Chapter 260: Lightning God

Words : 1711 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

The air around Caelum became visibly distorted, like looking through rippling water. When he moved, afterimages followed his form—not from speed but from actual air density differences bending light around him. Lucas struck first, disappearing in a burst of speed that left a thunderclap in his wake. Electricity coalesced around his right fist, forming what looked like the head of a spear. The attack pierced through Caelum's first layer of defense, but the air user twisted impossibly, the javelin missing his vital areas by millimeters. As Lucas passed, Caelum's hand shot out. Vacuum Edge: Guillotine Strike - Instantaneous formation of a vacuum blade directly against a target, eliminating travel time and reaction possibility. An invisible edge formed inches from Lucas's neck— Only for Lucas to discharge a massive electrical pulse from his entire body, disrupting the air configuration before it could fully form. The resulting explosion sent both fighters tumbling across the ring floor. Lucas recovered first, electricity now running through the ground in a spreading pattern. "Try dodging this!!" Caelum leapt upward just as electricity erupted from the floor in a grid-like pattern. But Lucas had anticipated this. Krakoom!!! He brought both hands together, generating a focused beam of electrical energy that shot upward toward the airborne Caelum. Caelum clapped his hands together, creating a vertical tube of vacuum directly in his path. The lightning beam entered the oxygen-depleted zone and lost coherence, its energy dispersing harmlessly. "Impressive!" Lucas called out, genuine appreciation in his voice. Caelum didn't respond verbally. Instead, he twisted in mid-air, arms spreading wide. He began to spin, dropping toward Lucas like a missile. The air around him compressed to near-solid density, forming an invisible drill of pressure that distorted the very light around it. Lucas planted his feet, electricity gathering along his arms in pulsing waves. The collision was catastrophic. Caelum's compressed air drill met Lucas's electrical armor with a sound like a mountain splitting. The energy dampening fields above the ring flickered dangerously. A shock wave rippled outward, powerful enough to make the audience shield their faces despite the protective barriers. For a moment, neither fighter was visible within the maelstrom of competing energies. When the light faded, they stood ten feet apart, both showing signs of the exchange. Lucas's left arm hung slightly lower than his right, and blood trickled from a cut around his neck. Caelum's gear was torn across the chest, revealing electrical burns across his torso. "I see why they call you the Lightning God," Caelum said, his voice steady despite his injuries. Lucas wiped blood from his brow. "And I see why Academy 9 is proud of you." The crowd roared its approval. This was what they had come to see—the best of the Eastern Cardinal displaying skills that bordered on the miraculous. In the faculty section, instructors exchanged looks of astonishment. "That air manipulation—it's beyond third-year curriculum," one whispered. "Grey is actually being pushed," another noted with disbelief. The two fighters circled each other once more, both reassessing their approach. Lucas's electricity now pulsed in structured patterns rather than wild discharges—more focused, more precise. Caelum's movements became more economical, each gesture controlling specific air currents rather than broad atmospheric effects. "They're adapting to each other," Commander Owen observed. "This is no longer about raw power." "It's about who can outthink the other," Commander Yuen agreed. Lucas attacked again, but differently. Rather than direct lightning strikes, he generated a complex web of electrical energy that expanded outward like a net. The web spread rapidly, covering nearly half the ring in glowing blue-white lines of energy. Caelum couldn't simply dodge—the attack was too wide, too encompassing. Caelum swept both arms in a horizontal arc, creating invisible ripples in the air. Where these ripples met Lucas's lightning lattice, the electrical energy distorted and fragmented. But the defense wasn't perfect—tendrils of electricity broke through, lashing across Caelum's chest and right arm. He staggered but didn't fall. Lucas pressed his advantage, closing distance in a blur of motion. His fist, charged with concentrated electrical energy, aimed directly for Caelum's solar plexus. At the last possible moment, Caelum twisted his body in an impossible manner. The air around Lucas's extended arm suddenly vanished. The resulting rush of air into the vacuum created a thunderclap of pressure that knocked his aim off-course, his fist passing inches from its target. Caelum countered immediately, palm striking Lucas's chest with a burst of compressed air that sent him sliding backward. "He's combining techniques now," Commander Yuen noted with approval. "Vacuum creation into pressure manipulation." "Grey won't fall for the same trick twice," Commander Owen replied confidently. True to his word, Lucas adjusted his approach. The electricity around him condensed, becoming less wild but more intense. Each movement now left afterimages, his speed increasing beyond what most eyes could track. His form blurred, not just fast but operating on a different temporal plane. He struck from multiple angles simultaneously—left, right, above, behind—each hit carrying precisely calibrated electrical charges. Caelum's defense shifted to pure instinct, air currents swirling around him in a protective cocoon. Even so, multiple strikes penetrated his