Chapter 386: Lightning Didn’t Fall From the Sky (5)

The Eight of Spades, Elixir.

I traced a line across the wall with the Golden Lord’s card.

Through the profound Axiom of Alchemy, the coated steel walls of the Lightning Tower all transformed into cards.

Hundreds of steel-winged butterflies fluttered into the air, scattering like leaves in a storm.

I weaved through the magical spectacle and escaped.

“Haaaah!”

Behind me, the iron fist of the Thunderarch came crashing down.

A lightning-infused punch tore through the fluttering cards, aiming straight for me.

But unfortunately for her, cards made of steel are far from light.

The steel butterflies that had spun and scattered out of control now clung tightly together.

If it had been any other Qi Practitioner, such pitiful attempts would have been useless.

But because she was the Thunderarch, her attack was blocked by the steel swarm.

｢This is all Alchemic Steel! The moment I touch it, my lightning scatters…! It’s… almost as if he knows all my weaknesses!｣

The Thunderarch’s movement technique relied on pulling herself forward.

By extending a line of lightning and anchoring it to a piece of metal, she could pull herself like a bolt of lightning across the battlefield.

In other words, if I could disrupt that connection, I could interfere with her movements.

The Alchemic Steel cards stole the pull of her lightning and latched onto her.

They might have been simple cards, but to her, they must feel like heavy steel blocks dragging her down.

“In that case—!”

The Thunderarch changed tactics.

This time, she didn’t pull herself forward—she launched her lightning outward.

Electricity surged from her fingertips, tearing through the ground as it shot toward me.

It felt like feathers were brushing against my skin as a faint, tingling sensation washed over me.

｢Lightning isn’t working?! It’s not dispersing… it’s being absorbed!?｣

The idol of the Earth Mother really came in handy.

After all, no matter how strong lightning is, it will always be swallowed by the earth.

Pressing a hand against the Lightning Tower’s wall, I spoke.

“Well? Do you believe me now? That the odds are fifty-fifty?”

“… You put a lot of confidence in these cheap tricks.”

“Come on, if my techniques are just cheap tricks, what does that make yours?  Zapping people with static electricity? Even a wool cloth can do that.”

Sure, her lightning is on a grand scale, but at the end of the day, it’s just static discharge.

With her attacks failing, the Thunderarch took a moment to think.

She was probably less exhausted than I was, but psychological advantage mattered.

Now was the time to strike.

“You know, I thought you were the practical type, but I didn’t expect you to be the kind of pure-hearted maiden who hears a random voice in her head and blindly believes it.”

“You never stop running your mouth.”

“No, but seriously. You’re the Thunderarch, aren’t you? So why are you blindly attacking me just because you heard a voice in your head?”

She was born in this city, raised here, and chosen as its Primarch.

In her entire life, the Sanctum had never once appeared in her memories.

Yet, the moment she received that so-called revelation, she turned into a devout zealot, attacking me without hesitation.

Doesn’t that seem a little unnatural?

Shouldn’t she be the one questioning this?

“It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what I am.”

The Thunderarch’s voice was resolute.

She clenched her fists, the lightning within her compressing even further.

Her entire body burned hotter, radiating an aura of absolute power.

“What matters is what you will do, and because of that, I must stop you.”

“And what am I going to do?”

“You will dig up Claudia’s secrets. You will unearth the truth, regardless of what that truth is—or how it might destroy this city.”

I couldn’t deny that.

It was true.

And even if I did deny it, she would trust the voice in her head over me.

Tsk.

No reasoning with her, then.

The Crusaders.

They were chosen by fate itself.

The Thunderarch had been lucky—out of all the tragedies in the Fallen Dominion, she had been born with a perfect body.

She had survived being struck by lightning, which only awakened her latent power.

And because she could tap into Claudia’s source of power, the previous Primarch had chosen her as the next guardian.

A series of fortuitous coincidences convinced her that she was special.

She had glimpsed the city’s secrets and accepted her duty.

