Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 390: The Final Demonstration

The coliseum’s atmosphere buzzed as the final competitor stepped forward for their turn.

Niko grinned, already sensing when he slyly received a note from an attendant during the demonstration by Varen. It seemed the Sect Master picked up on something and intended that this individual had to be saved for last.

"And now, for the final demonstration of the Martial Comprehension Trial—" His arm swept toward the remaining disciple. "Caius Velthorn! A name that almost needs no introduction to most of the disciples that frequent the training grounds! One of the fastest movement specialists of his generation, known for his unique approach to lightning combat—favoring footwork and overwhelming speed!"

The crowd stirred immediately. Caius wasn’t an unknown name. His reputation preceded him, and his distinct style of battle had made him a nightmare opponent for many in the training fields.

He focused so much on speed and kicks that he was able to take opponents two levels higher than him quite easily, a remarkable feat for the average Spirit Warriors—as long as you disregarded Lassim’s freakish power that allowed the skipping entire stages.

From his seat, Lassim watched as the disciple strode towards the center of the arena, and he immediately understood why Caius was different.

Unlike the other competitors, who all wore the standard variations of the martial robes of the Personal Disciples, Caius had fully modified his attire to suit his style of combat.

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His robe had been streamlined, its long sleeves and excess fabric cut short or neatly tailored back to prevent any drag. The hem of his tunic was tight across his chest, designed for optimal mobility and showcasing his muscular upper body.

Even his boots—noticeably reinforced along the bottoms—appeared to have an added weight to them, but then he noticed they were attached to something else on the heels. There were the spurs.

Unlike fancy decorative or the normal functional spurs you’d see guards on a caravan wearing, Caius’ were his elemental weapon and completely integrated into his boots seamlessly.

Faint arcs of static energy ran between the sharp edges of the spurs. Every step he took left a delicate imprint of residual lightning upon the stone as he was already circulating his mana.

Tessa, observing from the Sect Master’s platform, tilted her head, pondering out loud, "I really should alter my robes too. Even his clothes are designed for speed. Why don’t I try to make mine cuter…"

Aurelian, standing beside her, agreed but missed the point she was making, instead thinking about alchemy efficiency, "Every adjustment he’s made is to eliminate wasted movement. I don’t see why you can’t alter yours to make potion refining easier for you."

On the field, Caius finally came to a stop at the demonstration point. He exhaled deeply, then lowered his stance slightly, one foot shifting forward.

For a moment—he was still.

Then—

Nothing.

Wait, not nothing. A complete second and still version of himself appeared roughly 6 meters away.

Then another Caius appeared.

And another.

And another.

Gasps erupted throughout the coliseum as Caius’ figure seemed to completely disappear, only replaced and tracked by copies of him frozen and still all across the arena.

Within seconds, multiple afterimages of him were scattered across the coliseum, each one standing perfectly still.

This continued until the newest copy, or perhaps the original, stood on the opposite side of the stage just 5 seconds later. A total of 27 "Caius’" had appeared.

Then, incredibly delayed, a thunderclap of his movement sent a shockwave across the arena.

From his new position, Caius raised his foot slightly, then tapped his heel against the stone, making his elemental spurs jangle.

ZZZT!

A pulse of electricity shot through the ground.

Instantly—the afterimages moved.

The standing versions of Caius that had appeared throughout the arena all shifted slightly, as if ready to act.

Then—they attacked.

Caius vanished again—and suddenly, every afterimage simultaneously lashed out with a brutal kick, as they were all attacking one of the target dummies at once.

BOOM!

The air itself cracked apart from the force, streaks of lightning trailing behind each motion.

But then—as quickly as they attacked, the images shattered, dissolving into raw arcs of energy, revealing that only one was real.

Caius reappeared in the center of the arena, his blue lightning eyes gleaming as he lowered his foot from his final kick.

A long silence stretched across the audience.

Before—

The coliseum finally erupted.

Roars of astonishment filled the air. The sheer speed and deception in his technique had left even the more experienced elders stunned.

Niko, who had been struggling to keep up with Caius’ movement, let out a laugh. "Oh-ho! What was that!? I barely caught any of that, and I was watching closely!"

