Chapter 14: New technique
As this was happening, Licht's eyes fully opened
Not just his physical eyes… but the Infinite Eyes.
He saw everything.
The twisting threads of mana.
The breath before a movement and the intention behind it
Time itself seemed to stretch in that, and just before his and Charlotte's blades clashed—
Bang!
A shockwave of force rippled across Licht's arm as Charlotte's sword was deflected by Licht's blade.
BOOM!
Her sword slammed into the ground with crushing force, dragging a gouge through the earth and leaving behind a smoking trail of crackling lightning.
While any other cadet might have frozen in shock after having their technique effortlessly deflected, Charlotte didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.
The moment her blade touched the ground, she ripped it free and spun around, roaring as she brought it back down toward Licht's head in a savage arc.
For her, this was never a duel; it was a hunt.
She wasn't here to trade blows—she was here to kill.
Licht could constantly feel Charlotte's murderous intent prickling across his skin like icy needles and had never let his guard drop for even a moment.
As her blade came cleaving toward his skull, Licht raised his sword in a lateral guard, angling his body low.
Steel clashed and Sparks flew as the force of Charlotte's swing scraped down Licht's blade, sending vibrations rattling through his arms, but he held firm.
And in that exact moment, While Charlotte's momentum still pulled her forward—
Licht moved.
He ducked beneath her sword arm, surged forward like a shadow sliding through lightning
One moment he was deflecting an attack, the next his fist wrapped in vicious, raging lightning was heading straight for her solar plexus!
Boom!
'Tch!'
From within the dissipating smoke, Licht stepped out.
He calmly placed his one trembling wrist behind his back, his posture deceptively relaxed and almost regal.
Across from him, Charlotte slowly lowered her raised knee, her piercing eyes meeting with Licht's frigid face
Despite his crafty move, Charlotte had easily blocked his attack
'She's not just stronger than me… she's faster too.'
In the brief instant the fighting stopped, Charlotte also took a quick assessment of Licht.
Despite her insanely murderous aura, she didn't become frantic—only more composed.
As the one fighting Licht, Charlotte naturally noticed something the other cadets watching from the sidelines couldn't.
'He's growing.'
She didn't know if it was his version of a prank or God mocking her by allowing Licht to show some blooming talent at the verge of death.
But one thing she did know for certain:
Licht can't be allowed to live any longer.
Once his 「Infinite Copy Eyes 」 ended, he'd become a complete bum —unable to even block one strike.
If he were fighting an ordinary cadet, it wouldn't matter.
But Charlotte really wanted to kill him.
No—this can't go on any longer…"
'I'm really going to die!'
Ding!
System Reminder:
60 seconds of 「Infinite Copy Eyes 」 remaining.
Fuck!
As the battle continued and Licht edged closer and closer to death
His mind spurred into action, looking for a way to come out of this, and on the brink of death, Licht noticed something
Even as they attacked, chaining bolts of lightning to amplify their speed and strength, residual lightning mana always spilt onto the ground.
It wasn't anything intentional—just the byproduct of their technique.
It was a simple natural phenomenon.
Mana, when used by body-weavers, is attuned to their unique frequency.
But once it's released, it begins to diffuse back out, slowly being diluted and absorbed back into the world. Like ink dissolving into the ocean.
At first, even someone like Licht, who could directly see mana, barely noticed this phenomenon.
Like ink being spilt into the ocean, the residual lightning mana could be covered up and swept under a series of waves
But after so many exchanges, the lightning mana began to congregate. Stubbornly clinging onto one another until it finally became noticeable, and with a closer look, Licht realised, the entire battlefield was soaked in it.
Then a thought struck him.
"What if… instead of relying on recoil to generate lightning and power our attacks, we tapped into the lightning mana we've already released?
Not fighting the current, but scooping the inky ocean back into a cup, and directing it with intent.
As soon as Licht had that thought, an alarm went off in his mind—
System Notification
New technique detected!
Completion rate …..10%.
Technique execution failed
Licht's face quickly turned ugly
It was to be expected though.
Although the 「Infinite Copy Eyes 」he had awakened made Licht feel like a god, he was still well and truly mortal
Sword techniques were something created over generations. How could he just create a new one with just one thought?
If he could maintain the state of 「Infinite Copy Eyes 」for longer, then it might be possible
But ignoring the fact that Licht still had a timer for how long her could remain in this state, he was in the middle of life life-threatening battle right now! Charlotte would never give him enough time to ponder the intricacies needed to create a new sword technique
But just as Licht was about to give up hope, his system sounded out again
Reminder: Technique execution failed due to an incomplete technique. Would you like to spend Enlightenment Points (EP) to complete this new technique?
The sudden notification felt like a hand reaching into the abyss, pulling him back from the edge.
"Yes—YES!" Licht roared in his heart
"Take all the Enlightenment Points you need!"
BOOM!
With just a single thought, Licht's body exploded in a storm of purple lightning as a blinding pillar of energy spiralled skyward like a berserk Tesla tower.
As this was going on, the ground erupted and pillars of lightning surged up from the soaked terrain and poured back into Licht's body as if the battlefield itself was answering his call.
Charlotte was thrown back, unable to withstand the sudden surge.
The pain was bad, but even she, someone fearless enough to risk death to kill Licht, was left stunned at this new sight.