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A rush of blue lightning covered his body in an instant as his blade moved down to block in the blink of an eye. Sword and katar clashed as Jake was pushed back, a small stream of lightning running across his body from the impact. It was important to note here that it ran across his body and not into it.

Below his clothes, Jake had covered himself entirely in a stable layer of arcane energy made specifically to block out the lightning. He didn’t need it to be incredibly durable, just resilient enough to handle the remnant lightning energy from when weapons clashed or whatever was left in the air after a swipe from the Lightning Monarch’s sword.

Giving pursuit, the Lightning Monarch attacked relentlessly, forcing Jake to retreat repeatedly. The man’s attacks were fast and deadly, and Jake could only defend himself as more than a dozen blows were exchanged.

After his combo, the lightning around the Monarch lessened visually, making Jake go on the offensive. The second he did, the lighting aura around the Lighting Monarch exploded once more, making Jake go back on the defensive instantly. A few dozen exchanges later, his opponent slowed down again, making Jake attack the very second he did, giving the Lightning Monarch no time to rest.

While the Lighting Monarch had entered the battle full of confidence, Jake had done the same because he was a man with a plan. His fighting method, where he retreated and attacked to keep the Lightning Monarch constantly engaged, was entirely intentional and his strategy from the very beginning.

When Owen had first explained how the lightning arcane affinity worked, Jake had quickly come to a realization. To make your arcane energy flow through your body in order to make yourself stronger, faster, and more durable while even coating your weapon in the energy…

Yeah, that was just a boosting skill, wasn’t it?

Mind you, Jake did boost himself using arcane energy even as a level 0, but he was not constantly boosting. Instead, he used the energy in small bursts, such as in the middle of a kick or while stabbing forward with his katar. Could he technically keep the arcane energy constantly running through his body and use a skill similar to Arcane Awakening? Yes, but only for a very short period of time. A level 0 simply didn’t have the resources to sustain a boosting still for any reasonable amount of time.

At least not normally.

The arcane affinity of the Lightning Monarch was explicitly suited for this kind of boosting, making the boost far more efficient than using any regular affinities. He could effectively reuse the same lightning energy over and over again, resulting in potentially the only viable level 0 boosting skill out there.

However… it was still a boosting skill.

Jake had naturally been curious how the Lightning Monarch lost when he attempted to become Grand Champion the first time around. Especially how he lost in such a devastating fashion that he was left crippled for around a year.

It turns out that the fight he had lost was a prolonged one. He had been fighting and winning for many minutes until suddenly, he slowed down significantly and was hit hard. The Lightning Monarch had then tried to get up, boosting himself once more before ultimately losing.

So… yeah, he had been so damn injured because he had pushed his boosting skill further than he should have, and no matter how much he had improved, the Lightning Monarch still had this one crucial weakness:

Endurance. And not the stat.

So, Jake’s strategy couldn’t be more simple. He wanted to exhaust the Lightning Monarch, making him dance to Jake’s tune from start to end without ever gaining any ground. Jake did learn that the Monarch had learned to turn his boosting skill on and off rapidly after his last attempt to become a Grand Champion to try and shore up this huge weakness and last longer in a fight.

That was why Jake had turned the fight into a push-and-pull, where Jake would be a hundred percent defensive whenever the Lightning Monarch attacked. The Lightning Monarch would naturally notice this and attempt to pace himself to not burn out too fast, which was when Jake went on the offensive, forcing the Lightning Monarch to push himself in order to keep up.

While the Lightning Monarch was undoubtedly powerful, that was only when he was boosting himself. His entire Path relied on the boosting skill, and when it was down, Jake had the advantage in speed, even if he still lost by a little in the power department.

Jake was sure the Lightning Monarch could win simply by overwhelming his opponents most of the time due to the sheer power of his boosting skill, but sadly for him, if there was anyone who was good at dragging out fights, it was Jake. As long as he stayed on the defensive, it was doubtful anyone could take him down, not unless they had some huge area of effect attack like Gudrun.

In conclusion… as long as Jake didn’t fuck up, the winner of this fight was already a foregone conclusion. Of course, Jake wasn’t just there to win but to crush his opponent’s spirit.

