Chapter 11 – The Prismatic Glimpse
The Pressure of a Super Douluo
Ling Yue realized that "testing" Lakan with basic movements was like trying to catch a shadow with a net. She stopped holding back her presence. A faint, golden pressure radiated from her—not enough to crush him, but enough to turn the air into viscous honey.
"Alright, Noble Soul," Ling Yue said, her voice echoing with a metallic ring. "The games are over. Try to touch me now."
She blurred. It wasn't just speed; it was the displacement of space.
The Overclocking: Geometric Acceleration
Lakan felt the weight. His Chaos Rainbow Vortex screamed as it worked to process the atmospheric pressure. He knew that if he fought normally, he'd be caught in seconds.
He entered Center-Point Stillness. His heart rate slowed to a crawl, even as his Soul Power roared. In his mind's eye, the hall was no longer a room; it was a grid of eight cardinal directions and infinite 45-degree intersections.
"I need more than flow," Lakan thought. "I need to be the light itself."
Suddenly, Lakan disappeared.
He didn't just move; he refracted. He launched a Diamond Glide (Hakbang Alahas), but mid-stride, he snapped his lead foot in a Triangular Pivot (Hakbang Tatsulok).
CRACK-BOOM.
The friction of his Soul Power against the air created a small sonic pop. He moved in a jagged, zigzag pattern so sharp it left a shimmering, prismatic "afterimage" behind him.
The Fragmented Symphony
Ling Yue's eyes widened. She swung her arm in a wide arc to intercept him, but Lakan used Langkah (Serpent's Flow) to drop beneath her guard while maintaining his terrifying, jagged momentum.
He was moving through the Prismatic Flash—a fragmented version of the ultimate technique he hadn't even named yet.
The Agaw (Takeover): As Ling Yue tried to adjust her stance, Lakan's hand shot out, catching the air-currents she created and using them to pull himself closer.
The Biakid (Earth-Shaker): He spun, his leg whipping out in a low arc. He didn't hit her, but the vibration of his strike disrupted the ground's Soul Power resonance.
The Panununtukan (Echoing Strike): From his low crouch, he "detonated" his calves one last time, soaring upward toward her chest.
Ling Yue, truly shocked, had to actually manifest a thin layer of golden Soul Power over her sternum—a reflexive defense she usually only used against other Titled Douluos.
THUD.
Lakan's fist hit the golden shield. The Vibrational Pulse didn't break her defense, but it sent a ripple through the floor, cracking the marble beneath Ling Yue's feet.
The prismatic afterimages vanished. The high-frequency hum in the air died instantly.
Lakan stumbled back, his legs shaking uncontrollably. His Iridescent Bone Forging was glowing a dull, angry red through his skin, his muscles straining against the "G-forces" of the Geometric Acceleration he just performed. He fell to one knee, coughing, his breath coming in ragged, painful gasps.
He had seen it—for one micro-second, the path to the Perfect Octagon. But his Body wasn't ready.
Bibi Dong stood from her throne. She wasn't looking at the cracked floor or the exhausted child. She was looking at the air where Lakan's "Echoes" had lingered.
"He... he left behind a Soul Power Phantom," Yue Guan whispered, his voice trembling. "Without a 100,000-year bone... without a Domain... he distorted the air with pure mechanics."
Ling Yue looked down at her chest. There was a tiny, faint smudge on her golden armor where his fist had landed. For a Rank 95 Super Douluo, it was a joke. But for a six-year-old, it was a declaration of war against the heavens.
She turned toward the throne and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty... I have seen enough. His techniques do not rely on brute force or the sheer age of a ring. He manipulates the very physics of combat. If this 'Eight-Directional Flow' is taught to our templars... Spirit Hall will be invincible."
Bibi Dong stood up, her scepter clicking against the floor. She walked down the steps toward Lakan. The room felt cold, but as she reached him, the pressure vanished. She looked down at the exhausted boy, her gaze softening into something that almost resembled pride.
"You have backed up your tongue with substance, Lakan Diwa," Bibi Dong said, her voice echoing with a new warmth. "To fight a Titled Douluo for three minutes at Rank 27 is a feat that will never be repeated."
She looked at Ling Yue. "Ling Yue, since you enjoyed the 'brat's' company so much, you will be his personal guardian while he settles in. And Lakan..."
Lakan looked up, trying to regain his breath. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"About that tea," Bibi Dong said, a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk touching her lips. "Upon the completion of your Eight-Directional Flow... I might just consider it. For now, go with Ling Yue. You need to rest before your first 'session' with the Hall's researchers."
Lakan let out a dry chuckle and stood up, leaning slightly on Ling Yue for support. He looked at the Golden Kite Douluo and put a smiled on his tired face. "Did...did you hear that, Sister Ling Yue? The Boss said you're my babysitter now. I hope you're ready, because I can be quite a handful."
"You're a monster," Ling Yue said, though her voice was full of a strange, fierce affection. She reached down, lifted him up, and draped his arm over her shoulder. "A beautiful, arrogant, brilliant little monster."
Lakan looked up at her, his eyes bleary, but he still managed a weak, lopsided grin. "Does... does this mean... I get that apology now, Sister?"
Ling Yue laughed, a genuine, hearty sound. "I'll do you one better. I'll buy you the best medicinal bath Spirit Hall has to offer. You're going to need it if you want to walk tomorrow."
Bibi Dong watched them leave. Her purple eyes were unreadable, but as the doors closed, she spoke to the empty room.
"Qian Daoliu wants to protect the past. I wanted to build a future." She looked at her scepter. "But that boy... he is the Architect of something neither of us imagined. Ling Yue is right. He is a monster. My monster."