The judges murmured among themselves, already making furious notes.

Volten, watching from above, grinned. His voice was soft, but was amplified by his mana that carried to every pair of ears in the coliseum. His voice confirmed the speculation, "Now that… is a technique worthy of being recorded."

Niko turned toward the judging platform, addressing Elder Maelis and the Sect Archivists. "Well? Can we call this a refinement of an existing style, or…?"

Elder Maelis, who had been scanning through the sect’s Lightning Archives, finally looked up.

"…No," she said. "As the Sect Master already confirmed… This is new."

Another thunderous explosion of cheers erupted from the coliseum.

Caius had done it.

He had created a completely original technique.

Niko’s grin widened. "Well, well! It looks like we have our first original martial technique of this Elder Summit! What a rare and prosperous moment our Lightning Sect!"

Caius exhaled slowly, brushing his fingers through his static-laced hair before looking toward the judges with a smug grin. "So… does that mean I win?"

Laughter rippled through the audience, and even Elder Maelis let out an amused sigh. "It means your technique will be reviewed, recorded, and officially entered into the sect’s Lightning Archives with your cooperation."

Niko clapped his hands together. "And that means, in addition to whomever has the highest proficiency demonstrated by the judges, and by the rules of this competition—you shall receive the special prize—a God’s Trial Token!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the reaction was instantaneous. The crowd roared in excitement.

Caius simply grinned.

Lassim, watching from the Sect Master’s platform, nodded slightly. There was something about this technique. Unlike the standard lightning movement styles he had created himself or seen his fellow disciples use before during the Sect War, this one was remarkable.

It wasn’t only an incredibly quick movement technique—it was deception through movement. And that made it dangerous.

After the cheers for Caius’ remarkable new technique began to settle, Niko gestured for the audience’s attention once more. "Now, while Caius Velthorn has secured the special award for innovation, we still have one final honor to bestow!"

He paused as the crowd settled, "The highest comprehended and refined technique among the rest of our competitors must also be chosen! While many of our disciples demonstrated brilliant adaptations and refinements of existing sect techniques, only one has exhibited the most refined and deeply comprehended improvement."

The coliseum grew silent as Elder Maelis and the other judges exchanged glances, confirming their decision. After a brief moment, Elder Maelis rose from her seat, her deep indigo hair crackling faintly as she infused mana into her voice.

"Among all the competitors, the disciple who demonstrated the most profound refinement of an existing technique, showcasing exceptional understanding and control, is—Varen Istal!"

A new wave of applause erupted across the arena.

Varen, who had stood quietly among the competitors, blinked in slight surprise before his usual collected expression returned. He stepped forward, offering a deep bow toward the judges.

Elder Maelis nodded approvingly before continuing. "Your variation of [Lightning Arc], condensing its output into a singular piercing beam, has demonstrated the highest refinement of a known technique. The precision, power, and mana efficiency you displayed indicate a level of comprehension far beyond expectation to make such alterations. This improvement will be recorded and archived under your name, and for your excellence in comprehension, you shall receive first place in the Martial Comprehension Competition!"

The cheers swelled once more as the judges finalized the decision.

Niko grinned. "Two incredible victories today! Caius Velthorn, for creating an entirely new technique! Varen Istal, for refining a known battle art to its highest degree!"

Varen exhaled through his nose, a small, satisfied smile flickering across his face before he gave another bow and stepped back into formation.

From his seat, Lassim smiled. This was a well-earned win for Varen. While Caius’ technique was flashy and revolutionary, Varen had shown the kind of focused mastery that could redefine how Lightning Arc would be used by future generations of the Lightning Sect.

With the final placements confirmed, the competition was officially over.

Then, as the noise began to settle—

Volten rose from his seat.

The coliseum fell silent.

The Sect Master’s golden-orange lightning eyes gleamed as he looked across the gathered disciples.

"Thank you Niko for your efforts analyzing and announcing these past two competitions. Please send in our next Master of Ceremonies." He thanked.

Niko gave a graceful bow towards the Sect Master on the tallest platform, before finding the exit.

The Sect Master continued, "The next stage begins now," he announced. "Prepare the arena for the Array Competition!"