Even when I read her mind, nothing seemed particularly strange.

She was just another human lucky enough to stumble into power—so I never saw her as a threat.

But now that I knew she was part of the Crusaders, it all made sense.

A body chosen by fate.

A miraculous series of events.

The ability to wield this power effortlessly.

She was truly chosen.

The Sanctum had whispered fate into her, and she had accepted her role.

She had embraced the lightning, buried the city’s secrets, and sworn to protect this place.

It was logical.

She loved this city.

She had the power to protect it.

So, of course, she would dedicate herself to it.

And that alone made her the perfect pawn for the Sanctum.

The Saintesses chose their champions and scattered them across the world.

That was the Crusaders.

Which meant there was no persuading her.

As a Primarch ruling within the Saintess’s ordained order, she would never accept the change I sought to bring.

“I have no intention of destroying the city. Think of it as… personal curiosity.”

“Personal curiosity? Can the King of Humans even use the word ‘personal’?”

“Okay, fine, that one’s on me.”

Damn it.

This was why I hate dealing with the Crusaders.

You can’t persuade them, you can’t change them—they are already complete.

No choice, then.

“I hate violence… So how about we just talk?”

“You should have thought of that before you started stealing.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have stolen anything if you had given me a reason not to steal in the first place.”

“If that’s what you want—then I’ll make sure you never steal again.”

The Thunderarch stormed forward, lightning crackling across her skin.

I slammed the The Eight of Spades card against the wall like stamping a seal.

My hand stung from the impact, but it worked.

The moment I peeled the card away, an avalanche of steel cards poured out, cascading like a broken dam.

Using my wrist’s snap, I hurled the rapidly multiplying cards at the Thunderarch.

Dozens of cards swarmed toward her.

“This again?”

Humans learned from experience.

She had been caught off guard once before so this time, she didn’t scatter her lightning.

Instead, she calmly deflected the cards, advancing one step at a time.

Damn.

Even when I throw them with force, she barely flinches.

Despite my average strength, I could always fight evenly with anyone—

Stealing Unique Magic, reading minds, exploiting weaknesses—I can keep any fight balanced.

But I lack something to finish off my opponents.

Even though her body wasn’t made of metal, it was still made of the same Alchemic Material as the Golden Lord’s body.

Thus her body was superior to any Qi Practitioner’s.

Even after getting hit by dozens of steel cards head-on, she was completely unharmed.

She was only advancing cautiously—if she had charged at full speed, I wouldn’t have been able to stop her.

“These cards are nothing but worthless pieces of steel. Why are you only throwing meaningless garbage at me?”

“I call myself a magician, so I have to stay on theme.”

Lies.

That was my strongest attack.

But to her, it was nothing more than a child’s game.

Tch. There’s no way to win like this.

I’ve seen this pattern before—

Looks like my only option is to stall for time.

｢He may not look that strong at first glance… but I won’t let my guard down. My opponent is the King of Humans. He could be hiding abilities I don’t know about. I have to take this fight seriously, one step at a time, as if I were facing a true powerhouse.｣

I appreciate the caution.

Never underestimate an opponent—that’s a great mindset to have.

But against me, it actually works against you.

The more she focuses on me, the more predictable her actions become—

Which means I have more thoughts to read.

Her waist, legs, arms, and fists move with precise mechanical efficiency.

A steel fist hurtles toward my head.

That sharp, chilling sensation—but before it even lands,

I’ve already read her intent through Mind Reading.

As her fist flew toward me, I reflexively raised my arm to intercept it.

A blow so fast that knowing about it beforehand shouldn’t matter, Yet—

– Thud!

Her fist stops— completely neutralized.

｢Something’s wrong…!｣

A light flashed just before her punch landed.

Electricity flowed from her to me—

And at the same time, the immense force behind her punch began to weaken.

｢He isn’t strong. No, it’s the opposite—  I’m getting weaker…!  What did he do…?!｣

It’s simple.