“Are you frustrated?” Jake asked as he dodged several attacks by a hair’s margin.

Looking at the man’s face, he already knew the answer.

“You are as slippery as a rat!” the Lightning Monarch cursed as he made a wide swing, releasing a lot of lightning energy.

Jake had already stepped back to dodge and didn’t even need to raise his katars to block.

“So you are losing to a rat?” Jake smiled as he attacked, not giving the man any chance to rest. “That’s pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?”

The Lightning Monarch was a bit too slow as Jake landed a low kick, making the man speed up more than usual as he tried to pull off one of his many combos. Jake barely moved his body as he swayed and weaved in between the hits before once more dodging the last strike by retreating.

“Fight me!” the Lightning Monarch hissed.

“I am waiting for you to fight me seriously first,” Jake smirked. “Or do you call that mindless flailing of your sword a fighting style? Do you truly think that is all it takes to be a Grand Champion? You may be fast, you may be strong… but you are still lacking.”

Avoiding another swing, Jake once more tried to counterattack but found himself pushed back immediately. The lighting around the Monarch intensified even more than before as he charged forward. Jake knew he was pushing himself, and without hesitation, he used Fear Gaze to make the man lose some of his momentum, giving Jake time to reach one of the pillars spread throughout the arena.

Jake began kiting around the pillar – a tried and tested arena strategy – making the Lightning Monarch never able to truly close in. Due to the sand making the man constantly run in circles, he never got a chance to build up speed, meaning Jake easily got away while throwing out the occasional taunt.

“YOU!” the Lightning Monarch roared as Jake’s danger sense reacted. Without any hesitation, he ducked as a wave of pure lightning energy swept over his head – having cut straight through the several meters-thick stone pillar.

Yeah, that was dumb, Jake thought. Was it impressive for a level 0 to cut through a damn stone pillar with a sword? Hell yeah, but it was also a massive waste of energy. Jake did not hesitate as he jumped up, avoided the falling pillar, and attacked the temporarily weakened Lightning Monarch, who was suffering from the backlash from unleashing an attack more powerful than his body could handle.

“Don’t you get it?” Jake said as he dodged the weak attempt from the man to defend himself easily before kicking the Monarch in the stomach, making him tumble back. “You’ve stagnated. Reached the end of your potential.”

“Your words…” the Lightning Monarch said as he stood back up again with a groan, “shall not shake my will.”

“I don’t need them to,” Jake shook his head. “Your willingness to acknowledge your own weakness is irrelevant to me… all it can do is extend your loss.”

The Lightning Monarch did not answer but attacked again, having partly recovered from that wide slash he made to cut through the pillar. He kept trying to lock down Jake and made many valiant attempts to somehow land a blow on Jake, but against his overpowered Bloodline, the man just didn’t stand a chance. It didn’t help that, honestly, he wasn’t even that skilled with his sword.

“How long have you been a Champion? Actually, don’t even answer that; the true answer will be far more embarrassing than what I guess in my head,” Jake said, teasing the man who was really running out of steam by now.

Nevertheless, he didn’t stop his barrage of attacks, even when his lightning began to visibly weaken. Jake saw the desperation in the Lightning Monarch’s eyes and knew it was about time to land the “killing blow.”

If not, the fight would turn into a duel to the death… because Jake got the vibes from the Lightning Monarch that he would rather burn himself to death with lightning energy than lose. Luckily, Jake did have one final strategy to use:

“Despite being a Champion for so long, your swordsmanship is still at such a low level… your own son is nearly better with a spear than you are, and he has only used it for a year,” Jake shook his head after dodging another attack and landing a solid punch in the Lightning Monarch’s stomach after dismissing his katars, sending him temporarily airborne, before landing on the sand with a thud.

Jake’s words had been an insult… yet he saw a spark of something in the Monarch’s eyes as he hurriedly began to stand.

“You should honestly be embarrassed at your progress… I had expected all the Champions to be truly powerful opponents, yet you, someone who has been a Champion for years, seems to barely have made any progress since you became one,” Jake sighed. “And you are preparing to try the Gauntlet again? For how long will you prepare? Another few years? By that point, your son will have surpassed you and become a Champion himself.”

