Putting armor around his body was the same idea Enrico had when testing his improved charged impulse, but the difference was that Kai wasn't the type to think of something and then use it later. He was the type who discovered ideas only in battle.
Of course, he could develop abilities through training. The thing was, his maximum potential only came out during fights. Both Enrico and Kai liked to evolve, but the difference was that they were completely opposite to each other. One thought before acting, the other acted and then thought—and each was better in their respective approach.
'He's strong.'
Kai rolled before the next discharge hit him. His opponent clearly wouldn't be defeated easily, and that excited him even more because if it continued like this—
'I'll become even stronger.'
Circle 6 – 48% → 49% → 50%
He stood up, staggering slightly, breathing heavier. Blood flowed more intensely from his nose beneath the mask because he was trying to push his speed beyond what the armor could withstand. His left arm trembled.
'It hurts, but I'm evolving.'
Seeing Kai rise again, Kilihit didn't want to give him space to recover. Transforming once more into pure lightning, he crossed the field in a straight line. His speed surpassed all previous standards. The next impact came with his hand pointed forward like a blade, piercing through Kai's partial defense and tearing along the side of his body.
'This attack…'
Spitting blood, Kai dropped to one knee. Even injured, his left hand kept him from collapsing completely. Taking advantage of the moment, Kilihit appeared behind him, ready to deliver the finishing blow—but several summoning circles appeared on the ground where Kai's hand touched.
"Summon: White Shark Turk."
A shark emerged from the rune and bit into Kilihit's ribs, dragging him backward. Splitting into electricity, he escaped from the shark's jaws.
'He had a summon?'
The white shark floated in the air despite there being no water around. Opening its mouth, a compressed jet shot toward the creature while water began spreading across the ground and through the air around the shark's body.
"Jatina, could you heal me again?"
"Of course, Kai. You don't even need to ask."
The blue fairy—whose name was now finally revealed—began channeling the water from the ground into Kai's body, healing his wounds little by little.
"Jatina, can you channel your power into the sword?"
"I can, but I won't be able to heal you anymore—at least not today."
"That's fine. We'll only have another battle tomorrow. Besides, I have healing magic, even if it's not that strong."
With a nod, Jatina disappeared and entered the sword, merging with it for a few moments. Placing his hand over his chest, Kai healed himself a bit more. Looking toward the fight, he sensed a massive amount of mana gathering above where his summon was.
"Hammerhead Shark Defen."
A second shark rose from a magic circle, positioning itself in front of the white shark. When lightning struck its head, it astonishingly redirected the attack to the right.
'He redirected it? Well, it seems that's all he can do.'
Kai watched as the hammerhead shark disappeared, wounded. Approaching the white shark, he placed his hand on its back. As if reading his summoner's thoughts—just as Jatina had—the shark transformed into light and merged with the sword.
"Looks like we're near the end."
"Yes."
Kilihit realized Kai was about to deliver his final strike. It would undoubtedly be devastating, but he had no intention of allowing it. He created numerous clouds above them. The number of clouds was abnormal, and thunder began falling toward Kai.
'Now how do I surpass this?'
His eyes grew slightly dim as he began losing consciousness. That was when his sword started shining brighter than before. A small smile appeared on his face.
'When the owner overcomes difficulty, it grows with him.'
The blade vibrated—not from excess mana, but from evolution. His sword was evolving to a new level. With swift movements, he began dodging the lightning falling upon him.
[Hero's Magic Evolved. Rare Sword → evolved to Unique Rank. Ability number two awakened: Accumulation.]
Circle 6 – 52% → 53% → 54% → 55%
The light surrounding his body became more stable. The air that once felt too solid now offered less resistance.
'I'll fuse everything I have into this attack.'
Oceanic magic integrated into the flow of light—not as a separate attack, but as structural support within the fusion his spirit and summons had formed with the sword. The blade now appeared silver, its hilt white mixed with blue.
Sensing the danger of the next attack, Kilihit descended like concentrated lightning. He needed to end his opponent, so he used the surrounding lightning as distraction.
'This is literally a race against time. I can't let this fight drag on any longer.'
A few centimeters before striking his opponent, Kai disappeared—surpassing his speed for a few seconds.
'What—'
He appeared behind his adversary and unleashed an upward slash. Kilihit dodged by mere centimeters, but the blade left behind a silver trail that burned through the electric form around him even after the movement ended.
'He surpassed my speed.'
The rain of lightning intensified in an attempt to strike him, but Kai's evolution was now obvious. Every movement was more efficient.Every dodge cleaner. Every strike to deflect lightning heavier.
'I can't lose like this. If he can evolve, then so can I.'
They vanished repeatedly, successive clashes creating shockwaves that tore chunks from the terrain. The electric sky began to crack under the conflict between green thunder and silver radiance. Kilihit prepared one final move—the only thing left to him. He compressed his entire form into a single point. An extremely condensed bolt of lightning that Kai perceived instantly.
"As you said, it looks like we're near the end."
Kilihit remained silent, fully focused on landing the blow. There was no room for error. Kai planted his feet firmly on the ground and raised his sword high.
"This is my strongest strike."
The blue aura disappeared, replaced by absolute silver brilliance. Hero's Magic condensed into the blade. When his opponent lowered his hands and the thunder descended, Kai advanced. A new vertical slash was executed with precision toward the lightning.
"Full Moon."
The blade passed through the center of the green lightning, and for an instant everything seemed to stop as the two locked eyes. Then, a wave of silver energy expanded vertically, tearing the electric sky in half. The impact split Kilihit's concentrated mana before it could explode, fragmenting the green lightning into pieces. The silver wave continued, slicing through the air and striking the distant ground, opening a straight, deep fissure stretching dozens of meters.
"Aberration."
Kilihit remained motionless for a second before closing his eyes. He accepted his defeat. He couldn't evolve like his opponent, no matter how hard he tried. The only thing left was to acknowledge him—if he had the time. For when he was struck, his body disintegrated without leaving a trace.