Lucen pulled. Not physically, magically. Mana poured from every thread in his body, pooling in his core before lashing down his arms and into the sword.
Flame burst along the steel, not orange now, but white. The heat boiled the air around him, his vision narrowing to the monster's glaring eyes.
The system pinged, not in warning—almost in approval.
[SSS-Class Output Detected]
[User Rank Override — True Potential Partially Unlocked]
Lucen's stomach clenched at the word "override." But the sword didn't feel heavy anymore. It felt right.
He vanished.
No, that's not right, he moved. But faster than his eyes could track. The stone under his first step shattered from the force, sending a shockwave through the arena.
The monster's head was still turning when Lucen's blade carved across its neck. Mana flared like lightning under skin, burning through muscle and vein.
It reeled back, screeching. He didn't give it a second to recover.
Strike across the other side of the neck.