For the first time, the Monarch didn’t attack immediately after standing up, but instead, he looked at Jake directly. “Do you truly believe Owen can become a Champion?”

Jake, barely hiding his smile, shrugged. “Probably, though I will admit you at least have him beaten out when it comes to controlling your special lightning affinity. Then again, you only guided him in using it for what, three or four years?”

“It was… barely one year…” Owen’s dad muttered.

“Only a year? Huh, guess we are both lucky you didn’t teach him for longer, or he may have been the one standing here today, trying to do the Gauntlet of the Grand Champion,” Jake said, trying to sound surprised yet casual as if Owen being able to do that was only natural.

By now, the fight was already over; at least, Jake hoped it was. While the man opposite Jake still stood tall, Jake saw the slight quivering in his legs. Unless he fully reactivated his boosting lightning, he wouldn’t be able to move any faster than a slow stroll, and by the way his arms hung down his sides, the sword slightly slumping, Jake doubted he could even lift his weapon without boosting.

Something Jake really didn’t want to happen, and not just because he was pretty damn sure that another boost would kill the Monarch, but because Jake knew it would also be a problem for him. If the Lightning Monarch decided to go for mutual destruction, it could get dangerous. Jake knew just how dangerous someone who was good at using a boosting skill and willing to die truly was, the Fallen King no doubt sharing this sentiment.

So, while not making it a fight to the death was a great outcome for Owen, it was also best for Jake, and he got the feeling this was the “best” way to win while even minimizing risk.

“You… are powerful,” the Lightning Monarch said as he looked at Jake. “And you are telling me that my son is more talented than you? That with just a few years of training, he will become more powerful than you?”

… Okay, maybe Jake had overhyped poor Owen a bit too much, but at this point, there was no backing out as Jake once more shrugged. “I will say that I would rather fight you than Owen in a few years.”

Hey, he wasn’t even lying. Jake would indeed prefer to fight someone he didn’t really know over his buddy of a year.

The Lightning Monarch looked up toward the stands, staring straight at Owen. Jake followed his gaze and saw Owen look confused. Nobody in the stands could hear what Jake and the Monarch were talking about, so what came next was definitely a surprise to many.

“Perhaps… perhaps it’s time to pass on the mantle,” the man muttered to Jake before he looked upward and yelled: “I surrender!”

Jake was hiding his grin while trying really hard to look surprised as the man yelled once more. “And with my loss today, so shall I retire from the Colosseum of Mortals, stepping down as Champion. But worry not, for my son shall pick up the title of Lightning Monarch, and within not that long, a new Monarch shall join the rank! Mark my words!”

Not bothering to hide his grin anymore, Jake threw the confused Owen a look and gave him a thumbs up. What? Owen had never told Jake how he had to convince his father to give up fighting, just to make him give up. Besides, what was a more classic dad move from an already neglectful absentee father than putting all your personal hopes and dreams in the hands of your kid, trying to make them achieve what you couldn’t?

From the beginning, Jake had doubted he could make the Lightning Monarch simply lose faith in himself and surrender. He was too damn stubborn and determined for something like that to ever work, so instead, Jake had aimed to redirect his attention.

In a slightly anti-climactic way, Jake’s first bout as a Champion had ended, and to the roars of the crowd, who seemed totally fine with this ending, Jake raised a single fist as he turned to leave.

Jake, walking out of the arena, did turn his head to see Owen giving him quite the glare, but Jake just smiled and waved as he shifted his attention to someone else in the stands. A man who stood on a small personal platform, overlooking the arena and focusing intently on Jake with some kind of magical orb in his hand.

Observing this man, Jake saw an old elf with a long, thin beard going all the way down to his stomach and old sunken features. He wore an extremely expensive-feeling robe, and leaning against the railing right beside him was a rather majestic staff. It wasn’t difficult for Jake to ascertain who he was looking at through his sphere… because, damn, did he look like a classic old mage. Even if all the other details weren’t a massive hint, the classic pointy hat gave him away.

It was naturally the Archmage, Jake’s next planned opponent. And in that fight, there would be no need to hold back.