Chapter 109: Awakened Tournament Crisis (15)

He relaxed his stance slightly while dodging her slashes in a way that looked almost effortless.

That turned out to be a mistake.

Lucy’s expression changed.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"You’re too focused on my blade."

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

Her right arm, which had remained comparatively quiet throughout their blade exchanges, suddenly came forward.

Pink Essence erupted around her fist.

Eden’s instincts screamed.

’Wait—!’

An explosion swallowed him whole.

The sound was deafening.

A tremendous shockwave tore through the arena, pulverizing the already damaged floor and sending a wall of dust surging toward the protective barrier. The barrier flashed repeatedly, struggling to contain the force of the blast.

The audience erupted in screams.

Even the commentators recoiled from their seats.

"What was THAT?!"

As the dust spread, Lucy stood in the center of the battlefield, her right fist extended.

Her sword remained in her left hand.

Lucy’s breathing was exhausted and uneven now.

But she was smiling.

She had been charging that attack.

Every time their blades clashed, every time Eden redirected her sword and forced her to retreat, she had been accumulating Essence around her right arm, compressing it little by little while keeping his attention fixed on her weapon.

She hadn’t needed to win the exchanges.

She had needed him to believe he was winning.

And when he finally lowered his guard, she had released everything she had prepared.

A delayed trap.

One last gamble.

The kind of attack Eden himself might have used.

’He fell for it twice...’

Lucy slowly lowered her fist.

"Got you."

The dust began to settle.

A silhouette appeared inside the crater.

Eden was down on one knee.

His head hung forward, and blood dripped from his mouth onto the broken ground. His right hand was pressed against the floor to keep himself upright.

For several seconds, he didn’t move.

Then he coughed.

A fresh trace of blood spilled between his lips.

He slowly raised his head.

His silver eyes found Lucy.

"...You little menace."

Lucy smiled weakly.

"You left yourself wide open."

Eden wiped his mouth.

He took a deep breath and pushed himself upright.

His body protested immediately. The explosion had inflicted more damage than he had anticipated, and even Corrupted Surge couldn’t make him ignore the pain.

He stared at Lucy for a moment.

Then a genuine smile spread across his face.

"I certainly didn’t think you’d be the one to make me use this skill."

Lucy’s smile faded slightly.

"Use what?"

Eden raised his right hand.

The atmosphere changed.

At first, Lucy thought he was simply gathering Essence for another attack.

Then she felt it.

Something pressed against her.

Not a physical force.

Not an ordinary Essence.

It was as though the world itself had suddenly become hostile towards her.

Eden’s expression grew calm.

[Malicious Spirit]

The pressure descended.

The instant Eden activated his S-Rank skill, Lucy’s Essence Blade shattered.

The pink weapon broke apart into countless fragments of dissipating Essence.

Lucy’s eyes widened.

"What...?"

Her V8 output flickered.

The pink aura around her body collapsed as if an invisible hand had crushed it. Her Essence Accelerator struggled to maintain its effect, but the overwhelming spiritual pressure forced the skill out of its active state.

Then her knees hit the ground.

Lucy barely managed to catch herself with her hands.

Her entire body felt as though it were being crushed from the inside out.

Her lungs tightened.

Her heart pounded violently.

Every instinct screamed at her to get away, yet her muscles refused to obey.

It wasn’t simply fear.

It was something deeper.

A primal response that told her she was standing before a predator, one so far above her that resistance seemed meaningless.

She tried to lift her head.

Eden stood several meters away, his right hand still raised.

He wasn’t moving.

He wasn’t even attacking.

He was simply looking at her.

Pain spread through Lucy’s body.

Her arms trembled under the pressure, and she felt something crack in her ribs as she struggled to support herself. Blood welled in her mouth.

She coughed.

Then coughed again.

A small spray of blood struck the arena floor.

The stadium fell silent.

The pressure was no longer confined to Lucy’s immediate surroundings. The entire arena shook as though a powerful earthquake had struck beneath it. Cracks spread through the ground, and loose fragments of stone trembled where they lay.

Even the protective barrier flickered.

The spectators stared in disbelief.

"What is happening?!"

"Is that an attack?!"

"He’s not even moving!"

Eden barely heard them.

His attention was fixed on Lucy.

’So this is Malicious Spirit...’

He had read the skill description, but reading a few lines in a status window had done little to prepare him for its actual effect.

Overwhelm and dominate the enemy through sheer spiritual force.

The pressure scaled with his Essence, Will, and killing intent.

Yet he hadn’t deliberately amplified any of those factors.

He hadn’t poured additional Essence into the skill.

He hadn’t intentionally filled it with killing intent.

He had simply activated it and directed it toward Lucy.

And the result was already this devastating.

’...That’s ridiculous.’

Eden felt a genuine flicker of surprise at his own power.

He had expected Malicious Spirit to be dangerous.

He hadn’t expected the entire arena to shake when he used it against a single opponent.

Sylvia’s voice echoed faintly in his mind.

[Master... that pressure.]

Eden kept his gaze on Lucy.

’I know.’

[You don’t intend on leaving her in a critical state, do you?]

’No.’