guard, each one leaving electrical burns where they connected. The air user grimaced but refused to yield ground. As Lucas completed another lightning-fast attack run, Caelum made his move. The air around Lucas suddenly vanished in strategic points, creating powerful suction that disrupted his momentum. Before he could recover, another vacuum formed behind him, then another to his left—each one pulling him slightly off-balance and redirecting his path. The final vacuum materialized directly in front of Caelum's outstretched hand. The invisible blade struck Lucas squarely in the chest, slicing through his Lightning Armor and cutting a thin line across his torso. Blood welled from the wound—not deep enough to be dangerous, but significant nonetheless. Another rare occasion in the tournament, Lucas Grey had been drawn blood. A collective gasp rose from the audience. Lucas looked down at the cut, then back up at Caelum. Something changed in his expression—not anger, but a kind of clarity. Recognition. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said, his voice carrying across the ring despite its softness. Electricity gathered around him, different from before—no longer wild arcs or structured patterns, but a cohesive field that hummed with barely restrained power. The air itself began to ionize, creating a bluish glow that surrounded his entire body. In the VIPs' box, Commander Owen straightened. "Here it comes." Caelum sensed the change. The air around him compressed to its maximum density, creating a shimmer effect that distorted his outline. His hands moved in increasingly complex patterns, managing multiple layers of atmospheric manipulation simultaneously. Lucas's declaration was followed by a transformation. His outline blurred, electricity no longer simply coating his body but becoming part of it. His movements acquired an almost liquid quality, as if partly phasing between states of matter. "Soul form already?" A voice headmaster's voice carried across the suddenly hushed arena. "Grey must be taking Rhys seriously." "Not soul form," Commander Owen corrected, though only those near him could hear. "Lightning Form is Grey's specialized technique—an electromagnetic state that amplifies his natural abilities. Soul Form would be... excessive," Lucas vanished—not merely moving quickly but seemingly teleporting across space. He reappeared directly before Caelum, hand outstretched. A concentrated spear of pure electrical energy formed, not from his hand but through it, as if the electricity was bypassing physical space. Caelum brought both hands up, creating layers upon layers of compressed air. The Electron Lance struck the barrier, its energy dispersing across the layered defense—but not before partially penetrating, scorching Caelum's left shoulder. The air user staggered back, momentarily off-balance. It was all the opening Lucas needed. Electricity erupted from Lucas in all directions, not as a wild discharge but as carefully plotted lines of energy that traced precise paths through the air. Each tendril sought the path of least resistance, worming through the microscopic gaps in Caelum's defense. Several connected, sending Caelum tumbling backward. He rolled to his feet, breathing heavily, gear smoking from multiple burn points. "You're as good as they say," Caelum acknowledged, straightening despite obvious pain. Lucas inclined his head slightly. "You too. I didn't expect to use Lightning Form in the semifinals." Despite his injuries, a small smile touched Caelum's lips. "Then I should show you why I'm Academy 9's number one as well." The air around him began to distort dramatically. The temperature in the arena dropped precipitously, cold enough that spectators' breath became visible. Pressure fluctuated wildly, causing ears to pop throughout the stadium. "That's—" Commander Yuen leaned forward, surprise evident in her voice. "He's never displayed this level in training." Caelum rose slowly into the air, supported by nothing visible. His body became the center of a complex atmospheric system—layers of air currents rotating in opposing directions, creating a microcosm of weather phenomena. Microscopic droplets of moisture condensed around him, forming a thin mist that refracted light in prismatic patterns. Lucas observed the transformation with analytical calm, electricity continuing to course through his modified form. "Impressive." In the next moment, they clashed again. The battle elevated to a level that left spectators struggling to follow. Lucas moved like living lightning, his form sometimes solid, sometimes seeming to dissolve into pure electrical energy. Caelum commanded the air with unprecedented precision, creating localized atmospheric phenomena that defied physics—vacuum blades that curved in mid-flight, pressure differentials that bent light, oxygen-depleted zones that neutralized electrical conductivity. Each exchange created spectacular visual effects—lightning arcing through artificial weather systems, vacuum edges slicing through electrical fields, thunderclaps from pressure differentials colliding with electromagnetic pulses. The reinforced ring groaned under the strain. Despite the specialized construction, hairline fractures began appearing in the floor. The energy dampening fields flickered periodically, struggling to contain the power being unleashed below. "They need to end this soon," one of the technicians warned over the communication system. "The containment systems are reaching critical limits." In the heat of battle, neither combatant heard the warning—or if they did, neither showed any intention of holding back.

Chapter 260: Lightning God

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