The scene panned back, perspective shifted back in the library.
With a zoom, Hero's smile faded under the conversation prior.
Lucien's expression turned colder in response, then-
He took another step forward.
Outside the dome, distant sounds broke through, fireworks cracking in the night sky, laughter and chatter drifting in from the black market beyond.
Despite the type of transactions being done here, the liveliness was still familiar to most.
Though...
Neither of them paid it any attention.
Because in that moment.
They both understood something very important. Something that will decide their future.
"You're… a card holder too?"
Hero's grin returned.
But it was different now, Lucien saw no hint of joking anymore. Not that he cared anyway.
Hero's skin prickled, a chill running through him as every instinct screamed at once.
Lucien's eyelids twitched.
His hand rose slightly, fingers tightening against his chest before he forced it down.
"I see…"
His voice was lower now.
He lifted his head fully.
Their gazes locked.
No more concealment.
No more guessing.
"Then…"
Lucien spoke, each word steady.
"I can't let you live any longer, can I?"
—!!!
Tick…
Tick…
Tick…
Water dripped somewhere in the old structure, each drop echoing faintly through the quiet space.
In that moment, the sound stretched, like a countdown neither of them acknowledged out loud.
Then.
The final drop fell.
—Boom!
Lucien moved.
This time, a broken sword had appeared in his hand.
His aura surged outward, crashing through the space like a rising tide. Bookshelves rattled violently, some tilting, others collapsing outright as the pressure swept past.
His foot slid forward, smooth controlled movement as his body was following in one motion.
He was already there by the second Hero blinked.
Right in front of Hero.
"Cut."
The word fell as his arm came down.
The blade sliced through the air, force packed into a single motion.
Hero's instincts screamed.
'avoid!'
He didn't even think about blocking.
His breath tightened as he shifted his stance, his left foot pivoting back just in time.
—Boom!
The strike stopped just short.
The air split under the force, the impact hanging for a fraction before dispersing.
Hero had missed it by an inch. It was a testing strike, nothing fatal but for Hero, it was already deadly enough that he decided not to hold back anymore.
He twisted his body mid-motion, his leg sweeping out as he turned.
"Bastard… always trying to kill me, huh!"
His backhand came in fast.
The force behind it surged, borrowed strength flooding through him under a secret technique, 'Old man, lend me your strength!' pushing far beyond the limits of Qi refining realm.
But—
Lucien didn't retreat.
His palm met the strike head-on.
—Boom!
The collision sent a shock through the ground.
The structure trembled, cracks running along the floor as nearby shelves collapsed fully, books scattering across the space.
"From Qi refining realm and directly jumping into foundation realm. How absurd" Lucien commented.
Neither of them paused.
They moved again.
And again.
In the span of a few seconds, their figures blurred, clashing repeatedly as if colliding projectiles, each exchanges sent rattling noises against the backdrop of the world.
—Boom!
The clash forced Hero back.
His feet dragged against the ground for a short distance, but instead of resisting it, he used the momentum. His fingers moved the moment he stabilized, forming a seal in a split second.
"Crumble!"
The spiritual fluctuation spread out.
Lucien's eyes narrowed immediately.
Earth attribute.
He caught it at once and adjusted, already preparing a counter in response to the incoming spell.
Then—
"What—!"
The element shifted.
Lightning.
Lucien's eyes widened in suprise.
The energy that burst forward carried a completely different attribute than what he had sensed.
It struck before he could fully react.
—Boom!
Lucien was blasted away, his body tearing through the dome's wall before crashing into the structures outside.
Stone shattered, dust rose, and the impact rippled across nearby buildings under the stunned gaze of those around.
He rolled across the ground several times before coming to a stop.
Then stood.
Calm.
He brushed the dust off his cloak, movements unhurried, as if the hit hadn't affected him much.
His gaze lifted toward the broken opening in the dome.
"Clearly earth-based energy…" he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly, "yet it manifests as lightning."
He paused.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became.
"That kind of control…"
"Prodigy of a big sect?"
His fingers tightened slightly at his side.
"If he's not that this isn't normal."
A faint breath left him.
"He's a problem."
His gaze darkened.
"I don't like sharing what's mine."
Switching attributes mid-casting wasn't unheard of.
But it wasn't common either. Usually only those darling of heaven with top spiritual roots would be able to access this high level technique from those powerful forces.
But Hero?
Not at this level.
Not with this level of precision.
And that only made things stranger.
Lucien had already investigated Hero after their first encounter.
There had been nothing special.
No background worth noting.
Just a discarded youth, cast out from his clan at sixteen.
Yet after that.
Everything changed.
A rise that didn't follow reason.
And now.
He stood here, matching him through a borrowed strength. How absurd is that...
Though, Lucien didn't look down on that.
Strength was strength.
No matter how it was obtained.
Around them, panic spread.
"It's Foundation Building cultivators!"
"Run!"
"Where are the guards?!"
"Where are the guards?!"
"H-help me! I am pinned down under a building!"
People scattered, fleeing in all directions. The streets cracked, buildings split, and debris littered the ground.
Lucien glanced at the scene briefly.
Then looked away.
It didn't concern him.
His focus returned forward.
Right on time.
Hero stepped through the air, descending slowly from the broken dome.
His posture looked relaxed, almost casual, but the heavy breath escaping his lungs told a different story.
Lucien watched him closely.
Then spoke.
"Are you aware… of the card's gift?"
Another probe.
A test.
Hero's expression shifted, just slightly.
A faint crease and that was enough to judge his level of understanding of the card.
Lucien closed his eyes for a brief moment and nodded to himself.
"So you've only just begun."
"Still in Qi Refining…" Hero let out a short laugh, though his chest rose and fell a little heavier than before. "And I'm still beating you."
Lucien opened his eyes again.
"And that's exactly why…"
His voice lowered.
"…I can't let you grow any further."
Lucien didn't rush.
Even after speaking, he stood where he was, eyes fixed on Hero as if measuring him all over again. The broken dome behind them let moonlight spill into the street, dust still drifting in the air, the aftermath of the previous clash not yet settled.
Hero exhaled slowly, forcing his breathing into rhythm.
Then.