Chapter 49: The Lunaris (11) Jex
Inside a spacious sitting room, a family of three could be seen watching the TV with all their attention fixed on the screen, just like millions of other families all around Arden at the moment.
The little child, who seemed to be around the age of eight, sat on the ground a few meters away from the screen. His eyes shone not with fear, but with thrill as the battle continued.
Sitting on both sides of him were his parents. A beautiful raven-haired woman in her late thirties, his mother could still rival the beauties of far younger women. Her emerald eyes dimmed with worry and fear as she watched the humans lose yet another fight against the Lunaris.
Beside her, a man seemingly in his mid-twenties rested his hands on her shoulders. Despite his youthful appearance, he emitted an aura far more mature than hers. Simply staring into his brilliant purple eyes, which seemed to draw one in, one could easily tell that his body’s age was just a mirage compared to his actual age.
His long silver hair lay relaxed on his shoulders, fluttering slightly with the little breeze that drifted through the emotionally tense room.
Unlike his wife, whose worries were evident on her face, his expression was unreadable, almost as if he weren’t reacting at all to the competition.
Except for the few infrequent furrows of his brow, there was no other reaction.
His gaze lingered on the screen as the third human representative went up against his opponent. His gaze shone with a tiny amount of interest, as if he was familiar with the human.
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Tension hung around the arena as the unconscious body of the second fighter was rolled away by a team of medics.
Chatter erupted among the hunters, and snickering could be heard from the Lunaris, especially the nobles who seemed to be enjoying themselves at that moment.
The remaining eight representatives of Arden stared at their opponents standing on the other side. They could see the pride and threat in their gazes.
"I’ll take on the third round," Drever paused for a moment and then declared sharply.
"Are you sure you can take them on?" Marlon asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"A little bit," Drever responded. "But I’m tired of watching others."
Marlon nodded. He too hated seeing the results of the first two fights. At the moment, if there was something he wanted, it would be to wipe those smug smiles off the faces of the Lunaris brats.
But for now, he chose to relax and observe.
"The son of the vice president, please make us proud," the remaining representative from Southstone Nation said.
The other representatives agreed to let Drever represent them this time.
"I won’t fail you guys," Drever responded, his tone thick with confidence and determination.
He equipped his sword from his inventory. The finely forged blade glittered under the sunlight as he strolled calmly into the fighting space.
He began to release his ability. Blue electricity sparked constantly around his body. Each of his steps forward seemed to release a faint spark as they struck the ground softly.
From the VIP area, Norian’s calm eyes lingered on his son. A brief worried expression flashed on his face before disappearing almost immediately.
"I see... quite the flashy opponent," the Lunaris representative remarked as he stepped forward, his voice calm but brimming with superiority. "The name’s Jex... you’re facing me this round."
Drever studied his opponent. He looked much like the other young Lunaris, though a bit more muscular than the previous two representatives. Unlike them, he didn’t seem to use weapons.
Without bothering with a long introduction, he gave a short, dismissive reply. "Drever Sterling."
"How long do you think you’ll last against me, Drever Sterling?" Jex grinned.
Gigaman noted the readiness of both sides, and with a single hand signal and a loud voice, announced the beginning of the third round.
Drever’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, electricity spreading from his body and syncing with his blade as it buzzed with power.
The same electricity wrapped around his feet before he blasted off toward his opponent, his speed several times faster than the last two human representatives.
Jex’s purple-scaled face revealed a sharp grin as he moved toward him, his agility just as terrifying.
From an ordinary human perspective, the two of them seemed to have disappeared.
Only the dust and dirt erupting along their path indicated that they were still there and moving. The two figures closed the distance at an alarming rate.
Drever swiftly pumped his lightning powers into his blade. Several streaks of electricity snaked across it as he swung instantly at the opponent now standing in front of him.
His blade cleaved through the air so fast it appeared blurred.
It inched closer to Jex.
Nonetheless, barely a few inches away, Jex finally displayed his ability.
It was one that caused the entire human audience to gasp in disbelief.
Jex’s upper body transformed in the blink of an eye.
His purple-scaled skin was replaced with the same tone as Drever’s. His big, long hands became exact replicas of Drever’s, and not just that—the same blade Drever held now streaked forward in his hands.
The two blades clashed, resounding with a sharp clang that blasted across the arena, followed by a mild shockwave. Both leaped backward afterward.
Drever landed, eyes widening in shock.
He can mirror my powers... he realized immediately.
"Surprised?" Jex’s voice infiltrated his thoughts just before they could sink deeper.
Behind me... How? He was standing there a second ago...
Drever’s eyes widened even more.
His ears picked up the sound of lightning sparking and swords cutting through the air.
Time seemed to stall at that moment.
Drever twisted his body as best he could and flung his sword toward the incoming attack, only managing to block it.
Nonetheless, since his form was unstable and his grip loosened due to lack of preparation, his sword was knocked out of his hands and sent flying several meters away, rendering him weaponless.
Jex grinned. This time, he did not give Drever the chance to pick up his sword or regain balance before charging for another clean attack.
Even weaponless... I won’t let him take me down so easily, Drever thought.
"Storm wave..." he activated his skill coldly.
Many more lines of electricity appeared on his body in less than a second, and in an even shorter amount of time, they blasted outward in a circular wave around him.
The vibrations of dozens of lightning bolts sounded across the arena, causing a brief moment of silence.
Jex hadn’t expected such a wide-range skill at that moment, and since he was only a few inches away, the effect of the attack was much stronger.
His eyes widened as the electrical wave slammed into him. His body convulsed violently, the force of the storm throwing him backward like a ragdoll. Sparks danced across his skin, searing through his armor and burning with an intensity that made the air around him hiss and crackle.
Seeing this, everyone, including those at home watching, immediately became thrilled with excitement and relief.
"Come on, Drever!"
But the Lunaris side remained unwavering as they watched, the confident glint in their eyes never dimming for a second.
Meanwhile—
Before Jex could even finish crashing, Drever sprinted, his lightning-enhanced agility propelling him forward, and appeared right behind him before his momentum could fade.
His feet, now wrapped in thick lightning, darted lethally toward Jex’s rolling body.
And then it happened.
Time paused or rather, it slowed so drastically it seemed to stop altogether.
The atmosphere hung thick.
Saliva flying out from the mouth of a screaming young man toward the spectators, drifted in midair, moving so slowly it seemed frozen.
Everyone present appeared frozen too. The entire arena now appeared as a still photograph.
Only the eyes of Norian Sterling and the three nobles moved slightly, their immense strength letting them resist the effect a little.
Drever, too, could comprehend the slowing of time.
His eyes darted, taking in every detail, but his body remained sluggish, stuck mid-pose, bound by the sudden temporal drag.
The cause? Jex.
He stood casually before Drever, grinning maliciously, strolling with menacing steps, utterly unaffected.
Drever’s eyes followed him.
"Don’t you think simply mirroring your current ability would make me inferior, like you humans?" Jex said coldly, stepping closer.
"This skill — the one that slows time — is something your future self might wield... maybe in a hundred years or so," he continued.
"Nonetheless, with my ability, I can not only mirror your current powers but also peek into your future and borrow one of your powers. Though it’s a one-time thing and drains enormous energy, I must admit you have a very interesting future for a human."