Lightning crashed from above, spearing the ground where Erik had stood a heartbeat ago. He leapt back, boots scraping against the dirt. Another bolt fell, then another—each closer than the last. He dodged again, rolling to his side, the air hissing with heat.
He couldn't keep this up. Not for long.
Think, Erik. Think!
A domain… a domain is made of mana.
Long-range attacks—they work by locking onto a mana signature, connecting the attack to that point.
His eyes widened.
That's it. I just need to read the mana signatures.
Erik deactivated his Core Activation, forcing all his focus and remaining mana into the Walker's Eyes. The world shifted. Threads of mana flickered into existence around him, glowing like faint, living veins in the air.
He moved—gracefully, deliberately—sidestepping where the signatures flared. Lightning slammed into empty ground inches away as he wove through the storm, his body flowing like water through chaos.
He broke into a sprint, pushing himself as far from Evalyn as he could.
"I have to get out of the domain," he muttered between breaths. "That's the only way I'll even have a chance of winning."
But Evalyn didn't let up. A new surge of mana approached fast—dense, violent. She was coming for him.
Erik didn't stop running. He weaved between bolts of lightning, ducking under a wide slash as Evalyn appeared beside him, her axe trailing thunder. Sparks flew as he barely slipped past her reach.
Finally, he crossed the domain's edge. Still, he kept running, pushing a few meters farther before turning around.
Evalyn emerged from the storm without a scratch, lightning rolling off her like mist. She looked utterly unconcerned.
What now?
Even my Core Activation isn't strong enough to face her head-on.
Then he noticed it—the lightning crown floating above her head, and the armor of electricity wrapping her upper body.
He remembered Leena's Core Activation. She too had been covered in lightning—her upper body and feet surrounded by crackling energy—but no crown.
And then Kruzen's words returned to him, cutting through the chaos:
"Your mana is alive, Erik. Mana itself is an entity. Ever wonder why the element you awaken always fits you perfectly? The fire you use and the fire Zikri uses may be the same in theory—but the way you both express it is different.
Mana matures with you, just like a living being. It learns through experience. That's why Leena's Core Activation looks different from yours—it's not only about capacity, but how she channels and matures her mana."
Those words echoed inside his head.
Every time I fought Leena... every time I used Core Activation... I felt like I could do more.
My attacks always hit weaker than they should have. Even now, I can feel it—there's more in me, but something's stopping it from coming out.
He clenched his fists.
This wall I'm up against... I'm need to break it.
Evalyn started walking toward him—slowly at first, then faster, her grin widening. Erik shifted into stance, meeting her approach with calm determination.
Mana maturity is something I can't control... not yet. But mana output—that's something I can.
That was the realization he'd been missing all along. He wasted mana. Every technique—Core Activation, Mana Reinforcement—he'd been bleeding energy without precision.
He closed his eyes and visualized it.
A waterfall—his mana—pouring endlessly. Below it, a barrel catching the water. The flow was steady, but unfocused. He narrowed the outlet, compressed it—forcing pressure to build until the water surged out stronger, sharper, more directed.
That was it.
Erik's eyes snapped open. Electricity coursed through his left arm and leg, fire through his right. Unlike before, it didn't spill outward in wild bursts—everything was condensed, controlled.
His dagger blazed bright yellow. His sword ignited in fire. He raised both weapons, the sword before his face, the dagger beneath it in a reverse grip.
Evalyn appeared before him in a flash, her axe descending like judgment.
"Heaven's Slash!" she shouted.
Steel and thunder collided—then Evalyn's axe recoiled back as Erik deflected the blow with his dagger. The shock made her stumble, balance broken.
With an direct thrust Erik's sword came in with a vicious counter, aimed for her heart. Evalyn twisted away, the blade grazing her armor, leaving a burning scar across the lightning.
She jumped back twice, eyes wide—not with anger, but disbelief.
For the first time, Evalyn looked... surprised.
Erik slid his dagger and sword back into their sheaths. Without a word, he unclasped his cloak and tossed it into the air. It fluttered across the battlefield before landing neatly in Kruzen's hands. The Arch Mage gave a small approving nod, draped it over his shoulder, and watched silently.
Beneath the cloak, Erik's training shirt clung to his frame. Sparks flickered around him.
"Core Activation."
This time, the world itself seemed to respond.
Half of Erik's head glowed gold, the other half orange. Thin rectangular mana bars formed near his wrists—five on each side—growing upward until they reached his elbows. Tribal markings crawled beneath both eyes, glowing faintly.
He drew his dagger and pointed it at Evalyn.
Evalyn grinned, lightning swirling around her. "Now things are getting interesting."
Erik's voice was low, steady.
"Let's put an end to this, shall we?"