He watched Lucy struggle to lift her head.

’I’m barely doing anything.’

That realization was both impressive and deeply unsettling.

He had already suspected that Malicious Spirit could threaten opponents far stronger than himself. Now he was beginning to understand that its true danger wasn’t simply the damage it could inflict.

It attacked the opponent’s ability to resist.

Their spirit.

Their will.

Their very sense of self.

And if Lucy couldn’t withstand it, her physical strength meant very little.

Still, Eden didn’t want to hurt her any more than necessary.

He had already made his point.

"Lucy," he called.

His voice was calm, almost conversational.

"It’s over."

Lucy gritted her teeth.

She tried to push herself up.

Her arms shook violently.

Her elbows bent.

She collapsed again.

The pressure crushed down on her body, and she coughed up another mouthful of blood.

The crowd watched in horror.

Eden’s expression tightened.

’Why is she trying so hard?’

Lucy planted one hand against the ground.

Then the other.

Slowly, painfully, she managed to lift her upper body.

Her arms trembled so badly that she could barely keep herself upright.

She dragged one knee beneath her.

Then, with an effort that seemed to consume everything she had left, she raised herself onto one knee.

The movement lasted only a few seconds.

But to Lucy, it felt like trying to lift an entire mountain.

Her vision blurred.

Her chest burned.

Every breath came with another wave of pain.

Still, she refused to fall.

She looked up at Eden.

Her face was pale, blood streaking her lips, yet a stubborn smile remained.

"...You’re..."

She struggled to breathe.

"...such a..."

Another cough interrupted her.

Eden lowered his hand slightly.

"Lucy."

She shook her head.

"No..."

Her fingers dug into the cracked stone.

"...I’m not..."

She swallowed, forcing the words out.

"...finished..."

For a moment, Eden said nothing.

He could have increased the pressure.

He could have overwhelmed her completely.

But there was no reason to.

He already knew she had reached her limit.

And Lucy knew it, too.

Her shoulders sagged.

The strength finally drained from her arms.

She looked at Eden one last time.

Then she managed a weak, breathless laugh.

"...I surrender."

Eden immediately released the skill.

The pressure vanished.

The arena stopped shaking.

The protective barrier stabilized.

And Lucy collapsed flat onto her back.

For several seconds, she simply lay there, staring at the sky.

Her entire body felt as though it had been run over by a truck.

More than once.

She couldn’t move her arms properly. Her ribs hurt with every breath, and her Essence had been drained to the point where she couldn’t even summon a spark of pink energy.

Yet she was smiling.

She had lost.

There was no denying that.

Eden had defeated her, and the gap between them was still enormous.

But she had forced him to fight seriously.

She had made him adapt.

She had pushed him to reveal a skill he hadn’t used before.

And for a brief moment, she had stood on equal footing with him.

No.

Not equal.

But close enough to see the distance she still needed to cross.

Lucy turned her head slightly.

Eden was approaching her.

His expression was softer now, the terrifying pressure of Malicious Spirit completely gone.

He stopped beside her and crouched.

"Hey."

Lucy looked at him.

"...Hey."

"How many bones did I break?"

She gave a weak laugh that immediately turned into a wince.

"Don’t make me laugh. It hurts."

"Sorry."

"No, you’re not."

"Not particularly."

Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, still smiling.

Then she opened them again.

"I lost."

Eden nodded.

"You did."

"You’re supposed to deny it and make me feel better."

"Would you prefer that I lie?"

"You’re the worst."

He chuckled.

Then his expression became serious.

"Lucy."

She looked at him.

"You should be proud of yourself."

Her smile softened.

Eden continued.

"You surpassed my expectations, fooled me twice, and you nearly caught me with that last explosion."

"If you had fought the me from a couple of weeks ago, you would’ve won."

Lucy’s eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Really."

He offered her his hand.

"You’re the strongest Awakened I’ve fought so far."

For a moment, Lucy couldn’t speak.

Then she laughed quietly.

"...You’re only saying that because I almost blew your nose off."

"My nose is fine."

"You’re bleeding."

"That’s unrelated."

"Sure it is."

Eden rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

Lucy reached for his hand.

He pulled her carefully to her feet, supporting her when her legs nearly gave out. She leaned against him, too exhausted to pretend she could walk unaided.

For a moment, neither said anything.

Then Lucy rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"I’m going to beat you someday."

Eden looked down at her.

"I’ll be waiting."

"You’d better."

Together, they turned toward the arena’s exit.

The announcer finally recovered his voice.

"AFTER AN ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY SEMIFINAL... THE WINNER IS EDEN!"

The stadium erupted.

Cheers thundered from every direction, accompanied by the sound of thousands of people shouting their names.

Eden helped Lucy walk, keeping an arm around her shoulders as the medical team rushed toward them.

She had lost the match.

But as she leaned against him, smiling despite her injuries, Lucy felt no shame.

And after that fight, Lucy was certain.

Someday...

Someday, she would stand beside him without falling behind.

For now, that was enough.

Eden glanced down at her.

"Good fight."

Lucy smiled.

"Yeah."

Then she closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to rest.

"Good fight."