instant before impact. Even so, two slashes tore through his shoulder and side, leaving trails of electrical energy burning his skin.
'Damn it—even increasing my speed to the level he mentioned, I still can't fully keep up.'
"I know what you're thinking. I told you that was only the minimum level to keep up with me."
Kilihit appeared behind Kai once more, and when lightning burst from his body, the ground exploded wherever it struck. Kai gritted his teeth as he turned and charged without hesitation.
'Since my spells aren't working, I'll use the sword's improvements to the fullest.'
The light that had once been merely intense now seemed denser—almost solid. The Lúmen'Thyr inside the blade conducted mana with less resistance, allowing the flow to remain continuous rather than explosive.
With a horizontal slash, he cut through three lightning lines at once, dispersing them as if slicing through taut wires. The scattered energy tried to reform, but the blade's light left persistent marks, making immediate regeneration difficult.
"Lúmen'Thyr? Interesting to see a human wielding it."
Kilihit reappeared above him, diving down wrapped in electricity. Kai raised his sword at the last instant. The collision between concentrated light and compressed thunder generated an impact wave that opened a crater around them. The explosion of energy uprooted nearby trees, leaves and debris consumed by the green discharge.
"Even so, there's still a great gap between us."
'Damn it.'
The speed difference felt even greater when Kilihit disappeared again—but this time he didn't reappear immediately near Kai, making him grip his sword tighter.
'How do I surpass his speed?'
The sky above darkened with artificial clouds formed from electrical mana. The air smelled of ozone. Small arcs of energy began connecting between the remaining sparks in the field, and once again Kai sensed danger before his eyes could see it.
'Above!'
Jumping sideways, a bolt struck the spot where he had stood a second earlier. The impact carved a deep gash in the ground, melting part of the stone. Still midair, another bolt descended toward him. Sensing danger once again, he invoked his oceanic magic, summoning a water whip that yanked him aside instantly.
"Damn it, another one!"
These weren't direct shots—they were predictions of movement. Kilihit was using his speed and flow-reading ability to anticipate where Kai would step. Then a third strike hit Kai's chest, sending him backward. Realizing he would be defeated if this continued, he decided to change his own pattern.
'I need to be more careful…'
Instead of running in straight lines to escape the lightning, he began alternating short steps with explosive bursts at the last instant, guided by his danger sense. The sword's light expanded into small waves around his body, creating an interference zone that partially deflected the lightning's trajectory.
"Partial Light Defense."
The defense worked well—but even so, some bolts pierced through, striking his arm, thigh, and forearms. The pain was constant, but sustainable.
'I have to surpass this damned magic.'
This was the first time he had cursed a spell so much. It was irritating beyond belief to be losing to someone who wasn't Enrico. He wanted to fight strong opponents, certainly—but this situation, where he couldn't even properly touch his enemy, was truly frustrating.
'My speed—wait, what am I thinking? That's not how I should act, after all…'
As he was thrown backward again, Kilihit materialized in front of him, claw wrapped in thunder. The strike came from the side, too fast for normal eyes to follow.
'It's so obvious…'
With his eyes glowing white, Kai leaned into the attack instead of retreating. His blade rose diagonally, meeting Kilihit's electrified arm. For a fraction of a second, the thunder—and the creature's arm—was split, leaving him surprised. Energy scattered like a contained explosion, illuminating the battlefield in green and white. The resulting shockwave sent both of them flying backward.
"How—"
"You said I have to surpass the initial speed of lightning, right? Well, I'll go beyond that."
Kai's eyes shone white as blood trickled from his nose, perhaps from the strain he was about to put on his body. His gaze was completely locked on his opponent.
"After all, it's obvious that light magic can surpass the speed of lightning."