Lapis sat on the edge of a marble fountain, his chin resting in his hand. His Honoured Eyes were dim, staring at nothing as he ran through thousands of spatial equations. Level 3... it's not about power, he thought. It's about how I perceive the 'Void' itself. But what is the missing link?
His thoughts were interrupted by Techyon's voice, clear and determined.
"Alya, hug me. Tightly."
The courtyard went silent. Lapis blinked, his goggles sliding down his nose. Neweland, who was walking nearby, stopped dead in his tracks. Alya's face turned a shade of pink that rivaled Elisa's butterflies.
"T-Techyon! Everyone is right here!" she stammered, her hands trembling.
"So what?" Techyon said, his Sapphire Blue eyes locked onto the palace perimeter. "Just hug me from the back. And don't let go."
Biting her lip, Alya stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her forehead against his back.
"You have to tighten your grip," Techyon commanded, his White-Blue aura beginning to hum.
"Yeah..." she whispered, locking her fingers together.
BOOM!
A shockwave of white static shattered the air. Techyon vanished, leaving only a trail of blue lightning. He tore through the palace gardens, up the walls, and across the spires at his absolute maximum velocity.
Inside the blur, Alya gasped. The wind was trying to tear her away, but she felt something more dangerous: Techyon's body was beginning to burn. The heat was radiating through his clothes, and his speed started to flicker as his muscles seized from the "Overheat."
"Use it now!" Techyon roared over the whistling wind. "Hydro Refresh!"
"Hydro Refresh!" Alya cried out.
A wave of chilled, mystical water surged from her arms, sinking directly into Techyon's skin. The effect was instantaneous. The steam hissed away, his temperature stabilized, and the White-Blue flash exploded with twice the intensity. He wasn't slowing down—he was accelerating.
They skidded to a halt back in the center of the courtyard, Techyon's boots carving deep grooves into the stone. He stood tall, his aura fading into a calm, electric mist.
"It's perfect," Techyon said, a confident smirk on his face. "With you there, Alya, I can use my maximum speed without hitting 6% HP. Rax won't even see the flash before he loses his head."
The air in the palace battleground was heavy with moisture. Techyon stood opposite Neweland, his Sapphire Blue eyes glowing with a fierce competitive light.
"Neweland," Techyon said, his voice echoing in the arena. "I challenge you to a duel."
The Hydro Arcon raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Are you serious, Techyon? Challenging an Arcon? Well, it's part of your training... I accept."
Techyon shifted his weight. "I just want to know how fast I really am."
"Very well. Let's see—"
Before Neweland could finish his sentence, a White-Blue flash tore through the space between them. Techyon was already behind him, his daggers humming.
"Too slow," Neweland whispered. "Waterfall."
A massive, high-pressure wave erupted from the Arcon's back, slamming into the space where Techyon stood. But as the water crashed down, Neweland realized he had hit an afterimage. Techyon was already high in the air, silhouetted against the palace lights.
"Light Shuriken!"
Techyon manifested a massive, spinning disc of white-blue electricity. Using the momentum of his fall, he began to spin his entire body, adding centrifugal force to the light energy. He descended like a crashing star.
BOOM!
The explosion of mana filled the arena with steam. When the smoke cleared, Neweland stood unmoved behind a shimmering Hydro Barrier. However, the moment Techyon's boots touched the ground, the Arcon's barrier shattered into a thousand liquid shards.
Neweland looked at the broken pieces of his defense in genuine surprise. "That was a good move. What do you call that?"
"Falling Bolt," Techyon panted, his aura flickering. "That name feels right. So... how fast am I, according to you?"
Neweland's expression turned solemn. "You are fast, Techyon. But compared to the Monarchs? You are still slower. Too much slower. Tell me, what is your current speed in kilometers per millisecond?"
"I don't know..." Techyon muttered. "Maybe 600 to 700 km?"
"I am talking about your Auto-Counter speed," the Arcon corrected, his voice dropping an octave. "The speed where your soul takes over. The speed of the White-Blue lightning."
"I don't know," Techyon admitted. "I've never tried to measure it."
"Then you will try now," Neweland said, his own mana beginning to rise like a tidal wave.