“Gah! Guh!”
“Haaaa!”
She continued to attack with blinding speed. Black Lightning not only gave her immense speed, but also maneuverability and control. The skill allowed her to ignore the laws of physics while maintaining her velocity. The concept was similar to Zehmet’s, the Blue Cat we fought in our first round. His Evolution made him fast enough to run circles around his opponent. The only difference was that Fran’s Evolution gave her even more speed, control, and attack power.
Perhaps that was why the Blue Cats hated the Black Cats so much. Their evolved abilities were quite similar, and I could easily imagine the Blue Cats resenting the Black Cats for their strength.
“There’s a lot going on right now! You wouldn’t know Fran was still in the arena if not for the streaks of black lightning furiously circling Gaudartha! You can hear him scream in pain, folks!” the commentator cried.
It looked like a black dome of electricity had formed around Gaudartha. I struck his Phoenix Armor, producing a high-pitched ring with each contact. It was still repairing itself, although I was outpacing its capabilities so far. Although Gaudartha’s armor was in top shape, the same couldn’t be said for the beastman himself. Cords of black lightning twisted and struck, burning him up.
“Ngaaaah!”
Eventually, he abandoned all pretense of defense and started swinging his greataxe in desperation. He held it out and spun, emitting Wave Blasts. The combination served to clear the immediate area, but Fran was agile enough to duck under the axe. As for the Wave Blast, she used Absolute Barrier to handle it. Being at the limits of her mana, she could only use it for a split second, but she timed it perfectly.
Fran could read Gaudartha’s every move. Although the large man was throwing all of his fast attacks at her in a last-ditch attempt at victory, they all seemed slow to Fran. She was definitely faster than him. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t stop her flurry of attacks.
“Haaaaa!”
“Hrngh…!”
Gaudartha crossed his arms in front of his body, accepting that he couldn’t land a hit. He put all his efforts into defense. Turtling seemed like the coward’s way out, but Gaudartha hadn’t lost an ounce of his fighting spirit. He was set on taking this strategy to victory.
No wonder he’s Rigdith’s personal bodyguard! He already figured out our weakness!
Hm!
Awakened Flashing Thunderclap drained Fran’s health and mana with every use. The move was risky, and while not as dangerous as Unleash Potential, its power didn’t come without cost. Flashing Thunderclap wreaked havoc on its user’s body—mere movement took away health. All of the Ten Ancestors’ special powers worked on the same principle. The raw power of the Godbeast was far too strong for mortals. Limits had to be instituted to prevent its users from self-destructing.
Gaudartha was an elite guard and a descendant of the Ten Tribes. He knew that, as powerful as they were, their skills were just as dangerous to their users. He carried his battle of attrition to its logical conclusion. He would defend himself until Fran was drained of every bit of energy.
And he was right. Fran was tiring. It was nothing short of a miracle that her tiny body had lasted this long. A normal beastman would’ve exhausted themselves by now, yet Fran showed no signs of stopping.
I could feel Gaudartha’s bewilderment. Fran shouldn’t be able to use Flashing Thunderclap for long periods of time, especially considering how fast she was and the number of attacks she was landing. By all accounts, she should’ve self-destructed.
But Fran was no ordinary beastman. She had me as a spare mana tank, and I kept her health up by constantly healing her. It was the only way she could prolong the effects of the skill.
“How are you still—argh!”
That said, we were still pressed for time. Fran’s life was dropping faster and faster the longer this went on. Eventually, the upkeep would be impossible for me to heal through. Gaudartha only had a sliver of health left. Just one final push should do it. But Fran’s health was reaching critical levels too, and I had to heal her every few seconds just to keep her from expiring. She knew that as well as I did.
I’ll end it now, Teacher!
Go for it!
Fran could stop using her skill and finish Gaudartha off with her regular attacks. That would be the most prudent way to secure victory. But Fran kept Flashing Thunderclap on. She was going to win as a Black Sky Tiger and prove the strength of the Black Cat tribe to the world.
I’ll finish him off using the big one.
The big one? I’m not sure if that’s safe considering the amount of space we have…
We’ll be fine!
Are you sure about this?
Hm!
Well, no use talking her out of it. Then I’ll focus on defense.
Thanks.
Jet, get one more hit in and hide.
Woof!
Jet obeyed, harassing Gaudartha one more time before retreating to the shadows. I saw him run all the way to the stands. That should do it. It was the only way to be safe from Fran’s attack. Once she made sure Jet was at a safe distance, Fran declared her final move.
“Black Thunderfall!”
The black lightning around Fran’s body glowed brighter. It gathered together and, with the rumbling of a drum, formed a bolt which launched itself at Gaudartha. The black lightning went wild inside the barrier and soon culminated in a grand explosion.
Kabooom!
I used what little mana I had left to protect Fran with Absolute Barrier, but the explosion proved far too powerful. It threw Fran like a leaf. She smacked right into the barrier.
“Gah…!”
Bits of rubble flew with the speed of bullets. Fran would’ve been gravely injured if it weren’t for her barrier. The air around us