I discharged her power.

The Thunderarch’s Unique Magic, Thundergrasp, allowed her to seize lightning and wield it as her own strength.

She could use lightning-like Qi because she infused actual lightning into herself.

Since I stole her Unique Magic, I simply redirected her lightning into my cards.

The moment she stepped into my range, the power that made her ‘special’ disappeared.

I whispered into her ear.

“How does it feel to be ordinary?”

“My power! You—! This is cowardly…!”

“Can we call it fair instead? Now, we’re on equal ground.”

Now it’s just a fight of pure skill and physical endurance.

No matter who wins or loses, the battle is even.

As she hesitates, I yank her arm towards me and slam my fist into her chin.

She tries to resist with raw strength, but with her energy drained, her body has nothing left but sheer muscle power—

｢It doesn’t hurt. His actual strength is nothing special.｣

…Oh my, She’s still stronger than me?

Well, it makes sense.

Qi Practitioners build up strength in their bodies to endure the stress of their own techniques.

There’s a reason those who master Qi Arts are considered superhuman.

Even without Qi, there’s still a difference in raw physical strength.

｢Then I won’t panic. I’ll just fight with pure strength, without the power of thunder.｣

Her next punches came crashing down.

Each blow was heavy.

Even without Qi Arts backing them up, my arms ached just from blocking them.

Missed punches shattered the furniture around us like paper.

Overwhelming durability could be translated to strength itself.

That monstrous durability made her punches stronger because she didn’t have to hold back from fear of injury.

– Boom. Boom. Boom.

Every time I barely dodged, her fists slammed into the walls and furniture with earth-shattering force.

If I were to punch like that, my bones would shatter…

But she remains unfazed and immediately prepares for her next attack.

“You really are an expert at running away. You’ve lost your power, yet your beast-like instincts remain. I see.”

If not for Mind Reading, I would have been beaten unconscious by now.

At least I can predict where her punches will land.

Her next attack is aimed at my chest—I have to dodge—

Wait.

I can’t breathe—

I didn’t manage my stamina properly while dodging!

In that brief moment of hesitation, her fist slammed into my chest.

I crossed my arms to block, but the shockwave pierced through my arms and torso.

I was sent sliding backward.

The Thunderarch closed in, speaking calmly.

“This fight is nearly over.”

“Haha. Pretty cocky for landing just one hit.”

“It won’t stop at one.”

She’s right.

A battle of attrition is unwinnable for me.

No matter how much I hit her, she’s fine.

Meanwhile, she can keep attacking me indefinitely— fighting her feels like battling an immortal.

Weapons…?

Pointless.

Even if I stabbed her with a blade, it would barely leave a scratch on her ironclad body.

And if she steals my weapon, I’m done for.

It’s better not to fight with one at all.

That leaves only one option.

“You know… I’ve been fighting with my back against this wall this whole time.”

“You just never stop talking, do you? Do you only fight with words and tricks?”

“Wow. Did you just figure that out? Anyway, while I was keeping my back to the wall, I was setting something up.”

Damn.

Revealing all my tricks this early?

This is why I hate fighting.

“But since you’ve landed a hit, I’ll be generous and show you what I was preparing.”

“You’d better do it before you die.”

She swung her leg in a powerful kick—

At that moment, I swiped my hand along the wall and dodged to the side.

Her kick missed, slamming into the wall with a loud bang.

The thin wall shattered like glass while thousands of cards poured out like a broken dam.

All the cards I had been secretly creating by scraping against the wall came flooding down in an avalanche.

Even with her monstrous durability, a few hundred kilograms of steel cards crashing down was enough to throw her off balance.

The tidal wave of cards swallowed the Thunderarch whole.

“Damn tricks…!”

Thanks to her absurdly durable body, she wasn’t hurt.

But that one moment of distraction was enough.

As she struggled to escape the flood of cards,

I darted behind her back, grabbed her arm, and twisted it into a joint lock.