Chapter 178
“Ugh—” A man spat blood into the thick mists of Eiden Gorge. More blood seeped from his body, and his tattered clothing did nothing to stop it. The only reason he hadn’t collapsed to the ground was that he’d propped himself up with what remained of his sword; as it was, he didn’t even have the energy to turn his head.
“Remarkable,” a big middle-aged voice whispered. “An untitled knight with this much skill?”
The world-famous Eiden fog suddenly lifted. Beneath it was a bloodbath—mountains of corpses, rivers of blood1. A quick glance revealed easily a thousand dead. Most of them wore the golden owl of the Pontier family.
A line of knights in full-plate armor waited nearby.
The middle-aged man hefted his enormous ax. “Tell me your name.”
“My Lord—”
A determined light flashed through the eyes of the battered knight.
“Cain.” He spat blood again. “I am… Cain, honored knight of the Sanders house.”
“Cain… knight of house Sanders.” The axman nodded and stepped closer. “If we had met in ten years, maybe I would be the one on his knees.”
The waiting knights stirred with shock. Just who was this axman, if not one of the strongest superhumans on the continent?
“I’ll remember your name. You deserve it.” He raised his ax. “Remember my name as well, in the afterlife. My name is Barbarian.”
And then the ax fell.
A single spear stretched out, but its length was composed of a thousand lightning strikes, heralded by the ear-splitting boom of thunder.
He looked like the God of Thunder, Jeranos.
Ulabis whipped his sword at Joshua, heedless of the raging storm’s might. If Joshua was the God of Thunder, then Ulabis’s blazing figure and fiery whip made him Ifrit, King of the Fire Spirits.
Hundreds of blows were delivered in a single breath. Afterwards, they paused, allowing the thick walls of the colosseum to collapse like putty in the silence.
“Do you feel it too?”
Ulabis’s question came just as Joshua was about to step forward again.
“Magma hungers for Bronto’s power, to take the next step forward. I’m delighted, Joshua. The prize for winning the Master Battle just feels like a stepping stone now.”
“Agreed.” Joshua roared with laughter. “Why not make a wager, then?”
“A wager, you say?”
“If I lose, not only will I give up Bronto, I will also give my loyalty to Thran.”
“You mean…” Ulabis’s eyes widened. “…to serve me?”
Joshua nodded without hesitation.
“That’s difficult to believe. You’re already a Master, and well on your way down the path of glory, yet you want to play at being my subordinate?”
“Obviously, it’s never gonna happen.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ulabis frowned2.
Joshua smirked back at him. “The problem isn’t you controlling me; it’s just that you’d never be able to win. I can’t lose, so it’s impossible for me to become your subordinate, right?”
Ulabis stared at Joshua until a laugh managed to slip through his tightly-shut lips
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“Ahahahahaha! HAHA! I thought we were similar to each other, but it looks like I was wrong.” He slung the whip sword over his shoulder. “Think about it: with the monster of Avalon on our side, Thran’s ascendence would no longer be a pipe dream. I know you will keep your word.”
“I will.” Joshua adjusted his stance with a wide grin. “But if I win, you will have to obey my request.”
“No such thing could happen.” Ulabis hefted his sword. “If it did, though… wouldn’t it be fun to have a monster as a servant?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Joshua spun Lugia, dispersing the lingering flames.
The time for words was over. All that remained was their skills.
Fourth Form. Joshua began to draw mana from the environment, working Bronto with a deftness no one else could match. He could hear his muscles creaking as new currents of white electricity lashed out at the arena.
Humankind has always been fascinated by lightning—its deafening crack, its earth-shaking roar, and its sheer, sky-rending violence. As they reeled from the shock, they imagined it was the fury of heaven.
“The so-called ‘divine power’ of thunder is notoriously uncontrollable. That’s why wizards struggle to understand it.” Joshua’s body slowly tensed as if he was preparing to spring forth. Every muscles was as taut as a drawn bow; small flickers of electricity danced across his eyeballs. If he could control this power, he had enough destructive potential to shake the pillars of heaven.
“Emperor, Wolfs. Flaming Barrier!” Ulabis was enveloped by an inferno, warding off Joshua’s lightning and even threatening Joshua himself.
“Damnit.”
Flames surged along the length of Ulabis’s sword. His fiery whip—capable of not only surviving the flames of annihilation but amplifying them as well—had returned.
In response, the tightly restrained electrical currents accelerated and converged into one of the most effective spells of the fifth level of the Magic Spear Arts. It was devastating in terms of raw power alone.
Joshua’s muscles bulged like overinflated balloons.
Speed and power… Lightning is the wrath of God.
Fire and lightning struck, a competition that had been hotly debated since antiquity. The impact and explosive force of fire was powerful against groups, but the penetrating force of a lightning bolt was effective against any number of opponents. According to Theta, wizards’ debates would escalate into battles over the topic.
Joshua didn’t care, though. No force in existence could bring him to his knees.
The arena was swallowed by a clamor.
Ulabis, unable to handle the bizarre atmosphere, struck first. His burning blade slammed down on Joshua like a lion’s fang. A trail of fire stretched between them, faded, and then vanished in a spectacular fireworks display. It was as intoxicatingly beautiful as it was deadly.
Joshua suddenly kicked off the ground, startling Ulabis. The Prince hadn’t anticipated Joshua jumping in headfirst—it was like a moth drawn to a flame, except this flame consumed everything.
“This is crazy—!” If this went on, Joshua would be skewered on Ulabis’s sword and reduced to ash.
However, Joshua’s eyes were impossibly serene in the face of mortal peril.
“Hah!” Ulabis instinctively loosed a blast of mana. He couldn’t afford to stop and think—this battle would be decided on the splitting edge of a single moment.
First Form: the final evolution of lightning.
A wall of crimson fire blocked Joshua’s path, but he transformed into a streak of light and punched right through the thick of it.
True Lightning.
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There was a faint sound of something being cut. A bold afterimage flickered on the stage.
And, like thunder following lightning, a shower of pure white lights covered heaven and earth.
The match was over.
ED/N: Muh elden ring meta reeeeee ↩️
TL/N: No gae moments for you daddy U ↩️